5:30 a.m., Brianna Pelletier gets ready for her daily pounding. As she lies on the couch, her dad beats her chest, then her back, coaxing the mucu...
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reviews
Feb 17, 2011
Mimi
rated it: 
This book gets 4 stars because of how it educated me regarding aspects of life with cystic fibrosis and all of the musings on life and death, but I cannot recommend it whole heartedly to everyone, because there are about ten swear words and the casual attitude toward teenage drinking and sex. (There is no actual sex in the book—no pages you'll have to skip.) While I disagree with that attitude and don't swear and while I did not like the low cut shirt on the cover, I found the novel worth readin
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Jun 10, 2009
Brandy
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Brianna is just about to start her senior year of high school: all regular classes, plus AP Calc. But despite being a math whiz, she's not really gung-ho about applying to colleges, because she's not sure if her cystic fibrosis will allow her to even live long enough to bother. She knows her time is limited, and so she spends that time with her friends, her family, and yes, with calculus--people and ideas that make her happy. Brianna is more or less a regular teenager who goes to parties, hel
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Apr 28, 2009
Jess
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This sat on my shelf for ages because I suspected it would be a tough read. A teen with cystic fibrosis? But I was pleasantly surprised, because rather than taking advantage of every opportunity to wring a tear from his readers' eyes, Halpin treats the majority of the book as a smart, thoughtful YA story. Sure, Brianna spends time thinking about her own mortality and her illness, her role as a mentor to a younger girl with CF, and her own mentor who recently died - but it's also got all those
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Oct 31, 2011
Anna
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It's not like the books that I usually read, but right now I am having troubles with myself, and I read this and somehow, the Mathematical statements he did made me think critically, about life and things in it, and how small things make up a whole and every infinitesimals are important and beautiful. Might reread this before I die, ha.
The fact that this is not merely the typical YA novel made it even better. Also, it made me think of Mathematics in a different light. I've always hated More...
The fact that this is not merely the typical YA novel made it even better. Also, it made me think of Mathematics in a different light. I've always hated More...
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Jan 10, 2009
Robin
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This was such a great book. The teen characters were very real. Brianna, the main character, is a high school senior attending a regular high school near Boston. She also has cystic fibrosis which generally equates to a very short lifespan and usually requires a lung transplant in order to keep someone alive. Bri's mom left she and her dad alone years ago because she couldn't deal with Bri's illness but he is a good dad, trying his best to take care of a child that he knows will die at a young a
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Dec 07, 2010
Laura
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Brianna is a high-school senior who loves to get lost in the world of math and numbers. For her it is the best way to escape reality in which she is struggling with cystic fibrosis and facing a shortened life. Senior year for Brianna's friends and classmates is filled with college applications and looking forward to the future, for Brianna its trying to get through the day without thinking about her own mortality.
This is the 3rd book I've read by Halpin and while I enjoyed it, it More...
This is the 3rd book I've read by Halpin and while I enjoyed it, it More...
Jan 26, 2009
Rachel
rated it:
I loved Brendan Halpin's books and blog so I had to read this one. I was surprised at the cover though- a scantily clad girl on the beach? It is a book about a math genius with CF trying to decide if she should apply to MIT despite the fact that she will probably die before she gets there.
Anyway, I normally don't go in for tragic illness stories but I really appreciated how he depicted her as a normal girl who just happened to have a chronic illness not as a selfless saint like so m More...
Anyway, I normally don't go in for tragic illness stories but I really appreciated how he depicted her as a normal girl who just happened to have a chronic illness not as a selfless saint like so m More...
