I loved this show. I love Mo Bao Fei Bao's writing (both novels and scripts), and I think Allen Ren and Bai Lu made a perfect couple. They both fulfilled their characters perfectly, and the rest of the cast was well-chosen too. The cast as a whole came together beautifully. The sets were stunning, costumes lovely, perfectly suited to the story.

That said... it wasn't perfect. There were gaps in the story that would not have made sense without the book. In the latter half, there were way too many scenes in bed (usually on an IV drip).

In comparison to the book... It filled several holes that weren't well-explained, such as Zhou Wen Chuan's story arc, which seemed kind of arbitrary in the book. Some of the scenes improved, such as the step from "not married" to "married"... where the drama gave her a say in the matter. I loved the way that grandma was woven into the drama; she became a very interesting character.

Lots of comments seem to be upset about the lack of kissing -- Allen Ren's contracts usually have "no kissing"... (and the one kissing scene isn't, if you watch closely) but I personally didn't find it lacking. They had enough chemistry without the kissing. I did find it annoying how they stopped the kissing scenes with stupid stuff... like people walking in, or suddenly she has something to say (that could have easily been said a moment earlier). None of that was necessary.

Overall
1. Watch "One and Only" first -- it's a really nice complete version of their past lives
2. Read the book (hui3r.wordpress.com)
3. Then (and only then) watch "Forever and Ever"