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The Problem with Forever

Jennifer L. Armentrout (Goodreads Author)

really liked it 4.0 · Rating details · 26,768 Ratings · 4,034 Reviews

A story about friendship, survival and finding your voice

Growing up, Mallory Dodge learned that the best way to survive was to say nothing. And even though it's been four years since her nightmare ended, she's beginning to worry that the fear that holds her back will last a lifetime. Now, after years of homeschooling, Mallory must face a new milestone—spending her senior y ...more

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Hardcover, 474 pages

Published May 17th 2016 by Harlequin Teen

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YA Novels of 2016

1,231 books — 9,546 voters

Girl Against the Universe by Paula Stokes

The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson

2016 YA Contemporary

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May 13, 2016 Lola Reviewer rated it really liked it

Shelves: abuse, true-love, drama, contemporary, high-school, character-development

I was only three chapters in when I had this strong feeling that I would never forget this story.

And now that I finished it, I can confirm that this is one of the twenty most memorable love stories I have read.

It took me close to twelve hours to finish this book, but I don’t regret any minute I spent reading this emotional story. Maybe I could have read two novels in that amount of time, but The Problem with Forever touched my heart so deeply I’m sure I’ll be rereading it again in a couple of ye ...more

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Mar 02, 2016 Wendy Higgins added it

Shelves: young-adult, favorites, contemporary

Don't even bother trying to guard your heart as you start this book, because Jen is going to take sandpaper to that measly wall you've built, and you'll be laid bare. Raw. Vulnerable. Going back and forth between crying and swooning.
Heartbreaking, heart wrenching, heart warming, heart everything.
As a person who has suffered from anxiety since childhood, I can tell you that Mallory's reactions and the seemingly-small things that garner her anxieties, are RIGHT ON. Like, achingly realistic. I was ...more

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May 14, 2016 Aestas Book Blog rated it really liked it

Shelves: favorites

::: FULL REVIEW NOW POSTED :::

"I know you might not believe it, but I'm going to keep you safe forever..."

This was a gorgeous high school romance that brought me right back to the intensity of falling in love for the first time. I've loved Jennifer Armentrout's writing ever since I read Wait For You back in 2013 and when I heard about this new book, I just couldn't resist diving it. I feel like there's something particularly special about childhood friends-to-lovers stories -- I love the s ...more

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Feb 17, 2015 Laura added it

Shelves: ya, contemporary, romance, jlarmentrout-books, buddy-read, ebooks-i-own, awful-heroine, dnf, ugh, too-much-of-an-asshole

DNF @ %75

Alright, this is a no more, please, no more kind of situation.

It was page 60 and I was already all about putting the book down for good but since I’m a loyal Jennifer L. Armentrout fan, I continued reading the story… and I regret that decision.

I’ve spent a few days deciding if I wanted to push myself and finish the book because I’m only like 100 pages left, but at this point I really don’t care.

I found myself skipping through the chapters and maybe I’m the one who outgrew YA and I’m d ...more

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Jan 12, 2016 Ayesha rated it it was ok

Shelves: contemporary, 2016, young-adult

☠ Well, This is awkward. X__x

“My name is Mallory...Dodge.” I drew in a deep breath, speaking to no one. “And I like...I like reading. And I don’t like...I don’t like who I am.”

☠ Pffft you got that one thing right, Mickey mouse. I don't ....ahh.....don't like you....either. I'm sorrry....but....after a thousand ellipses....you mooning over.....what's his name.....Jake or Josh or Ryder....I'm not sure....algorithms look...more..........appealing....to me now. I'd have considered this a minor det ...more

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Oct 04, 2016 F rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2016, dont-like, audiobook, usa

This book is the biggest waste of time ever!

I'm sorry to be so savage but it really is such a shit book.

I listened to the audiobook.

Maybe it was my fault choosing it in the first place but
I would never have guessed how cheesy, predictable it was.

Even for a YA book this was just so cringe, how anyone can take this seriously is beyond me.

Just when i thought it couldnt get anymore cringeworthy & ridiculous THAT ENDING.
It was so stupid.

Not only was the storyline & drama so terrible BUT ...more

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Jul 29, 2016 C.G. Drews rated it really liked it

Shelves: 4-star, contemporary, read-2016, young-adult

(UGH I'M SO MAD my review deleted before it could upload and it was a freakishly great review too.)

Excuse me but THIS BOOK JUST BROKE MY HEART IN THE BEST POSSIBLE WAY. I loved it, I so so loved it. It just had aaall the right things, like delicious food, tons of diversity, adorable tragic damaged cinnamon roll characters, and a bit of bleeding (ALL THE GOOD BOOKS HAVE A BIT O' BLOOD) and did I mention I'm feeling all the things??? BECAUSE I AM. This book definitely won me over omg.

Wow...just wo ...more

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Jul 14, 2016 ⊱ Poppy ⊰ rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Those who want to find their voice.

Shelves: 2016-release, reviewed, 2016, hyped-books, cover-porn, friends-to-lover, new-adult, romance

“Forever was something we all took for granted, but the problem with forever was that it really didn't exist.”

I picked The Problem with Forever with quite an expectations. Jennifer L. Armentrout was one of my fav authors. I've read almost every book of her. But yet this book was .. just not for me. If you have read the reviews of this book, you must've noticed everyone saying that this book is not our usual fun and quirky JLA read. Well I agree with them, this book really was an exception bu ...more

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May 27, 2016 Natalie Monroe rated it it was ok

Shelves: boooring, cheesy-cheesy-cheesy, copycat, dragged-on-too-much, hate-the-characters-hate-the-book, mental-illness, not-as-good-as-i-expected, not-worth-the-hype, sugar-spice-n-everything-nice, typical

2.5 stars

"I couldn't put my finger on the exact moment I'd become a different Mallory. Maybe because it wasn't just a moment but more of a combination of hundreds, even thousands of them.

[...]

And it was knowing that I could still be...still be afraid of everything, but not letting that fear stop me from living."

I sighed as I stared at my laptop screen.

Do I really want to do this? I thought, tousling my hair sexily because I am a bookworm and bookworms are secretly hot as fuck once they ditch ...more

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Feb 05, 2017 Ashwood (애쉬 우드). rated it really liked it

Another amazing book by JLA. Really couldn't put it down and I ended up finishing it in half a day. Although this book was different then how she usually writes it was just as epic.

The two main characters, Mallory and Rider were perfectly imperfect and that made them perfect in my eyes. They saved each other when no one else was there for them or even cared. As scared kids Rider was Mallory's rock, her support system, and her protector. She was his silent 'Mouse' who patched him up when he was ...more

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May 10, 2016 Chelsea ❤Peril Please❤ rated it liked it

Recommended to Chelsea ❤Peril Please❤ by: Jen ♥Star-Crossed Book Blog♥

Shelves: in-the-minority-on-this-one, my-favorite-covers, skim-tastic, unforgettable-male-leads, buddy-read

I don't know what to say. I really really don't. JLA was my absolute favorite author for two years....two years...and now I feel like she's an acquaintance that used to be a best friend from High School-We pass each other in a store and do that awkward hi/hello/ass-out-hug that plagues us when we realize we no longer have anything in common with our dear old friend. I mean, I knew JLA wasn't for me anymore, I knew that. But I had thought I remembered her writing being more...fluid?? I don't know ...more

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Jul 13, 2017 Sophie rated it really liked it

The only contemporary romance I have ever been able to finish.
Honestly, so not surprised.... I mean, is it even possible for me to dislike something written by JLA? I keep waiting for it to happen, but uh NOPE. Def not possible.

Check out my full review here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1gCf...

xoxoxo

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May 20, 2016 Rachel Reads Ravenously rated it liked it

Shelves: hardcover, young-adult, 3-stars-aint-the-devil

3 stars

This book............ it had the right idea, but the execution just wasn't quite right. JLA is one of my all time favorite authors, many of you know that because I've been screaming about her books since I discovered them. I enjoyed this book, and I love the concept of it. I just didn't like the execution of it.

