Review: Never Over by Clare Gilmore
Never Over is a heartfelt second-chance romance where facing the one who once broke your heart could be the key to making your dreams come true.
Plot Summary
Paige Lancaster works as a waitress while pursuing her passion for songwriting. Upon securing a meeting in the music industry, she realizes her songs lack emotional depth. Reflecting on her best work, she notes that her break-up with Liam four years earlier inspired her strongest songs. To recapture that inspiration, Paige devises a plan to fake date Liam, aiming to have him break her heart once more and fuel her music with genuine heartbreak.
Paige reconnects with Liam, who is working behind the scenes of a concert tour. Liam agrees to the fake dating arrangement on the condition that Paige joins him on the tour and that he gets a true second chance with her—without purposely causing pain.
Tour and Relationship Dynamics
Throughout the tour, Paige's songwriting flourishes, channeling her emotions into new love songs, while unresolved feelings for Liam resurface. The central question remains whether Paige can heal old wounds and forgive Liam for past betrayals after the tour concludes.
Themes and Audience
Never Over is a forced proximity romance ideal for readers who enjoy stories like You Between the Lines by Katie Naymon, One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune, Sounds Like Love by Ashley Poston, Into the Woods by Jenny Holiday, and You, with a View by Jessica Joyce.
- Passions and creative pursuits
- Career-ending injuries and changes
- Growth, grief, and healing
- Abandonment, estrangement, and self-worth
- Family dynamics and building trust
"On tour with Liam, the love songs start flowing out of Paige and her feelings for Liam make a reappearance."
Never Over explores how confronting past heartbreak can unlock personal and artistic growth.
Author’s summary: This novel shows how revisiting old wounds with vulnerability can inspire new beginnings in love and art.