Always: A Novel

I don’t usually like books that go back and forth between the past and the present, but in this book it totally worked. And because of the way the story unfolded, it seemed necessary to tell it in this way. Always follows the story of a woman who thinks she has a perfect life only to have the perfection turned on its ear by a chance encounter with a homeless man.Because it isn’t just any homeless man. As she and her fiancé leave a posh restaurant, she sees a scruffy bum on the street and recognizes him. He’s the love of her life from ten years earlier – but what happened? If they were so much in love, how did they drift apart and wind up in completely different circumstances? Will she tell her fiancé about him; will she establish contact with the man from her past; will they fall in love again? All great questions, and all beautifully explored by author Sarah Jio. I really enjoyed this book. It featured a great love triangle, an intriguing premise, and a likable heroine.

I recently read "Goodnight June" by Ms Jio which I absolutely loved so I was looking forward to her newest book. Kailey is engaged to Ryan and are in the midst of wedding plans when a chance encounter with a homeless person alters her plans. I think this book does a great job portraying the difficulties faced by the homeless population and how easily they are subject to stereotyping. I felt that Ryan was a bit "too good to be true" as a character . There were some unanswered questions when the book ended; what was Cade doing for all these years and who was the person who did not want Cade to receive medical care when he first sustained his injury.Overall it was a very enjoyable book and I look forward to reading more of Ms Jio's novels.

Kailey Crane has just returned to Seattle to try to find happiness again. The last time she called the city home, the man she loved simply disappeared taking her heart with him.Now years later with a new job, a new home and a new fiancé – Kailey is finally starting to live. And all it takes is recognizing the man who once meant more to her than life itself in the eyes of a homeless man to turn her life upside down once more.Cade McAllister used to be larger than life. As the founder of Element Records, he was a driving force in Seattle’s cutting edge music scene. He was passionate, driven and absolutely beautiful.Falling in love with him was effortless and it doesn’t matter to Kailey how far that he’s fallen from grace – she can’t just walk away. She’s going to help him reclaim all that he once had. But will remembering the past with Cade destroy her perfect future?I don’t quite know why this book resonated so much with me. Maybe it was because of the love that I have for the city of Seattle or because it helped me remember the music that shaped so much of my youth. And maybe - just maybe - it was the powerful way that Sarah mixed heartbreak with hope to remind me of what’s truly essential to life. I like to think that it was always just meant to be…

I liked this book . . . after the first chapter, which felt flat to me. I wanted to bond with Ryan immediately, but wasn't sure I even liked him. That eventually changed and I grew to like him very much. I thought the author did a great job of toggling back and forth between Cade's story and Ryan's - interesting formatting style - liked it. I truly I had no idea which way it was going to end. I also thought the book was well written in terms of emotion, Which brings us to the end. Can't say I was really disappointed, then again maybe I was--more so in Kailey. Leaving a vacation trip in Mexico and leaving Ryan behind to rush to Cade? Not only was that insensitive, but just plain rude and mean. Didn't like her much from that point on. Why wouldn't the staff at Harborview have the police or a staff member look for him? I just didn't buy into that. I also would have liked her much better had she eventually explained to Ryan what was going on and given the ring back - instead she waits until he's had a gut-full and he breaks it off - yay for Ryan. But then why or why would he show up at her wedding.Okay - the ending sucked. Not that she and Cade got back together but how it payed out that they did. She just came off selfish as opposed to wanting to help Cade.

It was a quick summer read, it kept me engaged and I got through it in a weekend. I struggled a bit at times but overall it was a good story and I liked how the homeless problem in Seattle was addressed. Not only in Seattle, but the stigma homelessness has and how the main character wanted that to change. I felt like that was the best part of the story. I actually wish it was a true story because if so, it would have been tremendously more powerful, however, it was still a good story of love and community.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballentine books for an e-ARC of this title, in exchange for an honest review. I was really happy to get this one, because I am a Sarah Jio fan. This book had interesting aspects to it that made me think after I'd turned the last page. Kailey is engaged to a wonderful man, but as they leave dinner one night, she comes across a homeless man, who she realizes is her former love, who'd disappeared from her life. What happened? How does a person go from successful to homeless? Can she/should she, help him? The chapters alternate between when Kailey and Cade were together to the recent past. I found it interesting that Jio said she was trying to capture the feel of Seattle a few years back, and I think she did a great job at that. Highly recommended.

I just finished the book and am numb …I am so sad and so happy at the same time . The characters are so real and the story is as real today as it was in the `90`s. Imagine leaving a posh restaurant with your husband to be and his parents, running into as obviously homeless man, and then recognizing the homeless man. It is a man you loved and lost years ago.The story develops with twists and turns and memories that finally tie together.READ THIS BOOK, it is one of her best stories EVER, next to "Violets of March". I love everything she has written. Thank you , Sarah Jio for a fantastic journey .

I lost interest after the second chapter

Not one of her best