A review by daylafm
Always Forever Maybe, by Anica Mrose Rissi
3.0
I received an eGalley via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review
Trigger warning: This book contains emotional and physical abuse.
Always Forever Maybe by Anica Mrose Rissi was, to be completely honest, really hard to read. It was addicting, but hard to read because of the perspective that we're reading the story from. The protagonist, Bee, is extremely unreliable and if it weren't for some issues with the pacing, the questionable conclusion, the short length of this book, and how everything tied up conveniently, this would have packed an even stronger punch.
I think the believability aspect of this was mostly the length of time that the story took for this troubled relationship to flourish. I, fortunately, do not have experience with an abusive relationship, so take what I'm saying with a grain of salt. For me, the story was hindered by the pacing. Yes, abusive relationships will change the victim of the abuse and their perspective of the life they've lived before the "romance" will also change, but I wish we would have gotten a bit more time for the narrator to fully show the extent of Aidan's control. And because of this, my main complaint regarding pacing is that because we didn't spend enough time seeing Aidan's controlling personality apart from glimpses of it, the effect was made a bit weaker.
That being said, however, this was still a really difficult and disturbing book to read. But I think rather than the things Aidan said and did (except for the obvious, because without even having read the synopsis, I knew this story would lead to where it eventually did lead), it was the way that Bee changed and reacted to him being in her world. In my opinion, Bee's change was the most terrifying aspect of this book. She is so impressionable and so in control of everything that it was almost a relief for her to be in a situation where the control wasn't in her hands.
Bee and her relationship with Jo, her best friend, was one that gave me hope that somewhere out there, someone has a similar observant friendship. She was probably one of my favourite characters in this book, if not my favourite.
To be honest, I kind of loved how the author included POC characters and LGBTQ+ situations without making it seem like she was checking off a bingo card, like so many authors have in the past--patting their own backs for being so inclusive.
My complaints all deal with, again, the pacing and the ending.
is a little unnecessary.
Is this a favourite read? No. Is it a jarring read? Yes, very, very jarring simply because of its unapologetic dive into an abusive relationship. The first person narrative and unreliable storytelling makes this book both addictive and disturbing.
This is an important read because, as a friend said when I discussed this book with her, it gets a conversation started. The unreliable and biased voice of Bee is something that might help others see, but still not entirely understand that sort of situation. Also, how hard it can be to rationalize beyond the bubble the abuser has created for their victim.
One of the great things awaiting the reader at the end, however, are the resources for anyone who is, has, or might know someone in an abusive relationship.
Happy reading!
Trigger warning: This book contains emotional and physical abuse.
Always Forever Maybe by Anica Mrose Rissi was, to be completely honest, really hard to read. It was addicting, but hard to read because of the perspective that we're reading the story from. The protagonist, Bee, is extremely unreliable and if it weren't for some issues with the pacing, the questionable conclusion, the short length of this book, and how everything tied up conveniently, this would have packed an even stronger punch.
I think the believability aspect of this was mostly the length of time that the story took for this troubled relationship to flourish. I, fortunately, do not have experience with an abusive relationship, so take what I'm saying with a grain of salt. For me, the story was hindered by the pacing. Yes, abusive relationships will change the victim of the abuse and their perspective of the life they've lived before the "romance" will also change, but I wish we would have gotten a bit more time for the narrator to fully show the extent of Aidan's control. And because of this, my main complaint regarding pacing is that because we didn't spend enough time seeing Aidan's controlling personality apart from glimpses of it, the effect was made a bit weaker.
That being said, however, this was still a really difficult and disturbing book to read. But I think rather than the things Aidan said and did (except for the obvious, because without even having read the synopsis, I knew this story would lead to where it eventually did lead), it was the way that Bee changed and reacted to him being in her world. In my opinion, Bee's change was the most terrifying aspect of this book. She is so impressionable and so in control of everything that it was almost a relief for her to be in a situation where the control wasn't in her hands.
Bee and her relationship with Jo, her best friend, was one that gave me hope that somewhere out there, someone has a similar observant friendship. She was probably one of my favourite characters in this book, if not my favourite.
To be honest, I kind of loved how the author included POC characters and LGBTQ+ situations without making it seem like she was checking off a bingo card, like so many authors have in the past--patting their own backs for being so inclusive.
My complaints all deal with, again, the pacing and the ending.
Spoiler
Rather than leaving Bee to heal and learn that she can be on her own, there is the promise of a future romance. Yes, it's a much healthier romance and it was kind of alluded to the eventual pairing of these two, but I find that the parallels of the two relationships fails because rather than the reader being left with the idea that Bee can and will have a future for healing, they're left with yet another promise of a relationship--like the beginning of the novel. Yes, she tells him that she's not ready, but the fact that he will be "waiting"is a little unnecessary.
Is this a favourite read? No. Is it a jarring read? Yes, very, very jarring simply because of its unapologetic dive into an abusive relationship. The first person narrative and unreliable storytelling makes this book both addictive and disturbing.
This is an important read because, as a friend said when I discussed this book with her, it gets a conversation started. The unreliable and biased voice of Bee is something that might help others see, but still not entirely understand that sort of situation. Also, how hard it can be to rationalize beyond the bubble the abuser has created for their victim.
One of the great things awaiting the reader at the end, however, are the resources for anyone who is, has, or might know someone in an abusive relationship.
Happy reading!