With You Always

By: Rena Olsen

Narrated by: Brittany Pressley

Length: 10 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's Summary

From the author of The Girl Before comes a tense and incisive work of psychological suspense that examines how easy it is to fall into the wrong relationship...and how impossible it can be to leave. 

In the wake of a painful breakup and struggling to prove herself at work, Julia feels adrift. When Bryce blows into her life, he seems like the perfect anchor. Handsome, charming, secure, and confident, Bryce brings out the best in Julia, sweeping her off her feet with attention and affection while grounding her with his certainty and faith. Together they embark on a path guided by the principles of his family and their church, each step a paving stone leading to happily ever after. 

But this is no fairy tale. 

Step by step, one small concession leading to another, Julia is slowly isolated from her job, her friends, and her family, until she comes to find that her dream come true is a cage. Then one day everything changes...and Julia is faced with no choice but to find a way out.

©2018 Rena Olsen (P)2018 Penguin Audio

Critic Reviews

"Compulsively readable." (Kirkus Reviews)

You will either love or hate this. Triggered.

I'm triggered by nearly everything about this book, but that is why I enjoyed it so much. This book will never be mainstream because few will genuinely understand it. Having survived such an eerily similar -- no, nearly identical --- experience nearly a decade ago, and still recovering from it, I can say that this is a dead-accurate portrayal of the way this sort of thing happens. For everyone in the reviews who cringes at the stupidity of the protagonist, all I can say is that you've never been there. Perhaps you had something instilled in you early on that made you impervious to the wiles of such people. Perhaps you just got lucky and never ran into the one person who was able to find the chink in your armor -- the NEED you didn't know you had -- and exploit it. Perhaps you're just a stronger-willed person. But without revealing too much, I will say that, while the story delves very little into the backstory behind whatever weakness the main character had, it certainly delves into the thought process of what a person thinks in that particular situation. The plot development was nothing short of amazingly realistic and accurate. This is the second I've read from this author, but I hope it is only the second of many. This author has some serious insight into the inner workings of the minds of both victims and those who victimize.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Too Holy Roller for Me

The main character is so weak in this story and its very heavy with religion. I guess it gives insight into how one may come under control of another. I did not enjoy the story here. I found the main character to be quite stupid to the point that I didn't care what happened to her.

Not alot of suspense here and the end did not satisfy.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Did not meet my expectations

I have listened and re listened to The Girl Before so many times while I was waiting for With You Always to be published. The day it was out on Audible I couldn't wait to start the story. Eight hours in and I was still waiting for the story to start. The book ended before it every really started. There was so much build up of the main characters that the plot never moves forward and then boom, the story is over in half a chapter. I was quite disappointed in Rena Olsen's second book. I tried a second listen but I could not get past chapter 2... sorry.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Not believable

The book is very slow, and the heroin seems unbelievably dense. The premise of the story is interesting, but the execution isn’t good. Brittany Pressley, however, does a great job with the narration

A Slow Buildup, A Great Ending!

If you are looking for a book like "The Girl Before" this is not the book for you. We all have expectations with second novels, especially after spectacular first attempts, and I was no different. I stuck with this book, however, and it is worth it in the end.

This book has a slow, slow, buildup, with clues interspersed throughout the narrative that let you know, if you're paying attention, what is truly going on in this character's world. Not book of the year, but a good book, with a fascinating subject.

Old storyline

You can guess how this one will play out and you'll probably be right. I was a little disappointed in the ending - wish the author had given more time on the ending and less on the build up. Good narration.

1 of 2 people found this review helpful

I love this author! Her other book was better tho

I really liked this book. I did. Don't get me wrong. But it was like this long long build up and then POOF, it's over. And, this could just be my opinion, but there are so many side stories that were left undone. Her immediate conflict is resolved, but there's so many other things going on that you don't learn what happens. Does the reverend go to jail? Did she get out for real? Did any of those people go to jail? I mean they make the church out to be this all powerful entity publicly and what not, but then it's like we're supposed to believe that the ending solved everything? No way.

It still was VERY much worth reading and I really enjoyed it. Just didn't like the ending so much because i wanted to know what happened to the rest of the characters.

0 of 1 people found this review helpful

Loved it

This was brilliant. I was a bit hesitant based on reviews, despite really loving The Girl Before, but ended up taking a chance on it and I’m so glad. While religion is a big part of the book, the focus isn’t on religion itself but rather how this particular movement affects the characters’ lives, and that’s still only one aspect of the story - there’s so much more. It’s not as good as The Girl Before in my opinion, but was definitely worth purchasing extra tokens for. 🙈

Also have to mention what a wonderful job the narrator did. I’ve heard some less impressive ones lately so she was a breath of fresh air.