This is the story of Mallory, a foster kid who doesn't speak much because of PTSD and conditioning from her previous foster home. Four years later and a nice couple have taken he ...more

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Apr 28, 2015 Lala BooksandLala rated it it was ok

Shelves: contemporary

Ugh.
My video review can be found here: https://youtu.be/dNqFBAfp1bQ

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Apr 28, 2016 Amber Robertson rated it it was ok

Shelves: contemporary, romance, young-adult, not-for-me, new-adult, wishlist

What is 'The Problem with Forever'?
The fact it felt like forever for me to finish this book.

“Words were not the enemy or the monster under my bed, but they held such power over me. They were like the ghost of a loved one, forever haunting me."

The Problem With Forever wasn't a bad book at all, but it wasn't good. Well, that's a lie. It was good for the first 40% - I can say that from the fact I had a smile on my face and couldn't put it down once I started reading it last night until my eyes b ...more

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Apr 07, 2016 TheCrazyWorldOfABookLover rated it did not like it

Shelves: no-just-no

So….

This is the author everyone seems to rave about, huh? I have so many book friends who love this author and love her other books. But in all honesty, I don’t see the appeal. I found nothing extraordinary about her writing and nothing made it stand out to me. Maybe it’s me. Or maybe this isn’t her best work; maybe this specific book doesn’t reflect her writing abilities. I think (and am HOPING) it’s the latter.

What didn’t work? What I found incredibly annoying was first and foremost the actua ...more

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Nov 17, 2016 Joshua Gabriel (조수아) rated it really liked it

Shelves: contemporary, physically-owned, romance, favorites

I think that all of us, at the end of the day, just want to be real and want to be loved. —Jennifer L. Armentrout

Before I begin, I would like to let you know that this essay is going to be less than a holistic review and more like a subjective character analysis. Why? Because honestly, The Problem with Forever doesn't have that much of a plot to evaluate or reminisce about. Still, despite its generally uneventful content, I think that everyone with a beating heart should read this book.

The Prob ...more

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Mar 09, 2016 Eliza rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: arc, net-galley, may-2016, i-pictured-it, im-a-survivor, sweetheart

 Emotional. Hopeful. Inspiring.

Growing up in foster care, neglect and abuse are no strangers so Mallory Dodge and Rider Stark. As Six year olds, they were each other’s solaces in a world where they were failed by the adults around them. Years later freedom comes as a result of a particularly harrowing night, but with it, a separation and end to the home they found in one another.

It’s not until four years later, as seniors in high school that they re-enter each other lives. There are some powe ...more

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Sep 06, 2015 Jen ♥Star-Crossed Book Blog♥ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: arcs, dont-cry, favorite-heroines, favorites, giggleworthy, good-boys-i-love, go-away-sweaty-palms, hot-hot-hot, love-makes-my-heart-happy, romance

The Problem With Forever was an emotionally haunting and beautiful story. Reading the prologue alone, I knew that I was stepping into a book that would forever be ingrained in my heart. Not only because this was a first for me, since I cried from the prologue. To think about children suffering through that type of physical and emotional abuse hurts me to the core. But that wasn't the only reason why this story will stay with me forever. Mallory and Rider enraptured me with their feelings. I beca The Problem With Forever was an emotionally haunting and beautiful story. Reading the prologue alone, I knew that I was stepping into a book that would forever be ingrained in my heart. Not only because this was a first for me, since I cried from the prologue. To think about children suffering through that type of physical and emotional abuse hurts me to the core. But that wasn't the only reason why this story will stay with me forever. Mallory and Rider enraptured me with their feelings. I became obsessed with The Problem With Forever as we transitioned to High School in the first chapter, and that obsession never once wavered.

Words were not the enemy or the monster under my bed, but they held such power over me. They were like the ghost of a loved one, forever haunting me.

Mallory Dodge was unlike any other character I have met. She was timid, she was overwhelmed by noise, and she had been trained not to make a sound. While she was a foster child, she spent her youth learning that sounds and noises brought attention to herself. And with attention came physical and emotional abuse. And while I have never once felt nervous, overwhelmed or panicky about the thought of speaking to others, Mallory made me feel terrified right along with her. My palms were sweaty and my stomach was tossing and turning with nervousness. Mallory made me feel every single thing she did! Yet as the story unfolded, we got to see Mallory push herself out of her comfort zone again and again. I loved how we got to watch Mallory grow and find strength within herself. She was an amazing woman!

