Hold On to Me by Faye West: Book Review

 **ARC received for consideration. All opinions are my own. 

The Book

When Layla's husband dies just two months after their wedding, she is completely consumed by her grief. Struggling to hold everything together, she returns to her small coastal hometown, where complicated family relationships and an unresolved past with her first love, Jacob, wait.

But Jacob isn't the same boy he was five years ago, this time he carries a past that Layla is only starting to understand. Yet each time their paths cross, she can't deny the way he still makes her heart race, even when she was certain it had stopped for good.

As buried feelings begin to resurface, Layla finds herself caught between honoring the love she lost and confronting the one she never truly let go of. The closer she and Jacob grow, the harder it becomes to deny the truth—some connections don't fade, no matter how much time or heartbreak stands in the way.

Moving on might mean letting Jacob back in.

And risking her heart again may be the only way it can ever truly heal.

Perfect for fans of: emotional romances, second chances, small coastal towns, slow burns, and dual POVs.

The Author

Faye West is a Romance Author. A lover of all things sweet, Faye enjoys writing stories that will captivate her readers, with plenty of swoon-worthy moments, alongside those that will keep you eager to turn the page. Her debut novel Hold On To Me releases April 20 2026. When Faye isn’t writing stories, she’s usually spending quality time with her family, watching a show on Netflix, or more likely, with her head stuck in a book.

Book Review

When I see a book featuring a widow, I admit I get a little nervous because I don't like seeing stories where it feels like that relationship is either being replaced or downplayed. And when that book is a second chance romance with a first love? I can't help but think that could be even trickier to pull off. And yet, Faye West has done so brilliantly with Jacob and Layla's story. I was completely blown away by all the emotion that this book delivered... and the fact that this is the author's debut!? Absolutely incredible. Their story was told in a dual timeline in a really unique way: we get her POV in the present and through some journal entries during her relationship with Ben, and then we get Jacob's in the past as they were falling in love for the first time in high school. This was such the perfect way to tell this story. We know early on that something has happened between them and we're given just enough to intrigue, but it's revealed slowly in those past moments throughout the story. The journal entries about Ben allow us to get to know him a little bit better and to see the love she had for him, making that grief feel all the more real. In a way, we kind of get two love stories (though the focus is definitely on that with Jacob), without taking away from either one of them. It was truly beautiful and had me in tears... in the best way possible! With a debut like this, I absolutely cannot wait to see what Faye West does next. If you love romance that brings all the emotion and angst, this is a must read. 

Hold On To Me is a closed-door romance with fade to black moments between an unmarried couple. While nothing explicit is shown on the page, clothes do start coming off and it is clear what is happening off pages. There is also some minor language throughout. 


You can purchase your copy here: https://amzn.to/4snfSgg