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morganlaut's review against another edition
1.0
I really hate giving bad reviews for books, but this book may be the worst book I’ve read so far in 2020. The plot was very predictable and I really didn’t like the character development of anyone except Jo (and I think her character was more so in the background). I felt that there wasn’t a definite legal relationship between Betts and Aiden as Aiden was 19 and a drop out and she was still in high school (I could be wrong and she could have been 18). I also just personally choose not to read books with abuse and this book had not only physical abuse, but mental abuse.
kassandraa's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
sienareads100's review against another edition
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
taliatalksbooks's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
Always Forever Maybe by Anica Mrose Rissi was a compelling exploration of an obsessive and abusive relationship. While we are all aware of the red flags, sometimes, like our main character, it is easy to be blinded by your love of a person. I think this is a great example of how young adults can handle a relationship that goes against the advisement of everyone close to them. It’s an important eye-opener for people trying to find their way, especially teens. I thought the topic was handled well, and I liked that how, from the beginning, we get to see the character’s present state, as opposed to her past self going through this trauma. I think this narration helps to situation her love interest in our minds, so we know how toxic it is in the end and can watch that unfold, rather than the unraveling of someone we believe to be perfect. I think the supporting characters in this book are also to be commended, as they help teach our main character that she is worthy of love, and that nothing that happened is her fault. This is a great coming of age novel and if you like those stories I would highly recommend this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship and Emotional abuse
clementinerosereads's review against another edition
4.0
I went into it thinking it would be bad,
and was pleasantly surprised.
and was pleasantly surprised.
vickycbooks's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars
Overall, I have positive feelings about this book, and you can read more about why I think it's so important for people to read here.
But, I also think that this could have been executed a little better. I think Rissi did a really good job of getting her point across, but I wish there was more subtlety to it.
The progression from falling in love to an abusive relationship was really clear, and I wish it was a little less obvious. I know for some readers, this is definitely something that can be a mindset-changing sort of book (for me, it was [b:It Ends with Us|27362503|It Ends with Us|Colleen Hoover|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1470427482s/27362503.jpg|43940889]), but I felt like it was too obvious from the beginning.
Betts was just too naïve for me to feel like she was realistic. Sure, she'd had boyfriends before, but the way she fell in love with Aiden in such a head-over-heels style felt a little unrealistic. For me, it felt like it kind of suggested that these relationships are more prone to developing into abusive ones, which can be true, but I feel like isn't completely accurate.
I wanted to be caught off guard by the abusive nature of the relationship, but it felt too obvious for me from the beginning. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, especially for readers new to the topic, but for me, I wanted just a little more nuance in the way their relationship developed.
I still think Rissi did a really good job of portraying how a victim of domestic abuse has a hard time leaving a relationship like this. I think this is the part of the story Rissi did the best in portraying, and the way Betts kept justifying her relationship with Aiden, both when he was emotionally and physically manipulating, was really on point.
The positive aspect of the lack of subtlety is how clear it is for readers to understand and empathize. I feel like this is a very important book that opens up conversations in young adult fiction that are very necessary, especially with the large number of "dominating alpha males" portrayed.
Overall, this was a quick read and I do think Rissi didn't mess anything up in terms of the abuse, which is already a solid number of brownie points. Even though this didn't end up being exactly what I wanted, I do think it is such an important book that readers should read. (Especially when other notable books on the topic aren't necessarily YA level reading.)
Thank you so much to Harper Collins and Edelweiss for providing me with a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review!
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Overall, I have positive feelings about this book, and you can read more about why I think it's so important for people to read here.
But, I also think that this could have been executed a little better. I think Rissi did a really good job of getting her point across, but I wish there was more subtlety to it.
The progression from falling in love to an abusive relationship was really clear, and I wish it was a little less obvious. I know for some readers, this is definitely something that can be a mindset-changing sort of book (for me, it was [b:It Ends with Us|27362503|It Ends with Us|Colleen Hoover|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1470427482s/27362503.jpg|43940889]), but I felt like it was too obvious from the beginning.
Betts was just too naïve for me to feel like she was realistic. Sure, she'd had boyfriends before, but the way she fell in love with Aiden in such a head-over-heels style felt a little unrealistic. For me, it felt like it kind of suggested that these relationships are more prone to developing into abusive ones, which can be true, but I feel like isn't completely accurate.
