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A review by katiedermody
Ever After Always by Chloe Liese
Book three focused on the oldest Bergman siblings Freya and her husband Aiden. In book one they seemed very much in love but by the end of book two she had kicked him out and that's where we pick up in book three. I enjoyed learning more about Freya and Aiden, their relationship and histories, but so far it has been my least of the Bergman books because it utilizes the marriage at risk trope, which I know in my head is realistic but is not why I read romances. Still, I think it was well done and that only knocked it down one star because it was still a Bergman family story and the bulk of it took place on a family trip, which meant lots of side character participation. I also really appreciated the relationship between Aiden and the Bergman's as his inlaw family. Oh AND one of my new favorite discussions on the word "fair" took place between Aiden and Freya and their therapist. It was in the context of marriage but is still valid otherwise.
Reread: Though this is my least fave of the series (I don't enjoy reading marriage at risk stories), it is still incredibly well and sensitively written, as I have come to expect from Chloe. I can appreciate the reality of this story and that marriages take work, and I appreciate the growth that both Aiden and Freya have to go through to reconnect. All that said, it will likely come to be the one I reread the least.
Update after another reread: bumping it a half star because I have grown to love the family dynamics in this one, and Freya's journey back to herself.
2025 reread: I still think this one will end up being my least fave but I like it more and more each time I read it. I do think it suffers being sandwiched between my two faves in the series, and as I said this about another book lately: it's not that I don't enjoy it, I just enjoy it less than the others even though I know it's just as good from a story and technical standpoint; the evidence of that is the large number of people who say this one is their fave, and I can respect that. Freya's journey back to herself is my favorite part: her discussion about how she doesn't always love her body but feels like she has to, not singing as much and missing it, etc. Aiden's story is complicated and his anxiety affects everything in his life; I'm glad there's a portrayal of anxiety like this out there for those who may relate to it.
Reread: Though this is my least fave of the series (I don't enjoy reading marriage at risk stories), it is still incredibly well and sensitively written, as I have come to expect from Chloe. I can appreciate the reality of this story and that marriages take work, and I appreciate the growth that both Aiden and Freya have to go through to reconnect. All that said, it will likely come to be the one I reread the least.
Update after another reread: bumping it a half star because I have grown to love the family dynamics in this one, and Freya's journey back to herself.
2025 reread: I still think this one will end up being my least fave but I like it more and more each time I read it. I do think it suffers being sandwiched between my two faves in the series, and as I said this about another book lately: it's not that I don't enjoy it, I just enjoy it less than the others even though I know it's just as good from a story and technical standpoint; the evidence of that is the large number of people who say this one is their fave, and I can respect that. Freya's journey back to herself is my favorite part: her discussion about how she doesn't always love her body but feels like she has to, not singing as much and missing it, etc. Aiden's story is complicated and his anxiety affects everything in his life; I'm glad there's a portrayal of anxiety like this out there for those who may relate to it.