I usually love Laura Pavlov’s small town romances because they’re sweet, funny, and full of charm but You, Me, and Forever just didn’t quite land for me.

The setup is a familiar one: you hook up with a hot stranger during a wild one night stand who you think you will never see again, only to find out he’s the new big deal billionaire developer in town… and he’s here to destroy your beloved wedding venue, in order to gentrify the town to make himself more money. Okay, that is kind of icky. Myles is charming on the surface, but it was hard to root for a guy who shows up in a close knit Alaskan town with plans to bulldoze a place that clearly means so much to the people who live there, all to make more money. In 2025, that just gives me the ick.

Add to that the repetitiveness of the endless back and forth of “we shouldn’t”/“we did anyway”/“but we can’t”/cue hookup again, and it started to feel like the story was going in circles rather than building momentum. The conflict didn’t have much nuance, and the resolution felt a bit too easy and convenient.

It’s not bad, it’s just… predictable. A one night stand turned enemies to lovers setup can be super fun, but here it felt kind of superficial and formulaic. I never fully connected with the characters or felt like their relationship developed beyond lust and light banter. Honestly, it felt more like “surface steam” than emotional depth.

Still, Laura Pavlov’s writing voice is easy and engaging, and if you’re just looking for a light, steamy escape with a small town backdrop, this might still be worth checking out. Just maybe don’t expect it to blow you away.