“Do you recognize me?” His voice was still barely above a whisper.
His eyes continued to hold mine, and I spoke what turned out to be the easiest word I’d ever said in my life.
“Yes.”

But what Mallory could never had predicted was running into Rider Stark on her first day going back to public school. Rider was a foster child who had grown up in the same house as Mallory. They had been together from the age of 3, until they were separated at 13. Although four years had passed since they last saw each other, it's hard to forget that they were each others world. Especially for Mallory. Not only was Rider her best friend, but he was her protector too. He took beatings that she was meant to take. He sacrificed himself to protect Mallory and keep her safe at all costs. Until they were ripped apart.

My heart exploded as those strong arms pulled me against his chest. There was a moment where I froze, and then my arms swept around his neck. I held on, squeezing my eyes shut as I inhaled the clean scent and the lingering trace of aftershave. This was him . His hugs were different now, stronger and tighter. He lifted me clear off my feet, one arm around my waist, the other hand buried deep in my hair, and my breasts were mushed against his surprisingly hard chest.
Whoa.

Rider was breathtaking. Not only because of what he did in the past for Mallory, but those actions continued through to present day. Rider stepped back into Mallory's life and became her protector all over again. He would do the sweetest things like ditch a class so that way Mallory would have someone to sit and eat lunch with. Just wait till you see everything he did for Mallory, he was such a good guy! But some aspects of their relationship did change over time. Sexual tension was strumming between them and it was sigh and toe curling worthy. Rider literally gave me chills with his words and mannerisms towards Mallory. So yeah, I became a little obsessed with him lol. Rider was charming, sexy, sweet, loyal, dedicated and the intensity of how much he still cared for Mallory lifted off of the pages. It was impossible not to fall for him.

I pulled myself out of the memory, but there were so many of him coming to my rescue for some reason or another until he couldn’t, until the promise of forever had been shattered, and everything… everything had fallen apart.

I loved how it felt like I knew Mallory and Rider inside out, especially with the flashbacks to their younger years. Whether it was just a short moment or a longer memory, we got to watch their friendship unfold. And we also got to truly understand all of the horrors that they lived with. It was easy to grasp that they only had each other to rely on. And how their past helped form them into the person that they would become.

His lashes lowered and the lopsided grin appeared. “I always knew you’d be beautiful one day.”
My breath hitched as I sat straighter. What was left of the pizza , just the crust, was totally forgotten . My ears had to be smoking crack or something.
A flush swept across his cheeks as one side of his lips kicked up. “I just never thought I’d get to see how beautiful you’d become.”

The Problem With Forever also contained moments with Mallory's best friend who I absolutely adored! It was refreshing to see a strong female friendship, and I can't wait for Ainsley's book! And I was happy to see that Mallory's adoptive parents played an active role in some very important moments in Mallory's life. But when I closed that last page, I was struck by how extremely grateful I am for my life. I was reminded of all of the positives that constantly surround me, no matter how little or big they are. And I'm so glad that message, whether intentional or not, sunk it's claws into me. So of course I loved every single moment in The Problem With Forever, and I hope you will too.

*ARC kindly provided by Harlequin TEEN via Inkslinger PR in exchange for an honest review*

For more of my reviews, please visit:

...more

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May 22, 2016 Rebecca Woodward rated it it was amazing

Shelves: finished

5 Stars!!

Excellent writing, This is my first read from this Author for this genre. I not only fell in love with the cover and the blurb but the storyline is well written. With so many Young Adult coming of age books out I have to say this one is my top five. So many ways I thought the author was going to take us and boom she does something I didn't expect. The heartbreaking scene left me is tears. I know that our children services protection is so overwhelmed that when we read about the lives th ...more

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May 25, 2016 Arabella ~♡AB♡~ rated it liked it

Shelves: 3-and-a-half-stars-it-was-good, young-adult, super-angsty, second-chance-love

★★★ 3.5 Stars ★★★

The Problem with Forever is a story that touches on the lives of two high school seniors who are both products of the foster care system, and who share a bond that is deep and unbreakable.

