Forever Hold Your Peace is a little too sitcom-y to be fully enjoyed as a novel. Or perhaps ts zaniness might work a little better as a full-length movie. As-is, it’s a just okay reading experience that you know you’ve experienced at least once before.
Olivia and Zach are hoping for a nice, peaceful wedding after their whirlwind two-month courtship in Positano, Italy. They decide to have an engagement brunch to bring their families together, but unfortunately they learn, amidst the mimosas and omelets, that their parents have a history together. A long, scary history.
Olivia’s librarian mother, June, is shocked by her daughter’s sudden engagement. After all, Olivia is a budding lawyer, attending law school at her father, William’s, behest. Things get worse when she learns about the groom’s family. Zach’s mom Amy clings to him like a kudzu vine; Zach is initially afraid to even tell her about Olivia. Zach also works with his dad, Troy, who is divorced from Amy, and while the family’s real estate company is thriving, Zach doesn’t really want to be a real estate agent.
Once Amy knows about Olivia, she’s not about to cede control of the wedding to June in any regard. There’s another reason for that, of course. June and Amy were, once upon a time, the best of friends. Unfortunately, Amy broke up June and Troy’s engagement (yes, you read that right) by sleeping with him. June did not find out until Amy turned up with bouncing baby Zach. So now they stand at opposing poles and play tug of war with their children’s ceremony. Will Amy and June be able to stomach being around Troy? Will Amy and June ever be able to let go and let their kids live their own lives? Will they find reconciliation with one another? And will Zach and Olivia’s relationship survive the revelation that one of their parents secretly orchestrated their meeting?
Are you exhausted just reading the above paragraph? Then you know why Forever Hold Your Peace works as a frantic sitcom but not as an actual, worthwhile novel. While zany humor can be fun – and sometimes the book is funny and zany in a good way – sometimes it’s OTT and overstuffed in a bad way, running around in circles like a chicken with its head cut off.
Poor Olivia and Zach are the only people who manage to come out of this book likable, and they’re both weak-willed weenies. They have absolutely no spines for most of the tale and simply meekly follow along with what their parents want them to do with their lives. I kept hoping they’d elope to Reno but alas, it was not to be.
Amy and June are two different versions of hectic type A personalities. Amy is so afraid of losing the only thing she has left (Zach) that she becomes frantic to control everything, and June doesn’t trust Olivia to lead her own life. The result is a manic mess of sincere attempts to tug at the heartstrings and ridiculous humor. William suffers the most out of all of the books’ characters, becoming a non-character who exists to give Olivia a biological father.
They say that a lot of frosting with no cake is bad for you. Forever Hold Your Peace increases the frosting quotient until there’s nothing but icing on the plate.
Sensuality: Subtle
Publication Date: 07/2023
Recent Comments …
It’s good! Not her absolute best, but good.
I didn’t realize there was a new book out by this author. I liked Nina Hill and Adult Assembly Required…
Hopefully it will get onto the poll. I’m 100% sure there’s some obvious book that I forgot about.
Yes, sorry, I meant e-books – I don’t read anything else these days. My library is county-wide, too, but I…
You’re welcome. If you want to know more, I can add some information to the spoiler, just let me know.
Thanks for sharing that insight, Caz. I haven’t read *spoiler* but it’s helpful to read your thoughts as I assess…