The Problem with Forever

by LiterallyLenny - 5:45 PM

What's it about?

"For some people, silence is a weapon. For Mallory “Mouse” Dodge, it’s a shield. Growing up, she 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 with loving adoptive parents, Mallory must face a new milestone—spending her senior year at public high school. But of all the terrifying and exhilarating scenarios she’s imagined, there’s one she never dreamed of—that she’d run into Rider Stark, the friend and protector she hasn’t seen since childhood, on her very first day.

It doesn’t take long for Mallory to realize that the connection she shared with Rider never really faded. Yet the deeper their bond grows, the more it becomes apparent that she’s not the only one grappling with the lingering scars from the past. And as she watches Rider’s life spiral out of control, Mallory faces a choice between staying silent and speaking out—for the people she loves, the life she wants, and the truths that need to be heard." - Goodreads Synopsis

My Thoughts:

This book was freaking wonderful but so incredibly annoying at the same time. It was such a difficult topic to read about but it was done so nicely (as nice as it can be). It had the obnoxious girl falling in love for the first time and the typical "oh my god does he like me?" nonsense. Other than that though, it was a beautiful story. The underlying message of the whole book was so sweet. Basically, at the end of the day, forever does not exist. And forever may or may not be a good thing. But, regardless, be happy with what you have and never take anything for granted.

Every time Mallory overcame an obstacle I did a little happy dance inside. You really felt for her because she was so lost and scared but at the end, you're just so proud of her and everything she has done to keep herself from continuing down the rabbit hole. I honestly wish I had her courage and bravery because a lot of the time, I feel like shutting down myself. But she's right. You're never going to get better if you don't try. Because it's just so damn easy to not try. It's so easy to just give up and cry. But it gets you no where in the end, and that is something I think everyone needs to learn, whether it's the hard way or not.

Rider's character bothered me because I didn't find him to be too realistic. I mean, I'm not saying that he's unrealistic because he's super nice and sweet but nothing about his character seemed genuine to me. Honestly, I was more shipping Jayden and Mallory than Mallory and Rider...
Overall, I really applaud the author for writing such a deep and difficult book. It's something that no one really wants to admit actually happens in this world, but iT does, and the author pulls it off beautifully.

This book gives you ALL the feels. I cried and I laughed and I yelled. It's wonderful. There are parts that I think could have been omitted to make for a better novel, but regardless, it was quite the enjoyable read.