Mallory Dodge is one of the lucky ones, and after a horrific childhood where the only person who showed her any love was her foster brother, she is now living with caring and understanding adoptive parents. It's been four years since she was ripped away from the boy who used to protect her from ...more

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Dec 17, 2017 Aj the Ravenous Reader rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary, emotionally-intense, love-love-love, physically-owned-books, young-adult

   “Forever wasn’t pain and grief. 
Forever wasn’t a problem. 
Forever was my heartbeat and it was the hope tomorrow 
held. 
Forever was the glistening silver lining of every 
dark cloud, no matter how heavy and thick it was. 
Forever was knowing weakness didn’t equate 
to an eternity of them”

    “Forever wasn’t pain and grief. 
Forever wasn’t a problem. 
Forever was my heartbeat and it was the hope tomorrow 
held. 
Forever was the glistening silver lining of every 
dark cloud, no matter how heavy and thick it was. 
Forever was knowing weakness didn’t equate 
to an eternity of them”

Life taught me that sometimes you have to protect your heart from beautiful things because when they break or shatter or when I finally look at them up close and find an irreparable damage, it breaks my heart. This is how I felt about reading The Problem with Forever. I was very cautious that even though I wanted to embrace the characters close to my heart, be involved with their story and feel their emotions, my instincts told me not to get too attached because for some reason, I knew it was going to be tragic.

I was wrong though.

And honestly, even if I tried to control my emotions and even if the book did end tragically (which it didn’t, just partly because (view spoiler)), I would have still fallen in love with the story and the characters because how could I not? I wanted to protect little Mallory and Rider from everything they went through.

Reading their story made me want to change my career to being a social worker if only it were possible. My heart ached for the only kind of life they knew as children so thank goodness for second chances, for kind strangers who foster and adopt children and love them like their own.
The Problem with Forever has been at the top of my wish list since it was published. For some reason, I felt very drawn to that cover and to that title so I did everything I could to find my copy and I’m very glad it didn’t disappoint.

But as significant as the story is, know that this book is basically a romance novel between a girl and a boy whose past has forever marked them in both good ways and bad so it’s a bit angsty, cheesy, sometimes corny but really adorable and inspiring. Both Mallory and Rider but Mallory especially are admirable characters and their story is one that I would cherish and probably read over and over, possibly forever. ;)

Here’s the perfect song for the book.

...more

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Oct 23, 2017 Lara (Bookish_turtle) rated it really liked it

Shelves: realistic-fiction, young-adult, super-cutesy-contemporaries, 4-star, i-will-go-down-with-this-ship, read-in-2017

This is a story that's going to stick with me for a long time. It was such a beautiful contemporary! My heart was completely shattered from all the feels, but it was totally worth it.

Mallory was a wonderful protagonist. Rider was incredible. Ainsley was the best and I wish all YA novels had a character like her. It was brilliantly cute and adorable, yet also realistic and dealt with some serious issues. It was upfront and honest, but a beautiful read. I would highly recommend.

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May 22, 2016 Jasmine rated it liked it

Recommends it for: Anyone who likes to have a light yet meaningful read

Shelves: abusive-domestic-violence, disappointed, ebooks-ibooks, happy-ending, just-fine, never-read-it-again, realism, skimming-through

Life was like doing this speech. It wasn't necessarily about the end result, but more about trying.

This book is so not the typical Jennifer L. Armentrout style. The Problem with Forever is a story about lessons of life, love, family, and reflection on our society nowadays. I know this may sound very serious and stone-cold cruel, but that's the way it is. We all need to accept and endure it.

The story mainly focuses on Mallory (Mouse), a quiet girl who is deemed as a mute in school because of her post-traumatic childhood experience, and Rider, a seemingly open-minded, extroverted guy who actually bears some unspeakable scars on his stained soul. They are both orphans and adopted by the same family when they're little but under the mask of kindness, they fall victim to domestic violence. Rider protects Mallory at all costs and she learns not to make a noise whenever her adopted father gets mad after drinking.

