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Verdict: A cosy, low-angst reality-TV romance with a sharp eye for how dating shows are really made and a supporting cast readers adore, held back by a single point of view that keeps the love interest at arm’s length and a first half that spends a long time on the show’s business.
Best for: Readers who want a gentle, feel-good sapphic romance with no big third-act breakup, who enjoy behind-the-scenes TV detail, and who don’t mind knowing the love interest only from the outside.
Heat level: ★★★☆☆ (3/5 — moderate, open door, lighter than Bryant’s usual)
Rating: ★★★★☆ (3.8/5 — a 4.11 Goodreads average, with the most common complaint coming from readers who still rated it highly)
Tropes: Reality TV, forbidden attraction, workplace romance, second shot at love, slow burn, celebrity romance, low angst, found family on set, single POV.
Forever by Kris Bryant is a standalone contemporary lesbian romance from Bold Strokes Books, published in May 2022, set behind the cameras of a lesbian dating show — where the woman brought back to be courted on air keeps finding reasons to talk to the host instead.
It holds a 4.11 average from about 435 Goodreads ratings and 83 written reviews, with only around 4% of ratings at one or two stars, and a lower 3.81 on StoryGraph from a smaller, more critical group of 17 reviewers. The reviews agree on what it is: sweet, low-stakes and fun. Where they part ways is on whether the romance itself is strong enough to carry it. Both halves of that are worth understanding before you start.
What Is Forever About?
Forever is a workplace romance where the workplace happens to be a reality show. That setting does a lot: it supplies a built-in forbidden element (the lead is supposed to fall for a contestant, not the host), a constant audience, and a ready-made cast of contestants and crew. It is also a feel-good, low-angst book, which means the drama comes from the show’s machinery rather than from the leads hurting each other.
Savannah Edwards was famously dumped on camera a decade ago and has spent the years since keeping her private life private. Lauren Lucas is the show’s polished host, whose job is to make sure the season’s story goes where the producers want. The whole book is told in first person from Savannah’s side, which keeps the reader inside her nerves and her humour — and, as many readers point out, keeps Lauren’s thoughts a mystery until the end.
What Makes This Reality-TV Lesbian Romance Work
- The low-angst tone: The most consistent praise, from around eight reviewers: it is sweet, feel-good and has no big third-act breakup. Several readers say it was exactly the comfort read they wanted.
- The behind-the-scenes detail: About as many readers enjoyed the look at how fake reality TV is — the staged moments, the edits, the producers steering the story. LezReviewBooks called it an absorbing critique of the genre.
- The supporting cast: Around seven reviewers single out the contestants and crew, and above all Alix, the nonbinary, tattooed contestant who becomes the clear fan favourite.
- Winning over sceptics: About six readers say they dislike reality TV and enjoyed the book anyway, which says a lot about how the premise is handled.
- Slow-burn chemistry: Roughly seven readers praise the build between the leads as a slow burn with plenty of witty dialogue — though, as the discourse section shows, this is also where readers split.
Book Synopsis
Ten years ago, Savannah Edwards went on When Sparks Fly, a lesbian dating show, and was rejected in front of the whole country. She has spent the decade since building a quiet life away from cameras, and she has no intention of going back. Then the show makes her an offer for its anniversary season: come back, not as a contestant this time, but as the lead, with a house full of women competing for her.
Savannah agrees, partly out of curiosity and partly to rewrite the ending everyone remembers. Almost at once she finds the show is even more staged than she remembered. Producers plan the drama, stylists remake her look, and every conversation might end up in the edit. The one person who seems to talk to her like a real person is Lauren Lucas, the show’s host — composed, professional and very good at her job, which is keeping the season on script.
The trouble is that the contestants are there for Savannah, and the audience expects her to choose one of them. Getting close to the host is not part of the format, and Lauren has her own reasons to keep a careful line between work and anything else. As the weeks of filming go on, Savannah has to decide what she actually wants from the show — a good story for the cameras, or something that would last once they stop rolling — and whether the woman she is drawn to feels the same, or is simply very good at making people feel seen.
My Review
The best thing about Forever is its setting. Plenty of romances use a TV show as a backdrop; this one is interested in how the show is actually made. The planned confrontations, the styling sessions, the producers nudging conversations towards a storyline — all of it gives the romance something to push against, and it makes the central question sharper. When everything around Savannah is staged, how does she tell whether a moment with Lauren is real?
The second strength is the tone. Bryant keeps the stakes gentle. Nobody is cruel for the sake of drama, there is no big breakup in the final act, and the book trusts its leads to talk to each other like adults. The contestants and crew make the set feel busy and warm, and Alix in particular gives the book a lot of its heart. That combination is why so many readers call it a comfort read.
