The Problem With Forever

by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Some secrets go too deep for words…

From No. 1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout comes a riveting new story about friendship, survival and finding your voice…

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 home schooling 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 realise 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 lingering scars from the past. And as she watches Rider's life spiral out of control, Mallory must make 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.

• ISBN10: 1760374482
• ISBN13: 9781760374488
• Publish Date: 1 June 2016 (first published 17 May 2016)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: AU
• Imprint: HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty Ltd
• Format: eBook (EPUB)
• Pages: 480
• Language: English

Reviews

[Pigpen.Reads]

This book hits some deep topics. From child abuse, drug abuse, to moving on, and self love.

Everything about this is well written. Jennifer L. Armentrout did a great job hitting all the emotions involved.

I do wonder what Ainsley talked to Hector about. I would like that story to continue :)

[Berls]

Might be my favorite JLA book! Loved the characters and the romance but most of all how this is a book about growing up and into yourself - to accept yourself and everything you are. The way she handled the foster system was so good - a delicate balance between some people doing amazing things for children and an unfortunate group who do horrible things and abuse the system. The struggles of the poor and the struggle of those caught in a system was beautifully - and painfully at times - given realistic justice. As a teacher, I appreciated seeing that some teachers see everything and really can make a difference, while others miss the mark. So good!

[Cocktails and Books]

Tough subject matter, but Jennifer L. Armentrout handled it with grace and understanding. Rider and Mallory definitely suffered, but this story proved that no matter how strong someone appears on the outside sometimes you need a mouse to save you.

[Sarah Says]

A story about abusive foster homes, social labels and second changes.
Mallory and Rider, the two main characters live in the same foster home and are everything to each other from a young age. Separated by a horrific turn of events, they are reunited in their late teens, bringing love and hope back into each other’s lives.
The pace was a little slow at times and yes, the romance was predictable but sometimes we need that happily ever after.

[girlinthepages]

This was the most different book by Jennifer L. Arementrout that I've read. Having read all of her Lux series and her stand along thriller Don't Look Back, I enjoyed her books but I thought her writing voice, and formulas, could be a bit predictable at times. Going into The Problem with Forever, I was a little skeptical because I wasn't sure Armentrout's trademark sarcastic humor and hot guy formula were going to work with the topics at hand. I was pleasantly surprised to find The Problem with Forever a book with a quiet yet intense romance that had a sincerity and sweetness to it despite the heavier topics and setting.

The Problem with Forever is a book with a foundation in broken family systems. Mallory and Rider were both raised for several years in an extremely abusive foster home, and for years the only true social interactions they had were with each other. After a dangerous incident that is revealed throughout the book, Mallory and Rider are separated and taken out of the home.

The story picks up with Mallory at age 17, having been taken in by an extremely caring and wealthy couple (both doctors/surgeons). Mallory suffers from severe PTSD from the abusive home she grew up in, and she's trying to adapt to a new, safe lifestyle and finally encounters Rider again when she makes the decision to forgo homeschooling and enter the public world by attending high school. Once they inevitably run into each other at school, the story picks up and more ugly truths about their past are revealed, along with the strengthening of the emotions between them.

While this book definitely has a very sweet, genuine, and swoon-worthy romance, it was overshadowed for me by how it served as a platform to show how different people handle the same circumstances so differently. It was so interesting seeing how Rider and Mallory grew up in the same environment but were impacted so differently by it, and how their PTSD manifested in each of them. Mallory is rendered almost mute in many social situations, clinging to her invisibility and finds it a painful process to integrate herself into her peer group or to express a dissenting opinion. Rider, on the other hand, has several close friends and is fairly well known, at ease in social situations, but channels his inner guilt and grief through his artwork, occasional bad choices, and through the complete dismissal of his own potential for a meaningful future and life. Mallory and Rider's relationship served as a platform for them to have to confront the damage that had been done to them in that foster home, which they had both been burying in the past to an extent.