Rider had said nothing lasted forever, but some things, some scars, ran too deep to ever fade away.

Therefore, she gets used to stay quiet no matter where she is, no matter what she does. It becomes a part of her life and her voice seems like a stranger to her. She loses her confidence, and she can't seem to enjoy the rest of life because the shadow dwelling in her heart is too dark to get away. Thus, when she meets Rider by chance in school, he's the only key to her closed mind. And teaches her how to live her life.

"It's just that I think sometimes you miss what's going on around you, because you're so worried about what others are thinking about you and your choices."

Rider has his own problem as well. He seems like a happy-go-lucky at first, but he's one of the troublemakers (or at least he used to be). There's no denying that there are more or less some problematic teenagers/youngsters around the world; they become drug dealers, trade their lives for contraband, and bargain with demons or the Death. These people never stop existing and I think it's time we faced the reality.

In that moment, I knew I couldn't hold what he used to do against him. Rider...Jayden...so many other people were a product of their environment. Some got out. Others didn't.

I hate to say this, but the biggest disappointment is that the story is too predictable. The plot is simple and the inspiration behind all these is easy to grasp, however, this book doesn't make me wow. It doesn't surprise me at all. For example, it's not that hard to guess from the minute Mallory and Rider meet, their relationship is going to develop into something more than friends. I mean, she's apparently drawn to him and he finds her grow maturely and attractive. Also, both of them are adolescents so overloaded hormones drive them toward each other like two inseparable magnets.

"Understand what?" I whispered. Rider's gaze held mine again. "She understands that if I have to pick between you two, it's not going to be her."

Yikes, cliche alert! This book reminds me of Until Friday Night, which is one of the top disappointing books of mine this year, because of the similar plots. (Quiet girl with broken guy, blah blah blah...)

The only thing interests me is probably the idea of "forever" in the story. I keep looking for signs of forever since the title of the book mentions it but not until the very end of the entire book did I finally get the metaphor. Real life isn't a fantasy, and sometimes even fantasies aren't necessarily fantasies, either. Just like forever, what is forever? Have you thought about the meaning of forever before? It's not just a time period, nor is it some dimensional measurement. This book lets us know that there are actually two kinds of forever. And what lies in between.

The good kind. The bad kind. I'd learned early on that the good kind of forever was, well, it was a lie. That kind of forever literally and figuratively ended in flames, because no matter how tightly you tried to hold on, that kind of forever slipped between the fingers.
The bad kind of forever lingered like a shadow or ghost. No matter what. It stayed, always in the background.

All in all, I may not enjoy the book as much as I do for JLA's other works, I'll still recommend this to those who like to read something light and yet with in-depth meanings between the lines.

...more

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Apr 25, 2016 Sarah rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley-edelweiss, 2016-resolutions, abuse, contemporary, death, love-triangle, r2r-read, read-2016, read-with-abbie, romance

(Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to Harlequin (UK) Limited and NetGalley.)

“He had been the sole reason I survived the house we’d grown up in.”

This was a YA contemporary romance about two teenagers raised in the foster system.

Mallory was an okay character and she was really lucky to end up with the parents she ended up with. She’d obviously had a pretty rough childhood, and I could see why she tried to keep quiet most of the time, but ...more

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Apr 05, 2017 Grecia Robles rated it really liked it

Shelves: young-adult

4 Ser Real STARS

Antes de empezar la reseña sólo voy a comentar algo que aprendí y quedé anonada, toda una vida siendo una ignorante y engañada ¿Cómo no me dijeron antes que el puertorriqueño era un idioma? porque al parecer es diferente del español que según aquí puede que sólo se hable en España y entonces yo tampoco hablo español hablo mexicano.

What the Fuck? Jennifer L. Armentrout

Dejando ese punto a un lado. la historia realmente me gustó, es sentimental, triste, dulce y con un poco de dr ...more

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May 13, 2016 Tabby rated it it was amazing

Shelves: audiobook, favorites

THE REVIEW

Why this book?

Jen (in her Unicorn Bubble)’s review made me want to read it

What I thought

This book will always be in my heart. Mallory and Rider were two characters who were emotionally abused who lost eachother and found one another years later. I listened to the audiobook so listening to Mallory try to talk was hard for me, it was heartbreaking. No girl should be conditioned not to make noise. I loved how Rider was always there for her when they were younger and when the see eachother ...more

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Jul 21, 2016 *TANYA* rated it really liked it

I wanted to step in for Mallory so many times and speak up for her, clear things up, right the wrongs. And I LOVED Ryder!! He was classic!! I picked this book because I was drawn to the cover and the the title, I'm so glad I did!! Fantastic book!!

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Jul 01, 2017 Carmen de la Rosa rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Bueno las cosas se pondrán incomodas pero siento que este libro definitivamente no es para mi. Esto sera una opinión impopular, porque la mayoría han puesto este libro sobre las nubes, pero no se que ha pasado, si ha sido porque he tenido muchas expectativas, porque no fue el mejor momento en que lo he leído o porque DEFINITIVAMENTE este libro no ha sido para mí.

Quiero empezar aclarando que nunca había leído a Jennifer L. Armentrout y honestamente esta historia no me causo un buena primera impre Bueno las cosas se pondrán incomodas pero siento que este libro definitivamente no es para mi. Esto sera una opinión impopular, porque la mayoría han puesto este libro sobre las nubes, pero no se que ha pasado, si ha sido porque he tenido muchas expectativas, porque no fue el mejor momento en que lo he leído o porque DEFINITIVAMENTE este libro no ha sido para mí.

Quiero empezar aclarando que nunca había leído a Jennifer L. Armentrout y honestamente esta historia no me causo un buena primera impresión. Pero creo que este no fue su mejor libro, ya que considero que la toma de decisiones de la autora ha sido un error (un error que hundió el libro una y otra vez).

Este libro me atrajo por la sinopsis, pensé que no era otra novela juvenil de romance... pero como vas pasando las paginas es justamente OTRA NOVELA JUVENIL DE ROMANCE, primer punto malo, esta novela sigue las mismas características de las novelas con esta temática, eso significa que esta llena de clichés, uno tras otro y parece que no tendrán fin, lo que la convierte en una historia predecible.

Creo que un gran error que se comete es precisamente el romance, con Mallory la protagonista pudo simplemente escribir un solo libro para contar su propia historia dramática, una donde nos hablara de sus feas vivencias de la niñez, de sus traumas, de la superación, etc. Pero todo eso se vio opacado por un romance, por lo cual un tema tan enriquecedor es absorbido por una protagonista PATÉTICA.

No se si fue porque este libro este cargado de tópicos que fue por lo que no pude conectar con la protagonista, esta bien que tenga todos esos problemas, pero había algo en su voz que no era auténtica, se sentía forzada. Ella vaciló entre tener un proceso de pensamiento muy maduro para tener estos pensamientos “adolescentes” inmaduros y digo “adolescente” porque se sentía como que la autora la escribió como una adulta imitando una adolescente molesta, pero a veces era tan niñata, tan infantil, y luego de repente era tan adulta, que no tenía sentido y no me refiero solo a su comportamiento, sino a su forma de pensar, cada 3 paginas llenaba media pagina hablando sobre el hoyuelo de Rider, llego a hartarme tanto el puñetero hoyuelo que quería quemarle la cara a Rider para que Mallory dejara de hablar de el, no hablemos del "cuerpazo" que tiene Rider porque la descripción también venia cada 3 paginas, en verdad las autoras creen que cada 2 segundos las adolescentes piensan sobre el cuerpo de un hombre? lo único bueno de ella ha sido su evolución a lo largo del libro.

Después tenemos a Rider otro protagonista detestable de principio a fin, odiaba con todas mis fuerzas que llamara a Mallory "Ratón" creo que me venían arcadas cada que le llamaba así, lo más ridículo es que se notaba que Rider tenia millones de traumas que resolver, pero que convenientemente la protagonista a pesar de estar llena de traumas nunca los vio y los dejo pasar. Really?
No entiendo como es que les gusto un personaje como Rider que con su simple declaración de amor se veía venir la clase de persona que era, como puede ser que en plena declaración, mencione a la ex? Que horror!!! Eso se hace cuando ella saca el tema, que poco tacto.
Incluso en el tema del trafico de drogas, Rider se mete en el negocio pero un día se levanta y dice que esta mal y se sale y afortunadamente el maravilloso de Rider sale ileso, sus clientes lo aprueban, incluso se olvidan de él y el mundo parece seguir rondando en la misma dirección. Estas jodiendome? TODOS SABEMOS que esto nunca sucede, esta clase de cosas no es como arrancarse un curita y todo esta bien.

