marlobo's review against another edition
DNF at 26%
I cannot keep going with this book, I cannot connect with any character or aspect, and moreover, it's slower than I can tolerate.
I cannot keep going with this book, I cannot connect with any character or aspect, and moreover, it's slower than I can tolerate.
claudia_is_reading's review
4.0
This is such a grand second-chance romance...
Sad and sweet, this is the story of Frank and Tom, and how it took them 30 years to understand that they were perfect for each other.
But it was not easy, of course it wasn't. It took courage and honestity; they needed to rekindle their relationship, all the while facing the urgent, today's matters which are a great excuse to not look back and try to understand their past. But they finally manage and it's easy to see all the happy years they have ahead of them.
I loved it, and the fact that their are both older than the usal MC in these books is a great extra.
A very recommended read for those who enjoy the genre :)
Sad and sweet, this is the story of Frank and Tom, and how it took them 30 years to understand that they were perfect for each other.
But it was not easy, of course it wasn't. It took courage and honestity; they needed to rekindle their relationship, all the while facing the urgent, today's matters which are a great excuse to not look back and try to understand their past. But they finally manage and it's easy to see all the happy years they have ahead of them.
I loved it, and the fact that their are both older than the usal MC in these books is a great extra.
A very recommended read for those who enjoy the genre :)
suze_1624's review against another edition
3.0
3/3.5*
A nice, easy reading story - with the guys from book 1 having a small role.
Frank and Tommy reconnect 30 years after their childhood friendship ends as they go to college.
Tommy is the self sacrificing hero, both for his mum and as we find out, for Frank. He has success but is being worn down by life.
Frank has been successful too - mostly in his stock purchases!!!
So this is about them reconnecting, reforging their friendship and restoring a house.
I liked that the two guys were older - late 40’s - though throughout the book they did read as younger. I didn’t feel intensity in their relationship but it was a nice warm fuzzy feel.
A few loose ends still (raccoons) but maybe book 3......
A nice, easy reading story - with the guys from book 1 having a small role.
Frank and Tommy reconnect 30 years after their childhood friendship ends as they go to college.
Tommy is the self sacrificing hero, both for his mum and as we find out, for Frank. He has success but is being worn down by life.
Frank has been successful too - mostly in his stock purchases!!!
So this is about them reconnecting, reforging their friendship and restoring a house.
I liked that the two guys were older - late 40’s - though throughout the book they did read as younger. I didn’t feel intensity in their relationship but it was a nice warm fuzzy feel.
A few loose ends still (raccoons) but maybe book 3......
paulalovesbooks's review against another edition
4.0
De todos los libros de esa serie, este es probablemente el que menos me gustó, aún así lo disfrute mucho y la historia de amos de estos dos es completamente conmovedora, es tan triste y linda a la vez. Tengo que destacar que de todos los libros este es el que apuñaló mi corazón con tantas cosas tristes que pasaban en el pasado y presente de uno de los personajes. Me encanta los libros sobre esos amores que nos persiguen por año, totalmente adorable. Un libro lindo para leer en una tarde, es relajado y ligero, al igual que el resto de libros en esta maravillosa serie.
the_novel_approach's review
5.0
Okay, sign me up for any and all additional novels in Kelly Jensen’s This Time Forever series, because this one, Renewing Forever, was even better than the first—and that is saying an awful lot considering I loved Building Forever. This is a deliciously sweet, slightly angsty romance at its best, in my opinion. With well-written characters who have depth and some emotional maturity—but a whole raft of insecurities—the novel gives us a fully fleshed out story that keeps one invested to the very end.
Told in alternating time periods, by hearkening back to the past and unfolding the present day, the book gives a friendship of two young boys from very different economic backgrounds who become best buddies. When Frankie pushes for more right before going off to college, Tommy reacts in fear—fear that any change, moving them to a distinct romantic edge, would ruin the friendship he has come to depend on so much. The two go their separate ways, with Tommy never communicating with Frankie after their falling out. They won’t meet again until some thirty years later, when Frankie’s uncle (Tommy’s employer and, essentially, his father figure as well) passes away, leaving the rundown resort, where Tommy has been living and working, to Frankie. Since they parted, Frankie has become a successful writer, doing various projects for popular magazines, and Tommy has pursued his photography, making a modest side-living from it. However, Tommy has also been caring for his ailing mother, and her facility care expenses have drained every financial resource he has or could earn.
When the two men meet again, there is a great deal of anger on Frankie’s part which simply masks the hurt he had when Tommy turned him away and spurned his overtures. For Tommy, he now has a chance to make things right, to hopefully heal the rift he caused between he and Frankie and see if they can try again. But Tommy still has difficulty trusting that he will ever be good enough for Frankie, and now that he is living near poverty level and is not nearly as successful as Frankie, the doubts Tommy has strengthens the wall he has built around his heart.
