A grumpy/sunshine, neighbors to lovers romance between single mom, Gabrielle and her new neighbor Jay. Jay is wary of any relationship because of his past and swears that things between him and Gabrielle will remain platonic. However, the more time he spends around Gabrielle and her young sons has wondering if there is a future with them.

This was such a sweet small town romance! It was also my favorite standalone of Adriana Locke’s. ❤️ I love Jay and Gabriella as a couple. This story has it all—banter, spice, drama, sibling love, and lessons about relationships! 😊

What a wonderful book! I love it when the man in the book says 'they already feel like mine'. They have a very interesting meet cute but the sly looks and helpful hands these two have for each other really made me devour this book. This author has a way with words when it comes to her characters. And Jay and Gabrielle are no exception. There is instant chemistry when they "fall" for each other on their meet cute.

I love the world that this author creates for us in this book and really hope there is more and if this is going to become a series. I love falling in love with the characters in her stories because she just makes everything so real and full of unexpected love!

I feel like this was a book of 2 parts. The first part, before they got together, I wasn’t too keen on. It felt like Gabrielle was throwing herself at Jay, even though he had said he wasn’t interested. Jay was also then back and forth. I did enjoy the second part which was once they got together and how Gabrielle dealt with Dylan’s grief. A first time read of this author but I would look into her previous books

I’ve read one other book by AL and unfortunately this one didn’t impress me as much. This is about Idiot 1, Gabbie and Idiot 2, Jay. Okay that’s a bit harsh, but they were both acting a bit moronic at times. A 38 year old and a 40 year old. Baby you really should be able to communicate properly by now. When they did communicate, they did it well, it just took them waaay to long to actually get to that point. If I wanted push & pull and assumptions to be made, there are plenty of romance books where the mc’s are 22 year olds. Jay needed therapy first, a woman only after said therapy. Gabbie needed family therapy first, a man after said therapy. Did ANYONE see a therapist? No.

Gabbie is a great mom. I almost started crying, imagining having such a supportive, calm and understanding mother lol. I loved seeing her take her life back, start living instead of surviving.

Jay was so sweet with both Gabbie and her boys.

My issues with this book:

- We have a seven year old kid, whose very present father died a year ago. Now he meets his mom’s ”friend” a few times and goes ”You’re practically my dad” HUH? Then we have the fourteen year old who tells Jay ”He wished they never met” and ”You’re not my dad”. 2 months later? ”I want you to marry my mom” And we didn’t even get to see Jay and the kid get along? AT ALL
- Too much was going on for those poor 200 pages. You can’t throw in several half-cooked side plots and expect the reader to be satisfied by the ending with half-done solutions and unsatisfying ends.
- The two things listed above just made it all feel very inauthentic and rushed. I needed more on page relationship development between the mc’s and between the kids and Jay.
- ”Poor boys to not have a father figure” ADRIANA what year are you stuck in? It was mentioned several times how the boys ”needed a good man in their lives”. There were ”grown man things” to be done and Jay was making a big deal out of treating a FOURTEEN YEAR OLD as an adult. Girl be so for real, that’s a kid.

Loved Carter!

It’s a sweet read. Would recommend if you’re a fan of the single mom trope. I over all liked the mc’s.

3 stars

This is a single mom falls in love with the sexy guy next-door romance. There is some good spice. Both Gabby and Jay have their own trauma that they are working to overcome from previous relationships. It highlights the challenges that single moms face when dating.

You can feel the chemistry between them from the beginning & it also starts off with a very funny scene that I loved. The spicy scenes were realllyy good, but weren’t excessive.

There is also some fun quirky friends that Gabby meets along the way with their own wild side stories.

I thought this was really good and is a quick read. I have read so many romances lately that are simply just too long & this one was absolutely perfect in length.

Thank you to netgalley for this free advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Between Now and Forever is by Adriana Locke, and it is wonderful. I love everything that Adriana Locke writes, but these stand-alones (like Nothing But It All) just have all of the feels with the sass and the spicy, too.

Jay and Gabrielle are everything you want in two main characters who have been hurt before. Gabrielle is a tough single mom who has been hurt before by the one person who was supposed to love her forever. Jay was hurt in an unimaginable way, too.

I loved Gabrielle's spunk and sass and energy. She never gives up. And when she is down, she finds a way to get past it.

Jay is standoff-ish but still friendly to the folks in town. He keeps his distance from everyone until he just can't anymore.

This book is truly everything! The feels are across the board, even making you cry! I cannot express how much I loved this story!

Gabrielle se mudo de casa para intentar darle a sus hijos un nuevo comienzo luego de que su ex muriera. La pobre tiene que estar con el dolor de peder a su mejor amigo y ver como les está afectado esa pérdida a sus hijos, sobretodo al mayor.

