Title: Between Here and Forever
Author: Elizabeth Scott [website] [twitter] [facebook]
Genre: Contemporary
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Format: eBook
Source: Provided by Publisher (via Galley Grab)
Parental Advisory: death, bigotry, sex, language, alcohol, drugs, GLBT
Teachable Moments: death, OCD, sibling rivalry, sexual identity, abandonment, acceptance

“The elevator comes and I step inside, prepare to see Tess.

After I’m buzzed in to her unit, I walk to her room.  She looks the same; thin, pale, somehow gone but yet still here.  Her hair’s been washed, though, and it shines, golden against the white of her pillow.  A nurse is fixing one of her IVs, and sighs when she sees me.

Tess was — is — always good at getting people to like her.

I suck at it.”

Summary (from the publisher):
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.

Opinion:
Alright, so the book summary casts a pretty ominous light on the story don’t you think?  That said, I’m not sure why I thought it would be a bit more light-hearted than it ended up being.  As a result, my enjoyment of the book suffered from my differing expectations.

This is not to say that Between Here and Forever is a book I wouldn’t recommend because I totally do.  Scott, once again, has written a highly emotional and deeply resonant story filled with intriguing and well drawn characters.  So richly woven was the fabric of this story that it was truly impossible for me to put down despite the fact that it’s tone was not what I was anticipating.  From one moment to the next I held my breath in anticipation.  My heart regularly dropped into my stomach as Abby revealed more and more of herself, her sister and her life; peeling away at the wonderfully developed layers like an onion.

Added to the mix was Eli and all of the story that came with him.  He plays an integral role in Abby’s journey to self-discovery and acceptance but he has a pretty in depth story of his own.  One that centers around his abandonment and the lack of acceptance for his particularly unique issues.  I don’t want to speak directly to they are as it gives away some of the story and would potentially ruin the reading experience for you.  However, I will say that despite these issues are secondary to Abby and Tess’ story they still serve to facilitate progress between the two sisters (most particularly Abby).  His presence, and all he brings with it, in their lives adds an interesting mix to the story.

Scott uses her usual flare for dialogue to create understandable conversations.  The scene is set well and provides it’s own version of a character to the story.  The small town feel of people knowing each other (and their lives) intimately does factor into Abby’s feelings of inadequacy and facilitates the sibling rivalry between she and sister Tess.   I was hoping to have some small respite from the generally bleak and darkish tone but was disappointed when there was so little of that to be found.  I suppose the building romance between Eli and Abby could be put towards that end but honestly it was such a bumpy ride itself that the usual happy and fun of young love wasn’t there.

Did I love Between Here and Forever?  No, I’ve read Scott books that I’ve liked much better.  Having said that, it is a fantastic book for the classroom.  It has the capability to teach students about the grieving process, self-acceptance and bigotry.  It’s richly emotional and a realistic portrayal of how teens cope with the varied circumstances in their lives.  No girl or boy deals with just one issue, more than not there are several big things happening at the same time and this book shows how to navigate all of the ups and downs of multiple circumstances well.