Author: Elizabeth Scott
Publisher: Simon Pulse, 250 Pages (May 24th 2011)
From: the Publisher, Thank You!
Synopsis: 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...
Review: 3.5 Stars - Between Here and Forever by Elizabeth Scott is an emotionally charged story about a teenage girl trying to step out of the shadow of an older sibling. It’s about finding your own voice and growing into your own person.
On New Years Abby’s older sister Tess has a terrible accident and has been in a coma since. In Abby’s eyes her sister is perfect and has everything anyone could ever want. Being in her shadow is the only thing Abby has ever known. Abby and Tess couldn’t be two totally different people, yet Abby finds herself in her sisters’ shadow, even while in a coma.
Abby is a teen girl who’s struggling with many things. Finding out who she really is all the while figuring out what she really wants for herself. It’s more than just about Abby’s life but also the hidden secrets that come out about who her sister really was. As Abby puts together the puzzle pieces of her life and her sisters secret past, Abby starts to change and grow. It’s during these moments that her character shines.
Abby goes about to find a way to wake her sister up and asks for help from the new guy working at the hospital – Eli. She thinks her sister will wake up for him, so she finds a way to have Eli visit with Tess in the afternoons at the hospital.
Both Eli and Abby have more in common then they either understand. It’s not only Abby who has issues, Eli has just as much baggage he’s lugging around as Abby does. Eli was such an endearing character and in the end it was pretty easy for me to feel for the two semi broken teens.
The mystery surrounding Tess and her secrets and the growing pains Abby and Eli face made them all equally intriguing characters. Abby and Eli fit together, though their relationship is often bumpy, they work and as a reader I was able to get an amazingly strong sense as to who she was, even from the coma.
With real characters, an emotional story, truths and mysteries coming to the surface, Between Here and Forever was a quick read that kept my attention from beginning to end. I recommend this book to anyone looking for a contemporary YA with heart. Enjoy.
FTC Disclaimer: I did NOT pay for this book, nor have I been compensated at all in any way or means for reading and writing this HONEST review.
I loved the writing in this but I didn't really like Abby nor did I quite understand her idealization of Tess, which made it hard for me to connect with her. I'm still a huge Elizabeth Scott fan though.
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