The book Always Will by Melanie Jacobsen starts out with 25 year old Hannah Becker being thrown for a loop at her longtime friend Will Herondale’s declaration to stop dating around and finally settle down and find a wife. This does not settle well with Hannah since she is still nursing a longtime crush for Will, so she decides to help him in his quest while slowly making him realize who his perfect life partner really is- her.

This book had plenty of elements to please any romantic- it’s the classic story of best friend harbors a secret love for a best friend but is too afraid of ruining the friendship to confess their feelings. There is romantic tension galore as both Will and Hannah figure out what they really want. But the story spanned far more than just exploring the romance between the two. Hannah has a rich background and personality and defies the entire damsel in distress stereotype. Hannah is confident, healthy, and independent with a stable career and sarcastic attitude. Her life hasn’t always been sunshine and roses either. She’s known Will for such a long time due to him being friends with her older brother and the story slowly reveals what a big part he played in her life when tragedy struck while she was young. Hannah overcame adversity to become the woman she is in the book, warts and all, and it’s refreshing to see her succeed and struggle just like any normal person. She’s not the type to wait around for circumstance to give her the perfect chance to declare her love. Instead, she decides to try to let Will fall in love with her himself, and at certain points even tries to move past him and find new love herself. It was refreshing to see a woman who didn’t necessarily know what she wanted and certainly wasn’t perfect but was willing to do something about it.

However, there were flaws in her character that made it hard for me to relate to Hannah. She was confident, but almost to a fault. She would often force her way into situations or refuse the advice of others because she was convinced she knew what was best. This often led to conflict and mistakes on her part that would have easily been avoided if she had been a little more humble. Also, the way the characters reacted to and interpreted different situations didn’t always make much sense to me. There were many ambiguous situations or actions where characters assumed each other’s feelings or intentions that didn’t fit what I thought at all. This took the plot in unexpected directions, but the progression wasn’t logical. It was hard for me to relate to the characters and root for them when I didn’t completely relate to or understand them. This didn’t keep me from enjoying the story as a whole, but it did leave me feeling whiplash and confused from the unexpected directions the plot would take.

Overall, I would recommend this book to most romantics looking for something a little more realistic in a relationship, involving more self discovery than just getting the guy. The book certainly took a deeper perspective on what makes a healthy and lasting relationship while allowing the story to be enjoyed without too much effort.