Book Review:: A Beginner's Guide to Forever | Kendall Ryan

To be honest I’m a little surprised to have rated this book 5-Stars. It wasn’t the kind of book I knew would blow me away right from the beginning. There were a lot of balls in the air, and any one of them dropping a different way might have changed the outcome of everything else. Instead, this is the kind of book you get to the end of and think…where’s the flaw? And for A Beginner’s Guide to Forever, I couldn’t tell you. I loved it all.

A Beginner's Guide to Forever by Kendall Ryan Book Cover

As I sit here, I can only think of one other age gap romance I’ve read, and that was also a swept-away five-star read for me (Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez). I don’t think I have an age gap kink (lol), but it does come with some serious soul-searching built in that I can’t deny enjoying. These kinds of romances really only work if the two characters literally can’t stay away from the other. It is against their own better judgment, but the sheer fire of their chemistry and whatever it is the ties two souls together that they just can’t resist.

I just sighed audibly as I wrote that. It’s so good.

This has all been quite vague and generic so far, hasn’t it? Well here are some specific reasons I really enjoyed this book:
1) The characters are really good people. I loved Alessia’s mission and dedication to a great cause. You just can’t dislike her. Her heart is always in the right place.
2) The meet-cute cannot be beat. It was giving serious It Ends With Us vibes, but I think the rooftop scene is one of the best in that entire book, and I loved this new take on it.
3) Hart’s absolute unapologetic focus on Alessia. He is a man who knows what he wants (and his big speech at the end is everything).

I was so impressed with this story, and I know it’ll be living in my head rent-free for a long time to come. Absolutely all romance lovers should read it, and even better if you have a hankering for some travel, because these characters are absolute globe-trotters!

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Details

Title:: A Beginner’s Guide to Forever
Author:: Kendall Ryan
Genre:: Contemporary Romance
Publisher:: Montlake
Length:: 237 pages
Published:: August 5th, 2025
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars