Holding Onto Forever

by Heidi McLaughlin

A huge fan of The Beaumont Series and with a major crush on Harrison James, this was always going to be a winner for me, because with his family in the thick of it I just knew that this papa bear was going to be everything I wanted him to be and more and I was not disappointed. But all that aside, this wasn’t about Harrison or any of the guys and their women that I had come to love from the previous books, this was about the kids that they loved with everything ounce of their being!

Noah was Liam and Josie’s boy, a Westbury to the core he was everything his parents wanted him to be but also very much his own man, following his own path and making his own mistakes. One of which nearly costs him more than he would have ever been able to cope with, because it almost cost him a chance of love with the one person that he had adored since they were both kids…. Peyton.

Peyton loved Noah, she always had but like him it was a love that she felt would also be unrequited, the age difference, although not exactly huge and the fact that they were raised as almost siblings, their mothers being the best of friends, had formed a connection between the two of them that was almost too close if that make sense, rocking the dynamic of everyone involved in their lives by embarking on a relationship never seemed to be the right thing.

Until now that is, because the realisation of the fact that he just might lose her forever has Noah facing up to the truth that she is the person his heart has been holding out for all along and being without her is not somewhere he wants to be.

Of course, is more to it that just that, the circumstances surrounding Noah reaching that decision are horrific and it totally encompasses every single one of the characters from the previous books. I would say that you need to have read the original series to be in a position to feel the full impact of this story, the ties that bind them all together are far too tightknit for me to ever try to explain in this review.

But the highlights of the book for me, were the fact that Noah was quick to see his mistake, although I could have seriously done him some harm for not seeing what his so-called girlfriend was up too…. I was hurling abuse at my kindle screen like a madwoman!

I loved Ben and how he was with Peyton but couldn’t help but wonder just what was going on between him and Elle, hopefully the next book will shine some light on that situation. I liked Kyle and the fact that he wasn’t willing to just let things lie and that he was willing to seek Payton out to try and make amends. I liked that Mason wasn’t forgotten and that when the truth of what and how they felt was brought to like it was met with unanimity, this band was more than colleagues, they were family, every single one of them and that was beautiful to see in action.

I loved the story, it was about love, the anticipation of loss and the realisation that each day is a blessing and that you never know just how many more of those you are going to get.

Great story, fantastic characters, superbly written with passion and empathy.