Jay no quiere saber nada sobre el amor, luego de que su última relación terminara mal lo último que quiere es acercarse a otro madre soltera.

Ninguno de los dos quiere saber nada sobre el amor, pero una vez que se conocen las chispas vuelan.

Estuvo entretenido, lo malo es que todo se dió muy rápido y le faltó  desarrollar mejor la relación.


Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I can't believe y'all have to wait until December to read this book! It's full of hurt, love, laughter, real life knock you down situations, and everything in between. I'm so in love with this book, it's gone straight to my “To Read Again” shelf. TBH, there aren't very many books on that shelf.

I cried ugly tears (Chapters 23 to 27, I'm pointing at you). My heart was in my throat for all of the serious scenes in this book! But as Adriana Locke always does for us, she writes a lot of hilarious banter and laugh out loud situations that is the perfect balance in this incredibly heartfelt story! I got a lot of good chuckles and a few deep belly laughs while reading this book! The internal conversations the characters were having with themselves were hilarious and gave me immediate insight into their character.

Jay's stand-offish grumpy was no match to Gabrielle's sunny demeanor and Carter's innocence. This book had me reading well past my bedtime and I loved every single page!

The attraction between Jay and Gabrielle was immediate and when they finally get together, their chemistry is off the charts. But Gaby puts her 2 sons ahead of her own needs. Always. Jay on the other hand, simply isn't ready to put himself out there again. Dylan (Gaby's eldest son) is still mad at the universe for taking away his dad. And Carter (Gaby's youngest) stole my heart in every scene he's in.

Thank you Adriana Locke, Valentine PR and Netgalley for this ARC. The above is my own and personal opinion.

This story has a lot of sizzle and a lot of trying to move forward in life.

Both the main characters are trying to move forward from what has happened in their life. But the sizzle that is felt between them is hot and moving fast but the emotions that go with it are testing the path they are on.

I received this book from #netgalley for a free honest opinion.

what an absolute fun read!! loved the premise so much. a quick fun read by one of my favorite authors. good plot and likeable characters. would highly recommend this one!

I am a huge Adrianna Locke fan and have read everything of hers and loved it. This was no different. The main characters gabby and Jay are next door neighbors and both have some past baggage that makes it hard for either of them to move on. Gabby is a single mom who will always put her kids first and Jay is the grumpy next door neighbor. Can they find a way to make it work?

I really enjoyed this book. The maturity and humor found in both characters was a breath of fresh air. Gabby a single mom moves back to her hometown after she loses the father of her children. Jay has his own scars he's working to overcome and tries hard to keep her at a distance.

A great small town, single, neighbor to lovers romance!

Once bitten cinnamon roll neighbor meets clutzy, unsure widow with two sons, angsty teen and cute little one. New friends, family, fighting feelings, moving forward, fighting the past, all wrapped up in a HEA. Nothing new, but a fun read for the weekend or vacation.

I devoured this book in one sitting. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The two main characters are each dealing with grief in their own way. They have different very real and painful stories to tell but they are both looking to 'start living' again. Finding each other feels inevitable. I love the side characters in this book as well. Thank you for the opportunity to read this book and provide my genuine feedback. I was sad to leave their story.
#BetweenNowandForever #NetGalley

“But just because you made it to the other side of the fire doesn’t mean life returns to the way it was before. Once you’ve been through the flames, you’re burned. Those scars never totally heal…It’s been so long since I was in life mode, not survival mode…”

This was a page turner, quick read you won’t put down. Heartbreaking, funny, realistic, small town, family values, sweet read.

“… every day we spend together, I hope there’s another one to follow. She says she wants to live again.” ... “ I didn’t even realize I wasn’t living until I met her.””

Do you get second chances? Is there love after heartbreak and loss? Can you move on without looking back?

“A tightness spreads through my body, nearly strangling me in the process. It’s too close to déjà vu to be comfortable. It’s too similar to the worst day of my life for me to live it again.”

Genuine, heartwarming and compelling, Between Now and Forever is what every great romance should be. I absolutely adored Jay and Gabrielle’s story, and I loved their meet cute (which is always an important part of the story, for me). I literally could not put this book down and it is a must read for anyone who enjoys sincere, relatable characters and small town charm!

A good story with characters you can warm to. Well written and hooks you in from the start. I would recommend this read - thanks for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Received as an ARC

💜 Single Mom
💜 Neighbours to lovers
💜 Close proximity

I think this is my first true standalone from Adriana and it did not disappoint. It was cute, heartwarming and the perfect thing to get me out of a book slump. The characters were extremely well thought out, complex and developed. The storyline was a rollercoaster of emotions from the witty humour to the heart wrenching loss.

The girl gang in this was top tier!! I don’t know if I want to be them or be with them.

This book was so entertaining! It had my laughing and smiling the whole time! The main couple were so cute together! I would highly recommend this book!