I wanted to be caught off guard by the abusive nature of the relationship, but it felt too obvious for me from the beginning. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, especially for readers new to the topic, but for me, I wanted just a little more nuance in the way their relationship developed.
I still think Rissi did a really good job of portraying how a victim of domestic abuse has a hard time leaving a relationship like this. I think this is the part of the story Rissi did the best in portraying, and the way Betts kept justifying her relationship with Aiden, both when he was emotionally and physically manipulating, was really on point.
The positive aspect of the lack of subtlety is how clear it is for readers to understand and empathize. I feel like this is a very important book that opens up conversations in young adult fiction that are very necessary, especially with the large number of "dominating alpha males" portrayed.
Overall, this was a quick read and I do think Rissi didn't mess anything up in terms of the abuse, which is already a solid number of brownie points. Even though this didn't end up being exactly what I wanted, I do think it is such an important book that readers should read. (Especially when other notable books on the topic aren't necessarily YA level reading.)
Thank you so much to Harper Collins and Edelweiss for providing me with a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review!
Blog | Instagram | Twitter
yashitak's review against another edition
1.5
Where can I start, I completely detested this book. The way the character behaves with her best friend just cutting her out and holding out a grudge and then blaming it all on her is just not ok. Aiden is just so annoying, weird and is a complete jerk. This book was terrible.
heykellyjensen's review against another edition
It's refreshing to read a tightly-written YA novel that feels like Real Teen problems, and this is one of them. It's a story about a girl named Betts (her nickname) and the quick and fast relationship she falls into with Aiden. Everything seems perfect at first, but then it becomes clear he's manipulative and possessive; it's emotional abuse that, eventually, does turn a bit physical.
At the heart of the story, though, is Betts's relationship with her best friend Jo. Jo who she suddenly finds herself pulling away from. Lying to. Disappearing from. Jo who, despite this, continues to tell Betts she's making a mistake and does so in a way that's loving and kind and comes from a place of knowing what's going on -- despite Betts's denial -- and being cautious with it.
The relationship between Betts and her parents is so teen and so real. The dialog here feels like teens talking, not like adults inserting adult speak into teen mouths.
At the heart of the story, though, is Betts's relationship with her best friend Jo. Jo who she suddenly finds herself pulling away from. Lying to. Disappearing from. Jo who, despite this, continues to tell Betts she's making a mistake and does so in a way that's loving and kind and comes from a place of knowing what's going on -- despite Betts's denial -- and being cautious with it.
The relationship between Betts and her parents is so teen and so real. The dialog here feels like teens talking, not like adults inserting adult speak into teen mouths.
zoemig's review against another edition
3.0
Always Forever Maybe by Anica Mrose Rissi is the very emotional story of a teenage girl, Betts, who is in her final year of high school when she meets "bad boy" Aiden at the candy store she works at. Only Aiden isn't really bad, just misunderstood, and although the book starts off with a familiar trope, it soon veers in a different direction as Aiden becomes possessive, controlling and abusive.
It isn't easy to hear Betts' story, because you really just want to show her how wrong things are and stop them from happening, but Rissi does a very thoughtful job tackling this dark subject. That said, I know I have to try to think of then novel from the perspective of somebody in high school, but the relationship in Always Forever Maybe was just so insta-love. If the book had taken place over a longer timeline I would have felt like the progression of events felt so much real. I do think Rissi captures well that no matter who you are, and how much your friends and family (although Betts' mom was pretty terrible) love you, this can happen. Betts' best friend Jo, is definitely a highlight of the book, especially given I didn't like Betts. I was really disappointed by the ending of Always Forever Maybe which felt like it cheapened the character growth by using a dramatic event. If you are looking to read this, I do recommend the audiobook, which has excellent narration by Brittany Pressley.
It isn't easy to hear Betts' story, because you really just want to show her how wrong things are and stop them from happening, but Rissi does a very thoughtful job tackling this dark subject. That said, I know I have to try to think of then novel from the perspective of somebody in high school, but the relationship in Always Forever Maybe was just so insta-love. If the book had taken place over a longer timeline I would have felt like the progression of events felt so much real. I do think Rissi captures well that no matter who you are, and how much your friends and family (although Betts' mom was pretty terrible) love you, this can happen. Betts' best friend Jo, is definitely a highlight of the book, especially given I didn't like Betts. I was really disappointed by the ending of Always Forever Maybe which felt like it cheapened the character growth by using a dramatic event. If you are looking to read this, I do recommend the audiobook, which has excellent narration by Brittany Pressley.