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teresab78's review
4.0
So while I really enjoyed this book as a whole - there was just something about Tom and Frank that made me feel squishy - it employs the use of one of my most hated thing; the push away martyr.
However, I loved Tommy and Frank together. Their plans and their friendship seemed to come easy. I liked the back and forth time jumps that gave us pieces of the puzzle. I liked seeing Charlie and Simon again.
The book won me over even with my pet peeve.
I was given this book with no expectation of a good review.
Spoiler
The trope where one person decides he isn’t good enough and will just hold the other person back and so pushes them away. <\spoiler> it hung over the whole book so I just wanted to slap some sense into Tommy.However, I loved Tommy and Frank together. Their plans and their friendship seemed to come easy. I liked the back and forth time jumps that gave us pieces of the puzzle. I liked seeing Charlie and Simon again.
The book won me over even with my pet peeve.
I was given this book with no expectation of a good review.
marlobo's review
DNF at 26%
I cannot keep going with this book, I cannot connect with any character or aspect, and moreover, it's slower than I can tolerate.
I cannot keep going with this book, I cannot connect with any character or aspect, and moreover, it's slower than I can tolerate.
lolasreviews's review against another edition
3.0
I received a free copy of this book from the author and voluntarily reviewed it.
I was in this weird reading mood where I couldn't quite figure out what to read next and decided to pick up this one as I loved book 1 and had hoped it would bring me out of my weird reading mood, instead it felt like it became another victim of my weird reading mood instead.
Renewing Forever is a good book, but for some reason it just didn't quite work for me. I really enjoy this author's writing style, I liked the set-up and I liked Frank. But on the other hand I felt this book was a bit too sad at times, I didn't like Tom and couldn't fully feel the romance.
Renewing Forever follows the story of Frank and Tom. They used to be best friends growing up, until the day before Frank left for college and he kissed Tom, after which Tom hit him and broke his nose. Frank didn't return for more than short visits for the next 30 year. Until his uncle Robert who owned the lodge dies. When Frank returns Tom is still there and they reconnect and start building their plans for the future.
Renewing Forever is a sweet second chance romance, with a bit of heat later on in the book. It's a story about two friends who didn't see other for years and now reconnect again. I liked how they both have changed, but also are still the same in parts as their younger selves. The story is told from dual point of views of both Frank and Tom. There are also some flashbacks to their younger years, which I really enjoyed as I felt like it make me understand better how they became friends and how they acted when they were younger.
This book felt sad somehow. Not the kind of sad where you cry your eyes out, but the kind of nostalgic melancholic sadness about things that have changed. Things that are broken and not as they used to be anywhere. Of loss and broken possibilities. Of a lodge that is so neglected no one stays there anymore, of friends who were so close and then didn't see each other for 30 years, of two guys forever waiting for the love they once had and lost and of a boy who dreamed big and then stayed in the small town he grew up to. It just felt sad. That's not to say it's a sad book, it actually isn't. There were moments of laughter and happiness, of reconnecting, of recapturing a friendship and new beginnings. But there is this feeling of sadness in the background, a vibe throughout the book that just was sad to me, especially the first half, the later half had a more optimistic tone and the epilogue is very happy.
I really liked Frank. Strangely enough he was the one I liked best from the two men in this book. In book 1 I wasn't sure whether I liked Frank at first and eventually grew to like him as the book progressed. In this book I started out liking him from the start. I liked how he had chased his dreams, but also was missing something. How he made good money, but actually found himself going in a direction with his career he wasn't sure he wanted to go. I liked how he re-evaluated what he wanted in live. I also liked his personality and how he handled things.
Sadly I never fully warmed up to Tom. I liked how he was into photography and I thought it was admirable how he cared for his old and sick mother, but I just couldn't fully like him. I kept wondering why he hit Frank as a kid as it was obvious he still had feelings for Frank. And when we finally find out the reason toward the end of the book it almost felt anticlimactic. I also didn't like how he avoided his problems instead of dealing with them. I get that he had a hard life and had struggles, but I still would've liked he handled things differently.