Where it struggles is the point of view, and that is not a personal gripe — it is the most common complaint in the reviews, raised by around eight readers, many of whom still gave the book five stars. Because the story stays inside Savannah’s head, Lauren is seen only from the outside, and her side of the attraction has to be guessed from her behaviour. For some readers that keeps the slow burn tense; for others it makes the romance feel one-sided, and about six reviewers say the chemistry was weak or that Savannah seemed to have more spark with Alix. On top of that, around five readers found the first half slow and repetitive, with a lot of time spent on the format of the show before the romance moves. Three readers also flag a running focus on dieting, weight and appearance in Savannah’s thoughts, which one StoryGraph reviewer called fatphobic.
The expectation to reset is the word “forbidden.” The setup sounds like secret glances and serious risk, but the book plays it softly — this is a cosy story about two people working out what’s real, not a high-tension affair. A couple of readers also expected Bryant’s usual steam and found this one lighter. If tension and spice are what drew you, calibrate. If you were worried a reality-show romance would be all drama and humiliation, relax — it is kinder than that.
My honest note: A warm, easy, well-observed romance whose setting and supporting cast outshine the central couple. If you need to be inside both heroines’ heads, this will frustrate you; if you want a gentle read with a clever look at reality TV, it delivers.
| Element | In Forever |
|---|---|
| Central relationship | Savannah Edwards & Lauren Lucas — a dating-show lead and the show’s host, attraction they aren’t supposed to act on |
| Core tropes | Reality TV, forbidden attraction, workplace romance, slow burn, low angst, single first-person POV |
| Setting | On set and behind the scenes of the lesbian dating show When Sparks Fly, during its anniversary season |
| Heat level | 3/5 — moderate, open door, lighter than Bryant’s usual |
| Series | Standalone — HEA with an epilogue |
| Content notes | Dieting and weight focus with some fatphobic comments, past public humiliation on TV, media intrusion into private life; one reader flagged insensitive remarks about a Black contestant’s hair care |
How Spicy Is Forever?
We couldn’t confirm a romance.io steam band for Forever, so this rating comes from what readers report. The picture is consistent: there are on-page intimate scenes, and readers use words like “sexy,” “steamy chemistry” and “sizzle,” but at least three reviewers say it is less explicit than Kris Bryant usually writes. Nobody calls it closed door. That puts it at about a 3/5 — moderate and open door, with the slow burn keeping the scenes for later in the book.
The one thing worth knowing in advance is that this is not the book to pick if Bryant’s steamier work is what you love; one reader specifically missed “the sexiness we normally get” from her. No reviewer flags anything else about the intimate content. For similar heat, Melissa Brayden’s Exclusive is another warm TV-workplace romance, and Hearts in Motion sits at the same moderate level.
Who Should Read This Book?
You’ll likely love it if: you want a low-angst romance with no big breakup, you enjoy behind-the-scenes detail about TV, you like a lively supporting cast, and you’re happy with a slow burn told from one side.
You may want to skip it if: you need high stakes or real angst, you find show-business detail tedious, you need to hear both heroines’ thoughts, or repeated talk about dieting and appearance is a dealbreaker.
In short: a gentle, clever comfort read — just don’t expect to get inside Lauren’s head.
What Readers Are Actually Saying (October 2026)
There is no viral moment behind Forever. We found no trade reviews and no Reddit or BookTok buzz to point to. The conversation lives on Goodreads, where 83 written reviews sit behind a 4.11 average, on StoryGraph, where a smaller group rates it 3.81 and almost nobody marks it as did-not-finish, and at LezReviewBooks, which gave both the print edition and the audiobook 4.5 stars. Amazon readers are kinder still, at 4.6 from about 200 ratings. It is a steady, quiet favourite with readers who want a comfort read.
Why readers love it (according to the discourse): “Sweet,” “feel-good” and “low angst” are the recurring words, from around eight reviewers, several of whom point out that there is no third-act breakup. The reality-TV detail comes next, with about eight readers enjoying how the book shows the show’s staged moments and manipulative edits. The supporting cast is the third theme — Alix comes up again and again as the fan favourite. A notable minority are readers who say they can’t stand reality TV and loved the book anyway. Two StoryGraph reviews also praise how maturely the leads communicate.
The audiobook is narrated by Melissa Sternenberg. LezReviewBooks praised her distinct character voices, especially for Lauren, and a Goodreads listener called her the perfect choice.
What readers argue about and complain about: The point of view, above everything. Around eight readers wanted Lauren’s perspective, and because they can’t see her thoughts, some found her motives and feelings hard to read until late in the book. The second theme is chemistry: about six readers felt the spark between the leads was weak, and some felt Savannah had more chemistry with Alix — one StoryGraph reviewer added that Alix didn’t get proper closure. Third: pacing. Around five readers found the first half slow and repetitive, with a lot of time on the show’s format, and one admitted to skimming after the halfway mark. Fourth, three readers independently flagged how much of Savannah’s inner voice is about dieting, weight and appearance, and one called some of it fatphobic. The ending is a genuine split: some found the finale and epilogue satisfying, while others thought it anti-climactic or wanted more between the last episode and the epilogue.
