ARC generously provided by publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Rachel knew exactly what turning thirty would be like. She had a plan, after all. First college, then a climb up the professional ladder. Love, marriage, children. All of it was on the schedule.

The cheap Hollywood apartment wasn’t on the list. Neither was the string of heartbreaks. Or the effect her mother’s cancer had on her career.

It’s hard to stay practical and on point when everything takes a left turn.

Enter Sebastian, the nerd across the street. The boy she defended when he couldn’t defend himself. The best friend she promised she’d marry if life didn’t go according to plan.

Not only is he successful, confident, and gorgeous, but he also still has their handwritten marriage contract.

No one goes through with childhood wedding pacts.

That’s crazy.

But their families might just be crazy enough to rent a hall and set a date. All Rachel and Sebastian have to do is fall in love.

This was one of those books you cannot help but to fall in love with. These characters are so likeable and you find yourself rooting for them from the very beginning. Maybe they haven't kept in contact over the years but they fall right back into their friendship with absolutely no effort in a way you know they are meant to be. This is a really fun fast read that is one you will really enjoy.

I discovered CD Reiss only this year and I have quickly become a fan of her work. Only Ever You is a friends to lovers romance! It is also super emotional and shows how our lives never go as We plan! Sebastian is a wonderful hero that I could not help but fall in love with!!

i have been a fan of CD Reiss since I found her submission series. This was another great read and really liked it. must read for me.

Ahhh....Rachel and Sebastian were perfection ❤️. I loved all the little unique twists put on their marriage pact story. I need to be vague as not to spoil anything but even the “thing” some might see as unbelievable has it’s own spin and totally makes sense. OEU had me laughing, smiling and rooting for these two the entire time.

Only Ever You is by far my favorite CD Reiss book yet! It was absolutely amazing, I couldn’t put it down and read it in one sitting

5 STARS

ARC received from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review - opinions expressed are my own & have not been influenced in any way.

CD Reiss has now been added to my TBR author list & I am shaking my head as to why I had not discovered this author sooner.
Thank you so much Netgalley ....

I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH !!!!!!!

Rachel & Sebastian’s do get their HEA but it’s certainly not an easy road to it. Childhood friends who form a pact that if by the age of 30 neither are married they will marry each other ..... call it crazy but 30 comes for both & guess what ? They plan a fake proposal & fake wedding mostly on pretense to see Rachel’s Mom who is a cancer survivor see her daughter settled & in love with her childhood sweetheart ...

This story had it all for me - humor , sizzling chemistry , great family themes - just an outright captivating story with engaging wonderful characters.

I will now be checking out CD Reiss’s backlist !! Awesome read - highly recommend this book & author

I have read all types of novels from CD Reiss. Those packed with suspense, lust and raw emotion; those that take a dark path you aren’t sure what to expect from but enjoy immensely; and those that are just pure romance that leave you with butterflies. Not knowing what to expect out of Only Ever You, I went in blind and devoured it! I loved not knowing what this was about or what to expect from it. The friends to lovers is one of the most close to my heart types of Romances you can read. It’s the type of romance that could truly happen to you and has happened to me, which always adds a bit of nostalgia throughout my read.

In Only Ever You we see Rachel turning 30, not living the exact life she had mapped out, but pretty darn close. She was just missing a few things that she had planned to execute with her best friend Sebastian, if life didn’t go as expected. The wedding pact they made when they were young and naïve is brought back into play and as things begin to develop, they must see if they can develop feelings for each other. Can this thing work with them?

This book touches on many subjects including bullying and the way CD Reiss incorporated that into the story line was heart-breaking and also healing as you see their story develop over the years. This book gave me all the feels. I love a good romance that isn’t overly complicated every once and a while and CD Reiss delivered!

Sebastian and Rachel’s story is well written and engaging. It’s a super sweet second chance romance.

<b>Here’s what I enjoyed:</b>
The fake fiancé trope is one of my favorites. The reason behind the unplanned engagement was a good one.

The relationship progression was fun to watch. I thoroughly enjoyed Sebastion’s character over the course of the novel. He’s such a great hero. Steadfast, sexy, put together, and totally in love with his girl.

This author’s writing is always stellar. Clean and concise. Her books are always well planned and put together.

Unfortunately, I didn’t fall for the heroine. Her insecurities were just a bit too much, but other than that, this was a sweet entertaining read.

Rachel and Sebastian, childhood friends who made a pact to marry if neither were married by age 30. The storyline grabbed my attention, however I've got to say I did get slightly bored part way through and only kept reading to see the ending which I would have predicted. The storyline had promise but for me I just didn't connect to the characters.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Kris – ☆☆☆☆☆
I fell for Sebastian immediately! The nerdy boy turned buff, successful businessman! I love Reiss and her style shines through in this standalone with Sebastian being a confident and dominant lover with a flair for hot, dirty talk! Sebastian is home for the holiday and runs into his old neighborhood friend and high school crush. Rachel is a wonderful character you can really get behind and root for. She's just a bit stuck and not where she hoped to be by 30. Remembering the old pact she and Sebastian made when they were teens to marry each other if neither were taken by 30, Rachel finds herself, and Sebastian just might be exactly what she needs. The two had wonderful chemistry and the story had perfect pacing! It flew by quickly; perfect, sweet summer romance!


Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
This is a marriage pact romance, involving two childhood friends who grew up together, promised to marry at 30 if they were still single, and then didn't see each other for over a decade. As their families apply some pressure to fulfil the contract, we watch as everything comes together and falls apart.

Seb was a bullied geek at school protected by neighbour Rachel. But he is all grown up now, and out of a very difficult relationship with a woman whose religion was more important than anything else. He's successful and wealthy, but very single. So when Rachel comes to visit her family and they see each other again, he finally admits to himself at least, that she is the woman he wants, and if he needs to use the contract to get his way, he will.

Rachel is trying to make her way as a script writer, but a delay in starting her career due to caring for her mum through cancer treatment. She is behind where she planned on being, but family come first. When she thinks that her mum is sick again, she will do anything to keep her happy – but marry Seb? He is all grown up and very attractive, but enter a fake marriage when she might want a real relationship...

As they get deeper into their lies to their folks, it gets more and more complicated, but there are enough fun scenes which suggest that they are going to work this out. The fact that both of them have people in their corner to voice their concerns and hopes is effective, and Wade is a blast!


Mary Jo – ☆☆☆
I know people who've done this: make a pact with your bestie of the opposite sex (or same sex) to marry each other if at the ripe old age of XX both of you are still single.

In this story, that's what Sebastian and Rachel did. They grew up on the same block, had each other's back, and were determined to go out and conquer the world. However, if they didn't find the loves of their lives by the age of 30, they would marry each other.

Fast forward 15 years and both Rachel and Sebastian are actually back home celebrating the holidays at the same time, and Sebastian just turned 30. Once their moms got wind of their little pact from years ago, they go into extreme MOM mode and begin making wedding plans.

Seb and Rachel go along with it for very different reasons. Seb's always been in love with Rachel and now's his chance to get the girl. Rachel thinks her mom's cancer has returned and will do anything to make her mother happy.

There're a lot of pitfalls and some romance along the way, but the pair finally get on the same page about what they want.

The writing was good, but there was just something a little off about the characters to me.


Avid Reader – ☆☆☆
M/F Romance

Rachel and Seb were best friends growing up. Rachel championed Seb when everyone else liked to bully him. When they were younger, they made a marriage pact that if they were both single at 30, they would get married.

Now, when they are both back home for the holidays, when they see each other, there is an attraction but so much history, both between them and their families, that a white lie will snowball.

Rachel is worried that her mom's cancer is returning and her mom just doesn't want to bother her with the news. Rachel knows that her mom thought she interrupted Rachel's life before. So, Rachel just wants to make sure that her mom is happy. And despite not feeling great about where she is in life, getting to know Seb again at this stage in their lives is something she didn't know she needed.

Seb is successful, attractive, and still a geek at heart. He has always had a thing for Rachel, even when they were younger. And when the opportunity presents itself, he's going to jump at his chance to finally get the girl.

I think where this story went wrong for me was that both main characters were so stuck in their younger days. They didn't act like 30-year-olds. Rather, they forgot they were adults and acted more like they were still 16. The back and forth, noncommunication, and doubt in themselves made this story drag along. I wanted them to be more adult and to find their existence together. Instead, this was more of a story of mishaps than romance.

Rachel knew exactly how her life would turn out from an early age. Now here she is at 30 and nothing has gone as planned. She works as an assistant on a cheesy romance show when she really wants to be a writer. She was cheated on and dumped by her boyfriend and she is pretty convinced her mom is no longer in remission from breast cancer. So nothing is going as planned.

Then there is her childhood friend, Sebastian, who lived across the street. She was his fierce protector because he couldn’t protect himself. Now not only is he successful, confident, and gorgeous, but he also still has their handwritten marriage contract. The contract that stated if they were both still single at 30 they would get married. Their parents think it is a great idea and run with it. Rachel decides to talk to Sebastian about a fake engagement to make her mom happy. After all if the cancer is back she wants her mom to think she is being taken care of.

The problem is that Sebastian has always been in love with Rachel. Can he go through with a fake engagement?

Some may think this is a modern love story but for Rachel and Sebastian it's not.

Rachel and Sebastion grew up best friends and typical best friends they stuck up for eachother. Except it was Rachel that always stuck up for Sebastion because he was small and nerdy.

Rachel and Sebastian left for college and they returned home 14 years later they saw eachother. There family loves them and is pushing them to be together but can they be together and be happy or will they do it just to make thier families happy?

I loved how Rachel was the hero in the beginning of the book but you fast forward 14 years and the roles reversed and Sebastion grows out of his nerd state and into a strong handsome man. Can these two find love or are they doomed to be friends forever?

I love CD Reiss's writing it's not only unique but she has the ability to grab you from the first line whether it be a sweet romance or a dark sexy book filled with lots of bdsm.