As a result from me not liking Tom as much I found it hard to full feel the romance. Nevertheless I did like parts of it. There was a great scene when they visited the fair that I really enjoyed and at that point I really felt their connection and friendship. And it was clear these two really cared for each other and I liked how it was obvious they were great friends. But something about the romance made me not fully feel it. I also didn't like how Tom hid the truth about where he was staying and what he was dealing with from Frank. I get that he didn't want to admit he wasn't doing so well, but it felt like he didn't trust Frank enough to confess. I do think the epilogue was well done and they did seem like a great couple in all ways, I just didn't feel their romance for some reason.
This book can work well as a standalone if you haven't read book 1 yet. Although if you plan to read all the books I do recommend you start with book 1 as there is a spoiler in this one about something that happens later in book 1, which might spoil that reveal. I really enjoyed the scenes with Simon and Charlie and even Brian. I think those scenes are extra fun because I was seeing characters I knew again, but I don't think you'll really feel like you miss something if you haven't read book 1. It was fun to see Simon and Frank's friendship now from Frank's point of view. And Brian is slowly growing on me and I am actually quite curious about his book, which will be next!
I liked how the themes of architecture and houses continues in this book as well. In the first book Simon is the architect and Charlie lives in a beautiful house they end of renovating a bit. In this book it's the lodge that's falling apart and which they might want to renovate. It was fun to see how that theme carries throughout the series. On the topic of the lodge I had actually hoped to see it being renovated and people returning there and it felt realistic how that took longer, but I had hoped to see more of the renovation and the lodge being restored to it's glory.
To summarize: Renewing Forever is a great second chance romance. I really liked the set-up with the lodge that is slowly falling apart and how Frank return to the lodge and reconnect with his childhood friend Tom. I liked the flashbacks and how they gave more insight in Tom and Frank's past. Sadly this book didn't fully worked for me. I think it's partly my weird reading mood. And this book just felt sad somehow, especially the first half, with how bad the state of the lodge was and how these two friends didn't see each other for 30 years. I really liked Frank as a character and how he acted and handled things, but I never fully warmed up to Tom. That also made it hard for me to fully feel the romance, but nevertheless it is a good romance and I liked seeing these two reconnect and grow closer again. The fair scene was great and the epilogue was very sweet too. It was fun to see recurring characters from book 1 make an appearance in this book as well. And the theme or architecture and houses plays a role in both books in this series so far. All in all it was a great read and I liked the writing style, but something didn't fully work for me. I am really looking forward to book 3.
I was in this weird reading mood where I couldn't quite figure out what to read next and decided to pick up this one as I loved book 1 and had hoped it would bring me out of my weird reading mood, instead it felt like it became another victim of my weird reading mood instead.
Renewing Forever is a good book, but for some reason it just didn't quite work for me. I really enjoy this author's writing style, I liked the set-up and I liked Frank. But on the other hand I felt this book was a bit too sad at times, I didn't like Tom and couldn't fully feel the romance.
Renewing Forever follows the story of Frank and Tom. They used to be best friends growing up, until the day before Frank left for college and he kissed Tom, after which Tom hit him and broke his nose. Frank didn't return for more than short visits for the next 30 year. Until his uncle Robert who owned the lodge dies. When Frank returns Tom is still there and they reconnect and start building their plans for the future.
Renewing Forever is a sweet second chance romance, with a bit of heat later on in the book. It's a story about two friends who didn't see other for years and now reconnect again. I liked how they both have changed, but also are still the same in parts as their younger selves. The story is told from dual point of views of both Frank and Tom. There are also some flashbacks to their younger years, which I really enjoyed as I felt like it make me understand better how they became friends and how they acted when they were younger.
