Almost Never

I loved this book. A great friends to lovers romance.

The story was well-written and the characters were so well developed.

Another great read from Ms Toppen

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Alec Murray.
He was the one.
From the first moment I saw him, I knew.
I had never been more certain of anything in my sixteen years on this earth.

But Alec didn’t notice me. At least not in the way that I wanted him to.
He noticed my best friend instead.
I stood by and watched their relationship blossom.
An outsider looking in, wishing things were different.
Torn between my loyalty to my best friend and the boy who had unknowingly stolen my heart.

Weighted by feelings I could never express out loud, I wrote them all down.
Every thought. Every feeling.
I poured them all into a letter.
A letter he was never meant to read.

Only that’s exactly what he did.
He read it.
Every single word.
But by then it was too late.

Even if he was no longer dating my best friend.
Even if I was more in love with him than ever.
He was leaving.
I was leaving.
And there was nothing either of us could do to change it.

Alec Murray was my almost fairytale.
The happy ending I swore I’d never get.

But our story is far from over…

*Almost Never is a friends to lovers, complete standalone.

Wow, talk about a journey Alec and Hope’s story. It was beautifully written and heartfelt. I loved every single page of their story although it wasn’t an easy one.

All the “feels” and so much more….

This was an emotional friends to lovers story that pulls at the heartstrings from the very beginning. The friendship between Alec and Hope was strong, but not strong enough to break the bond she had with her very best friend Lucy. Hope’s loyalty to Lucy was endearing, especially because it felt very one-sided to me. This one was killin’ me through the years, you could feel the inner turmoil coming off the pages. Alec’s tenacity and staying power had me rooting for him, I was happy he wasn’t letting his “story” end there. This one was rounded out perfectly with the ending.

It’s been a while since I picked up a book by this author but this one totally caught my eye with the cover, the title and the synopsis. I just could not say no to read this book.

I loved the dynamic of it all. It gutted me to see that Hope had to witness her best friend fall in love with the boy that she crushed on. As time passed Hope saw herself falling more and more in love with Alec because he wasn’t just cute, gentle, nice and sexy but he had a way with both Hope and Lulu. For some reason though it seemed like Lulu caught his eye first and all hopes fell for Hope. But she was content and happy to be his friend and she managed to snag the “best friend” title as well.

I sat in my chair just wondering how a girl like Hope could let her best friend always jump first and Hope would allow it. For everything that Hope wanted or would manage to succeed in getting, Lulu always managed to one-up her and Hope would just stand back and let her. I get it, Hope was all about making everyone else happy before making herself happy but come on. There has to be a point where you need to stand your ground and say enough is enough.

So many obstacles got in the way of Hope and Alec making it work between them. But Alec wasn’t one to give up and he worked so hard to make it happen one way or another. It may have taken them longer than they wished but the ending did give me some butterflies in my tummy because Hope and Alec were the cutest thing ever together.

Like another reader stated in her review, I did wish there was more of Alec and Hope in the book, but overall I did love this book and I found myself glued to each page until I finished it in one sitting.

Melissa Toppen, good job on this one. What a way to break a girls heart though!

~ARC provided by author.

Slow Slow Slow burn. While I did enjoy it, I wanted so much more of them together as a couple.

I did love the progression of their story. I did want her to stand up to Lucy more, even after multiple friends pointed out how Lucy actually treated her throughout their friendship.

I liked the time jumps, that helped move things along.

I feel a Henry book next. Which will give us (I hope) more Alec and Hope.

I enjoyed this book. The plot concept appealed to me and the writing was spot on. The storyline was entertaining and held my attention well. I liked Alec and Hope and man, oh man did these two tug on my heartstrings. That being said, I also eventually just seriously wanted to shake them both so hard and tell them to “Wake Up!!”. This was particularly true for Hope. I admired her for being such a loyal friend and adhering so strongly to the “girl code” but I also think that there is a line and when you cross that line into throwing your own happiness under the bus, enough is enough. Regardless of my frustrations I thought this was a really good read that inspires strong emotions in the reader as they peruse this angst filled, heartache inducing book. This is my sincere, volitional review.

Almost Never is such a fantastic read. It pulls at your heart strings. Brings you young love with a little angst, a little drama and learning that timing is everything. From the start you will fall in love with Hope and Alec. they will steal your heart and won’t give it back at all. I’m still feeling the effects of Hope and Alec’s powerful love. Hello book hangover. Melissa Toppen gives us such beauty in her words. You feel this connection with Hope and Alec. You see the fight and pull between them from the start. Your heart will reach out to Hope so many times. You just want to hug Alec as he bares everything and fights for what you wants. You will have mixed feeling for Lucy (Lulu) through out this whole read. I really couldn’t get enough of this one. I couldn’t put it down. There were so many times my heart ached and I had happy and sad tears forming and flowing. I’m so in love with Almost Never. YOU NEED TO ONE CLICK THIS ONE.

Almost Never is a young adult, friends-to-lovers story by Melissa Toppen. It was an enjoyable read and kept me totally engrossed until the very end. If you enjoy young coming-of-age love and the struggles they face finding love while finding themselves, then you should really enjoy this one. I don’t generally connect with younger characters and didn’t exactly connect with these characters or agree with the frustrating choices they made, but the author did keep me interested in knowing how their relationship would play out.

Alec is wonderful and patient—a romantic at heart. His love for Hope was beautiful and his pain gutted me. Their journey was heart-breaking. I can’t say I understand why or how he had so much faith in their relationship, but Hope was a very lucky lady. Melissa Toppen did an amazing job with the ending of this book. She basically took my breath away. I only wish we had gotten to enjoy Hope and Alec together a little longer. What frustrated me the most was spending so much time watching Hope and Alec working toward their future and then not being able to bask in the happiness with them for longer.

From the very beginning, the book is emotional, and it pulled at my heartstrings. The blurb warned me about what I was getting into so I shouldn’t complain. I did feel empathy towards the heroine, but it gradually faded as I struggled to get on board with her loyalty to a friend who didn’t deserve her. The friendship seemed one-sided and I didn’t find there was enough backstory to show us why they were lifelong friends. Hope put her happiness and future on the backburner and her reasonings flew out the window for me since I had to wonder time and time again why she was so loyal to Lucy.

Almost Never is a wonderfully emotional read for anyone who enjoys young love. Melissa Toppen is an amazing author and all of her books are worthy of your time.