Member Reviews

Not for me unfortunately. I really struggled to cluckwith the main character and therefore wasn't all that interested in her story

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Always You is the story of Lina, a wannabe museum curator from Birmingham. Lina is 28, and in a relationship with her old school friend Nik. When her life is turned upside down by a series of events, she finds herself wanting to examine her past, which brings former friends and family back into her world. Can she make sense of everything that happens, and rekindle those relationships that she desperately needs?

I found the first half slightly irritating in the way the author kept introducing elements that the characters knew about, but only hinted at for the reader (ie why certain characters had fallen out) - at one point it felt like every chapter introduced yet another "secret", and I began not to actually care! However, once the characters opened up and revelations were made, I loved the second half. Very emotional, and such a sweet ending.

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I loved this book from front to back and finished it in one sitting.
This book had me hooked pretty quickly. I loved the insights into the past and the connection to the present. The themes of grief, loss, love and compassion really shon through and I was laughing and crying along with the characters. Grief hits people in different ways and this book was not just a story about two people falling back in love but about feeling love for someone you’ve lost. It really was gorgeous. I’m so happy I read this book and cannot recommend it highly enough.
When this book comes out I’m definitely getting a paperback copy for my shelf.
Thank you Netgallery, Pan Milligan and Caroline for this ARC.

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‘Always You’ is a romantic novel about friendships and growing up. It follows Lina and is set across different countries, The author manages to weave a plot that includes several unexpected twists including her relationship with her two high school friends, Nik and Ash. I found the book easy to read and it swept me along but some of the descriptions felt on the more basic side.

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"Always You" by Caroline Khoury is a heartwarming and beautifully written romance novel that will tug at your heartstrings. The story follows the journey of Emily, a successful journalist, who travels to Beirut to attend her estranged father's funeral. There, she meets Sam, a charismatic businessman who helps her navigate through the unfamiliar city and confront her past.

The chemistry between Emily and Sam is palpable, and their interactions are both funny and heartwarming. The author does a fantastic job of creating a vivid and romantic setting in Beirut, and the descriptions of the city and its culture add depth and richness to the story.

What sets this book apart from other romance novels is the emotional depth of the characters. Emily's inner turmoil and conflict with her father are explored in a meaningful way, and Sam's backstory adds a layer of complexity to his character that makes him more than just a typical love interest.

Overall, "Always You" is a captivating and emotional read that will leave you feeling hopeful and satisfied. Caroline Khoury is a talented writer, and I look forward to reading more of her work in the future.

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I loved Caroline's first book 'It Must Be Love' so I had high hopes for 'Always You' -and they were met in abundance!

27 year old Lina is stuck in life, desperate to become an archaeologist or museum curator, but resigned to her assistant job in a museum as well as helping her dad in their deli every day, cooking first thing in the morning, and making sure she's there to close up at night. She can't see a way out, but when two life changes happen in quick succession (the deli is temporarily closed due to unpaid bills, and her museum job is terminated) she decides to follow her dreams and explore some unfinished business in Cyprus.

She asks her on-off boyfriend Nik to join her, but when he's unable to make it, she invite Ash, a man whose been in her life since they were teenagers- until a falling out ended everything. Will the unfamiliar surroundings bring them back together and heal the rift? Obviously its not going to be plain sailing, but with time, could it turn into something bigger and more meaningful than her relationship with Nik? Watch this space....

Caroline has a great talent for taking you to warm far-flung places when you're reading on a sofa in the depths of winter, I could feel the Cypriot heat and sun on my skin as I read, and taste the delicious food that she described so beautifully, Im definitely going to have to find out more about the pastries!
The relationships between Lina, Nik and Ash were well-plotted and felt very real, with some of those teenage hang-ups and angst still overshadowing their friendship. Nik and Ash both represent different things to Lina, and it was so emotional to watch her on her journey to find out what she wants in life. It was refreshing to read about Lina's health issues too, her endometriosis is something that's not often covered in fiction, so well done to the author for making it such an integral part of the story.

Thanks to Netgalley for letting me read Always You, roll on book 3!

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I really wanted to like this but unfortunately struggled so much to get into it, and just wasn’t enjoying it at all. It has an interesting premise, but the pacing was incredibly slow, the characters felt strange, and in large part I think the arc feels like it was rushed out – hopefully there will be further editing done on this between now and publication in April, and it might be a book I pick up in its completed form once it’s out.

Lina and Ash buried a time capsule when they were at school. As young adults, they went their separate ways, but when Ash returns, they have the idea of digging up the capsule. I’m not sure what happens after that point as it took such a long time to get there. When the novel opens, Lina has a ten-year FWB ‘relationship’ with her best friend, though seems happy to let everyone else think they have a full romantic relationship, even (apparently) said friend. She keeps insisting this arrangement works for them, but it’s clear he has deeper feelings for her.

This was point 1 that really bugged me. It made him as a character feel a bit spineless, and Lina, well, it made her feel cruel in some ways, as it gives the impression she’s kind of stringing him and his family along. It also felt a bit messy, as it was never clear what was actually going on between these two. The first 20% also felt like it introduced way too many questions, and the way characters talked around certain issues made this aspect feel forced. I’m happy for questions to be raised when starting a book, but when the answers are ones the first-person narrator knows, as well as everyone around them, it gets infuriating when it’s deliberately hidden from the reader.

