A review by katrod
I Could Live Here Forever by Hanna Halperin

challenging fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I was fully prepared to write a one star rage review for the majority of the book, but by the end I was willing to write something less scathing.  There were definitely some moments that the writing spoke to me, but I think the author missed the mark on the story and subject matter. 

In such a toxic relationship, there needs to be some sort of understanding of why the “victim” (Leah) falls in love and stays.  There was absolutely no charm from the love interest (Charlie) from the very beginning, just red flag after red flag to the point where I just felt repulsed by the whole thing.  I didn’t believe for a second that Leah would have been charmed by him or fallen for him so fast, which makes it that much more unbelievable when she stays with him. 

Did I have empathy for what Charlie was going through?  Sure.  But this story was less about his struggle with addiction and more about Leah’s struggle with her relationship with an addict, and it was just so toxic and unbelievable that I almost gave up on finishing several times. 

Halprin relied so heavily on the reader’s imagination as to why Leah fell in love… Leah and Charlie had no cute banter, they didn’t do fun things together, he didn’t take care of her or provide for her in any way, the only thing we got was that she’s attracted to him and likes when he plays the guitar… like seriously? That’s all it takes?  I just had no reason whatsoever to root for them.

I was also not shocked by the ending at all.  And to be honest, I just didn’t care at that point.  It just felt like with a such a sensitive topic, more nuance was necessary.