A review by women_using_words
The Forever Factor by Melissa Brayden

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

The Forever Factor is Melissa Brayden’s 22nd full-length Sapphic novel, and its arrival makes one wonder how Brayden keeps rolling out one engaging romance after another. Dedication and firm mastery of the craft most certainly play a huge part, but the real answer lies in her understanding of how romance works in this genre. She intuitively knows how to connect readers to her characters and their romance.

I’ve read every one of Brayden’s romances and she always gives readers the much-talked-about “feels” in her romantic storytelling. The Forever Factor is no different. Brayden slowly builds up the emotional connection between Bethany and Reid; readers are easily hooked. The tension plays out well in Bethany and Reid’s high school relationship as well as their present-day romance. Brayden uses it to drive the storytelling forward and tie the two timelines together nicely. What’s unique about the storytelling is that readers are equally invested in both time periods. Often in these second chance romances readers connect with one version of the couple more than the other. Not so here. The Forever Factor gives readers strong, likable and sympathetic characters that one can really appreciate, even on both sides of the then and now romance. High school Bethany and Reid are just as heartbreakingly tender and hopeful as their adult version. The two forms play together well and build a heart-squeezing love story that is very compelling.

Brayden gets a lot of things right in the crafting of this story. First and foremost, she nails it with the mood and tone. First loves and first heartbreaks are emotion-filled roller coasters that one doesn’t forget, and Brayden plays up the high school emotions perfectly. She capitalizes on the big moments, which makes it hard for readers not to remember their own high school experiences and relate to young Bethany and Reid. She tugs the heartstrings, making this story not only absorbing but realistic. Furthermore, Brayden builds the tension in such a way that it carries the relationship forward and into the present without losing any momentum. The end result is a chemistry-filled romance worth the read.

Brayden has demonstrated solid writing skills from day one; perhaps that’s why she garnered attention so quickly in her career. She’s earned several awards for her storytelling and one of the things that sets her apart is her use of secondary characters. She knows how to use them to the story’s advantage. She doesn’t just toss them in to bulk up the narrative or dialogue. They’re used creatively and purposefully. In The Forever Factor, Bethany’s best friends are instrumental in helping her understand her feelings as well as her intentions towards Reid. The same can be said about Reid’s mother. She helps Reid realize that forgiveness is a big key to the forever factor of any relationship. These same secondary characters, along with Bethany’s dad, are also used as a way for Brayden to lighten heavy moments and give the storytelling some colorful weave and woof.

Final remarks…

Brayden once again proves that she knows what she’s doing when she sits down to type a heartfelt romance. The Forever Factor hits it out of the park with the essential emotion and drama that’s needed for a well-scripted love story. This latest novel demonstrates once again that she understands the complex and intimate lattice work of women-loving-women relationships; her storytelling grounds itself in the dynamics, motivations and textures of it. Readers see this clearly in Bethany and Reid’s love story. It’s why The Forever Factor is not only read-worthy but re-read-worthy.

Strengths…

  • Thoughtfully-crafted
  • Relatable, compelling romance
  • Sympathetic, likable characters
  • Strong and gradual romantic tension 
  • Good character chemistry 
  • Satisfying happily-ever-after