Can I Give it Six Stars?

NEVER FORGET YOU had it all: a poignant love story, adversity, misunderstandings, family, loyalty, and integrity.

I read Fiona Lucas’ THE LAST GOODBYE and the story resonated with me for a long time. So, when I learned of her second book, I waited with bated breath for its release day in early November. It was worth the wait. And then some.

The characters of Lily and Ben are fantastic and by the time I finished the story, I felt like I knew them both so well. The secondary characters were equally authentic and compelling, and the familial bonds that resonate throughout this novel are almost as wonderful as the love story itself.

On another note, Fiona Lucas is to be commended for the way she tackled the delicate issue of toxic relationships and emotional abuse. We so often read novels where physical abuse dominates, but emotional abuse is just as damaging, and sometimes even more so because it does not leave tangible evidence. The abusive relationship Lily finds herself in is handled oh-so-believably, with Lily’s self-worth and self-esteem eroding more and more over time until she has no idea of who she is and what she wants or needs from a relationship. It broke my heart to see her spark sputter and dim, and being familiar with this kind of dynamic, made me feel all the feels.

The ending was perfect. The only downside is that now I have to wait for Fiona Lucas to write another book. Oh well, good things take time. Five out of five BIG stars.

(I listened to this on audio, and narrator Sophia Engstrand did a phenomenal job. It was hard to believe that Sophia was NOT Lily in real life. I’ll definitely be listening to more books narrated by her.)

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