With You Always

3.5 Stars Review by Amy Late Night Reviewer Up All Night w/ Books Blog This was my first time reading Rena Olsen and I thoroughly looked forward to what awaited me within the pages of With You Always. When Julia runs into Bryce, a charming looker who wines and dines her, she knows she has found her prince charming. He introduces her to his church family and their whirlwind romance lands Julia in an unusual relationship. She quickly realizes that Bryce’s faith is the most important thing and Julia is determined to make him happy and prove that she is willing to support him and be a devoted wife. This book was not at all what I had envisioned by reading the summary. The majority of the book focused on the church life, playing with cult-like behaviors and a controlled lifestyle guided by the church. I found parts of the book to be a quick page turner and others were a bit slow and drawn out. The first half of the book, for me, spent so much time setting the premise, the second half began to pick up and was quite enjoyable and twisty, and then it ended with a bang, all too quickly and left me feeling like it was rushed and incomplete. There was so much time building it up and then the ending for me just fizzled and left me desiring more. I am a huge psychological thriller fan and have read hundreds. This book reminded me a lot of B.A. Paris’ Behind Closed Doors. If you enjoyed that one, you may also enjoy this book. Just know going in, there was less suspense, and more story building than you usually find in a thriller. There was a lot of focus on the church they belonged to, so if you find cults fascinating, this may be a good read for you.