Between Here and Forever by Elizabeth Scott

Release Date: 24th May, 2011

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Pages: 250pgs

The Story

Abby accepted that she can't measure up to her beautiful, magnetic sister Tess a long time ago, and knows exactly what she is: Second best. Invisible.

Until the accident.

Now Tess is in a coma, and Abby's life is on hold. It may have been hard living with Tess, but it's nothing compared to living without her.

She's got a plan to bring Tess back though, involving the gorgeous and mysterious Eli, but then Abby learns something about Tess, something that was always there, but she'd never seen.

Abby is about to find out that truth isn't always what you think it is, and that life holds more than she ever thought it could . . .

The Review

I've loved Elizabeth Scott's novels for years! Each time she brought a new book onto the table, I was RIGHT THERE to read and love it! From the very beginning of Ms Scott's career, each book that came out kept getting better and better. However, despite my excitement before this books release, I was 'little' disappointed with BETWEEN HERE AND FOREVER. It kind of fell a little short compared to her other fantastic YA novels!

The thing I love most about Scott's books is that they're light, quick, and fun little reads that every girl will enjoy no what the story is about. You see, I don't read a lot teen contemporary books, but Elizabeth Scott is an exception. Same goes with the similiar likes of Sarah Dessen and Susanne Colasanti. When it comes to Scott, I love the way she deals with tough teen issues - especially with her teen romances - and in the end you get something supersweet! BETWEEN HERE AND FOREVER may not be the strongest novel she's written, but I love the quirk in her characters and the sticky-little-emotional obstacles that the characters face throughout the entire book, events that kept me sucked in from chapter-to-chapter.

The main character, Abby, was a bit of a strange character for me. I don't about other readers but I found her a bit too weird for my liking. But of course we learn something that happened to her when she was around 14-15-ish and in that particular situation it is probably why she's the way she is. Unloved. Insecure. Lost. When readers finally get to know Abby and away from the shadow of her sister, you'll soon admire her strengths, her weaknesses, her devotion, and her adoration for her one-and-only sister. But trust me when I say this - I don't understand her love for her sister?!?! To me, the reason why Abby is so broken is because of her sister . . . because of her sister and all her drama which naturally made Abby feel so non-existent. Sometimes I wanted to grab her by the shoulders and say, "BE YOURSELF." As much as that troubled me, I enjoyed the world through Abby's eyes and her depiction of when her sister wasn't in a coma.

As chapters flew by, I started to fall for the love interest of the story . . . Eli. I thought his character was so sweet and it seemed crucial to have him invested in the story, because it also helped Abby's character develop into something less annoying. (Totally not saying you need a guy to fix things but in this case it did). Plus, he had the whole OCD thing going for him, which was good considering I have a bit of OCD myself. Clean freak. *smirks* Anyway, he too was a likeable character.

Overall, I wasn't absolutely CRAZY over BETWEEN HERE AND FOREVER like Elizabeth Scott's other books - ones that have become teen classics - but I still enjoyed the story. It's sometimes heart-breaking, sometimes emotional, sometimes what-the-hell-crazy, and sometimes inspiring which is exactly what you get in EVERY single Elizabeth Scott novel. If you haven't read any of Scott's novels, than I suggest you pick up one of her earlier novels before you start reading this one. Anyway, I'm looking forward to reading more future titles from this author!

The Rating
3/5 stars