Sarah Jio is the #1 international, New York Times, and USA Today bestselling author of eight novels. She is also a longtime journalist who has contributed to Glamour, The New York Times, Redbook, Real Simple, O: The Oprah Magazine, Cooking Light, Woman’s Day, Marie Claire, Self, and many other outlets, including NPR’s Morning Edition, appearing as a commentator. Jio lives in Seattle with her three young boys.
Always
by Sarah Jio
Paperback
(Reprint)
- ISBN-13: 9781101885048
- Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
- Publication date: 02/20/2018
- Edition description: Reprint
- Pages: 288
- Sales rank: 151,386
- Product dimensions: 5.10(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.60(d)
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A gripping novel about the kind of love that never lets go, and the heart’s capacity to remember, from the New York Times bestselling author of Blackberry Winter and The Violets of March
Enjoying a romantic candlelit dinner with her fiancé, Ryan, at one of Seattle’s chicest restaurants, Kailey Crain can’t believe her good fortune: She has a great job as a journalist and is now engaged to a guy who is perfect in nearly every way. As she and Ryan leave the restaurant, Kailey spies a thin, bearded homeless man on the sidewalk. She approaches him to offer up her bag of leftovers, and is stunned when their eyes meet, then stricken to her very core: The man is the love of her life, Cade McAllister.
When Kailey met Cade ten years ago, their attraction was immediate and intense—everything connected and felt right. But it all ended suddenly, leaving Kailey devastated. Now the poor soul on the street is a faded version of her former beloved: His weathered and weary face is as handsome as Kailey remembers, but his mind has suffered in the intervening years. Over the next few weeks, Kailey helps Cade begin to piece his life together, something she initially keeps from Ryan. As she revisits her long-ago relationship, Kailey realizes that she must decide exactly what—and whom—she wants.
Alternating between the past and the present, Always is a beautifully unfolding exploration of a woman faced with an impossible choice, a woman who discovers what she’s willing to save and what she will sacrifice for true love.
Praise for Always
“[Sarah] Jio’s novel is a fantastic read that explores the world of lost love in a poignant and beautiful way, while still being light and easy to digest. The protagonist is one whom readers can relate to. . . . Jio’s tale also beautifully blends stories from both the past and the present. . . . It’s a great read and comes with high recommendations.”—RT Book Reviews
“Jio’s newest novel explores intersections of past and present and the complexities of love. . . . [Kailey] must confront her own past as she tries to figure out what she really wants. . . . Fans of Jio’s work will still find her signature emotional depth.”—Publishers Weekly
“A heartwarming story of personal growth and the power of nostalgia . . . Fans of Elin Hilderbrand and Emily Giffin should enjoy this warm and compassionate novel.”—Booklist
“Perfect for fireside reading.”—PopSugar
“When it comes down to it, Always isn’t just one love story. It’s layers of love stories to which everyone can relate. Choices, sacrifices, actions, reactions. All lead to true love.”—Fort Worth Star-Telegram
“This quick beach read will appeal to those seeking a clean romance as well as to fans of Elin Hilderbrand and Karen White.”—Library Journal
“A beautiful combination of heartfelt struggles, deep connections and social issues that should not be ignored . . . Five stars indeed!”—Winter Haven Books
“Powerful, heartbreaking, and beautiful.”—Open Book Society
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“Jio’s newest novel explores intersections of past and present and the complexities of love. . . . [Kailey] must confront her own past as she tries to figure out what she really wants. . . . Fans of Jio’s work will still find her signature emotional depth.”—Publishers Weekly
“A heartwarming story of personal growth and the power of nostalgia . . . Fans of Elin Hilderbrand and Emily Giffin should enjoy this warm and compassionate novel.”—Booklist
“Perfect for fireside reading.”—PopSugar
“When it comes down to it, Always isn’t just one love story. It’s layers of love stories to which everyone can relate. Choices, sacrifices, actions, reactions. All lead to true love.”—Fort Worth Star-Telegram
“This quick beach read will appeal to those seeking a clean romance as well as to fans of Elin Hilderbrand and Karen White.”—Library Journal
“A beautiful combination of heartfelt struggles, deep connections and social issues that should not be ignored . . . Five stars indeed!”—Winter Haven Books
“Powerful, heartbreaking, and beautiful.”—Open Book Society
Jio’s (Goodnight June) newest novel explores intersections of past and present and the complexities of love. Kailey Crane, a journalist at the Seattle Herald, is happily engaged and looking forward to her future when she has encounters a homeless man she recognizes as Cade, the man she once called the love of her life. Alternating between 2008 and a decade earlier, the narrative details Kailey’s relationship with Cade and her present life with her fiancé, Ryan. When Kailey realizes that Cade does not remember who he is or what happened to him, she embarks on a quest to help him find out. She must confront her own past as she tries to figure out what she really wants. The story is most compelling when exploring Kailey’s internal conflict, though her choice between the two men is made too easy. And though the mystery surrounding Cade ultimately seems underdeveloped, fans of Jio’s work will still find her signature emotional depth. (Feb.)
Jio's latest (Morning Glory; Blackberry Winter) introduces readers to Kailey Crane, a writer for Seattle's Herald who is newly engaged to Ryan, a man of old family money. Kailey's life is perfect—studded with BMWs and Michael Kors bags—but when a dinner out with Ryan turns into a happenstance meeting with former love Cade McAllister, that perfect life begins to fall apart. Kailey hasn't seen Cade since he disappeared years ago, and now he's broken and homeless, unsure of who he is and who she is. Determined to bring him back into the life she's sure he would have had, Kailey tries to jump-start his memories. Ultimately, she must choose between Cade and the life she's created for herself. VERDICT This sentimental novel taps into fantasies of nursing men back to health through love, forgetting about the more complicated issues it stirs up along the way. This quick beach read will appeal to those seeking a clean romance as well as to fans of Elin Hilderbrand and Karen White. [See Prepub Alert, 8/22/16.]—Mara Dabrishus, Ursuline Coll. Lib., Pepper Pike, OH
A woman's romantic life is turned upside down once when her first love disappears and again when he resurfaces, noticeably changed.Kailey is on the brink of marrying the perfect guy, but it's clear, despite protestations to herself and to the reader, that her heart's not in it. For one thing, she's writing a newspaper series in hopes of saving one of Seattle's homeless shelters and its neighborhood from development, and her fiance is in business with the developers. For another, she has never gotten over the love of her life, Cade, who disappeared years ago after their relationship deteriorated. Worlds collide immediately when Cade shows up, wild-eyed and homeless, begging outside the fancy restaurant where Kailey and her fiance have been dining. From there, the narrative splits. In the past, Kailey tells of falling for Cade when he steals her away from a setup date. They bond over being orphans and over their love for each other. Cade takes Kailey on trips and shows her around Seattle, moving through the music scene which, as a record label owner, he knows well. In the present, Kailey tracks down the homeless, changed Cade and eventually manages to get him enrolled in a clinic for patients with brain trauma. The origin of Cade's injury is a mystery that keeps the story moving—was it his old business partner, with whom he was always at odds?—but several ends are left loose. The greatest is that Kailey's past narrative portrays Cade as becoming increasingly unreliable, short-tempered, and alcohol-dependent, but these problems are not addressed in either timeline. Homelessness and brain trauma get a lot of lip service but seem primarily to be plot devices rather than examined issues. A well-intentioned but thin portrayal of love.