This book felt sad somehow. Not the kind of sad where you cry your eyes out, but the kind of nostalgic melancholic sadness about things that have changed. Things that are broken and not as they used to be anywhere. Of loss and broken possibilities. Of a lodge that is so neglected no one stays there anymore, of friends who were so close and then didn't see each other for 30 years, of two guys forever waiting for the love they once had and lost and of a boy who dreamed big and then stayed in the small town he grew up to. It just felt sad. That's not to say it's a sad book, it actually isn't. There were moments of laughter and happiness, of reconnecting, of recapturing a friendship and new beginnings. But there is this feeling of sadness in the background, a vibe throughout the book that just was sad to me, especially the first half, the later half had a more optimistic tone and the epilogue is very happy.
I really liked Frank. Strangely enough he was the one I liked best from the two men in this book. In book 1 I wasn't sure whether I liked Frank at first and eventually grew to like him as the book progressed. In this book I started out liking him from the start. I liked how he had chased his dreams, but also was missing something. How he made good money, but actually found himself going in a direction with his career he wasn't sure he wanted to go. I liked how he re-evaluated what he wanted in live. I also liked his personality and how he handled things.
Sadly I never fully warmed up to Tom. I liked how he was into photography and I thought it was admirable how he cared for his old and sick mother, but I just couldn't fully like him. I kept wondering why he hit Frank as a kid as it was obvious he still had feelings for Frank. And when we finally find out the reason toward the end of the book it almost felt anticlimactic. I also didn't like how he avoided his problems instead of dealing with them. I get that he had a hard life and had struggles, but I still would've liked he handled things differently.
As a result from me not liking Tom as much I found it hard to full feel the romance. Nevertheless I did like parts of it. There was a great scene when they visited the fair that I really enjoyed and at that point I really felt their connection and friendship. And it was clear these two really cared for each other and I liked how it was obvious they were great friends. But something about the romance made me not fully feel it. I also didn't like how Tom hid the truth about where he was staying and what he was dealing with from Frank. I get that he didn't want to admit he wasn't doing so well, but it felt like he didn't trust Frank enough to confess. I do think the epilogue was well done and they did seem like a great couple in all ways, I just didn't feel their romance for some reason.
This book can work well as a standalone if you haven't read book 1 yet. Although if you plan to read all the books I do recommend you start with book 1 as there is a spoiler in this one about something that happens later in book 1, which might spoil that reveal. I really enjoyed the scenes with Simon and Charlie and even Brian. I think those scenes are extra fun because I was seeing characters I knew again, but I don't think you'll really feel like you miss something if you haven't read book 1. It was fun to see Simon and Frank's friendship now from Frank's point of view. And Brian is slowly growing on me and I am actually quite curious about his book, which will be next!
I liked how the themes of architecture and houses continues in this book as well. In the first book Simon is the architect and Charlie lives in a beautiful house they end of renovating a bit. In this book it's the lodge that's falling apart and which they might want to renovate. It was fun to see how that theme carries throughout the series. On the topic of the lodge I had actually hoped to see it being renovated and people returning there and it felt realistic how that took longer, but I had hoped to see more of the renovation and the lodge being restored to it's glory.
To summarize: Renewing Forever is a great second chance romance. I really liked the set-up with the lodge that is slowly falling apart and how Frank return to the lodge and reconnect with his childhood friend Tom. I liked the flashbacks and how they gave more insight in Tom and Frank's past. Sadly this book didn't fully worked for me. I think it's partly my weird reading mood. And this book just felt sad somehow, especially the first half, with how bad the state of the lodge was and how these two friends didn't see each other for 30 years. I really liked Frank as a character and how he acted and handled things, but I never fully warmed up to Tom. That also made it hard for me to fully feel the romance, but nevertheless it is a good romance and I liked seeing these two reconnect and grow closer again. The fair scene was great and the epilogue was very sweet too. It was fun to see recurring characters from book 1 make an appearance in this book as well. And the theme or architecture and houses plays a role in both books in this series so far. All in all it was a great read and I liked the writing style, but something didn't fully work for me. I am really looking forward to book 3.
claudia_is_reading's review
4.0
This is such a grand second-chance romance...
Sad and sweet, this is the story of Frank and Tom, and how it took them 30 years to understand that they were perfect for each other.
