Never Mine to Hold by Jennifer Sucevic

Never Mine to Hold is book #3 in Jennifer Sucevic’s Western Wildcats Hockey series. This series heavily deals with grief and life after loss, so be warned. Personally, I loved how it was written and how it played out in the story. But it may be too much for some people.

**I received a free, advanced copy of this book for reviewing purposes. Thank you to the author, Jennifer Sucevic, and to Wordsmith Publicity for including me in this release!**

The Story

Fallyn lost her older brother, Miles, 5 years ago in a car accident. Now, she’s a college student who just found out her tuition for the semester has not been paid. Instead of moving back home like her parents wanted, she decides she’ll get the money herself… by selling her virginity online for $30,000. When she gets a waitress job in a bar that is frequented by the school’s hockey team, she finds herself frequently around Wolf Westerville, who she wishes she could forget.

While Fallyn tries to continue with her life, her parents are stuck. They haven’t touched Mile’s bedroom. On the anniversary of the accident, they spend the day in all black, mourning the loss of their son. Instead, Fallyn tries to focus on the good memories she had with her brother, and not focus on the guilt she feels over his death.

Wolf Westerville was best friends with Miles, and the trio (Wolf, Miles, and Fallyn) were inseparable as kids. One night, Miles and Fallyn pushed Wolf to go to a party and they all snuck out. The evening turned tragic when Miles was killed, and Fallyn spent weeks in the hospital and was left with a large scar on her chest. Now, Wolf is a hockey player in University and is working on his shot to play in the NHL. He’s adored all over campus, and has the attention of almost every girl on campus. Except for Fallyn, the one girl he wants.

My Verdict on Never Mine to Hold

Overall, I rate Never Mine to Hold a solid 5/5 stars (the first 5-star rating of 2024)! I absolutely loved this book. I devoured it. Wolf is just a beautiful soul, and I wish he was real. It’s obvious from page 1 that he’s always wanted to be with Fallyn. He pushes her, but he doesn’t. He offers to drive her to and from work to keep her safe, especially when she leaves work at 2am. When Fallyn’s parents want to sell Miles’ car, Wolf agrees to teach her how to drive. He helps her overcome her fears – she never finished learning to drive after the car accident. There’s so much more to him than what he first presents himself as. And I loved the little reveals that took place throughout the book.

This story just… there aren’t even words. I was blown away. From the description of the book, I was looking forward to reading it, and I knew I would like it. But The story goes beyond so much more than the blurbs. Initially, I expected Fallyn selling her virginity would be the focal point of the book, and it would be very surface level. In reality, that really became a secondary plot. Repairing the relationship between Fallyn and Wolf and their work to let go of their shared tragedy is the the real focus.

If you like brother’s best friend, childhood friends, unrequited love, semi-second-chance stories, with a very real dose of reality in them, this book is for you! It’s the first book by Jennifer Sucevic I’ve read, and it won’t be the last!

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