Between Here and Forever Review

Date Published: May 24, 2011

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Number of Pages: 250

Publisher: Simon Pulse

First Thoughts:

I really enjoyed this book; there were a lot of deep lining issues that I’m sure are dealt with every day in real life. I felt this was a coming of age book, a girl who thinks nothing of herself but everything of her older sister. But what happens when that older sister is no longer there? Definitely a book that causes you to sympathize with the main character and be able to step in their shoes just for a little bit; to experience what its like to live her life…definitely an emotional and beautiful story.

Plot:

I really enjoyed the plot of this book, I especially enjoyed the ending, the way that the author chose to end it seemed so realistic and real, I didn’t really feel like any of the elements in this plot/story were unrealistic. The emotions and scenes really seemed to follow the thinking pattern of the character and didn’t feel off or even rushed…everything just seemed perfectly aligned in this aspect. I really enjoyed each scene, they seemed to follow together. And as far as the pace of the book it was a very quick read for me, I was able to read this book within a one days period, I guess when you get absorbed in the books world it can really make you finish the story faster. I enjoyed the emotional ride of this book, there weren’t really any scenes where I cried but there were those moments that made you feel for the character; to be able to really understand the inner working of her mind and understand why she acts the way she does. There were times of highs and times of lows and they each blended so well together that the overall experience was unique and realistic. Though the emotions were strong at times, I wouldn’t really call it RAW emotion, just more of the kind of emotion that makes you feel and understand the character. The sub-plots in the storyline really helped create a better understanding of the sister in this story and I really enjoyed the conflict it added; it helped the beautiful transformation in this book. So overall I felt the plot was really thought out and organized, it was a quick and fun read.

Romance:

The romance was gentle in this book; it wasn’t really all about the character finding someone who could love her…it was more about the character discovering herself and how wonderful she is on her own. But there was romance and it was okay I wouldn’t necessarily say it was the best romance ever, there were a few issues to me in this aspect, it kind of just seemed off in a way that I can’t really pin point but overall it was an okay aspect but necessarily and important aspect of the book.

Characters:

The main protagonist was created really well; we were really able to grab a sense of how she felt and what she thought. The author allowed the reader to get a sense of how her mind worked and the thinking process of her mind. As for the other characters some of them were well created and some weren’t, some of the characters fell flat and could have used a few more touches to make them really adjust to the world. The minor characters were well placed though, I felt at times they were just as important as the main character herself, they helped solve certain issues and helped the main character understand something about herself and the conflicts around her. The grandfather of one of the characters was really an essential character and I felt he was actually one of my favorite characters in the book. So overall where there were a few issues with some of the characters the others were well created and placed.

Transformation of the Character:

There were two transformations that took place in this book, one was so beautiful and amazing to experience and it was very much noticeable but I also felt that there was going to be more to the transformation even after this book ended but the reader had to assume that the rest of the transformation was going to take place and it was very well executed. The other transformation was smaller and I’m still trying to decide if it was a transformation or more of the character discovering something they already have but either way I really enjoyed this aspect of the book.

Description:

The description in the book was really good at times and lacking at others. There was mixed feelings on how well the scenery was described. The emotion though was really well described; I was able to really able to feel the emotions through the description of the characters thoughts and views. As far as the scenes themselves, some of them were really detailed and allowed the reader to really grasp where the character was and how she was feeling while at other times the scenes seemed to feel rushed and a little un-organized and scrambled. I really couldn’t grasp what the scene looked like. But overall the description was good just needed a few tweaking’s on some of the scenes.

Style:

I enjoyed the author’s style and how she chose to use first person and from one POV. It really allowed us the reader into the mind of the main character and understand her better. The writing itself was really good; it reminded me of her writing in the other book I read “Living Dead Girl”. There’s just something about this author’s writing that really causes me to be swept up in the story no matter the chosen conflict matter. And I feel the author chooses to write these realistic and deep lining issues to help her readers better understand the conflicts in our society and make us understand that they DO happen. So overall I really enjoy this author’s style of writing.

Quote of the book:

“He looks trapped, helpless and furious, and that’s a feeling I know too well. Know how much it hurts. Know how it holds you down, how every day there are a thousand little ways to see there is nothing you can do to change who or what you are.”

Goodreads Summary:

Abby accepted that she can’t measure up to her beautiful, magnetic sister Tess a long time ago, and knows exactly what she is: Second best. Invisible.

Until the accident.

Now Tess is in a coma, and Abby’s life is on hold. It may have been hard living with Tess, but it's nothing compared to living without her.

She's got a plan to bring Tess back though, involving the gorgeous and mysterious Eli, but then Abby learns something about Tess, something that was always there, but that she’d never seen.

Abby is about to find out that truth isn't always what you think it is, and that life holds more than she ever thought it could...

Last Thoughts:

I would recommend this to readers who enjoy realistic books and to those who like to experience FEELING through a book, this was really a good book to read about how a person has trouble accepting who they are…this is a book to read for all of those people who feel they are nothing…I really enjoyed this book and will continue to read more books by this author; she just has a way of bringing serious issues and making them fun and good to read about.

My Rating: