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.
Goodreads
My Rating: 5 Stars
I’ve read a lot of really great books this summer. Most in the Romance genre, and quite a few light and fun ones. The Problem With Forever is one of the few books I’ve read this year that tackles real issues. Issues that people face everyday, ones that are kind of swept under the rug by society and not thought about.
The main character, Mallory, grew up in an abusive foster home. Her only saving grace in the house was another foster child, Rider. Because her foster parents hated sounds, Mallory learned to never make any – she walked silently and never spoke. When she was finally rescued from the home and adopted by loving parents, she faced a litany of issues that prevented her from entering “normal” society. When she finally decided to give high school a shot, she ran into Rider, her best friend from childhood.
The Problem With Forever is without a shadow of a doubt Jennifer Armentrout’s best work to date. I say this having read literally every single book she has written – I adored both the Lux and Covenant series’ (I’ve also loved all of the books she published under J. Lynn). The book, however, is not only well written (we all know Armentrout can write), its touching. It tugs on heartstrings and gets the reader emotionally invested in the characters.
I absolutely adored Mallory as a lead character and narrator. The way her narration was written was genius in that you could sense her shyness in the words. Even in her thoughts she pauses, and stutters – her hesitation is evident in her story telling. Best of all, she grew exponentially over the course of the novel. And not in a cliched or rushed way, she grew slowly and over the course of many failures.
Rider was the perfect romantic interest. He believed in Mallory from the start of the book, and had changes of his own to make. I loved that he constantly tried to save Mallory before being saved himself by her.
My Takeaway: I just…have no more words. If you read nothing else before summer officially ends, read this book. Its a beautiful story about overcoming your past and learning to love yourself.
As The Book Ends 