The standalone question worth asking first: Forever is a complete standalone with an HEA and an epilogue, so there is nothing to wait for. If you like Bryant and want more heat, Temptation is a steamier age-gap romance with a 4.18 Goodreads average from about 2,600 ratings — a bigger and slightly better-rated book.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Forever by Kris Bryant a standalone?
Yes. It is a standalone with a complete story, an HEA and an epilogue. No sequel has been announced.
How spicy is Forever?
Moderate — around a 3/5. There are on-page intimate scenes, but several readers note it is less explicit than Kris Bryant’s other books, and the slow burn keeps them late.
Does Forever have a third-act breakup?
No big one. Readers repeatedly describe it as low angst, with the tension coming from the show rather than from the leads hurting each other.
Whose point of view is Forever told from?
Only Savannah’s, in first person. The most common reader complaint, even in five-star reviews, is wanting to hear from Lauren.
Is there an audiobook of Forever?
Yes, narrated by Melissa Sternenberg. LezReviewBooks and Goodreads listeners praised her distinct voices, especially for Lauren.
What content warnings does Forever have?
Readers flag a recurring focus on dieting and appearance, with one reviewer calling some comments fatphobic, plus a past public humiliation on TV. StoryGraph has no submitted warnings.
If You Loved Forever, Read These Next
For another warm romance set behind the cameras, Melissa Brayden’s Exclusive puts a reporter and her longtime TV crush in the same newsroom, with the same light tone. Fake For Fame is the closest match for a romance shaped by public image and staged appearances, though it is more outrageous. And Temptation gives you more Kris Bryant at a higher heat level.
For more like this, browse our low-angst lesbian romance list or the full Book Reviews archive.
The Bottom Line
Forever sets out to tell a gentle love story inside one of the least gentle formats on TV, and much of it works: the behind-the-scenes detail is sharp, the tone stays kind, and the supporting cast is a joy. What holds it back is a romance seen from one side only, a first half that lingers on the show’s format, and a recurring focus on dieting that some readers found hard to like. It is worth it for readers who want a low-angst comfort read and enjoy the reality-TV setting. Check Forever on Amazon →
The Eikna Overall Ranking
On the Eikna scale, Forever ranks as a cosy, well-observed reality-TV sapphic romance — warm, funny and low in angst, limited by its single point of view, and best approached for the setting and the cast rather than a big love story.
The Evidence Scorecard
Overall ★★★★☆ 3.8/5
- ✓ 4.11 average across 435 Goodreads ratings
- ✓ 3.81 on StoryGraph from 17 reviews
- ✓ Low-angst comfort read is the main draw
- ✓ Single POV is the most common complaint
Romance ★★★★☆ 3.7/5
- ✓ Slow burn praised by around seven readers
- ✓ Forbidden setup gives it built-in tension
- ✓ No third-act breakup, mature communication
- ✓ Six readers found the leads’ chemistry weak
Characters ★★★★☆ 3.7/5
- ✓ Supporting cast praised by around seven readers
- ✓ Alix is the clear fan favourite
- ✓ Savannah’s voice is warm and funny
- ✓ Lauren stays opaque without her own POV
Writing ★★★★☆ 3.8/5
- ✓ Witty dialogue praised by several readers
- ✓ Sharp detail on how reality TV is made
- ✓ LezReviewBooks gave print and audio 4.5 stars
- ✓ First half slow and repetitive for five readers
Emotional Impact ★★★☆☆ 3.4/5
- ✓ Past on-air rejection gives Savannah real stakes
- ✓ Sweet, hopeful mood throughout
- ✓ Readers call it a comfort read
- ✓ Low angst keeps the stakes gentle
Heat Level ★★★☆☆ 3/5
- ✓ On-page, open-door intimate scenes
- ✓ Readers call it sexy and steamy
- ✓ Slow burn keeps scenes late in the book
- ✓ Lighter than Bryant’s usual, say three readers
Ending ★★★★☆ 4.2/5
- ✓ Standalone with a complete HEA
- ✓ Epilogue praised by several readers
- ✓ No cliffhanger, no sequel needed
- ✓ Some found the finale anti-climactic
Re-read Value ★★★★☆ 3.6/5
- ✓ Easy, cosy read many finished quickly
- ✓ Audiobook by Melissa Sternenberg well reviewed
- ✓ Supporting cast rewards a second visit
- ✓ Slow first half discourages a reread
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