The Problem with Forever also includes a lot of diversity within its cast of characters without it feeling forced. Rider is of partial Latino descent, his current foster family is Puerto Rican, and Carl and Rosa, Mallory's adoptive parents, are most likely of Latino descent too. There are more nuanced depictions of diversity as well, such as one character becoming partially disabled,as she finds out she is going blind and Mallory herself deals with mental illness in the form of her PTSD. Every character in this novel had their flaws, and was often a more well-rounded character for it.

I also appreciated the way that this story integrated parental figures. There were obviously examples of truly heinous foster parents, but also examples of genuinely caring foster parents such as Mrs. Luna, Carl, and Rosa. Carl and Rosa were flawed and by no means perfect, but their earnestness and genuine concern for Mallory was evident, even when you wanted to yell at them for being so closed minded about somewhat snobbish toward Rider. They make the mistakes of trying to coddle Mallory too much, but readers are also shown the concern they have about Rider being a trigger for the traumatic elements from Mallory's past that she's worked so hard to put behind her. Perhaps as I get older I'm just able to empathize more with parents in novels, but I thought Armentrout did a great job giving parents, both good and bad, a presence in this story, and showing how integral they are to a teenager's experience growing up.

It's impossible to ignore that at its core, this story is largely a romance. I really loved the portrayal and growth of the romance, because it showed two people who were, realistically, at very different places in terms of the levels of physical and emotional intimacy that they are ready for. Rider was so sincere and earnest in defining the boundaries that Mallory was comfortable with, and vocalizing his questions and intentions when he did want to be close to her. It made me fall in love with him as a love interest 10,000x more than I usually would in a YA book like this because he's almost a YA anomaly: attractive, artistic, swoon-worthy, but also responsible, considerate, and empathetic.

Overall: The Problem with Forever is truly a novel that felt different from any other Jennifer L. Aremntrout book I've read before. While I feel that the book at times dragged and could have benefited from being about 100 pages shorter, I applaud her for dealing with tougher topics such as foster homes, abuse, and grief, and still managing to bring a levity, kindness, and joy to her characters. At times the book did feel a bit heavy handed with its "lessons." The Problem with Forever also depicts a very sweet and genuine romance that didn't feel cheesy or cliché, but that navigated different boundaries and communication styles. If you're looking for a read that's firmly within the YA genre but that deals with some heavier themes without getting too dark, this story is a great choice.This review was originally posted on Girl in the Pages

[writehollydavis]

Can I rate this more than 5 stars? Like 6? or 10? 'Cause that's what it deserves! Drew me in from page one and captivated my heart. I love this story!!

3.5 stars

[Leah]

For the past few weeks, I’ve been feeling very “meh” over the books I’ve been reading. They’ve been okay, but haven’t really blown me away, and I don’t know if that was because I was so tired (I’m exhausted, ALWAYS) or because the books just weren’t exciting me. So you can imagine my utter relief that I absolutely loved and devoured The Problem With Forever. I’ve read a few of Jennifer’s books, mostly her new adult ones, actually, and she’s always impressed me with her writing, but of all the books of hers I’ve read (like three? Maybe four?) this is by far the best one (so far). I read half of it before a shift at work and the second half after I’d finished my shift, that’s how excited this book made me feel.

What Mallory and Rider go through is probably one of the worst things ever, absolutely horrifying, something that no child (or adult) should ever have to go through, but the fact that they had each other, back when they were younger was a little bit of a beacon of hope. It wasn’t fantastic, but at least they had each other, and you just know from the very beginning, from that opening chapter, back in the past, that what Mallory and Rider share is extraordinary. We never learn how they come to be fostered together, but the way Rider wanted to protect Mallory, always, shines through this book as if it’s literally right there in front of you, watermarked into every page. It’s safe to say, it’s also swoon-worthy as hell.

I just wanted to grab Mallory in the biggest hug ever and never let her go. The way her past has affected her, made me want to punch someone, and to see her so shy and nervous, but willing to go to public school was so brave and amazing. And, y’know, BONUS because Rider. But there were just times I wanted to be next to her, to help her, to stick up for her, because she said at one stage she didn’t feel normal, and that just made me so sad because she was normal. Like Rider (or Ainsley) said to her, she was just shy. If being shy makes you abnormal, then there are *NO* normal people left. I loved the way that Ainsley, her best friend, helped her though, and how Carl and Rosa were there for Mallory whatever, and then there was Rider, who was just god damn perfect, no matter what he said. Their chemistry, right from the word go, was just off the charts, I’m not even kidding you. It was palpable. My book pages were quivering with excitement, I’m almost positive.

