Always You by Amanda Michelle delivers an emotional friends-to-lovers, second-chance romance that hits every corner of the heart. I can’t speak to what the author intended when she penned this story, but I can say this: be prepared. The emotional range in Always You is intense, layered, and deeply felt.
Title: Always You
Author(s): Amanda Michelle
Series: Endless Love #1
Also in this series: Finding You
Published by Self Published on April 2, 2024
Pages: 456
Genre(s): Contemporary Sports Romance
Source: Kindle Unlimited
Purchase: Amazon
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They say home is where the heart is. But what happens when home is where your heart was destroyed, and you’ve spent the last ten years avoiding the gut-wrenching reality of that?
Brynn Davis and Tyler Hayes have been best friends since they were kids. He’s her safe escape, and she’s the girl who stole his first kiss.
When Brynn’s world gets too loud, Tyler’s window is the door to her peace. Through every downfall, and climb back up, they’ve always been there for one another. But with one decision, and one secret bound in a torturous lie, they’re torn apart.
Ten years later, Tyler is living his dream in the NBA, miles from home. He should be reveling in having it all. But he’s missing the things he used to love, including the one girl who turned his life upside down in the best and worst kinds of ways.
Has too much happened to build their connection again, or are their paths still destined to cross?
Weaving moments from the past into the present, Always You is an emotional journey of finding the person who sees all that you are and learning to accept the person within. Between the blurred lines of selflessness, the essence of love will be put to the test, leaving behind the question—what would you sacrifice for the person you love?
This was my first experience with Amanda Michelle’s work, and I have zero regrets. As the first book in the Endless Love series, Always You is a beautiful and compelling start.
The story introduces Brynn and Tyler, who formed a close bond the moment Brynn moved in next door. From childhood through adolescence, they became each other’s anchor and safe place. But secrets and lies tore them apart, destroying a friendship and shattering a budding romance.
Fast-forward ten years: Tyler is now a famous NBA player, but a career-altering injury forces him to reevaluate past choices. He hasn’t returned home since he left, yet one person has never left his mind, Brynn, the only girl who ever owned his heart. The question is whether he can forgive the betrayal that tore them apart.
On the other side, Brynn genuinely believed she was making the best decision for Tyler a decade earlier. That decision broke both their hearts. With Tyler’s return, she is forced to confront the consequences of choices made in fear and pain.
The narrative spans Brynn and Tyler’s childhood, teen years, and adulthood, with heavy emphasis on their early years, and for good reason. This isn’t a light or sweet romance. The story tackles serious themes, including alcoholism and abuse. Brynn endures more than anyone her age should, and Tyler becomes her constant support. That’s why her life-altering decision frustrated me so much, she believed she acted with love, but she took away his choice. And when the truth of her sacrifice comes out a decade later, it breaks his heart all over again. Still, love heals, and Tyler’s love for Brynn leads him toward forgiveness.
Just when it seems Brynn and Tyler will finally get their chance, tragedy strikes again. But miracles do happen, and the ending brings the emotional payoff readers of romance crave.
Always You is heartfelt, painful, hopeful, and ultimately uplifting. A gripping start to the series, and a romance worth rooting for.
“And it’s the people we love who have the greatest power to hurt us.” My mom says, keeping her eyes on mine. “Because if we didn’t love them, the sting of their wounds wouldn’t burn nearly as bad.”
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