FROM NOW UNTIL FOREVER is the breath taking read of 2023 for me. I have read this kind of story after a while. Its’s characters, plot, mysteries, adventure almost everything is superb.

The story is about Ben Church who is on the verge of dying because of an aneurysm in the brain stem. He only has a few months left so he decides to live to the fullest. In London, he met Vita accidentally. After several encounters, they get to know each other and decide to chase after the alchemist’s favorite secret the philosopher’s stone so that Ben can save his life. But Vita is not actually a simple London girl. She carries thrilling centuries old secrets.

The plot hooked me from the start. There wasn’t a time when I was bored or skipping through the pages. The writer did an awesome research for writing this novel. The intricate details of history, about wars, ancient cities of Europe all are great.

The story is told from Ben and Vita’s perspective. Their characters are interesting. I like how they cared for each other despite knowing each other’s flaws. Plus I liked the characters of Ben’s Mom and sister. They were so supportive and always there for each other.

The ancient references from Sundial mottos are a great addition to the novel. Plus there are so many heart touching lines.

Now, I’ll talk about my reasons for the 4 star rating. There are some ideas and themes that I don’t want to agree with, like Vita and Sarah’s views and some other things.

In the end, it’s a heart felt novel which will take you on an emotional ride.

I really enjoyed this book! I took to Ben's character straight away, and eventually to Vita too. I like how the book slowly unravelled its secrets but still kept the reader engaged.
It's a lovely unique romance that is equal parts heartwarming and heartwrenching. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who likes romance novels.

When browsing through the audiobook section on Netgalley, I stumbled across this new one by Rowan Coleman and it was the title that caught my attention to request it.
Having not read the blurb, I dove straight in and quite honestly just presumed it was going to be some kind of love story.
Vita and Ben’s story’s start completely separately and lead fairly quickly to their worlds colliding, by which point, I felt totally engrossed in both of them.
As stated, I hadn’t read the blurb so when a crucial part of the story is revealed… I was not happy, to the point of me sighing and rolling my eyes. I ran straight to Amazon to see that the book does in fact feature a time slip storyline which I have just never get along with, no matter how I’ve tried.
But….. and this is huge for me….. I have absolutely loved this one!!
The characters found their way straight to my heart and got embedded firmly under my skin that I just didn’t want to leave them, and I don’t just mean the main characters, I mean all of them! The characters in this book are just so beautifully written that they flow effortlessly through their stories. I could cry because of how much I loved this book and the emotions I felt through the characters. It’s just a really lovely story.
From beginning to end (after my own little hiccup with myself 😜), I have truly enjoyed this book and therefore give it 5 stars.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

From Now Until Forever is such a unique story. Ben and Vita's chance meeting leads you to believe this will be a tragic love story and whilst in ways it is, it is also so much more. The Da Vinci details were inspired and the twist was entirely unexpected. I really enjoyed this book & it'll definitely leave an imprint on me for a while to come.

Rowan Coleman - From Now Until Forever.

When Ben is given devastating news he flees to London in the hope of clearing his head and working out how to share his news with his family.

In London Ben meets Vita. A young widow who has been around for a lot longer than it would seem.

The pair are instantly attracted when they meet, but how can they have a future together, with all the baggage that they are both carrying.

I really did enjoy this book. It’s very a very unique and original story.

Some of the clever - cloggs brainy stuff went over my head, but it didn’t spoil my enjoyment of the book.

Ben and Vita are a gorgeous pairing and their love story is an emotionally charged tale, that will have you on the edge of your seat.

Kitty, Ben’s sister was my favourite character. She was very loyal and supportive to Ben. But she also brought fun and humour to the story.

Your heart will be dragged through many emotions while reading this book. The story is clever, touching, sweet, romantic and moving.
A definite must read this year.

Audio narration by Helen McAlpine and Nathaniel Priestly.
Both read with great empathy and understanding of the story.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

With thanks to Netgalley and Hodder And Stoughton Audio for an audio arc of this title.

I listened to this on audio, and if I’m honest, only requested it because the premise sounded interesting and I’ve become a fan of listening to audiobooks while I’m running or doing the housework. I thought it would be a simple, touching love story (not my preferred genre but fine for what I needed), but there was a lot more to this story.
What I liked:
The male narrator was great and I really warmed to him.
I loved the twist early in the story (no spoilers!), which answered some questions I had, but never the less, I wasn’t expecting it and added another dimension that I enjoyed.
The historical/sciencey elements.
What I liked less:
I wasn’t so keen on the female narrator. But that’s just personal taste. I found her accent too high-brow and aloof, and disliked the way she portrayed the older female characters. Fortunately these didn’t feature very much.
All-in-all a captivating story. Five stars from me, with thanks to NetGalley, and Hodder and Stoughton for the opportunity to listen to an ARC. From now until Forever publishes on 3 August.

What to say about this book? I really want to avoid giving anything away so you can discover this beautiful story for yourself.

The audiobook is narrated beautifully by Helen McAlpine reading Vita’s chapters and Nathaniel Priestley reading Ben’s chapters. They really captured the characters of both Vita and ben while also bringing the other characters to life. I particularly liked Helen McAlpine’s portrayal of Vita’s elderly neighbour Mariah. I looked up both the voice artists after I’d finished listening and I think they look exactly as I imagined the characters.

The connection between Ben and Vita is so immediate and so strong after their chance meeting in London. I don’t think it’s much of a spoiler to say that Ben has had bad news and it’s understandable that he needs time to come to terms with what he’s been told. It seems like the worse case of bad timing ever when he meets Vita and they fall in love. Like Ben, I was desperately hoping for a miracle so they could have their happy ever after.