But it was not easy, of course it wasn't. It took courage and honestity; they needed to rekindle their relationship, all the while facing the urgent, today's matters which are a great excuse to not look back and try to understand their past. But they finally manage and it's easy to see all the happy years they have ahead of them.
I loved it, and the fact that their are both older than the usal MC in these books is a great extra.
A very recommended read for those who enjoy the genre :)
Sad and sweet, this is the story of Frank and Tom, and how it took them 30 years to understand that they were perfect for each other.
But it was not easy, of course it wasn't. It took courage and honestity; they needed to rekindle their relationship, all the while facing the urgent, today's matters which are a great excuse to not look back and try to understand their past. But they finally manage and it's easy to see all the happy years they have ahead of them.
I loved it, and the fact that their are both older than the usal MC in these books is a great extra.
A very recommended read for those who enjoy the genre :)
suze_1624's review against another edition
3.0
3/3.5*
A nice, easy reading story - with the guys from book 1 having a small role.
Frank and Tommy reconnect 30 years after their childhood friendship ends as they go to college.
Tommy is the self sacrificing hero, both for his mum and as we find out, for Frank. He has success but is being worn down by life.
Frank has been successful too - mostly in his stock purchases!!!
So this is about them reconnecting, reforging their friendship and restoring a house.
I liked that the two guys were older - late 40’s - though throughout the book they did read as younger. I didn’t feel intensity in their relationship but it was a nice warm fuzzy feel.
A few loose ends still (raccoons) but maybe book 3......
A nice, easy reading story - with the guys from book 1 having a small role.
Frank and Tommy reconnect 30 years after their childhood friendship ends as they go to college.
Tommy is the self sacrificing hero, both for his mum and as we find out, for Frank. He has success but is being worn down by life.
Frank has been successful too - mostly in his stock purchases!!!
So this is about them reconnecting, reforging their friendship and restoring a house.
I liked that the two guys were older - late 40’s - though throughout the book they did read as younger. I didn’t feel intensity in their relationship but it was a nice warm fuzzy feel.
A few loose ends still (raccoons) but maybe book 3......
paulalovesbooks's review against another edition
4.0
De todos los libros de esa serie, este es probablemente el que menos me gustó, aún así lo disfrute mucho y la historia de amos de estos dos es completamente conmovedora, es tan triste y linda a la vez. Tengo que destacar que de todos los libros este es el que apuñaló mi corazón con tantas cosas tristes que pasaban en el pasado y presente de uno de los personajes. Me encanta los libros sobre esos amores que nos persiguen por año, totalmente adorable. Un libro lindo para leer en una tarde, es relajado y ligero, al igual que el resto de libros en esta maravillosa serie.
the_novel_approach's review
5.0
Okay, sign me up for any and all additional novels in Kelly Jensen’s This Time Forever series, because this one, Renewing Forever, was even better than the first—and that is saying an awful lot considering I loved Building Forever. This is a deliciously sweet, slightly angsty romance at its best, in my opinion. With well-written characters who have depth and some emotional maturity—but a whole raft of insecurities—the novel gives us a fully fleshed out story that keeps one invested to the very end.
Told in alternating time periods, by hearkening back to the past and unfolding the present day, the book gives a friendship of two young boys from very different economic backgrounds who become best buddies. When Frankie pushes for more right before going off to college, Tommy reacts in fear—fear that any change, moving them to a distinct romantic edge, would ruin the friendship he has come to depend on so much. The two go their separate ways, with Tommy never communicating with Frankie after their falling out. They won’t meet again until some thirty years later, when Frankie’s uncle (Tommy’s employer and, essentially, his father figure as well) passes away, leaving the rundown resort, where Tommy has been living and working, to Frankie. Since they parted, Frankie has become a successful writer, doing various projects for popular magazines, and Tommy has pursued his photography, making a modest side-living from it. However, Tommy has also been caring for his ailing mother, and her facility care expenses have drained every financial resource he has or could earn.
