Always
Books | Fiction / Women
3.8
(99)
Sarah Jio
A gripping novel about the kind of love that never lets go, and the heart’s capacity to remember, from the New York Times bestselling author of Blackberry Winter and The Violets of MarchEnjoying a romantic candlelit dinner with her fiancé, Ryan, at one of Seattle’s chicest restaurants, Kailey Crain can’t believe her good fortune: She has a great job as a journalist and is now engaged to a guy who is perfect in nearly every way. As she and Ryan leave the restaurant, Kailey spies a thin, bearded homeless man on the sidewalk. She approaches him to offer up her bag of leftovers, and is stunned when their eyes meet, then stricken to her very core: The man is the love of her life, Cade McAllister. When Kailey met Cade ten years ago, their attraction was immediate and intense—everything connected and felt right. But it all ended suddenly, leaving Kailey devastated. Now the poor soul on the street is a faded version of her former beloved: His weathered and weary face is as handsome as Kailey remembers, but his mind has suffered in the intervening years. Over the next few weeks, Kailey helps Cade begin to piece his life together, something she initially keeps from Ryan. As she revisits her long-ago relationship, Kailey realizes that she must decide exactly what—and whom—she wants. Alternating between the past and the present, Always is a beautifully unfolding exploration of a woman faced with an impossible choice, a woman who discovers what she’s willing to save and what she will sacrifice for true love.Praise for Always“[Sarah] Jio’s novel is a fantastic read that explores the world of lost love in a poignant and beautiful way, while still being light and easy to digest. The protagonist is one whom readers can relate to. . . . Jio’s tale also beautifully blends stories from both the past and the present. . . . It’s a great read and comes with high recommendations.”—RT Book Reviews “Jio’s newest novel explores intersections of past and present and the complexities of love. . . . [Kailey] must confront her own past as she tries to figure out what she really wants. . . . Fans of Jio’s work will still find her signature emotional depth.”—Publishers Weekly “A heartwarming story of personal growth and the power of nostalgia . . . Fans of Elin Hilderbrand and Emily Giffin should enjoy this warm and compassionate novel.”—Booklist“Perfect for fireside reading.”—PopSugar
AD
Buy now:
More Details:
Author
Sarah Jio
Pages
288
Publisher
Random House Publishing Group
Published Date
2017-02-07
ISBN
1101885033 9781101885031
Community ReviewsSee all
"This is one of my top recommendations for romance/mystery novels. I was truly in love with this book the first time I read it. The ending has such a good plot twist!"
natalie danielle
"I'm being generous with my 3-star rating. I usually enjoy Sarah's writing, but this one totally missed the mark. As another reviewer stated, there were a few plot holes and unexplained issues that the author mentioned briefly and completely moved on with no further explanation. <br/><br/>Predictable and implausible."
Brandi C
"http://www.anurseandabook.com/2017/03/always-by-sarah-jio.html<br/><br/>Always was a very moving read, it just didn't move me in the right direction. I loved The Violets of March, and ever since then, I always look for Jio's books, she really has a way with sucking you into the story.<br/><br/>Kailey is a big hearted reporter, who has been following a story on the homeless, and a business developers desire to displace them. As passionate as Kailey is about the plight of the displaced, she feels like she can't always discuss her work with her fiancee since he is a business developer. But Kailey and Ryan have forged a way to support each other's careers because they are so deeply in love with each other. <br/><br/>Then one night, Kailey goes to give her leftovers to a homeless man, and sees that it is her old boyfriend, Cade. <br/><br/>Kailey is shocked and stunned, Cade was the one that got away - literally. He just disappeared ten years ago in the middle of their relationship. Although Kailey is happily engaged, and has a fiancee without fault (except for overbearing parents - but they live far away), she decides to track down Cade and try to help him.<br/><br/>Cade doesn't remember Kailey, but is willing to take her help. She gets him hooked up with a neuro institute to deal with his brain injury - he doesn't remember anything about his former life as a record company executive, or his former partners. As Kailey helps Cade, Ryan tries to understand her need to be so involved with her ex-boyfriend.<br/><br/>The weird thing is that as Kailey goes into her flashbacks of her and Cade's life together, you see that their relationship wasn't on all that solid ground. Cade was pretty close to being an alcoholic, was blowing off dates with her and had a budding drug problem. His partner wanted to dump him because his addictions were interfering with his judgement and he was frequently not showing up for work.<br/><br/>But Kailey keeps getting more involved with Cade, neglecting her wedding planning, and lying to her fiancee, who is getting close to having enough.<br/><br/>Cade has a breakthrough and remembers his accident, his partner agrees to pay him the millions he is due, and Kailey and Cade will live happily ever after - Ryan, not so much.<br/><br/>I have to say, this story made me a little frustrated with Kailey - it's not like Cade was treating her well at the end, even before he went missing. And Ryan has been nothing but loving and supportive, but she chooses to leave her happy life to risk it all again with Cade. I'm not even thinking she shouldn't be with him because of the brain damage, the slow speech, etc., but because he wasn't that great the first time around!<br/><br/>It had a nice wrap up for Kailey and Cade, a not so nice one for Ryan, and all in all, I think Kailey is a romantic without any common sense.<br/><br/>Current Goodreads Rating 3.78"
M F
Marcee Feddersen