Release Blitz: Forever Perfect: Alison G. Bailey
I was five years old when I met the love of my life. He was my best friend's older brother, but he was also my friend. We shared popsicles, we hunted for shark teeth on Folly Beach, and told each other secrets. But everything changed when we became teenagers. Brandon no longer wanted to have anything to do with me. I was a pest. Something to ignore. I hated that he tossed away our friendship.
Although he broke my heart, it still fluttered when he looked at me, was near me, and touched me. But eventually he would look away, push away, and walk away. Finally, I realized you can't make someone love you even if they were supposed to be your forever.
This is a legacy book in the Perfect series. Noah, Tweet, Brad, and Mabry from the original series are some of my favorite characters of all time and their stories broke my heart and put it back together. So going into this one about their children, I had high expectations. But this author delivered a story that is both new and nostalgic. It brings the same intensity of emotions. It has surprises that left me shaken. And it kept me totally enthralled and invested until the last page. It fits in the series perfectly and is the book I did not even realize I needed from this author to make it feel more complete.
Halle Stewart met Brandon Johnson as kids and they formed an immediate connection. He was her neighbor, protector, and friend until the teen years and hormones made it difficult. Her crush and his backing away eventually caused a division.
She is the good girl and his little sister's best friend so she should be off-limits. And her father hates him just like he does his father. She is an over-thinker and is sensitive. But no matter how she tries and even when she hopes she is moving on, there is still a part of her heart reserved for her first crush.
Brandon is in between a rock and a hard place. He tries to do what he thinks is right, but is still plagued by jealousy and unresolved feelings. The only way to stay sane is to stay away. He puts on a front of not caring, pushes people away, and does nothing to improve his reputation.
But when their lives are suddenly irrevocably changed, it sends their emotions spinning and opens the door that was previously closed. And only then can they face the world with open eyes and maybe open hearts. But not all of their challenges are intrinsic and there are other external factors that also impact them.
This is a story of sacrifice, patience, friendship, soul-mates, longing, love, and loss. Life is not always perfect...it is scary, messy, tragic, but there is also the potential of true love and happiness...but sometimes it involves fighting for it. This is an emotional journey for all involved...me included as I teared up a couple times.
I also loved seeing the relationships between them and their parents, and how these characters have matured in some ways and stayed the same in others. I was especially fascinated with what kind of dads Noah and Brad became. This will forever be one of my favorite and most unforgettable series ever.
Halle Stewart met Brandon Johnson as kids and they formed an immediate connection. He was her neighbor, protector, and friend until the teen years and hormones made it difficult. Her crush and his backing away eventually caused a division.
She is the good girl and his little sister's best friend so she should be off-limits. And her father hates him just like he does his father. She is an over-thinker and is sensitive. But no matter how she tries and even when she hopes she is moving on, there is still a part of her heart reserved for her first crush.
Brandon is in between a rock and a hard place. He tries to do what he thinks is right, but is still plagued by jealousy and unresolved feelings. The only way to stay sane is to stay away. He puts on a front of not caring, pushes people away, and does nothing to improve his reputation.
But when their lives are suddenly irrevocably changed, it sends their emotions spinning and opens the door that was previously closed. And only then can they face the world with open eyes and maybe open hearts. But not all of their challenges are intrinsic and there are other external factors that also impact them.
This is a story of sacrifice, patience, friendship, soul-mates, longing, love, and loss. Life is not always perfect...it is scary, messy, tragic, but there is also the potential of true love and happiness...but sometimes it involves fighting for it. This is an emotional journey for all involved...me included as I teared up a couple times.
I also loved seeing the relationships between them and their parents, and how these characters have matured in some ways and stayed the same in others. I was especially fascinated with what kind of dads Noah and Brad became. This will forever be one of my favorite and most unforgettable series ever.
This is a second generation romance - between the children of previous Perfect series couples, and it has the perfect amount of involvement from those former favorite characters to make a connection but also let these characters stand on their own.
Halle and Brandon grew up as neighbors. He was her best friend’s older brother so even though she had a crush on him, she was off limits to him. By the time they are in high school, she has been hurt by his pulling away, and he is all about no-strings fun when it comes to girls. Their friendship may be on the outs, but there is still a part of Halle’s heart connected to her frist crush.
They experience a tragedy that has them both lost, looking for safety. Even though they weren’t a safe place for each other, there is still the connection from their childhood that has them reaching towards each other.
I was shocked at the turn of events about mid-way through the story, and for me the second half of the book changed everything I was thinking about the first half. I think I might be getting too old to spend too long in the high school years of any story, because the drama that teenagers create causes me to lose patience with characters. But in this case, their college situation changed it all for me and I found myself loving both Halle and Brandon.
This was an emotional story filled with longing, grief, and good friends. While I struggled for a bit with the beginning of the story, I loved the emotional impact of the second half. I wish that second half could have continued a little further, just because I wanted so much more of that connection for them.
Alison G. Bailey
Alison G. Bailey is an award winning, Amazon and International bestselling author living in Charleston, South Carolina. At an early age she fell in love with writing, reworking scenes from her favorite TV shows and movies with new dialogue. Alison wrote and produced several stage plays before turning her sights on the book world.
Under the influence of a copious amount of Diet Pepsi and nonstop listening to her Spotify playlists, Alison writes unique emotional stories full of love, laughter, and romance.
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