With Olsen’s sophomore novel, she’s becoming an author to watch. The stories are not perfect, but they kept this reader engaged.
Julia feels adrift, so when Bryce blows into her life, he seems like the perfect anchor. Bryce brings out the best in Julia, sweeping her off her feet with attention and affection while grounding her with his certainty and faith. Together they embark on a path guided by the principles of his family and their church, each step a paving stone leading to happily ever after. But is it?
This book doesn’t go from zero to sixty. It’s more of a slow burn that kept me turning the pages trying to figure out exactly what kind of story I was going to get. The characters are well written and the fact that there was something off about Bryce was clear from the beginning. You can just sense it and by the end I hated him. He made me sick to my stomach. Why? Well, you’ll have to read this one to find out. I don’t do spoilers 😉
While I read this book quickly, once I closed it, I wished that the beginning had been condensed and the ending expanded. I thought the epilogue a bit disappointing and wanted a look a little farther down the road.
Sometimes I pay attention to the title of a book. How does it relate to the story? At one point I tried figuring out what the title With You Always meant. When it started to make sense (at least to me), it really added a depth to the telling of the story.
Looking for the next book that will raise your blood pressure and frustration? Then this book is for you.
My thanks to G.P. Putnam’s Sons and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book.
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewer: Jennifer
Title: With You Always
Author: Rena Olsen
Release Date: August 7, 2018
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