Someday Never Came

by Autumn Lawrence-Barnette

It only took one text.

One nickname flashing across my screen to drag me back into his tangled web.

That one text sent me back to my hometown.

A town full of heartache, secrets, and abandonment.

Straight into the arms of the man I’ve always known was meant to be mine.

Our story wasn’t over…

The man who was standing in front of me now was a far cry from the boy I once knew.

That boy who disappeared in the dead of night a decade earlier, leaving me with nothing but vague whispers of basic training, concerns of war, and the gut-wrenching feeling of betrayal.

I had always believed in fate.

Believed in what most would call a twin flame; soul tied…

Any word that explained loving someone so intensely that nothing could ever break that connection to them.

Jensen was all those things and more.

I’d be damned if I missed our one last chance for someday.

Even if all the promises falling from his lips might be from a soulmate who was never meant to be.

Genres: Romance, Military Fiction, Second Chance, Found Family, Tragedy, Contemporary, Fiction

263 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 2, 2024

About the author

Autumn is a West Virginia native, who currently lives in Tennessee with her son, Damon and mini golden doodle, Poppy. Nestled within the beautiful smoky mountains . Autumn enjoys reading and creating stories . She mostly focuses on contemporary romance, paranormal romance and at times dark romance with a little spice . Her hobbies include hosting book club , hiking , and finding the perfect cup of coffee to enjoy.

Autumn’s overall goal is to bring emotion to her readers through her books or the ones she chooses to publish through her publishing house , Soul Bound Publishing . For more information on her books or those she intends on publishing please follow our social media pages for updates.

Reviews

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let me start off with this is NOT your HEA. If you are looking for one this is not it. This deals with real life issues of PTSD, depression, alcohol, veteran to civilian transition and combat death. Please if this are triggers for you do not read this.

This was my first non HEA and let me tell you this sets the standard for me when it comes to reading one of these. This was beautifully written and handled these issues with such care. I am utterly destroyed after reading this. Serena and Jensen were endgame plain and simple but life doesn't always allow that to happen. I was so hopeful when I first started reading but quickly found myself crying and felt the whole scale of human emotion with the story. I have only had one other story to make me feel like that and make me sob as hard as I did with this one. I am crying again as I write this.

We love a FMC who stands up for herself and knows what she wants and goes for it. Jensen made me so mad but only because I could understand how he felt. When you love someone so much you will do anything to protect them and allow them to be happy even if it is not you.

Autumn this was a beautiful debut novel and I can't wait to see what comes next for you.

[Ashley · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I understand the heartbreak of this book, the writing style was just not for me. I had a very hard time connecting with the characters.

I think If it were longer and we had more depth to the characters and their past, it would’ve been more emotional for me.

There were a few parts that just broke me.. and I love when there isn’t a traditional HEA - but this one sadly missed the mark for me. Which stinks because the storyline definitely had the potential to wreck me.

A quote I loved:
“ A small part of me always knew you were never truly mine, at least not in this lifetime. Not how I needed you to be anyway. You were simply a soulmate that wasn’t meant to be.”

[Lilylou426 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Please check your trigger warnings! That being said, be prepared to be completely wrecked!! I mean full on ugly crying! In such a short span of time you become so completely invested in the FMC & MMC along with their friends. 'Serenity' is wonderfully relatable and perfectly flawed. Jenson felt so real I wanted to reach out and smack him a few times. Their story isn't a typical romance novel but it is much more real and raw. That makes this book stand out so much in any crowd of current releases.

[Sienna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heart broken is just a percent of what I feel…

[Olga Pivtsaieva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ця книга відкликається мені піснею Passenger
Let Her Go - Розумієш, що любиш її, лише коли відпускаєш... І ти відпускаєш її...
Одного разу так і не настало

[Olga Rudnitska · Rating 4 out of 5]

- гг військовий з травмами
- від друзів дитинства до закоханих
- другий шанс?

Це непоганий роман, але фінал передбачуваний ще з першого розділу чи прологу, тому в мене не було ніяких інших надій.
На сльозу не пробив, але це не я скупа, я просто хотіла стукнути цих двох. Його, бо не може відпустити дівчину зі свого життя і дати їй нормально жити, не може перестати жаліти себе, а взятися за розум і щось робити. Її, бо не можна стільки років чекати поки людина одумається. Всі ці "споріднені душі" bullshit!

Друзі, котрі увесь цей час мовчали, також бісили. Вона вже один раз була в підвішеному стані, бо тупо не знала нічого, і зараз повторюється це знову. Тільки б за це можна було б дати їм прочуханку.

[ApoorvaReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

crying in the club

[Elle McGinn-Kavanagh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn’t anticipate reading this book in one day and if you’re looking for a happily ever after, this isn’t it.

Initially, I wasn’t sure if I was going to enjoy the writing style but as the story continued I found myself more drawn into the characters. This book hurts. It nearly got me to cry. It’s the true definition of if you love someone, sometimes the best thing you can do for them is to let them go.

Well done to the author who chose to write about some hefty subjects that there are a lot of stigmas around. Not sure how this book ended up being suggested to me on Good Reads but I’m glad it did, even if I’m emotionally damaged for a minute from it.

[Samee Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all, I cannot believe that this is a debut novel. Autumn has done such an incredible job with this book.

It didn’t take long for me to realize that this was going to be at least a 4 star read for me. It’s been several days since I finished the book and the characters have been living rent free in my mind. Which to me, makes it 5 stars. The characters are memorable, the growth and heartache are just… chefs kiss.

Grayson was an instant favorite, for sure! He immediately reminded me of Tyler Jennings from The Ravenhood series and I cannot sing those praises enough.

Autumn has made it clear to readers from the beginning that this wasn’t going to be a HEA book and, I’ll be honest, that made me hesitant to read it. Even when you think you know what’s coming, the way this story unfolded was devastatingly beautiful and I am so looking forward to letting Autumn continue to rip my heart out in the future.

[Charly Reads · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m trying to gather my nice words…I’m trying really hard😭
I absolutely hated this. The writing style was not my cup of tea whatsoever. The whole premise of the story was so ridiculous it actually infuriates me. The whole thing gave me the ick. Every character gave me the ick. Nice words..nice words.. I can’t. Im actually tempted to rip this book up..I’m so sorry…okay bye.

[Nicole*bookaholic* · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was not written very well. It didn't flow at all. I liked that it didn't end in a hea though.

[Kenia Coronado · Rating 4 out of 5]

so sad!

I absolutely loved the message the author had in the end. A lot of people dont realize 70% of people taking their life are man, specially veterans. These characters loved eachother but the timing was never right and the mmc let the d*mons win. I thought it would be a light hearted story and here i am sad about fictional people.

[Katica · Rating 2 out of 5]

2⭐️
The epilogue was sad though

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, what a sad love story!😢 I flew through this but heartbreaking! 💔

[Miriam_Reads94 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished this book tonight. I was crying my eyes out. This book destroyed my night in the best way possible. Not exactly a HEA ending but totally worth the heartbreak. I LOVED this story, the characters, the banter, its an epic love story, it's a story about the one got away and it was AMAZING. This is an emotional roller coaster of highs and even lower lows. If you don't CRY YOUR EYES OUT while reading this then you are seriously damaged 🤣🤣🤣

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a romantic tragedy. Do not go in expecting an HEA. Prepare for devastation! This covers topics of severe military PTSD, addiction and depression. The voice actors did an incredible job delivering the emotion. Highly recommend 🖤

“I want to die in our kiss, suffocate within her, and mould ourselves into one. I want to leave the best parts of me within her and let the rest vanish.”

“I know this man is—and always will be—my undoing.”

[Philomena Callan Cheekypee · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a brilliant debut novel, I can’t wait to see what else this author writes. This was a beautiful story that was written very well.

Four main likeable characters. I went through many feels with these characters and I don’t regret a second.

Heed the warnings as this isn’t for everyone. If you’re looking for a HEA then you should give this a miss.

[Jessi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This shattered my heart—I couldn’t stop crying. I loved it so much, and it was incredibly sad. My heart ached for everyone. I felt Serena’s pain intensely. I don’t know how I’ll recover. What made me sob uncontrollably was seeing the depth of Jensen’s love for Serena. 😭😭😭

[Rachel Dane · Rating 5 out of 5]

MY FREAKING HEAAART😭😭 i sit writing this with tears sobbing down my face. I haven't cried this hard from a book outside of Kate Stewarts books. THE PUNCHES JUST DIDNT STOP. I love this book although it does not have a happy ending. It was so beautiful 😭😭😭

[Delilah Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

heart-wrenching .

[Kristi's bookshelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a debut novel!

Someday Never Came will build you up then tear you apart. It will make you hope then stomp on your heart. It is not for the faint of heart. There is no HEA. Make sure you have tissues with you because I guarantee you'll ugly cry!