This book had me hooked from page one. Such a sweet, romantic story! Would definitely recommend to a friend.

I have read a few books by this author and have loved her work so was very excited to pick this one up. I loved the premise of it, best friends that make a pact to marry each other if they are still single at 30. This one started out well for me and I was enjoying the story but I found as the story went on, it just because too sill and cheesy. I didn't feel any connection between the characters, there was no spark or chemistry and I just couldn't stay engaged in the story so by about 40% it completely lost my interest and any connection to the characters and sadly I couldn't go any further

The friends to lovers trope is always a tough one for me to enjoy. I may be a tad too critical when it comes to this trope but I either love it or just can't stand it.
Only Ever You can only be described as beautiful. I really enjoyed this so much! I loved the characters ... I am head over heels in love with Sebastian (Normally I love alpha males but there is something about him that just draws me).
To be honest, I've read only two other books by CD Reiss so compared to those, Only Ever You was honestly pretty tame but I didn't mind. I actually enjoyed it.

4 <b> Merry Christmas </b> stars
Okay seriously stop and take a moment and go back and read the author… yes CD REISS is writing this book.. this perfect delightful summer romance that makes you feel like love is pure and beautiful and perfect…
I love a good contractual marriage and this one was delicious. Seb and Rachel decide as children if they are single at 30 they will get married and they already have their perfect lives mapped out. This story is about hard truths, failed dreams and learning how to find yourself in the middle of all that.
I am still really in shock about this book being a contemporary from this author!

OMG this book was everything I could hope for and more. Sebastian is freaking dreamy. I dunno, but he does it for me. CD Reiss can build a world and make it so you never want to leave it. She builds characters that are so real, and makes you feel like you are part of the story.

A childhood wedding pact, that’s the surprise premise of “Only Ever You.” No, this is not a rom-com nor it is a coming-of-age story. It is the love story of two childhood friends who went after their own dreams then found themselves back home and realized that their roles had been reversed, or was it?

Sound cryptic? Let me explain. Sebastian and Rachel were neighbors and happen to be in the same grade. Growing up, Rachel is the confident one while Sebastian was the shy one and on the nerdy side. While Rachel is self-assured and can hold her own, Sebastian was a perpetual target of school bullies.

Because they were best friends, Rachel protected Sebastian. And because they were also children, they made a pact that if the reach 30 and both were still unwed, they would marry each other.

Fast-forward a dozen years. Sebastian had become a successful entrepreneur, a Silicon Valley success to be exact. Rachel was a struggling scriptwriter and works as a Girl Friday in a production company in Hollywood.

A chance meeting at home, meddling relatives and a dire family situation placed Rachel in a very vulnerable position. Sebastian immediately saw that Rachel needed his help.

Reversing their roles from childhood, Sebastian became the knight in shining armor. But, Sebastian did not count on falling in love the damsel in distress. Now, the question is, how does he tell Rachel that his feelings are real?

“Only Ever You” is a romantic story at its core but it is also about family, duty and the unconditional love of parents to their children and vice versa.

And though chances are CD Reiss was not trying to make a statement about Millennials who had been maligned as being failures to launch, “Only Ever You” paints a different picture of this generation.

A sweet read with a sigh-worthy ending, “Only Ever You” is one of those books that stays with you long after you have read the last page.

Rated T for Teens; parental guidance strongly advised to due to some adult situations.

This story was written as a dual first person narrative where the characters are described directly. The main conflict is internal as the hardest struggle the characters attempt to get over is themselves. The popular themes shown throughout include coming of age, everlasting love, facing reality, family, fulfillment, manipulation, overcoming, reunion, and wisdom of experience.

Rachel Rendell is a screenwriter no longer in love with her job, she is protective of her family but has gone through many struggles in the last couple of years. Sebastian Barton is an animation technology genius who now owns his own company, but struggles with connecting with his family. Growing up Rachel and Sebastian were the best of friends, so much that they agreed to a marriage contract that stated by the age of thirty if neither was involved they would marry each other. Of course back then that was Rachel's backup plan but now here she is thirty, with no boyfriend and no real path in her life, while Sebastian has achieved the opposite. Though Rachel has struggled with her career, love and the possibility of losing her mother, she has remained strong for her family. Now she is struggling to put the pieces back together in her life, but after the marriage contract is brought back up, she sees her mother's spirits brighten and seems stronger to her. Rachel decides that she should please her mom and go through with it to keep her in good spirits. Though getting Sebastian to agree to charade may be a whole new set of problems.

The ideas were unique and interesting as the voices were individualized but complemented one another. The flow was organized and logical as the sentence structure and word choice help to enhance the overall story. Yes, I would recommend this story. It would be a good read for those interested in friends turning lovers, reunion of friends, those finding love in least expected place and stories involving cancer survivors. For those not interested in charades, secrets, cheaters, unjust firings, or self doubters may need to look else where for their next read.

I haven't read many of CD Reiss's books and I'm glad I decided to pick up Only Ever You. Sebastian and Rachel's story was a sweet read that drew me in from the start. It's definitely a great one to pick up.