Something Good: Once and Always Book 1 by Melody Claire

The first of Melody Claire's Once & Always series will put you through an emotional rollercoaster. Something Good is a small town second chances that will pull at your heartstrings.

From the blurb:

Sammy

He was never meant to be mine, the all-american boy with the pretty eyes and perfect life. But my golden boy was determined to break down my walls and soothe the hurts no one else took the time to see. As my world caved in around me, he became my light in the darkness, and against my better judgment, I fell for him.  

I broke his heart that summer, but years later, he’s back, and once again, I find myself unable to resist him. This time, though, I’m realizing I don’t want to resist. I want a second chance.

Will

It was the best summer of my life…until he broke my heart. The pain of losing him almost ruined me, but I moved on and started a new life. Only it turns out that the new life I’d built was an illusion, and I’ve moved back, trying to rebuild once again.

Sammy’s different this time around, but that same pull is there, the one I can’t walk away from. He says he wants another chance, but can I trust him with my heart a second time?

Something Good is the first book in the Once and Always series featuring stories about men finding love and their second chances. This emotional romance features themes of parental neglect and abandonment.  For a full list of triggers, please visit melodyclaireauthor.com.

Molly Otto's Review:

Melody has truly out done herself in the heartbreakingly beautiful romance. Sammy & Will were best friends til Will had to move away and lost touch. When Will returns home, he isn't prepared for the boy who has struggled so much to be the support for his brother. The summer before college is the best of their lives, until it isn't. Sammy makes a choice out of love to give Will the life he deserves, not stuck with him struggling just to survive.

Another ten years passes before these two cross paths once again. And as with other times they are drawn together, they have an inevitable love that just took some misfires to get right.

You don't get to see these men fall in love once, but twice when both are truly ready for that stage in their lives. Yes, it is painful to read, but it's so beautifully done that you're happy to have had the experience. Another amazing read from Melody and so looking forward to the next book in the Once and Always series.

Angel's Review:

I was drawn into this book by the way this was written instantly. When books have different time jumps I'm always a bit weary, mainly because at times, they get confusing. However, that didn't happen here. The way Melody handled the time differences was done quite well and was written in a way that was very understandable, and easy to follow.

We start off this story at the very beginning, where Sammy and Will's story first started. After Will's family moves away, we jump into their life as young adults after highschool. We get to see how they reconnected through the summer, and we got to watch those young men fall in love with one another. Sammy was always trying to be protective of those he cared about, and he felt as though he had to end things with Will so Will could go off to college, without being tied down by him.

That scene broke my heart, I felt for both of these men, especially cause I could see it from both of their points of views. Figuratively and literally. I loved the relationship Sammy had with his brother, he took care of Jimmy to the best of his abilities. And yes, he made mistakes, but he learned from them and did better each time. During certain moments Sammy's character came off as jaded at times, but the more you read, the more you learn about why he is the way he is.


Sammy and Will's characters grabbed a hold of me, and did not let go. Their story was beautiful, complicated, heartbreaking, and powerful. A story about two souls being drawn to one another regardless of being complete opposites. I really enjoyed how this book was written, the pacing was really nice. While this story is on the longer side, nothing feels like it was drawn out, or didn't belong. The story just flowed seamlessly. I appreciated the chapters of these men reuniting years later and learning the truth about why things happened the way they did. I thought it added more dimension to the story getting that additional knowledge. Especially because we really got to see the growth both of these characters went through.

I quite liked this story, and if you are interested in a friends to lovers story, with angst mixed in, I think you could enjoy this book too. I'm looking forward to Jason and Zach's story, I'm very curious as to what their story is going to be.

SNiK's Review:

First in series (Once and Always). Childhood best friends. Second chance. Dual POV.

Best friends when they were kids, Sammy and Will are reunited when they graduate high school, but they only have the summer before Will goes off to college. Ten years later they are once again thrust into each other’s orbits, their feelings that have always remained become undeniable but the fear of loss is a huge hurdle to overcome.

This story is filled with emotional writing, there are heart wrenching circumstances and sacrifices that made me cry for both Sammy and Will. When Sammy and Will are on page together the romance and feelings for each other is beautifully described and those are my favorite parts. There are a lot of valuable and supportive secondary characters that help Sammy and Will which I enjoyed, and I do wish there had been more about those relationships and how they shaped the main characters' experiences. This was a really enjoyable and riveting start to a series and I can’t wait for more.

Something Good is currently available as an e-book and paperback and can be read as part of your Kindle Unlimited Subscription