It feels strange for me to say I loved this book immensely. That Mallory and Rider made me indescribably happy, how they just fell into their old routines, how it was like four years hadn’t passed since they last saw each other. Especially considering what goes on in the book, with one particular plot point leaving me in tears; because despite seeing it coming, and hoping I was severely wrong, it still left me stunned and sad. But The Problem With Forever had it’s happy moments, had it’s times when you forgot the bad stuff, and the vast majority of that featured Mallory and Rider in the same scenes together because it was magical. This was the kind of read that I just couldn’t stop reading, it just completely overtook me, I felt like I was there, with Mallory. This is by far one of my favourite reads of this year, and it was exactly, exactly what I needed. Thank you, Jennifer, truly.

[Leigha]

In this Young Adult contemporary romance, Mallory Dodge reconnects with a former friend when she decides to enroll at her local public school.

I'll just say it - I had a really difficult time connecting to Mallory. It made caring about her or her story almost impossible, which in return made it a really boring read. Perhaps the way her background is doled out in bits and pieces throughout the novel made it difficult to connect to her. It wasn't until the last 20% of the book that I finally felt something for her, and in return enjoyed the ending.

On top of my disconnect with the main character, I had a really hard time accepting the romance between Mallory and Rider. I honestly thought their romance was a little unhealthy considering they grew up together like brother and sister. They are not blood related, but they lived as foster siblings for over 10 years. They may have been separated for four years, but their history is still very much a part of the story. I suspect this is a small pet peeve of mine (same reason I have a hard time enjoying the romance between Barry and Iris in The Flash) and other people may not have the same peeve.

I did enjoy the multiple POC characters. I hope to see more main and secondary POC characters in YA literature in general.

tl;dr If you enjoy "issue" type books, character-driven novels, or inspirational survival stories of abuse/neglect, then you might enjoy this book.

[Linda]

This review was originally posted on (un)Conventional Bookviews
The Problem With Forever gave me all the feels, and it took me a while to be able to actually write a full review - no coherence for days.



I love NA novels that make me sad, angry, happy - sometimes all at the same time. The Problem With Forever really rose to the occasion and made my heart break more than once, and I cried, laughed and cheered. I also screamed a bit - especially at Mallory's adoptive dad - because characters did or said stuff they really shouldn't have. Mallory and Rider *sighs* they have been through so much darkness and abuse, it's truly amazing they can function and have any kind of hope at all. They were in the same foster home until something really bad happened, and Mallory was taken to the hospital, where she was later adopted by two doctors. And then she was homeschooled, because for the longest time, she didn't talk. At all. Because she had to be as quiet as possible in her foster home, just to stay safe from her foster dad's explosive anger.

Rider and Mallory tried their best to take care of each other when they were children, and after they were separated, they both thought they wouldn't ever see each other again. And this was true until Mallory started high school for her senior year so she could get ready for college. The Problem With Forever captured the way both Mallory and Rider had been lost without each other, and how strong their bond was because they had grown up in the same sad and dark situation. I loved seeing them get to know each other again, and I especially loved the character development that showed Mallory transform from 'Mouse' to a young woman who was able to stand up for herself and use actual words to do so.

The Problem With Forever touched my heart in all the right ways, and just thinking about it - I finished reading it over a week ago - makes my chest heavy all over again. Armentrout truly outdid herself here, both with the story, and the characters. I was captivated from page one.



I nodded as my heart turned into a gooey mess. He actually remembered that I drank milk every chance I got - that and Cokes, when Rosa and Carl let me get away with it. 

Page wasn't lurking by my locker Thrusday morning. Jayden was as I switched out my books. An act of God held up his baggy jeans. That faint earthy smell clung to is Ravens T-shirt.

What I was lacking wasn't thinner thighs or a flatter stomach. It was courage. The fat was, I was a giant scaredy-cat. how could I bet thinking about a guy's lips when I couldn't even get mine to work to form words?