April 15, 2023
A romantic story of young love and grief with a fantastical twist. High school seniors and soul mates Hart Augusto and Ruby Armenta have known each other since they were kids, their personalities complementing each other's and propelling them toward a shiny future together. But their dreams come to a tragic end when Hart drowns while saving a child's life. Five months later, Ruby is stuck in her grief, not wanting to heal and move on. That's when Hart wakes up to find that he has died, but an angel named Lourdes has intervened to give him a second chance at living--in the body of someone who is near death. He requests to be a boy close to Ruby's age in their little California town of El Cielo, hoping they can be reunited--and his soul is placed in the body of arrogant, obnoxious football player Jameson Romanelli, their classmate who's in a coma following a motorcycle accident. Hart is unable to tell anyone who he really is and will gradually forget his former life. Can he convince Ruby he is back and rekindle what they had? While the relationship between Ruby and Hart has endearing elements, readers may wonder what makes theirs a more special and true romance that warrants this heavenly intervention, making it hard to fully invest in the central premise. Most characters are Latine; Jameson is White. Well-written and designed to be a tear-jerker but ultimately fails to persuade. (Fiction. 13-18)
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June 26, 2023
Latinx high school juniors Ruby Armenta and Hart Augusto, who have been in love since they were children, plan to leave their California hometown behind to explore the world and be together, always. When a tragic, heroic act leads to Hart’s death, heartbroken Ruby must face her uncertain future alone. But an empathetic angel named Lourdes, who witnesses Hart’s sacrifice, gives him a second chance at life by implanting his soul into the comatose body of a teen on the brink of death. Upon waking, Hart is determined to reunite with Ruby, but he finds it difficult to approach her, especially after he learns that his new body is that of football star classmate Jameson, whom Ruby loathes. Forbidden from revealing the situation by what Lourdes calls “cosmic rules,” Hart races to convince Ruby of his identity, even as his memories of his former life begin to fade. The heavy plot, laden with convenient twists, is buoyed by quirky characters such as a snarky angel, Tarot-reading sister, and intuitive dog, while Hart and Ruby’s alternating POVs render immediate-feeling experiences of searing grief and deep love in this bittersweet tale of cosmic interference and second chances by Cervantes (Flirting with Fate). Ages 12–up.
September 22, 2023
Grades 8-11 Ruby and Hart have been inseparable since they were kids, true childhood sweethearts. When Hart dies suddenly just before their senior year, Ruby doesn't understand how everyone can expect her to move on with her life. A few months after Hart's death, their classmate Jameson suddenly wakes up from a coma and begins to insert himself into Ruby's life. What he can't explain is that he's really Hart--or at least Hart's spirit, unable to reveal who he is even as his memories of his life as Hart slowly leave him. Now, Hart has to find a way to let Ruby know he's there before their time together is truly over. Always Isn't Forever is a moving love story, and though it's filled with magical twists, the book never shies away from exploring the very real pain of grief. From the first page to the last, Cervantes captures just how deeply Hart and Ruby love each other, and like any great romance novel, convinces the reader that through the power of love, anything is possible.
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