“A light snore reminds me that I’m not alone.”

From Heidi McLaughlin’s Forever My Girl.

After leaving his girlfriend, Josie, and the rest of his life in Beaumont during the first semester of college to start his musical career, Liam Westbury’s fame has soared, but his life has fallen apart.  While he has all the fame and fortune that he could ever want, he is struggling to write new songs or connect with the world around him.  A high school friend’s sudden death rocks Liam and sends him back to his hometown.  He slips away from his manager, fans, and tours to head home to the quiet town after 10 years away.  Liam is greeted by a town that resents him for leaving Josie.  Liam discovers that when he left Josie he also left their unborn child; a little boy named Noah that is full of laughter and spunk.  Within a few minutes of meeting Noah, Liam longs for the chance to get to know his son.  Liam’s struggle to write music begins to melt away as he gets closer with Noah, Josie, and the life he left behind.  In fact, things seem to be going perfectly for Liam, but after all the terrible choices he’s made in his life, can he ever get Josie to truly forgive him?

This book is more gritty in its journey than the Hallmark-y movie adaptation that it inspired, but it still manages to provide readers with two main characters that develop a strong (and complicated) love story.  The narration changes with each chapter alternating between Liam and Josie’s point-of-view; this works very well to give readers a chance to really watch the characters develop through the story, while also keeping readers from getting bored.  Forever My Girl is a quick read, but it is also complex enough to create a memorable story for the reader.