Friday, January 15, 2021

Book Review and Giveaway: The Forever Girl


By Sara Steven

When Maze returns to Wildstone for the wedding of her estranged bff and the sister of her heart, it’s also a reunion of a once ragtag team of teenagers who had only each other until a tragedy tore them apart and scattered them wide.

Now as adults together again in the lake house, there are secrets and resentments mixed up in all the amazing childhood memories. Unexpectedly, they instantly fall back into their roles: Maze their reckless leader, Cat the den mother, Heather the beloved baby sister, and Walker, a man of mystery. 

Life has changed all four of them in immeasurable ways. Maze and Cat must decide if they can rebuild their friendship, and Maze discovers her long-held attraction to Walker hasn’t faded with the years but has only grown stronger. (Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads)

Out of the Wildstone series, The Forever Girl was my absolute favorite, hands down. And granted, it’s only my third time back to the small town, but I really couldn’t get enough of all of the special characters that made this book an absolute five-star experience.

I really love Maze. From the get go, there is no misreading who she is, an impetuous woman who used to go by the nickname, “Mayhem Maze.” So much of that is tied into her past and what she had to deal with for most of her childhood, and it has made it difficult for anyone to get close to her. The only people she allows in are the ones she had spent so much time with when she was a teen, and even that is debatable. It’s always been easier to remain at arm’s length, because there is less chance of getting hurt that way. She also carries around massive amounts of guilt that has eaten away at her over the years, making her blind to what is in front of her, and more importantly, who wants to be there for her.

Her support system, as mentioned in the synopsis, all have their own hurdles to overcome. Cat has potential relationship woes, while Heather hasn’t been forthcoming about immense changes that have occurred in her life since the last time the four of them had been together. Walker faces the same sort of past that Maze does, and while he’s more prone to accepting love from others, there is still a lot of baggage he carries around with him, past hurts that feel daunting. Walker is Maze’s Achilles heel, the one person she feels completely herself around, but at a cost. It made for an interesting dynamic. 

To shed some perspective on how much I loved The Forever Girl; I finished it within a twenty-four hour period. And I’m not prone to feeling overly emotional when I read books, yet there were certain moments that really got to me with this one, particularly when Maze comes face to face with one of her deepest regrets in life. That moment really had this reader all sorts of teary-eyed. This experience really had everything I look for in a good book. An amazingly flawed protagonist. Great characterization. Not to mention the friendships and sizzling hot moments that had the perfect build up and didn’t rush into anything. I was definitely a goner during my stay in Wildstone, totally and completely hooked!

Thanks to William Morrow for the book in exchange for an honest review. They have one copy for a lucky reader!

How to win: Use Rafflecopter to enter the giveaway. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. If you have trouble using Rafflecopter on our blog, enter the giveaway here


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Giveaway ends January 19th at midnight EST.

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22 comments:

Melissa said...

My favorite memory from childhood is all the family vacations we would take in the Summer. They were not solely vacations for recreational purposes, but always felt more like adventures where we would enjoy a delicate combination of relaxation, exploration and the chance to learn and expand our knowledge. My mom always made it very special for us.

Gretchen said...

Getting up, riding bikes, making forts in the woods, catching fireflies, staying up late, and just soaking in all that summer offers.

traveler said...

My favorite family memory was when I was young. My mother took me to a memorable and unforgettable Yiddish woman singer concert, Martha Schlamme. This was during the winter so we took a bus to the theatre at night. The theatre was beautiful and people of all ages were there. When we took the bus home we passed by movie theatres where the marquis was lit up and people were buying tickets to see the latest movie. A different day, age, time and it was captured in my mind forever.

Julie C said...

Visiting Toronto when I was 11 years old- visiting the CN Tower and Niagara Falls.

penney said...

Great review thank you! My favorite memory from childhood is camping with my Mom and her sister and 3 kids
Penney

Mary Patricia Bird said...

I am currently reading a Jill Shalvis book. Can't wait to read this one.

Rita Wray said...

My favorite childhood memory is when my dad built a playhouse for me and my sister. It was so cute with a little patio. There was also a window and my mom hung a lovely lace curtain in it.

Katherine said...

Some of my favorite memories are fishing with my Dad.

Nancy said...

I remember having so much fun playing with my cousins. We were all fairly close in age to each other.



Nancy
allibrary (at) aol (dot) com

jodi marinich said...

i always remember just playing outside with all the kids in my neighborhood...

diannekc said...

Going on vacation with my parents. They always took us on awesome vacations.

Di said...

Girl Scout day camp - even when it rained.

Mary Preston said...

I had a very happy childhood FULL of great memories.

Linda Kish said...

I was just talking about this yesterday...taking vacations with my family when I was young and leaving before dawn to get on the road. Watching the sun come up, sitting up front with my dad, keeping him company. Those were always such fun.

bn100 said...

riding bikes

dstoutholcomb said...

loved our road trips to Tennessee to stay with my grandparents

Charlotte Lynn said...

One of my favorite memories is all the time spent on the ski hill. We lived just a few minutes away and I always had a season pass.

Bonnie K. said...

Some favorite childhood memories of mine are roller skating, riding my bicycle around the neighborhood, going to the library to check out books, camping and fishing, riding my bicycle to the public pool to swim, and hanging out with friends.

Peggy Russo said...

My favorite memories are the summers we spent at the Jersey Shore. Summer weekends and vacations are what I looked forward to all year long.

Annmarie Weeks said...

So fortunate to have many, many wonderful childhood memories! I treasure the time that I spent going on long bike rides with my stepdad!

rubynreba said...

My favorite memory from childhood is the time I spent with my Grandma.

Anonymous said...

When I was growing up we would go to a resort in Wisconsin and rent a cabin where my dad could fish and my sister and I could swim and my mom could just relax. Thanks for your great generosity. Linda May