I wish I could go on and on about how amazing this novel was for me. Never did I want to both shake and hug a person like I did Tommy. Here he had the man he has loved for so long within his grasp, and fear keeps him from telling the guy the truth. This story was really beautiful. First, I love that Kelly Jensen has chosen to focus on older men in this series—they have both a maturity and a vulnerability that is not very often seen in characters their age. Secondly, I additionally enjoyed the idea that most of these men are having a second go at love and, in this case, hoping to overcome a past that left an indelible mark on them emotionally. But what really delights me about this novel is that the happiness often found at story’s end is one that is solid, real and lasting.
Tommy was a right mess, and yet one could understand his reluctance to allow Frankie to see how much he needed help. After so many years apart and knowing how successful Frankie had become, it was a no-brainer to get just how much of a loser Tommy viewed himself as. It was the struggle that both men went through that made this story so rich. Both had real feelings of inadequacy when it came to being enough for the other. I was swept up in their past and enjoyed seeing glimpses of how they grew together. It’s hard to describe why this story resonated with me; perhaps it’s the age of the men, which was so refreshing given we rarely see both being older MCs. Or, maybe it was the way in which Kelly Jensen never rushed but made time for the story arc to fully develop and thereby made the ending that much sweeter. I think, however, that it was the way in which Tommy grew to understand that relying on a person you love is not failing but rather cementing the idea of a forever-after with that person.
Renewing Forever is an emotionally satisfying novel that allows for love to be the victor over obstinate pride and past failures. With a slow-moving but engaging plotline, and characters that leaped off the page in terms of realism, this novel is a win from beginning to end.
Told in alternating time periods, by hearkening back to the past and unfolding the present day, the book gives a friendship of two young boys from very different economic backgrounds who become best buddies. When Frankie pushes for more right before going off to college, Tommy reacts in fear—fear that any change, moving them to a distinct romantic edge, would ruin the friendship he has come to depend on so much. The two go their separate ways, with Tommy never communicating with Frankie after their falling out. They won’t meet again until some thirty years later, when Frankie’s uncle (Tommy’s employer and, essentially, his father figure as well) passes away, leaving the rundown resort, where Tommy has been living and working, to Frankie. Since they parted, Frankie has become a successful writer, doing various projects for popular magazines, and Tommy has pursued his photography, making a modest side-living from it. However, Tommy has also been caring for his ailing mother, and her facility care expenses have drained every financial resource he has or could earn.
When the two men meet again, there is a great deal of anger on Frankie’s part which simply masks the hurt he had when Tommy turned him away and spurned his overtures. For Tommy, he now has a chance to make things right, to hopefully heal the rift he caused between he and Frankie and see if they can try again. But Tommy still has difficulty trusting that he will ever be good enough for Frankie, and now that he is living near poverty level and is not nearly as successful as Frankie, the doubts Tommy has strengthens the wall he has built around his heart.
I wish I could go on and on about how amazing this novel was for me. Never did I want to both shake and hug a person like I did Tommy. Here he had the man he has loved for so long within his grasp, and fear keeps him from telling the guy the truth. This story was really beautiful. First, I love that Kelly Jensen has chosen to focus on older men in this series—they have both a maturity and a vulnerability that is not very often seen in characters their age. Secondly, I additionally enjoyed the idea that most of these men are having a second go at love and, in this case, hoping to overcome a past that left an indelible mark on them emotionally. But what really delights me about this novel is that the happiness often found at story’s end is one that is solid, real and lasting.
Tommy was a right mess, and yet one could understand his reluctance to allow Frankie to see how much he needed help. After so many years apart and knowing how successful Frankie had become, it was a no-brainer to get just how much of a loser Tommy viewed himself as. It was the struggle that both men went through that made this story so rich. Both had real feelings of inadequacy when it came to being enough for the other. I was swept up in their past and enjoyed seeing glimpses of how they grew together. It’s hard to describe why this story resonated with me; perhaps it’s the age of the men, which was so refreshing given we rarely see both being older MCs. Or, maybe it was the way in which Kelly Jensen never rushed but made time for the story arc to fully develop and thereby made the ending that much sweeter. I think, however, that it was the way in which Tommy grew to understand that relying on a person you love is not failing but rather cementing the idea of a forever-after with that person.
Renewing Forever is an emotionally satisfying novel that allows for love to be the victor over obstinate pride and past failures. With a slow-moving but engaging plotline, and characters that leaped off the page in terms of realism, this novel is a win from beginning to end.
cadiva's review
4.0
"...sex with someone you wanted this much could only ever remake the world."