It’s something very hard to pull off, and Khoury doesn’t quite do so here. It’s clear there’s supposed to be an air of mystery around why Lina and Ash fell out, why Lina and her brother fell out, etc (there’s definitely a common pattern there), but even when Lina apologies to Ash, it’s wishy-washy – “Sorry for what happened that night. That thing. You know.” Rather than (random example) “I’m sorry for yelling at you about not washing the dishes.” She discusses the situation around her brother with her dad, and it’s a similar thing, but here Dad is willing to travel out to see said brother, and suggests Lina needs to move on from whatever happened, and she…basically refuses.

It was also around this point things were just really, really bleak. As much as I’m a sucker for characters hitting and working through a low point, right now I just struggled with actually feeling sorry for Lina.

This has had some great reviews, so I strongly suggest checking these out before making a decision on this book, as this is, of course, just my personal opinion. But for now, looks like I’ll have to try and dig out a different friends-to-lovers book for the Disney Reading Challenge.

Thank you to Penguin for providing a copy of this book via NetGalley. Views remain my own.

DNF @ 20%

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An enjoyable read with some adorable characters. I adored Lina and Ash, took me a while to warm to Nik although he was battling some issues!
I loved all the cultural and food references, plus that feeling that some things are meant to be, even if it takes a while for all the pieces to fit together!
I found the inclusion of endometriosis enlightening. Too often in books the sex is always perfect, and periods never seem to happen, this is a frank account of Lima’s struggles but doesn’t over shadow the main story.

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It was a slow starter but got really good.
The writing was brilliant and kept me guessing about what the history to the story may be. She also made the characters really relatable.

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This was quite an engrossing read and I couldn’t seem to put it down till I was finished with it. It was beautiful, captivating and highly addictive!!

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A wonderfully moving and engrossing love story that puts such heart in to each of the characters through all the turmoil, drama and secrecy that shapes them over twenty years. I loved every part of this book from the nostalgia of childhood & adolescence, the friendships, complex family dynamics, the atmospheric settings especially Cyprus, and the authenticity surrounding endometriosis.

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This book was lovely, it took me a little while to properly get into it and I read it very slow during the evenings but it didn’t need to be rushed. Easy to read, a great level of romance and suspense. Definitely an auto buy author for me!

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Always You by Caroline Khoury
Thanks to @netgalley for the early copy

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First of all this book has to be on everyone's tbr list for 2023!

The story followed Lina as the lead and her story just blossomed as did she. The story was beautifully written and you could feel the love the author has for each character. Not only did Lina blossom in the book but every character (well nearly every character except one - can't have them all).

The book follows friendships and family. The friendship trio once was Lina, Ash and Nik - it's more of Lina and Ash then Lina and Nik. But both friendships are just heartwarming. Lina is the type of person who is there for everyone and puts everyone first. So to see her growth through the book just made me feel happy (at one point I cried at how strong she was).

💛 Beautiful Lina suffers from endometriosis and doesn't know I for the majority of the book and I just love how she's taken care of once diagnosed and makes connections by this.

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Oh this book is stunning and should be on everyone's to be read books of 2023. The romance the connections, the beauty, the grace, the backdrop, the language, the writing style, the ending were all perfect.

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Caroline Khoury has the most gorgeous stunning reads! Her books always bring me to tears and make me cry. I love books about love, time capsules, and how our past and future come together to make us who we are, I was so excited to read Linas and Ash’s journey, it was beautiful and left me in tears don’t worry the good kind. I will be adding to this review, but Caroline you should be so proud of your work. For those that love her this will be another five star read and for those that don’t what are you waiting for? :)


Is it ever too late to rewrite the past?

When Lina and Ash were at school, they buried a time capsule containing letters about their hopes and dreams, and predictions for each other's futures.

Twenty years later, their realities couldn't be further from what they'd expected. And as for Lina and Ash? They're not in each other's lives anymore.

When a reunion brings Lina and Ash back together, they agree to give the dreams they walked away from another chance and embark on a trip that could change everything.

And if they can overcome what happened in the past, then maybe the end of their love story was really just the beginning...

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I couldn't put this book down, it was well written with a compelling storyline and well developed characters that I took to my heart. I need more by this author in my life

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Caroline Khourys book are gorgeous. This is my second read from her, Lina & Ash had an incredible bind and love story. I was so excited to read how they came back into each other’s lives after drifting apart. I love books with trips or time capsules as well as people going back in time to remember their hopes dreams ect. Beautifully written 5/5



Is it ever too late to rewrite the past?

When Lina and Ash were at school, they buried a time capsule containing letters about their hopes and dreams, and predictions for each other's futures.

Twenty years later, their realities couldn't be further from what they'd expected. And as for Lina and Ash? They're not in each other's lives anymore.

When a reunion brings Lina and Ash back together, they agree to give the dreams they walked away from another chance and embark on a trip that could change everything.

And if they can overcome what happened in the past, then maybe the end of their love story was really just the beginning...

Was this review helpful?