Some might say I harp on this series way too much but it's because I see so much untapped potential. I am proud now to say that finally there has been some noticeable changes! So much is going on this go that even Connor's father has decided to speak for the first time!! x_x
Yes! He is not autistic or mute and is quite the philander! Yes people! Drama galore and that's not even the best part.
I got to know the Connor of the present, because his past is still a mystery and that won't be tapped into anytime soon. I did however get to understand him as a father and as a husband. Being a CEO took the back seat and I saw how compassionate he could be and the connection he shared with Denny. He also finally got friends younger than 60, even if it was just one :)
The dual POVs were a brilliant idea that complemented the flow of the story and helped to eliminate the need for another novel structured like 'Forever you'. Getting the opportunity to see Julia grow was great and I only wish that we could have gotten that with Collin also. Maybe she should have had twins o.O
I finally took notice that this series has no real sense of time. I don't know the year we started or finished. However, the avenue that this story takes, makes it difficult to navigate real world time because by the end of this novel, at least 23 years have passed. See the dilemma?
Ellery seems to get less sensitive the further we get in this series. The almost soft spoken good Samaritan seems like quite the fiery wench now. She keeps getting into brawls and arguments with 98% of the women in this novel. She seemed meek and soft spoken before, but she has grown and I don't see her volunteering in soup kitchens anymore. Didn't know remission did that. Then again, she has a new baby!
Speaking of which, it was great to see them work through parenthood and all of Julia's baby problems. They still fight, but they work it out like adults and almost made it without spending an extensive time apart. There was more cancer in this novel, but this time Ellery was speared. It wasn't as touching as Ellery's, but as I said before in my review of the previous novel, cancer is no joke!
If it is even possible, Ashlyn got even crazier and Phil, who I never took much stock of until now, joined her on the crazy train. There were many random plots thrown into this story that I think had their good and bad moments.
It wasn't only Connor and Ellery moving on, as Peyton and Henry did some restructuring themselves. I didn't see the pressing difference of Mason and Landon in NYC but I guess it was a service to Ellery. Though not much, we finally got some family time and history with and from Connor. I do believe that he needs anger management classes and maybe two AA meetings. The man drinks a lot of scotch!
As usual, to the end of this novel, we got an epilogue to prepare us for the next novels in the series. I loved those final scenes and wished we could have had a smoother transition and spend some time watching both Julia and Collin grow up. Julia is quite the replica of Ellery and Collin is just as mysterious as his dad.
Overall though, I think this was a good solid update on the Black's and how they have grown since 'Forever Black'. There were a few deja vu scenes but they were done in humour and I never had to review a scene I experienced before. It was fresh material even when it got a little far fetched.
I am anticipating reading 'Being Julia' because this installment showed me growth and improvement in not only the characters, but the writing style. If Julia is anything like Ellery, then this should be a fun ride!
- https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17698038-forever-us
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