Mar 25, 2009
Rosanise
rated it: 
I read this book for a book report in English. This book is about a girl named Brianna who has cystic fibrosis. She is in her senior year of High School and doesn't think she'll live to collage even though she has a mastermind in math and applies to MIT. Her mom left her when she was ten and she lives everyday knowing the next she may be dead. With the help of her calculus teacher, Mr. Eccles and a growing friendship with a nerd-like guy, Adam, she learns to live life to the fullest while she ca
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Feb 27, 2011
Mevurah
rated it:
I'm wondering as to how I've never heard of or stumbled upon this book before! This book was GREAT. The writing was beautiful.As a person who isn't a fan of mathematics, this book certainly amazed me.Those complicated equations where the answer might be zero, but it isn't- an almost zero amount! Those answers can bring so much hope to a person.
Briana has cystic fibrosis and chances are she won't live long. When she starts her senior year, she finds herself seeking some kind of hope an More...
Briana has cystic fibrosis and chances are she won't live long. When she starts her senior year, she finds herself seeking some kind of hope an More...
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Oct 15, 2010
Holly
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When I went to the library last week, I was just trying to find a few books that would hold me for 2 weeks. This was one I grabbed due to the name and the cover. The title itself, at first glance, made me think it was oxymoronic. It's really not.
Brianna has cystic fibrosis. She's dealt with it her whole life. But now that she's starting her senior year in high school, she just wants to be normal. She wants to hang out with her two best friends and go to parties. She wants to be More...
Brianna has cystic fibrosis. She's dealt with it her whole life. But now that she's starting her senior year in high school, she just wants to be normal. She wants to hang out with her two best friends and go to parties. She wants to be More...
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Jul 15, 2009
Carrie
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Brianna is very aware that her time in this world is quickly running out, especially after watching her friend, Molly, die from CF. As everyone around her can focus on nothing but getting in to college, she can’t help but wonder if it is worth her effort to apply if she might not be alive in a year. I liked the character of Brianna. I liked that she could allow herself to enjoy being a teenager, but was never shallow and silly about her time in this life and was realistic about her illness. I re
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Feb 08, 2010
Briana
rated it:
Original/full review here: http://thebookpixie.blogspot.com/2010/02...
The best word I can find to describe Forever Changes is bittersweet. It was both sad and funny and was also very thought-provoking, making me put things in perspective. Which, might I add, is something I've really been needing to do lately. XD
One thing I loved about Forever Changes was how all the characters seemed to play equally important roles in Brianna's life, from her friends to her dad to her math More...
The best word I can find to describe Forever Changes is bittersweet. It was both sad and funny and was also very thought-provoking, making me put things in perspective. Which, might I add, is something I've really been needing to do lately. XD
One thing I loved about Forever Changes was how all the characters seemed to play equally important roles in Brianna's life, from her friends to her dad to her math More...
Jul 13, 2009
Philip
rated it:
Forever Changes jumps into the life of a girl, Bri, with Cystic Fibrosis - a disease/condition I know very little about.
It's an interesting read. Halpin doesn't make the book about Bri, or even about CF. He makes it about purpose.
Case in point: Throughout the narraration, Bri's dad is never read as "Bri's dad..." He's always "Dad." So, even though it sometimes feels like first person narration through Bri - it really isn't. Which makes it seem lik More...
It's an interesting read. Halpin doesn't make the book about Bri, or even about CF. He makes it about purpose.
Case in point: Throughout the narraration, Bri's dad is never read as "Bri's dad..." He's always "Dad." So, even though it sometimes feels like first person narration through Bri - it really isn't. Which makes it seem lik More...
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Oct 30, 2008
Jennifer
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Reviewed by Jaglvr for TeensReadToo.com
Brianna Pelletier was born with a death sentence. Her DNA gave her Cystic Fibrosis. The only unknown for Brianna is how long she will have.
It's Brianna's senior year and while her friends are planning for college, Brianna's plans are far simpler: live to see graduation. She never intended to go to college. She never believed she'd survive this long. But things are going pretty good. She's managed to avoid any serious infections and More...
Brianna Pelletier was born with a death sentence. Her DNA gave her Cystic Fibrosis. The only unknown for Brianna is how long she will have.
