This book is definitely a hard one to review! It is most definitely not light reading, but deals with a lot of hard hitting subjects that are difficult at best to deal with in one's life. It is a very emotional read, allowing us to forge a deep connection to the characters, and yet I kept feeling like something was missing from the story. Some events happened too fast for my liking, and I also didn't agree with how things ended up between certain characters. The religious theme in the book is very heavy handed, almost preachy to a degree, and woven throughout the story, but was essential to how the story turned out. I'm not entirely sure I liked it all that well, and am hesitant to read the sequel to this or the rest of the series. Goodreads Description- It was something she would never forgive herself for…It wasn’t until lunchtime that Jessi remembered to call home. No answer. She tried calling several times while she ate her lunch. Still no answer. She closed her eyes and rested her arms and head on her desk. She breathed deeply, wishing she had remembered to call earlier. Until Forever is a story of a young family that is torn apart by the devastating effects of alcoholism. Can healing take place in a relationship when an unforgivable act is committed? Will Jessi's pain and Mark's guilt keep them apart forever, or will unforeseen circumstances bind them together? I want to start off by saying that I am not a big fan of the Christian Literature genre, but I knew what I was reading before I started because this book was given to me by the author to read for a review. The book started off with quite a bit of religious and biblical references which started to make me worry that I wouldn't like the story. However, the religious references become less frequent after about 100 pages and from there the plotline became more enjoyable and flowed much easier for me.When I read the description of the book it sounded like something that would interest me. Alcoholism affects so many families and in so many ways. Sadly there are quite a few members of my family either struggling with sobriety or alcoholism itself, so I felt like I could personally connect with the story. I don't want to give any of the story away, but some of the things Mark did were just unforgivable to me and it totally surprised me that his wife, Jessi, didn't just leave. I really thought there would be much more judgment from Jessi. I know I wouldn't have been able to forgive my own husband if he did what Mark did in the book. The forgiveness on Jessi's part really through me for a loop because there was a lot less "preachyness" than I expected for a Christan novel.I also usually like more suspense and twists in books, since my reading tends to lean towards the mystery genre. This book didn't have many but the author certainly had the opportunity to write more twists in considering the events that occurred. The writing was ok...nothing fantastic or off the charts about it. It was a fast and light read, which was disappointing because the author could have done so much more with this book. I feel like she had a good idea for a novel and started it but really didn't know where to go from there. I wish the book were longer or had more suspense rather than fill it with the fluff that was written. There just could have been so much more built around the storyline. My real rating would be a 2.5 but I didn't think it deserved a 2 so I went with 3 stars.
What do You think about Until Forever (2011)?
This is a good book to remind us of love and forgiveness.
—alexrulez16
