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myntop's review against another edition
4.0
While it took me a bit to really get into this book, once I did I was hooked. I think it takes a good look into the grieving process, especially focusing on the guilt the ones left behind often feel. It also shows how when you love someone, it doesn't always have to be a romantic love.
If you're anything like me, you're going to spend a majority of this book really pissed at Tessa's dad. I even stopped reading to lecture my husband about how to treat our kids... I also spent a lot of time confused about how to feel about Jenny...and wanting to know what on earth happened between her and Tessa's mom. But the biggest part of the story, for me, was Henry...and how he helped Tessa grieve, move on, find something to help her say goodbye. Henry is probably my favorite character, though there are some great ones in this story. I was pleased with how things ended up for Tessa and Henry in the end. I was pleased with the ending as a whole actually, it was a really great ending to the book and the story that the author was trying to tell.
I think fans of YA Realistic Fiction will really enjoy this book. I found this book by searching Sarah Dessen in What Should I Read Next, so I feel like fans of Dessen will also really enjoy this book.
If you're anything like me, you're going to spend a majority of this book really pissed at Tessa's dad. I even stopped reading to lecture my husband about how to treat our kids... I also spent a lot of time confused about how to feel about Jenny...and wanting to know what on earth happened between her and Tessa's mom. But the biggest part of the story, for me, was Henry...and how he helped Tessa grieve, move on, find something to help her say goodbye. Henry is probably my favorite character, though there are some great ones in this story. I was pleased with how things ended up for Tessa and Henry in the end. I was pleased with the ending as a whole actually, it was a really great ending to the book and the story that the author was trying to tell.
I think fans of YA Realistic Fiction will really enjoy this book. I found this book by searching Sarah Dessen in What Should I Read Next, so I feel like fans of Dessen will also really enjoy this book.
whatanerdgirlsays's review against another edition
4.0
FULL REVIEW ORIGINALLY POSTED ON WHAT A NERD GIRL SAYS:
Deb Caletti is an author that I’ve been reading for quite a few years now, and eagerly anticipate each and every release of hers. This book was no different. I was also determined to finish it quickly because she will be attending the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books this weekend and I am so excited to finally meet her! It’s going to be fantastic.
The thing that always impresses me about Deb Caletti’s books is that you would think after 9 YA books (and one adult books), things would start to get repetitive. Predictable. But that isn’t actually what happens. She surprises me every single time I read a book. I read the synopsis and wondered for a moment if I was going to be able to predict the ending or if I might get bored by it.
And I wasn’t at all. Deb Caletti has a way of telling such a familiar, deep story no matter what book it is. She’s such a beautiful writer. She has the ability to write an incredibly well written novel while also making it sound like we are in the mind of a typical teenager. We go through all the feelings that Tessa is going through, while Deb paints a beautiful picture of the story, and that’s what I love about this book. It somehow manages to keep those things that we come to know from capital-L literature and makes it a young adult story with that recognizable young adult voice.
What really got me about this book is that it seems like it would be a romance story, and while there is definitely a part of that, for me, it was a story about family, and the strange ways that you lose it and find it. The way a loss can change you and how to deal with that kind of loss. I seem to be reading a lot of books about loss and grief lately and it amazes me to see the similarities and differences in which a person deals with grief and I think that’s the beauty of it. Tessa is searching for her mother in something, and she holds her mother close in a little plant named Pix that her mother has left behind for her.
The story of Pix and the fight for the plant’s survival is a huge part of why I couldn’t stop reading. Tessa is obsessed with this plant, but its gaining her friends, its opening up a relationship with her grandmother, and its giving her purpose after the loss of her mother. She is able to find her mother in that plant and both hold onto the memories of her mother while also moving on into a new chapter of her life.
The relationship between Tessa and Henry in the book is unexpected and interesting to read about and I loved watching it from beginning to end, unsure of where it would end up. They both learn so much from each other, and its unlike most relationships that we see in a YA novel and I love that. I love seeing a unique take on romance, and friendship and family.
Deb Caletti is an author that I’ve been reading for quite a few years now, and eagerly anticipate each and every release of hers. This book was no different. I was also determined to finish it quickly because she will be attending the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books this weekend and I am so excited to finally meet her! It’s going to be fantastic.
The thing that always impresses me about Deb Caletti’s books is that you would think after 9 YA books (and one adult books), things would start to get repetitive. Predictable. But that isn’t actually what happens. She surprises me every single time I read a book. I read the synopsis and wondered for a moment if I was going to be able to predict the ending or if I might get bored by it.