Kelly Jensen scores a hat trick with Renewing Forever, this makes three out of three for books I've read and fallen in love with.
This one is a gorgeous second chance romance, a later in life love restored, just like the old lodge house, and proof that it's never too late to take a step on the road to forgiveness and understanding.
Both Frank and Tom are complex characters and there is no single issue of fault. Both made mistakes when they were just teenagers and both have spent 30 years living with the consequences and the regret.
There's a feeling of not quite melancholy, but almost an element of time stood still and is slowly coming to life again.
We find out more about Frank than his outward appearance of Simon's jovial journalist best friend. We meet Tom, who I alternatively wanted to put away somewhere safe and conversely push out to experience the full scope of the world outside his doorstep.
There's angst in this, but it's the realistic drama of finding yourself back with The One who you never stopped loving but who had cut you to the bone and not knowing quite where to start the moving on process.
It's a wonderful slow burn between two mature characters approaching their half century of life and I adored it. Now, who is going to be giving Brian his Forever in book three?!
#ARC kindly received from the author in return for an honest and unbiased review.
Kelly Jensen scores a hat trick with Renewing Forever, this makes three out of three for books I've read and fallen in love with.
This one is a gorgeous second chance romance, a later in life love restored, just like the old lodge house, and proof that it's never too late to take a step on the road to forgiveness and understanding.
Both Frank and Tom are complex characters and there is no single issue of fault. Both made mistakes when they were just teenagers and both have spent 30 years living with the consequences and the regret.
There's a feeling of not quite melancholy, but almost an element of time stood still and is slowly coming to life again.
We find out more about Frank than his outward appearance of Simon's jovial journalist best friend. We meet Tom, who I alternatively wanted to put away somewhere safe and conversely push out to experience the full scope of the world outside his doorstep.
There's angst in this, but it's the realistic drama of finding yourself back with The One who you never stopped loving but who had cut you to the bone and not knowing quite where to start the moving on process.
It's a wonderful slow burn between two mature characters approaching their half century of life and I adored it. Now, who is going to be giving Brian his Forever in book three?!
#ARC kindly received from the author in return for an honest and unbiased review.
claudia_is_reading's review against another edition
4.0
This is such a grand second-chance romance...
Sad and sweet, this is the story of Frank and Tom, and how it took them 30 years to understand that they were perfect for each other.
But it was not easy, of course it wasn't. It took courage and honestity; they needed to rekindle their relationship, all the while facing the urgent, today's matters which are a great excuse to not look back and try to understand their past. But they finally manage and it's easy to see all the happy years they have ahead of them.
I loved it, and the fact that their are both older than the usal MC in these books is a great extra.
A very recommended read for those who enjoy the genre :)
Sad and sweet, this is the story of Frank and Tom, and how it took them 30 years to understand that they were perfect for each other.
But it was not easy, of course it wasn't. It took courage and honestity; they needed to rekindle their relationship, all the while facing the urgent, today's matters which are a great excuse to not look back and try to understand their past. But they finally manage and it's easy to see all the happy years they have ahead of them.
I loved it, and the fact that their are both older than the usal MC in these books is a great extra.
A very recommended read for those who enjoy the genre :)
shelbanuadh's review against another edition
1.0
I'm not a fan of second chance tropes.
I'm not a fan of flashbacks, so obviously the fact that there are entire chapters of flashbacks wasn't something I was thrilled about.
On top of that, I found Tom annoying. His helpless, whoa-is-me thing irritated me. His reasoning for pushing Frank away 30 years ago was as pointless and stupid as I thought it would be. Playing it up as it huge self-sacrifice just had me rolling my eyes.
And as far as Frank went, pining after someone to the point of never giving anyone else a chance was a but much... especially when the person you were pining after not only rejected you, but broke your nose and ignored any attempts at communication.
And in general, I just found that the story dragged on and on.
In the end, I did a lot of skimming while reading this and with the amount of skimming I did, I really can't justify giving this higher than 1 star. I'm on the fence as to whether I'll be reading the third book.
I'm not a fan of flashbacks, so obviously the fact that there are entire chapters of flashbacks wasn't something I was thrilled about.
On top of that, I found Tom annoying. His helpless, whoa-is-me thing irritated me. His reasoning for pushing Frank away 30 years ago was as pointless and stupid as I thought it would be. Playing it up as it huge self-sacrifice just had me rolling my eyes.
And as far as Frank went, pining after someone to the point of never giving anyone else a chance was a but much... especially when the person you were pining after not only rejected you, but broke your nose and ignored any attempts at communication.
And in general, I just found that the story dragged on and on.
In the end, I did a lot of skimming while reading this and with the amount of skimming I did, I really can't justify giving this higher than 1 star. I'm on the fence as to whether I'll be reading the third book.