Title: Between Here and Forever
Author: Elizabeth Scott
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Published: May 24, 2011
Genre: YA, Contemporary
Pages: 256
Source: S&S Galley Grab

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 that 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...

Abby feels like she's always been living in a shadow. Tess had this personality that drew people in, and Abby always felt she lived in her shadow. She'd never be as pretty, or smart or athletic, or so she thought. But when an accident leaves Tess in a coma, Abby is left wondering where her place actually is. She's always been Tess's little sister - how can she live without that defining her life? Abby is positive there is a secret switch to wake Tess up though, and she's confident in her happy ending. The thing is...Abby never really knew the real Tess, and the real Tess might not just wake up how Abby wants her to.

Between Here and Forever is (I confess) my first taste of the contemporary author phenomenon that is Elizabeth Scott. Before you stone me in the street, please remember that contemps have never been my thing, so I always avoided such stories like the plague. Between Here and Forever portrays a heavy balance of character arcs, stunning revelations and plot points that fuel Abby's story forward from the first page to the last. With carefully crafted characters and strong emotions, Between Here and Forever is the embodiment of a story with a stunning twist that will leave the reader speechless.

I loved the writing style of Between Here and Forever. The writing is clear and succinct, the prose isn't flowery or overdone and the tone is accessible. I think that's the true strength of the book. That said, I'm going to have to throw this out there - I am so dang sick of self-deprecating female protagonists in contemporary fiction. I desperately wanted Abby to step out of her shell and come into her own in Between Here and Forever, but she seemed to just have this "woe is me" attitude throughout the entire story. She always made snide little comments about how ugly she was, or how stupid she was, or how she could never be like Tess. Ok, cool, we all have self-loathing moments, but it was so over-dramatic. I wanted to punch her in the face. I will, however, say that the revelation about the truth of Tess's character managed to save Between Here and Forever for me. The one thing I felt lacked in the story was more development of Eli's character. I felt he was a bit of a shadow lurking behind Abby's overdone hatred of herself. That said though, the sweet romance on the story was simple and believable, so that, too, was a good thing.

All in all, Between Here and Forever is a good read, and the author is a fabulous writer. I loved the voice, and truly it was just the main character that drove me mad in the end. I give it a 4 out of 5 for the writing and the overall story, subtracting only for Abby's ridiculousness and not knowing enough about Eli. I would recommend this one to fans of YA, especially those who enjoy contemporary fiction.

I received this eARC free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, affected my opinion or review of this book.

In My Mailbox is an amazing weekly meme hosted by Kristi from The Story Siren that features the books we have received during the week. It's so much fun because we get to see what our fellow bloggers stumbled upon this week and add even more to our piles of books! Without further ado, this week I received the following books:

FOR REVIEW:

Wrapped by Jennifer Bradbury - (eARC - Thank you, Simon & Schuster Galley Grab) - Agnes Wilkins dreams of adventures that reach beyond the garden walls, but reality for a seventeen-year-old debutante in 1815 London does not allow for camels—or dust, even. No, Agnes can only see a mummy when she is wearing a new silk gown and standing on the verdant lawns of Lord Showalter’s estate, with chaperones fussing about and strolling sitar players straining to create an exotic “atmosphere” for the first party of the season. An unwrapping.

Boyfriends With Girlfriends by Alex Sanchez - (eARC - Thank you, Simon & Schuster Galley Grab) - Lance has always known he was gay, but he's never had a real boyfriend. Sergio is bisexual, but his only real relationship was with a girl. When the two of them meet, they have an instant connection--but will it be enough to overcome their differences? Allie's been in a relationship with a guy for the last two years--but when she meets Kimiko, she can't get her out of her mind. Does this mean she's lesbian? Does it mean she's bi?

Between Here and Forever by Elizabeth Scott - (eARC - Thank you, Simon & Schuster Galley Grab) - 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.

FOR REVIEW

Stay by Deb Caletti - (eARC - Thank you, Simon & Schuster Galley Grab) - Clara’s relationship with Christian is intense from the start, and like nothing she’s ever experienced before. But what starts as devotion quickly becomes obsession, and it’s almost too late before Clara realizes how far gone Christian is—and what he’s willing to do to make her stay.

BOUGHT

The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen - Sixteen-year-old Macy Queen is looking forward to a long, boring summer. Her boyfriend is going away. She's stuck with a dull-as-dishwater job at the library. And she'll spend all of her free time studying for the SATs or grieving silently with her mother over her father's recent unexpected death. But everything changes when Macy is corralled into helping out at one of her mother's open house events, and she meets the chaotic Wish Catering crew.

Just Listen by Sarah Dessen - Last year, Annabel was "the girl who has everything"—at least that's the part she played in the television commercial for Kopf's Department Store.This year, she's the girl who has nothing: no best friend because mean-but-exciting Sophie dropped her, no peace at home since her older sister became anorexic, and no one to sit with at lunch. Until she meets Owen Armstrong.

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Remember, I have two international giveaways going on now! Enter to be one of three winners for a choice of 6 ARCs in my Birthday Bash Giveaway (ends 3/30) and, while you're at it, enter to win an ARC of Awaken (ends 4/15)!