When the two men meet again, there is a great deal of anger on Frankie’s part which simply masks the hurt he had when Tommy turned him away and spurned his overtures. For Tommy, he now has a chance to make things right, to hopefully heal the rift he caused between he and Frankie and see if they can try again. But Tommy still has difficulty trusting that he will ever be good enough for Frankie, and now that he is living near poverty level and is not nearly as successful as Frankie, the doubts Tommy has strengthens the wall he has built around his heart.
I wish I could go on and on about how amazing this novel was for me. Never did I want to both shake and hug a person like I did Tommy. Here he had the man he has loved for so long within his grasp, and fear keeps him from telling the guy the truth. This story was really beautiful. First, I love that Kelly Jensen has chosen to focus on older men in this series—they have both a maturity and a vulnerability that is not very often seen in characters their age. Secondly, I additionally enjoyed the idea that most of these men are having a second go at love and, in this case, hoping to overcome a past that left an indelible mark on them emotionally. But what really delights me about this novel is that the happiness often found at story’s end is one that is solid, real and lasting.
Tommy was a right mess, and yet one could understand his reluctance to allow Frankie to see how much he needed help. After so many years apart and knowing how successful Frankie had become, it was a no-brainer to get just how much of a loser Tommy viewed himself as. It was the struggle that both men went through that made this story so rich. Both had real feelings of inadequacy when it came to being enough for the other. I was swept up in their past and enjoyed seeing glimpses of how they grew together. It’s hard to describe why this story resonated with me; perhaps it’s the age of the men, which was so refreshing given we rarely see both being older MCs. Or, maybe it was the way in which Kelly Jensen never rushed but made time for the story arc to fully develop and thereby made the ending that much sweeter. I think, however, that it was the way in which Tommy grew to understand that relying on a person you love is not failing but rather cementing the idea of a forever-after with that person.
Renewing Forever is an emotionally satisfying novel that allows for love to be the victor over obstinate pride and past failures. With a slow-moving but engaging plotline, and characters that leaped off the page in terms of realism, this novel is a win from beginning to end.
Told in alternating time periods, by hearkening back to the past and unfolding the present day, the book gives a friendship of two young boys from very different economic backgrounds who become best buddies. When Frankie pushes for more right before going off to college, Tommy reacts in fear—fear that any change, moving them to a distinct romantic edge, would ruin the friendship he has come to depend on so much. The two go their separate ways, with Tommy never communicating with Frankie after their falling out. They won’t meet again until some thirty years later, when Frankie’s uncle (Tommy’s employer and, essentially, his father figure as well) passes away, leaving the rundown resort, where Tommy has been living and working, to Frankie. Since they parted, Frankie has become a successful writer, doing various projects for popular magazines, and Tommy has pursued his photography, making a modest side-living from it. However, Tommy has also been caring for his ailing mother, and her facility care expenses have drained every financial resource he has or could earn.
When the two men meet again, there is a great deal of anger on Frankie’s part which simply masks the hurt he had when Tommy turned him away and spurned his overtures. For Tommy, he now has a chance to make things right, to hopefully heal the rift he caused between he and Frankie and see if they can try again. But Tommy still has difficulty trusting that he will ever be good enough for Frankie, and now that he is living near poverty level and is not nearly as successful as Frankie, the doubts Tommy has strengthens the wall he has built around his heart.
I wish I could go on and on about how amazing this novel was for me. Never did I want to both shake and hug a person like I did Tommy. Here he had the man he has loved for so long within his grasp, and fear keeps him from telling the guy the truth. This story was really beautiful. First, I love that Kelly Jensen has chosen to focus on older men in this series—they have both a maturity and a vulnerability that is not very often seen in characters their age. Secondly, I additionally enjoyed the idea that most of these men are having a second go at love and, in this case, hoping to overcome a past that left an indelible mark on them emotionally. But what really delights me about this novel is that the happiness often found at story’s end is one that is solid, real and lasting.
