Book Review: The Problem with Forever

Book Review: The Problem with Forever

Iqra Baggia, Scoop Editor

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

She uses silence not as her weapon, but as her shield. For Mallory “Mouse” Dodge, the silence allows her to completely blend in– for her, not being heard means not being seen. For Mallory, the silence saved her from a horrendous childhood. A childhood she can never escape because of the nightmares that forever haunt her. Fortunately, Mallory’s luck finally turned around when she was adopted by two wonderful people. Now, even though she is away from the nightmare, she fears that her inability to forget the past is effecting her present.

After years of being homeschooled, Mallory makes the decision to spend her senior year in public school. As each new surprise hits her, she never imagined the biggest of them all would walk into her Speech class on the first day of school– Rider Stark, her best friend and savior from childhood.

Mallory would not have survived in that horrible house if not for Rider, and she feels forever grateful; but, seeing him brings back all of the bad memories that Mallory is so desperately trying to rid her mind of. The silence is her shield, and Rider wants to break down every wall and get Mallory to see what life is all about. But Mallory discovers that Rider has not really let go of the past. Will she stay silent or will Mallory leave the mouse behind and speak out for the ones she loves?

 

An avid lover of realistic fiction that tilts towards a romance will be able to follow this plot because it is very similar to recent YA novels. The part of me that loves these types of pieces wanted to read “The Problem with Forever” over and over again. The writing style of Jennifer L. Armentrout has always pulled me in. Armentrout creates a scene in the mind’s eye that allows one to completely delve into the characters and the setting. Mallory would not usually be my favorite type of character, due to her shyness, but the reader can really learn to love reading as she comes out of her shell as the novel progresses. On the other hand, Rider is the definition of bad boy with a sweet side, especially when it comes to Mallory. His humor combined with his deep thoughts on life and moving past the problems they both faced, creates a contrast to the character of Mallory for those that can not get used to her shy nature.

Armentrout shows her award-winning writing in The Problem with “Forever.” Overall, I would give this book a 4 out of 5 stars for its excellent writing style and dynamic characters. One should pay attention to the seamless way in which the author switches from one character to the next makes it easy for the reader to switch from one character to the next. The only thing that kept it from being a full 5 are the aspects that make it much too similar to the YA novels that have been releasing lately.

“The Problem with Forever” is a novel that readers should definitely consider adding to their lists of must-read novels.