I received this book for free from in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Problem with Forever
on May 17, 2016
Pages: 480 pages
“You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have” Bob Marley
That for me sums up this wonderful look at two teens who are in the foster care system and what happens when they lose touch with each other and then after a chance meeting, the journey back to each other’s lives.
Mallory Dodge is placed in a new foster care home after a horrific incident in the last home and loses touch with Rider Stark, who was her protector. She cannot believe who sits down beside her in class on her first day in school after she has been homeschooled for four years. Rider sees her and goes right back into “protect mode” and this is where this beautifully written story begins.
Ms. Armentrout does a fantastic job describing all the emotions Mallory experiences from the horror of the home she is rescued from to the new parents who are just trying to make a safe place for her yet allow her to become the special human being she is. Her parents Carl and Rosa Rivas are lovely people, and Mallory was blessed they have her best interest at heart. Even though it feels like they are over protective.
I loved the interaction between Mallory and Rider and “felt” the pain they experienced as children in Ms. Armentrouts writing. She also does an excellent job of capturing the lingo of teens, the way Mallory absorbs her surroundings be it at home, school or being with her friend Ainsley, who by the way I loved for being a friend to Mallory. She was a keeper.
The Problem With Forever was beautifully told, particularly because of the subject matter. Being this is a tough issue, as abuse at the hands of foster parents hard to write about, the author is respectful. The “kindness” comes though from all the characters in the new situation for Mallory that helps her becomes the strong person we come to love; that was lovely, and I enjoyed reading about it. I await the next book by this author because she now has a fan. Buy this book!
Reviewed by: Linda
# 1 NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY Bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout lives in West Virginia.
When she’s not hard at work writing, she spends her time, reading, working out, watching zombie movies, and pretending to write. She shares her home with her husband, his K-9 partner named Diesel and her hyper Jack Russell Loki. Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent her time writing short stories. Therefore explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes Young Adult Contemporary, Urban Fantasy/Paranormal and Romance. She writes New Adult and Adult romance under the pen name J.Lynn
She is the author of the Covenant Series (Spencer Hill Press) the Lux Series (Entangled Teen) and the upcoming YA Don’t Look Back (2014) and untitled YA (Fall 2014) from Disney/Hyperion. She is also published with Harlequin Teen and HarperCollins.