Tommy was a right mess, and yet one could understand his reluctance to allow Frankie to see how much he needed help. After so many years apart and knowing how successful Frankie had become, it was a no-brainer to get just how much of a loser Tommy viewed himself as. It was the struggle that both men went through that made this story so rich. Both had real feelings of inadequacy when it came to being enough for the other. I was swept up in their past and enjoyed seeing glimpses of how they grew together. It’s hard to describe why this story resonated with me; perhaps it’s the age of the men, which was so refreshing given we rarely see both being older MCs. Or, maybe it was the way in which Kelly Jensen never rushed but made time for the story arc to fully develop and thereby made the ending that much sweeter. I think, however, that it was the way in which Tommy grew to understand that relying on a person you love is not failing but rather cementing the idea of a forever-after with that person.
Renewing Forever is an emotionally satisfying novel that allows for love to be the victor over obstinate pride and past failures. With a slow-moving but engaging plotline, and characters that leaped off the page in terms of realism, this novel is a win from beginning to end.
cadiva's review
4.0
"...sex with someone you wanted this much could only ever remake the world."
Kelly Jensen scores a hat trick with Renewing Forever, this makes three out of three for books I've read and fallen in love with.
This one is a gorgeous second chance romance, a later in life love restored, just like the old lodge house, and proof that it's never too late to take a step on the road to forgiveness and understanding.
Both Frank and Tom are complex characters and there is no single issue of fault. Both made mistakes when they were just teenagers and both have spent 30 years living with the consequences and the regret.
There's a feeling of not quite melancholy, but almost an element of time stood still and is slowly coming to life again.
We find out more about Frank than his outward appearance of Simon's jovial journalist best friend. We meet Tom, who I alternatively wanted to put away somewhere safe and conversely push out to experience the full scope of the world outside his doorstep.
There's angst in this, but it's the realistic drama of finding yourself back with The One who you never stopped loving but who had cut you to the bone and not knowing quite where to start the moving on process.
It's a wonderful slow burn between two mature characters approaching their half century of life and I adored it. Now, who is going to be giving Brian his Forever in book three?!
#ARC kindly received from the author in return for an honest and unbiased review.
Kelly Jensen scores a hat trick with Renewing Forever, this makes three out of three for books I've read and fallen in love with.
This one is a gorgeous second chance romance, a later in life love restored, just like the old lodge house, and proof that it's never too late to take a step on the road to forgiveness and understanding.
Both Frank and Tom are complex characters and there is no single issue of fault. Both made mistakes when they were just teenagers and both have spent 30 years living with the consequences and the regret.
There's a feeling of not quite melancholy, but almost an element of time stood still and is slowly coming to life again.
We find out more about Frank than his outward appearance of Simon's jovial journalist best friend. We meet Tom, who I alternatively wanted to put away somewhere safe and conversely push out to experience the full scope of the world outside his doorstep.
There's angst in this, but it's the realistic drama of finding yourself back with The One who you never stopped loving but who had cut you to the bone and not knowing quite where to start the moving on process.
It's a wonderful slow burn between two mature characters approaching their half century of life and I adored it. Now, who is going to be giving Brian his Forever in book three?!
#ARC kindly received from the author in return for an honest and unbiased review.
claudia_is_reading's review against another edition
4.0
This is such a grand second-chance romance...
Sad and sweet, this is the story of Frank and Tom, and how it took them 30 years to understand that they were perfect for each other.
But it was not easy, of course it wasn't. It took courage and honestity; they needed to rekindle their relationship, all the while facing the urgent, today's matters which are a great excuse to not look back and try to understand their past. But they finally manage and it's easy to see all the happy years they have ahead of them.
I loved it, and the fact that their are both older than the usal MC in these books is a great extra.
A very recommended read for those who enjoy the genre :)
Sad and sweet, this is the story of Frank and Tom, and how it took them 30 years to understand that they were perfect for each other.
But it was not easy, of course it wasn't. It took courage and honestity; they needed to rekindle their relationship, all the while facing the urgent, today's matters which are a great excuse to not look back and try to understand their past. But they finally manage and it's easy to see all the happy years they have ahead of them.
I loved it, and the fact that their are both older than the usal MC in these books is a great extra.
A very recommended read for those who enjoy the genre :)