Serena and Jensen are first loves, but then Jensen disappears for 10 years before coming back. Serena and Jensen come back together and try again but demons are just too strong.

Serena's character development is amazing. She starts off as an introvert but then opens up. I see her as always being strong but by the end of the book you can really see how strong she is. Jensen is the epitome of so many people in real life. The demons he struggles with daily are the same ones most of us deal with too, but maybe to a lesser degree - feelings of unworthiness, poor self esteem, low confidence, just not being good enough. And while some of us have a healthy way of managing them, others, like Jensen find the bottle or drugs, which ends up making them spiral more. This book is very real - the heart ache, the emotions, the strength of Serena, the devastation of Jensen.

The only thing I didn't really like was how fast they moved. Serena jumped into Jensen's bed so fast, with no proper communication. They did not talk about why he left or what happened while they were separated. He tried hiding everything from her. And I get it, they're supposed to be soul mates, but soul mates tell each other everything, the good and the ugly. He tried hiding it all and when it came out, he spiraled even worse. The last quarter of the book destroyed me, especially the last chapter and epilogue. My heart broke for them. I hate books with no HEA's.

This book is full of triggers, so make sure you read them before starting this book.

[Bre · Rating 4 out of 5]

Arc Review


READ THIS BOOK. THAT IS THE REVIEW.

I ugly cried reading this book. It was so good. I was hooked from the first word to the very last. I was UNWELL when the story was over.

A love story between two childhood friends who become lovers. Jensen leaves for the military and comes back with some ptsd. Serena hasn’t seen Jensen in ten years and somehow their story isn’t over.

This was such a raw story with real life situations that people struggle with everyday and the way Autumn portrayed it in this story was phenomenal.

[Natalie (Novels__&__Needles) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Received as an ARC.

🤍 Found family
🤍 Military romance
🤍 Second chance
🤍 The one that got away
🤍 Possessive MMC

Now this is how you do a bloody debut novel people!!!! I laughed, I cried, I forgot how to breathe at some points. Honestly it was the epitome of an emotional rollercoaster and I am here for it 👏🏻

It felt so realistic and a true representation of the hardships real life can throw at you. If you only like HEAs with your books then don’t read this as it is not that, but is it 100% worth the world’s ugliest crying for the story…? hell yes!

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Firstly thank you to Autumn Barnette for letting me read an arc copy of this book, I struggle to believe that this is a debut novel. It is written so beautifully, the pace is relentless and I haven't had such strong feelings when reading a book in a long time.

I loved the story, the characters and the relationships between them. Autumn writes in such a way that you feel like you know these people, you feel their highs and their lows, laugh along with their banter and relate to their emotions.

The way that the author deals with real life issues of depression, alcoholism, and PTSD of returning service people and the effects it can have on not only them but their friends and family, to name a few is so raw and heartbreaking. A masterpiece!

This book destroyed me in so many ways and I wish I could read it all over again for the first time. If you pick this book up to read, which I highly recommend you do, make sure you have a box of tissues to hand as it isn't your usual love story with a HEA.

I will definitely be waiting to see what else Autumn brings us in the future!

Please check TW before reading this Epic Military Romance.

[Krystle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I went into this blind and I'm not ok!
So much of this book hit way too close to home. My husband had to hold me while I ugly cried after. Beautiful writing and heartwrenching story. Loved it so much!!!

[Ashley Edmundson · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW. I was not emotionally prepared for the way this book destroyed everything inside of me. Autumn, you are an incredible author!

As someone who reads A LOT... I am used to the typical 'happy ending'. You will NOT get that with this book. This book is about love and heartache. Trauma and healing. Friendship and brotherhood. I can't even explain how much i recommend this book. READ IT!!!!!!! Autumn... 5 stars, my friend. 5 freaking stars.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't usually leave reviews, but I couldn't skip this one. Don't start this book unless you have time to finish it. I sobbed so hard I couldn't breathe.

[Airinbookreviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ummm so yeah this book made me absolutely sob. Mental health struggles, love, found family. I’m a blubbering mess. If you want a good cry, read this one.

[Ellie Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

God this was emotional😭😭😭 if you need something quick & hard hitting to hit you in the feels.. this book is it.

I just wish it was longer🥲

[🥀A Marie 📖 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read in 24 hours with the audiobook and OMG im completely wrecked!!!! Sobbing, sobbing, and sobbing like a baby! One of my Top reads of 2025 im left shattered! Go read this book please if you want a good cry!