It’s quite a talent to be able to write about something completely impossible and make it seem entirely plausible. This is a talent which Rowan Coleman possesses in spades. There is an element of magical realism woven into the story in a way which meant I completely believed every detail.

From Now Until Forever is a captivating book which is full of hope, love and life. It is a truly unforgettable story and the characters of Vita and Ben will stay with me. This novel shows Rowan Coleman at her best and is now my favourite of her novels. I just adored it and can’t recommend it highly enough.

There’s content in this one that is connected to the big twist (more on that later) that some readers might want to be aware of. Check out at the end for more info.

Now that’s over with, back to the book. As a fan of Coleman’s, I was keen to read this one (and a bonus for me is that it’s on audiobook). This starts m off as a doomed love story, and you can see this is going to hit you where it hurts, and then bam! There’s a twist. And I did not see that twist coming. That is all I will say about the twist.

I wasn’t sure what I was expecting with this one (other than doomed love) but the facts about da Vinci and his art were completely unexpected and so fascinating. And Vita’s interactions with her elderly neighbour were just so beautiful. Particularly as you see the extent of her dementia - it was so heartbreaking as her story plays out (her last time in the book - blimey that brought a tear to my eye). I loved how much Vita loves her and does all she can to support her.

And now to the real love story - Ben and Vita. I loved these two as a couple. When they first meet and then keep bumping into each other. Coleman wrote their journey really well, and I became so invested in them both. But I will say that how their journey ended didn’t hit as hard as what I thought it would - but it was a beautiful ending.

Thanks to NetGalley, the team at Hodder & Stoughton Audio, and the author for the opportunity to listen to this review copy.


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⚠️Content warning/potential spoilers: repeated reference to suicide

This was such a lovely listen! The two narrators did a great job at making the story come alive, each adding their own feelings to the story which gave it extra depth!
I loved both main characters, Ben is so likeable and you really are made to feel as he is throughout his story. I felt so sorry for Vita and was hooked to find out if her plan worked, I also loved the additional historical stories woven throughout. Another lovely read from Coleman. Thank you so much for this arc

I can't wait for this to come out and for y'all to lose your minds. if you had doubts about preordering, don't. you're going to want to read this one. I raced through it this weekend. Such a smart idea

I went into this one quite tentatively, I can’t lie - the blurb indicated potential for emotional damage, so I had to prepare - I do enjoy like a sad book, but I like to have the tissues ready!

What I got from this story was not at all what I expected, but I absolutely loved it. It’s quite difficult to review because I wouldn’t want to spoil anything about the story at all, and the unexpectedness is really what made it for me.

I enjoyed the audio - I always like it when there is a different narrator for each of the perspectives so this really helped to engage me. It was a really easy listen and I looked forward to the commute to get the next part of the story.

This was a really thought provoking story that was beautiful, heartwarming, poignant and hopeful.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my audio copy of this story.

Book Review 📚
From Now Until Never (audiobook) by Rowan Coleman - 3.5/5 ⭐

I made the mistake of requesting this book as an Audiobook, which is now my first Audiobook I'll have rated. I think I'll definitely stick with an e-book or physical book, no fault of the book/author/narrators but audiobooks just aren't for me.

I think my rating would of been much higher as a physical book but I couldn't concentrate very much on the audio. But the story itself was actually awesome. There's mystery, romance, drama and even some historical action thrown in. I'll definitely pick this up to read so I can pay much more attention and enjoy it more.

There's some interesting characters throughout the book, they all had a likeable personality and I wouldn't of cut any of them. There was literally nothing given away from the cover or blurb which was fantastic.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder and Stoughton for allowing me to read this ARC - this is an HONEST review from my own personal opinion.

As soon as I saw Rowan Coleman had written a new book I was keen to get my hands on it, actually I listened to it and it was such a good book.
Ben has a serious illness and makes an uncharacteristic spontaneous trip.
Vita has just put together an exhibition of a lifetime. Do their paths cross? Of course they do and what follows is a tale of love and friendship and family and of course a touch of the strange and unbelievable...or is it?

I enjoyed listening to this very well written book and the narrators were both good matches for the characters.

Thank you to Netgalley and Hodder and Stoughton audio for the ARC.

I am so excited that Rowan has a new book coming out! And I am so, so glad I was lucky enough to get an early review copy.

The audiobook is narrated by Helen McAlpine, and I have to say, it was perfection.

This story is SO much more than you could ever imagine from the synopsis. It's full of mystery and intrigue, love and romance, drama, and tension. It is genuinely one of the most unique books I have ever read!

I absolutely adored Vita, Ben, Jack, Kitty, and Sarah. I loved the historical aspects of the story, too.

I smiled, I laughed, and I cried. Boy, did I cry! This is an absolutely spectacular example of why I love Rowan Coleman books!

This was stunning. I was absolutely swept away with the premise of the story, the history woven throughout but mostly it’s a story of time, time, endurance and love. Ben has just discovered that his time is running out, for he’s been diagnosed with a brain haemorrhage. Vita is locked in seemingly sad never ending time. When they meet their connection is instant. Love at first sight, and when they connect further over a mutual love of Leonardo Da Vinvi’s La Belle Ferronniere. The beauty and mystery of the painting takes them on a journey like no other.

I was blown away by this story, it’s unlike anything I’ve read before and it’s always such a beautiful surprise when that happens, especially from such an unassuming cover, and the blurb gives away no spoilers do nor shall I, but look out for this is August, prepare with tissues and an open mind.

All the stars ⭐️ #Jorecommends

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder and Stoughton Audio for the opportunity to listen to this Audio book in return for an honest review.