It's Brianna's senior year and while her friends are planning for college, Brianna's plans are far simpler: live to see graduation. She never intended to go to college. She never believed she'd survive this long. But things are going pretty good. She's managed to avoid any serious infections and More...
Mar 11, 2009
Daria
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Jul 24, 2010
Gerri
rated it:
I adore this author. His stories invariably have something tragic in them, but they also provide truly uplifting moments, and I'm not sure anyone out there is writing as interesting a dynamic for families as this man does. This story is as good as the others--Donor Boy is my favorite, but I've not read anything by him yet that's not excellent--and is an incredibly fast read. The slimness of the book should not be mistaken for lack of content or meaning. Great book.
Rated: A+
Rated: A+
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Jan 16, 2009
Angela
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This one was a tearjerker, but not in a totally obnoxious way. I didn't feel manipulated into caring about Brianna and her illness, nor was the drama overhyped or overblown. I had only a few minor quibbles, like the pop culture references already make it feel a little dated. More thoughts can be found on my blog
Apr 18, 2009
Melissa
rated it:
So many young adult books are about tragedy because, let's face it, teens eat that stuff up. This book is no exception. While I didn't like it as much as Halpin's books for adults, I found Brianna to be less annoying about her condition and nicer than most characters in this genre (the dying teen genre). And as someone who can barely add, I found the mathematical stuff fascinating.
Jan 02, 2010
Abby
rated it:
Brianna's starting her senior year of high school. She's taking AP calculus and her dad really wants her to apply to MIT. Brianna thinks she could probably get in - math has always made sense to her in a way that the real world often does not. But even though her entire class is abuzz with college talk, Brianna's not sure she wants to apply. Brianna has cystic fibrosis. She's 18 years old. She knows that she probably will not live to see her college graduation. Forever Changes is about a girl co
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Jun 13, 2009
lucem
rated it:
Can get bogged down in math parts (like calculus), but the cystic fibrosis parts are interesting (just skims the surface of that topic). Could be a good book to show different friendship needs (like a CF buddy, a lets-talk-about-boys buddy, a teacher buddy, a guy buddy, etc.). Also covers single dad parenting and missing parent family stuff.
Apr 18, 2009
Katlyn
rated it:
I'm always looking for books that I can learn a lesson from and remember it. This is one of my favorite novels for that purpose. I learned that forever can change when you live life one day at a time, instead of worrying about how the future will turn out. I loved this book, and will most likely read it again.
Feb 08, 2012
to be honest i love this book so far. it only shows the real life that every girl or boy deals with like myself. i understand where bree is coming from. she is the real smart one and answers the questions when nobody else will... just absoulutey amazing
Jan 25, 2012
Diana
rated it:
Didn't really like the way it was writen. It wasnt like she was talking bout her life, but the narrator was. But except that the book was really good, and at the end of it I cried:(
Sep 08, 2011
Davina
rated it:
4.5 stars.
Brendan Halpin, you're killin' me here with the tear-jerkers! Good thing I like tear-jerkers...
Good book for teens who like realistic fiction with a dash of gut-wrench.
Brendan Halpin, you're killin' me here with the tear-jerkers! Good thing I like tear-jerkers...
Good book for teens who like realistic fiction with a dash of gut-wrench.
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Aug 24, 2011
Ciera
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This book literally cracked my heart in two pieces. Books like this make you realize to be grateful for the life you have. One of my favorites, one of the saddest, you won't forget it.
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Nov 29, 2008
Penny
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great read... very sad. The characters are worth knowing and the hardest things are written in sparse, carefully chosen details.
Sep 13, 2010
Breanna
rated it:
This is a tear-jerker for sure! this book is defiantly one of my all-time favorites!!!!! i urge you to read this book.
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Jul 28, 2011
Breanna
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wow....this book was beautifully written. it was one of the first books to ever make me cry at the end.
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Jul 11, 2011
Suzanne
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An 18 year old with CF who questions life and death. Several inspirational moments throughout the book.
