ana clara's Reviews > With You Forever

“The tent is warm, and my home feels like it's flooded with sunlight, not just because there's a fire and the sun's breaking the horizon, but because Rooney's here, right beside me.”

They own my heart. Simply. They caught me totally off guard. I didn’t think I’d like this book that much, but now I am feeling physically bad after reading it because I know I won’t see them as protagonists again. Well… from where should I start?
They own my heart. Simply. They caught me totally off guard. I didn’t think I’d like this book that much, but now I am feeling physically bad after reading it because I know I won’t see them as protagonists again. Well… from where should I start?
Since the very interaction they’d shared in Only When It’s Us, Rooney Sullivan and Axel Bergman had me wanting them to be a thing. And to my happiness and surprise of no one, they had been secretly crushing each other for years, but since a kiss they shared during a family’s game, it’s been impossible for them just to hide it—and therefore, to be close to each other. Now, under uncommon circumstances, they end up sharing the Bergman family’s vacation home, which surprisingly leads them not just to a very weird marriage of convenience but also to find a perfect love match.
Rooney is sort of a ray of sunshine woman who looks like Barbie and has a beautiful smile. Since the first book, I've liked her so much, and getting to know her in a better and deeper way was such a pleasure that I can't even explain. Knowing about her life, past, her insecurities, about the problems she’d kept to herself only to protect people she loves, and getting to see more of her perspective over things… It was amazing, stunning to say the least. And Axel, he’s a grumpy man who lives alone in the mountains, a man who struggles with words, but has his own beautiful ways of showing love. And just like Rooney, I love him. Needless to say I had my suspicions about him being autistic after the three previous books, and I liked it so much how the author has told us his story and experience with it.
As I said, Axel and Rooney are a perfect match. While reading, you can say that, even though they liked each other for a long while, they didn’t expect it—them—ever to happen (and what led them to find out it wasn’t exactly the most romantic context ever, but who cares?). Throughout the story—following all the “thinking of the other” moments, the cute and domestic scenes, the beautiful conversations and secrets shared—you can feel everything the protagonists are feeling. You can deeply and easily feel their angst, their happiness, their sadness, their fear and, overall, you can feel the love they have for each other. As usual, Chloe found a very beautiful and great way of giving a beautiful story that is about much more than just a relationship.
And I am so excited to read Oliver and Gavin’s books. After Ollie’s appearance in this book, I somehow just know his book will break me but that I’ll love it.