And I wasn’t at all. Deb Caletti has a way of telling such a familiar, deep story no matter what book it is. She’s such a beautiful writer. She has the ability to write an incredibly well written novel while also making it sound like we are in the mind of a typical teenager. We go through all the feelings that Tessa is going through, while Deb paints a beautiful picture of the story, and that’s what I love about this book. It somehow manages to keep those things that we come to know from capital-L literature and makes it a young adult story with that recognizable young adult voice.
What really got me about this book is that it seems like it would be a romance story, and while there is definitely a part of that, for me, it was a story about family, and the strange ways that you lose it and find it. The way a loss can change you and how to deal with that kind of loss. I seem to be reading a lot of books about loss and grief lately and it amazes me to see the similarities and differences in which a person deals with grief and I think that’s the beauty of it. Tessa is searching for her mother in something, and she holds her mother close in a little plant named Pix that her mother has left behind for her.
The story of Pix and the fight for the plant’s survival is a huge part of why I couldn’t stop reading. Tessa is obsessed with this plant, but its gaining her friends, its opening up a relationship with her grandmother, and its giving her purpose after the loss of her mother. She is able to find her mother in that plant and both hold onto the memories of her mother while also moving on into a new chapter of her life.
The relationship between Tessa and Henry in the book is unexpected and interesting to read about and I loved watching it from beginning to end, unsure of where it would end up. They both learn so much from each other, and its unlike most relationships that we see in a YA novel and I love that. I love seeing a unique take on romance, and friendship and family.
rmtroyer93's review against another edition
5.0
My Review:
By the time I finished this novel I was running out of bookmarks, I like to put a bookmark on the pages that have quotes that I adore, and that tells me I need to invest in some tabs (neon blue of course). I've been a fan of Deb Caletti since high school, the only sad thing is that I've read all of her YA books and I have to wait another year for the next one. The way that she describes mundane moments like sleeves touching or going to the library are so beautiful. I connected to the main character Tessa, and loved the main love interest Henry. I did not see the end coming at all but the story really came together by the end of the novel.
I don't want to spoil anything so I'm telling you guys to go out and read this book, it was amazing.
My Rating:
Five out Five Stars. It makes me want to go and reread her last nine YA books. :)
Link to Review:
http://obsessedwithfairytales.blogspot.com/2014/04/review-last-forever-by-deb-caletti.html
By the time I finished this novel I was running out of bookmarks, I like to put a bookmark on the pages that have quotes that I adore, and that tells me I need to invest in some tabs (neon blue of course). I've been a fan of Deb Caletti since high school, the only sad thing is that I've read all of her YA books and I have to wait another year for the next one. The way that she describes mundane moments like sleeves touching or going to the library are so beautiful. I connected to the main character Tessa, and loved the main love interest Henry. I did not see the end coming at all but the story really came together by the end of the novel.
I don't want to spoil anything so I'm telling you guys to go out and read this book, it was amazing.
My Rating:
Five out Five Stars. It makes me want to go and reread her last nine YA books. :)
Link to Review:
http://obsessedwithfairytales.blogspot.com/2014/04/review-last-forever-by-deb-caletti.html
stefaniajoy's review against another edition
2.0
I didn't like the tense--Tess looking back on a story, and giving away mini-spoilers throughout the book before saying, "But we're not at that part of the book yet."
The main focus is her and Henry, and there are many side-stories, but all felt very underdeveloped to me. The ending for me went on too long. After Tess's falling out with Henry, I did a lot of skimming. I didn't care that much about her getting the seeds there--I know I was supposed to, but I didn't. I just wanted to know what happened with her and Henry. I found it a bit disappointing.
The main focus is her and Henry, and there are many side-stories, but all felt very underdeveloped to me. The ending for me went on too long. After Tess's falling out with Henry, I did a lot of skimming. I didn't care that much about her getting the seeds there--I know I was supposed to, but I didn't. I just wanted to know what happened with her and Henry. I found it a bit disappointing.
whatsheread's review against another edition
One of the most wonderful things about The Last Forever is Tessa’s self-awareness. The book may belong in the Young Adult category, but Tessa is not a typical YA heroine. She fully recognizes when she is overreacting or pulling a typical teenage tantrum. She acknowledges her behavior and consciously chooses to continue or to stop depending on the situation. Life is not one big conspiracy against her happiness, as it feels with so many other teenage heroines. She’s been through some horrific experiences and is understandably emotionally fragile as a result, but she knows that things will improve over time. It is a key difference in her attitude that prevents the story from bogging down into the dregs of teenage angst which is the death knell of many a YA story.
