Review: A Beginner’s Guide to Forever by Kendall Ryan

Kendall Ryan’s A Beginner’s Guide to Forever sets out to tell a hopeful, globe-trotting romance between two people at very different life stages—Alessia, a 37-year-old nonprofit founder committed to building a better world, and Hart, a 25-year-old billionaire’s son determined to step out of his privileged shadow. On paper, it’s a compelling setup with the promise of emotional depth, real-world stakes, and rich opposites-attract chemistry.

Unfortunately, this novel didn’t quite work for me.

While I appreciated the focus on Alessia’s philanthropic mission and the attempt to address the age-gap dynamic from a female-forward perspective, the execution felt uneven. Alessia is written with admirable ambition and strong ideals, but her internal narrative fixates so heavily on age and timelines that it begins to flatten her character. Rather than feeling empowered or self-assured, she often comes across as insecure and reactive—traits that might have been compelling if explored with more nuance.

Hart, meanwhile, is undeniably sweet and supportive, but his motivations feel thin. His attraction to Alessia is framed less around emotional compatibility and more around her stability, maturity, and disinterest in his wealth. While those are valid foundations, I struggled to see what truly connected them beyond surface-level admiration. As a result, their romantic arc felt rushed and lacking in genuine chemistry.

The novel also leans heavily on telling over showing. Repeated discussions about the age difference overshadow more interesting elements of the story—such as the foundation work in Nairobi, which is full of potential but underdeveloped. The third-act conflict is predictable and hinted at so early that its resolution felt anticlimactic. Supporting characters, like Hayes and Mia, read as more plot devices than fully formed people, and some scenes (particularly involving Hart’s past relationships) veered into caricature.

That said, the writing is accessible, and fans of low-conflict romances with aspirational settings may find this an enjoyable read. It’s a sincere effort to tell a different kind of age-gap romance—one where the woman is older and in control—but for me, the emotional core never fully came together.

Final thoughts:
A promising concept with good intentions, but the romance lacked spark and emotional payoff. I wanted to feel more—more connection, more depth, more growth—but instead, I felt like I was observing a relationship rather than being pulled into it.

⭐️⭐️ (2 stars)
Thank you to Montlake and NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.