― Jennifer L. Armentrout, The Problem with Forever
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.
1. Ok so I just finished this book. My reviews are never to be trusted when I’m still all up in my feels about a book. FAIR WARNING. I’ve read this book every moment of my spare time for the last two days. Not because I was super into the book or particularly enjoying it even, but because I was determined to finish it before book club tonight.
2. Wait, so you didn’t enjoy it? Nope. I really didn’t. In fact, even 150 pages in, I was still fairly certain this would be one of those books that I hate, despite everyone else loving it. But then… something switched. Sure, it was like 300 pages into the book. But all of a sudden, I saw the point to all the rambling and short, choppy sentences, and annoying characterization.
3. Oh man, Mallory. So Mallory had a pretty terrible childhood, and this whole book was about her journey to overcome those hardships. In short, Mallory is STRONG AS HELL *Kimmy Schmidt style*. Being in her brain from a first person point of view was challenging throughout the book, especially in the beginning. Mallory was nearly mute, and the author chose to portray this in her writing, which led to a lot of ……….. and a lot of short, choppy sentences. But, as the book progressed, Mallory progressed, and the writing got more fluid and more descriptive and it was like Mallory was literally unfolding in front of me, which, hello, is a brilliant writing tactic. Mallory played the victim throughout almost the whole book, even though she was making these brave choices and putting herself out there, which made me want to shake her a bit because she was way stronger than she realized. And I didn’t really love her and Rider’s relationship until all of a sudden I SAW WHY THEY WERE TOGETHER.
4. Ok, chill out. Sorry. I warned you that I’m still all in my feels about this book. But honestly. Amazing character development, super interesting plot lines (once you make it into the book). Normally, a book that I couldn’t get into until halfway through would not leave me recommending it to anyone, but this book seriously turned it around and gave me all the (mostly happy) tears.
5. So what does book club think? Well, I’m writing this BEFORE book club because I had to get my feelings out, which is so nice because I haven’t had a book make me feel like this in a while.