Ms. Caletti always creates the most realistic characters, as she does yet again in The Last Forever. The entire cast is not perfect or even close to being so. They each have their own quirks and foibles that make them human and relatable. What makes Ms. Caletti’s characters relatively unique is the fact that they never stay as full caricatures when it would be so easy to make them that way. Even Tessa’s father, who starts out as a stereotypical quirky, irresponsible, and emotionally distant dad gets his act together and takes steps to improve his fractured relationships. No one is so irredeemable that they cannot learn and grow from the mistakes they make, and they all do just that. It adds an air of hope to even the most depressing of situations.
This is not to say that The Last Forever is not without its problems. It is definitely not Ms. Caletti’s strongest novel. For one, the story is a bit too predictable. One instinctively knows where Tessa’s relationship with Henry is heading as well as her quest to protect her mother’s legacy. Then there is the general feeling of repetitiveness to the plot. It is not Ms. Caletti’s fault that there is an influx of novels dealing with grief, specifically the loss of a parent and its impact on the survivors. Unfortunately, there is a trend of this type of story line, and her version of it blends into all of the others. Given Ms. Caletti’s strong performances in both Stay and He’s Gone, both of which were different and surprising, The Last Forever is somewhat disappointing.
Still, Ms. Caletti’s weaker novels are still better than most books written and published these days. Tessa’s journey through the grief process is wonderfully poignant without being overly sentimental, while Tessa is refreshing in her understanding of herself. The Last Forever remains a beautiful ode to love and the meaning of forever.
Ms. Caletti always creates the most realistic characters, as she does yet again in The Last Forever. The entire cast is not perfect or even close to being so. They each have their own quirks and foibles that make them human and relatable. What makes Ms. Caletti’s characters relatively unique is the fact that they never stay as full caricatures when it would be so easy to make them that way. Even Tessa’s father, who starts out as a stereotypical quirky, irresponsible, and emotionally distant dad gets his act together and takes steps to improve his fractured relationships. No one is so irredeemable that they cannot learn and grow from the mistakes they make, and they all do just that. It adds an air of hope to even the most depressing of situations.
This is not to say that The Last Forever is not without its problems. It is definitely not Ms. Caletti’s strongest novel. For one, the story is a bit too predictable. One instinctively knows where Tessa’s relationship with Henry is heading as well as her quest to protect her mother’s legacy. Then there is the general feeling of repetitiveness to the plot. It is not Ms. Caletti’s fault that there is an influx of novels dealing with grief, specifically the loss of a parent and its impact on the survivors. Unfortunately, there is a trend of this type of story line, and her version of it blends into all of the others. Given Ms. Caletti’s strong performances in both Stay and He’s Gone, both of which were different and surprising, The Last Forever is somewhat disappointing.
Still, Ms. Caletti’s weaker novels are still better than most books written and published these days. Tessa’s journey through the grief process is wonderfully poignant without being overly sentimental, while Tessa is refreshing in her understanding of herself. The Last Forever remains a beautiful ode to love and the meaning of forever.
photogeek's review
3.0
So much happens in this book so quickly that honestly, most of the plot is just a blur despite having finished the book only 5 minutes. The characters are also kind of boring and hard to figure out from lack of deep emotion and feelings.
alarra's review
3.0
I really like Caletti's writing, her ability to draw sympathetic teenage girls at the centres of her narratives, and the difficult family relationships that drive us crazy but that we could never do without. Here, it's between Tess and her somewhat strange dad and her estranged grandmother Jenny; and between Tess and her new, dizzying crush Henry Lark and his quirky friends in the small town she's been exiled to. Real families AND found families? Oh I could've been a mess at the end of this book if I was a little less cynical. The idea of the seedbank, and the plot involving Pix the mystery plant, was lovely, but was the seed metaphor pushed a little too hard and did it become a little on the nose? Yeah. Was the book charming and touching and lovely all the same? Yep!
I do feel a bit cheated in the characters of Elijah and Millicent, who have a big role to play in the emotional climax of this story, but are thinly drawn and too much like caricatures for me to enjoy; and once their part in the plot revelation is done, they're completely thrown by the wayside, which undermines Henry's story a little. Ultimately, despite my misgivings I still really enjoyed the read, and I would read another Caletti - she's somewhat taken over the space in my YA heart that used to belong to Sarah Dessen.
I do feel a bit cheated in the characters of Elijah and Millicent, who have a big role to play in the emotional climax of this story, but are thinly drawn and too much like caricatures for me to enjoy; and once their part in the plot revelation is done, they're completely thrown by the wayside, which undermines Henry's story a little. Ultimately, despite my misgivings I still really enjoyed the read, and I would read another Caletti - she's somewhat taken over the space in my YA heart that used to belong to Sarah Dessen.
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