ashbethindia's review against another edition
2.0
2 books in one
This book was a very sweet romance that I enjoyed until about the 75% mark on my Kindle when it turned into a very adult book (and not a very good one, at that). And the end...well...predictable. Not interested enough to read the next.
This book was a very sweet romance that I enjoyed until about the 75% mark on my Kindle when it turned into a very adult book (and not a very good one, at that). And the end...well...predictable. Not interested enough to read the next.
honey1382's review against another edition
5.0
This is an incredible story. If you want an ugly cry then this will do it. I am almost afraid to start the second book since there is so much hurt and anger and desolation in this one. I am praying for the HEA. This is one of those world rocking, earth-shattering, I want this kind of love but not with all the terrible loss and heartache, love story. This is one time when love REALLY needs to be enough.
whatcha_listening_to's review
4.0
I swear I read this Trilogy before, I swear it!
It all felt so familiar yet just out of my reach.
Ever and Cade’s correspondence is sweet and reminded me of when I had pen pals. The way they meet is sweet and you can tell they are going to be in each other’s lives for a long time.
This book is not for the faint of heart so much loss so much pain, I was a bawling me.
These characters just grabbed hold and wouldn’t let me go. I was rooting for them.
It ends on a bit of a cliff-hanger which I was expecting.
I loved the narration I think both of these narrators bring something to the book.
It all felt so familiar yet just out of my reach.
Ever and Cade’s correspondence is sweet and reminded me of when I had pen pals. The way they meet is sweet and you can tell they are going to be in each other’s lives for a long time.
This book is not for the faint of heart so much loss so much pain, I was a bawling me.
These characters just grabbed hold and wouldn’t let me go. I was rooting for them.
It ends on a bit of a cliff-hanger which I was expecting.
I loved the narration I think both of these narrators bring something to the book.
joannelw's review
3.0
Eindigend in cliffhanger. nu ben ik dus 'verplicht' gauw aan het volgende deel te beginnen, want ik moet wel weer weten hoe het verder gaat. Dat dan weer wel!
snowbenton's review
3.0
This book starts with two 15 year old protagonists who meet at summer camp, then follows their lives as they grow up as pen pals and reconnect in college. It starts out as an innocent romance, becomes a tragedy so sad I couldn't stop crying, then pulls a 180 and turns into nonstop graphic sex scenes, and then ends with a gruesome cliffhanger. Wilder's writing is compulsively highlight-able, yet her inability to settle on a genre makes this book more uncomfortable than enjoyable.
berls's review
3.0
This review appeared first at Fantasy is More Fun.
Actual rating - 2.5 stars
You ever have a dish made with all the ingredients you like and some bites taste okay, but really you just don't like it? And you're not 100% sure why, because by all rights you should? But something's wrong - they just don't go together for you or one ingredient is ruining the rest? Well that's how I felt about Forever & Always. It even had elements that reminded me of one of my favorite books this year - The Wright Brother by Marie Hall. But instead of blowing me away, Forever & Always left me feeling kinda meh.
I love epistolary novels - have ever since I read Dracula four or five years ago. Having events unfold in a letter gives things a very different effect and I like that. But a lot of these letters didn't do much for me - and I think it was because the letters never really TOLD the story. With maybe one or two exceptions, I had already SEEN what Ever or Caden (the main characters) were writing about. So the letters just became a place for emotions - emotions I had already seen and felt more powerfully when watching the scenes unfold. So the letters didn't help the story, but became like a weak echo of the story. I think the letters could have done a great job telling bits of the story, but because of what I'd already read they just did little to nothing for me.
I also love stories that span over several years, as characters grow and discover friendship and love (like The Wright Brother). And it worked - for the most part - in Forever & Always. My problem was that you had the first half of the book with this sweet, young friendship that's growing and definitely laced with romance - and then there's this shift at about - I don't know, 75%? - and I felt like I was reading awkward erotica. It was all of a sudden this shift, from awkwardness about things like kissing, to discovering sex for the first time, to page after page of descriptive sex, dirty talk, and very little plot. I wanted to hit the fast forward button - and did start skimming - I like erotica, but that wasn't the book I was reading and I wanted the story back. I think Jacinda Wilder tried to keep the story there, because Ever and Caden talk during sex constantly about how much they love each other and stuff. But it didn't work for me at all, instead it made things awkward for me.
And I love to have my heart torn out. A book full of tragedy and pain? Yes please! I'll eat that up. (I'm a bit of a masochist I guess). Forever & Always has tragedy all over the place. And at first it really got to me. But as the story progressed it started to get stale - because it was so the same and so predictable. Tragedy isn't quite as tragic when you knew it was coming 50 pages or so ago. And that was the story as a whole, unfortunately. After I figured out the rhythm, I knew what was coming from pretty much every angle. And it was either tragic or eye-roll worthy.