En resumen es que Mallory es la chica inocente y necesitada, que tiene aspiraciones, es rica y Rider es el salvador macho fuerte y solidario, que no tiene un futuro y que es pobre. Por desgracia, esto es un cliche que está presente en muchas, PERO muchas historias y lamentablemente en esta historia, es significativamente afectada mi opinión por los típicos personajes y su relación.

La relación entre Mallory y Rider era mi mayor preocupación. Su relación es muy fuerte, pero es demasiado "profunda", que poco a poco llegó a ser tan tóxica justo cuanto más se aprendió acerca de los personajes, así como su pasado en común. Rider tiene esta necesidad persistente para proteger a Mallory y esto hace que ella dependa de su protección. A pesar de que hacen un desarrollo un tanto significativo para el final del libro, el fundamento de su relación íntima asalto todas las alarmas. Fue bueno ver que al menos las preocupaciones de Rosa y Carl sobre la relación, ya que sin duda fue razonable. En lo personal, Rider y Mallory estarían mejor como sólo amigos, a pesar de compartir algunos momentos lindos a largo de la novela.

También tenemos el gran problema del vocabulario en algunos personajes, ya que la autora cree que si eres de Puerto Rico hablas "Puerto Rico" no hablas español latino o castellano, hablas dependiendo del país que vengas, esto es bastante ofensivo, lo editores no hablan con los autores o no les buscan personas para que los orienten y no se cometan errores como estos en los libros? #EPICFAIL

Una novela que pudo tratar sobre el abandono y el maltrato infantil, junto con familias que acogen a los niños abandonados, las pandillas adolescentes y los barrios de mala muerte pasan sin pena ni gloria en las más de 500 paginas de la historia. El libro también es innecesariamente largo. 544 páginas de nada en realidad.

Nunca hubiera imaginado lo cursi, predecible y horrible que iba a ser. Pero es que esta historia fue tan difícil de leer... a tan solo a la pagina 100 ya quería dejarlo, esto no es definitivamente lo que yo esperaba. Había descubierto que la dirección que tomaba la trama era muy poco realista y terminó por no gustarme los personajes protagonicos, no me hubiera importado si Rider o Mallory terminaban muertos, en serio este libro hubiera mejorado con eso, para mí los personajes secundarios eran mucho más favorables que los personajes principales, me encanta los personajes secundarios, Jayden, Hector, Paide, Katie y Ainsley. No hubo conexión con Mallory y Rider.

Lo que sí que me ha gustado es el discurso al final que da Mallory sobre el daño que puede hacer un pasado horrible en una persona, lo difícil que es sobrevivir a veces, la importancia de confiar en uno mismo, así como el apoyo de los amigos y familia. ...more

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Mar 22, 2017 Patricia Bejarano rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Si me conocéis, sabéis que Jennifer L. Armentrout es una de mis autoras favoritas, y en cuanto me enteré de que llegaba a España este libro, no pude ser más feliz. Y es que encima he amado cada palabra desde el principio de la historia.
Es un libro donde se tratan temas peliagudos, como el maltrato infantil, el abandono y sus efectos a largo plazo y ¡qué bien lo ha hecho Jennifer! Ha creado a unos personajes redondos, donde podemos ver como sus circunstancias de niños les han afectado en su vida. ...more

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About Jennifer L. Armentrout

Jennifer L. Armentrout

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Hey Guys! Please note: I don't send out ARCs for review. If you're interested in reviewing a book of mine before release date, please contact the appropriate publisher. I also do NOT check my Goodreads email.

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# 1 New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Jennifer L. Armentrout Lives in West Virginia.

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