Bethany and Reid were high school sweethearts, each other’s first love, and their relationship at the time felt much deeper and stronger than teenage lust and first love, even if that’s also what it was. They were kids though and dealt with problems in very teenagery ways: badly. When they literally bump into each other again eleven years later, they’re both obviously different people but the connexion and attraction are the same.

I have a lot of feelings about this book, not all good I’m afraid. It feels like a missed opportunity, the story could have easily been a 5⭐️. I’m not sure what happened but some chapters flow easily while in others, the writing feels choppy, clunky. As if the chapters in which Reid and Bethany are teenagers were complete and some of the ones with them as adults were left hanging, whether at the writing stage or in editing.

Don’t let that stop you from reading, though. The “then” chapters are excellent and gave me all the feels. The “now” ones aren’t perfect but they have that Brayden quality of story and the same wonderfully flawed and lovely characters. Through lessons learned, life experience and unexpected detours, the author gives MCs and secondary characters alike substance and depth and a few issues in the writing can’t ruin that.

I noticed some reviewers called this a YA book, but I really don’t think it is. Sure, the characters are teens for part of the story but it wasn’t written for teenagers, and even though it’s very well-written, with all the sensitivity I felt was needed, it’s still adult literature in my eyes. And not only because of how hot the sex scenes are.

The reconciliation happens very quickly and it should bother me, but I was too interested in Bethany and Reid moving on with each other rather than with how they got there to care for very long. Brayden writes longing and questioning beautifully. The Forever Factor would have been an easy 5⭐️ if the whole book sustained that level of storytelling. It ends up with 4⭐️ but I’ll hold on to these breathtaking moments.

The Forever Factor @ Bookshop.org / IndieBound / Book Depository / Books-A-Million / amazon

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