I even saw the sort of cliff-hanger, (supposed to be) supper emotional ending coming. I rolled my eyes and was knew that I wouldn't read te next one to find out what happens. I'm pretty sure I already know, based on the pattern. There's a sneak peak at the end of Forever & Always, but I really don't care. As harsh as I sound, I didn't hate Forever & Always. It was made up of lots of elements I like - even love - so in lots of ways it was okay. But putting them together just didn't thrill me like I thought it would. Oh well, at least now I know that I'm done with this series.
Actual rating - 2.5 stars
You ever have a dish made with all the ingredients you like and some bites taste okay, but really you just don't like it? And you're not 100% sure why, because by all rights you should? But something's wrong - they just don't go together for you or one ingredient is ruining the rest? Well that's how I felt about Forever & Always. It even had elements that reminded me of one of my favorite books this year - The Wright Brother by Marie Hall. But instead of blowing me away, Forever & Always left me feeling kinda meh.
I love epistolary novels - have ever since I read Dracula four or five years ago. Having events unfold in a letter gives things a very different effect and I like that. But a lot of these letters didn't do much for me - and I think it was because the letters never really TOLD the story. With maybe one or two exceptions, I had already SEEN what Ever or Caden (the main characters) were writing about. So the letters just became a place for emotions - emotions I had already seen and felt more powerfully when watching the scenes unfold. So the letters didn't help the story, but became like a weak echo of the story. I think the letters could have done a great job telling bits of the story, but because of what I'd already read they just did little to nothing for me.
I also love stories that span over several years, as characters grow and discover friendship and love (like The Wright Brother). And it worked - for the most part - in Forever & Always. My problem was that you had the first half of the book with this sweet, young friendship that's growing and definitely laced with romance - and then there's this shift at about - I don't know, 75%? - and I felt like I was reading awkward erotica. It was all of a sudden this shift, from awkwardness about things like kissing, to discovering sex for the first time, to page after page of descriptive sex, dirty talk, and very little plot. I wanted to hit the fast forward button - and did start skimming - I like erotica, but that wasn't the book I was reading and I wanted the story back. I think Jacinda Wilder tried to keep the story there, because Ever and Caden talk during sex constantly about how much they love each other and stuff. But it didn't work for me at all, instead it made things awkward for me.
And I love to have my heart torn out. A book full of tragedy and pain? Yes please! I'll eat that up. (I'm a bit of a masochist I guess). Forever & Always has tragedy all over the place. And at first it really got to me. But as the story progressed it started to get stale - because it was so the same and so predictable. Tragedy isn't quite as tragic when you knew it was coming 50 pages or so ago. And that was the story as a whole, unfortunately. After I figured out the rhythm, I knew what was coming from pretty much every angle. And it was either tragic or eye-roll worthy.
I even saw the sort of cliff-hanger, (supposed to be) supper emotional ending coming. I rolled my eyes and was knew that I wouldn't read te next one to find out what happens. I'm pretty sure I already know, based on the pattern. There's a sneak peak at the end of Forever & Always, but I really don't care. As harsh as I sound, I didn't hate Forever & Always. It was made up of lots of elements I like - even love - so in lots of ways it was okay. But putting them together just didn't thrill me like I thought it would. Oh well, at least now I know that I'm done with this series.
foxy_roxy's review
3.0
I really hate to do this, but I skipped thru a lot in this book. I totally loved the friendship/relationship that Caden and Ever develop.
It's the in between while they're away from each other that I just couldn't grasp.
And then when they finally meet while in College, I wasn't feeling that... Maybe it's just me, but I don't know.
I do have to say that the ending broke my heart.
It's the in between while they're away from each other that I just couldn't grasp.
And then when they finally meet while in College, I wasn't feeling that... Maybe it's just me, but I don't know.
I do have to say that the ending broke my heart.
refinishednurse's review
3.0
The story line was achingly tender. The language and sex not so much. I would have given it five stars if not for that.
sirenfae89's review
4.0
Some of the wording was a little clunky...sometimes technical medical terms would pop up out of place. All in all a great story though. It moved me to tears. It was a really emotional read but a great move.
singh_reads_kanwar2's review
3.0
This is a book with lots of twists and turns and teenager girls life who want their family but in a turmoil of loss of the mother and father who leave them for work as he want to get rid of feeling he have for his wife , he want to engage himself in a work so much that he don't want feeling come killing him inside and the tein sister thought he moved on after death ever want to be with caden and even want to have a family union which doesn't go well as in the part 1 of the series now have to find it's second part to read it...