I’m writing reviews while uploading back ups to my cloud storage, watching My Strange Addiction (This woman is drinking nail polish. HARDCORE!), I’m replying to emails and trying to stretch out the sore muscles of my shoulders and neck because I slept for forty trillion million hours and I feel like my body atrophied. This is the mind of hypomanic bipolar dynamo. Watch out guys and gals, I am gonna getchu getchu getchu. One way or another… I just totally channeled Blondie.

This was my first introduction to Jasinda Wilder and I found this book to sit somewhere between utterly compelling and disturbingly dark and troubling. Truthfully, I am not sure if I like it. I have no idea how I feel about it. There are things I know I know I thought were great plot wise, but the story as a whole… I just don’t know.

Caden and Ever meet as young teens at a summer art camp and feel an affinity to one another and bond over hormones, heartbreak and artsy fartsy crap that art kids with feelies bond over. When they part they share snail mail addresses and become pen pals. From that point on Caden’s life becomes a poopfest beginning just a few weeks after his return home from camp when life just piles the woe-and-tragedy on him like he really pissed of Karma and all her angry sisters. From that point forward his world becomes hell in bottomless handbasket that lasts for years and years. As he sinks lower and lower in a pit of despair the only thing that floats him through his days is his lifeline to Ever and the letters that they share. Despite the divergence of their lives in the real world, through their letter writing they have an almost spiritual sameness that they both maintain, and no ragin’ hungry vajayjay or willy trouser snake can sever or touch.

Most of the book Caden and Ever spend apart growing up in vastly different lifestyles. Ever lives a life in an affluent family but since her mother’s death her father has been absent and she and her sister have survived through his neglect by being there for one another. She gets a boyfriend and goes through the motions and she thinks she is doing all she needs to be happy, but Caden is always in her mind. She thinks of him. She paints him. She dreams of him.

I think maybe, even though Jasinda Wilder didn’t write it this way, I’m going to interject a moment of my own creative writing here and say that Ever names every stray puppy after Caden and basks in the few moments of their sloppy kisses and deep adoring eyes. It should have been that way. But since Jasinda wrote this book while mad as hell those puppies would have all ended up dead in traffic.

Poor Caden… life can only drop so much shi–poop on you before you either break your shovel or can’t keep up with the influx. He never gets a break. It never stops. I can’t imagine a more misfortunate person–well not true, there is Jace Wayland: he was experimented on as a fetus, lead to believe his father was dead, lead to believe his father was evil incarnate, lead to believe he was in love with his sister, thought he was made from a demon, found out his father wasn’t who he thought his father was, he was murdered, possessed, stabbed by his girlfriend and can’t touch people. He’s all kinds of beefed too.

But going back to Caden… Jasinda Wilder hates this character and Caden is paying for every dude who ever wronged her. He is effed in the A and can’t get a break. Finally, he’s in college he has a friend, he has things kind set and she poop storms him again. At least she gave him the means to finally go to Ever. He hops in his car and ends up at her art studio. For a moment he has it all. But of course he the most cursed of all that have ever been cursed, and it doesn’t last… because Caden… he has it coming. I don’t know why men suck, but this one is going to pay for all them bastards! He’s going down!

Jasinda… Girlfriend. Didn’t you ever hear that old Coke commercial about buying the world a Coke and living in perfect harmony?

Like I said, I don’t know if I like this book but I will be reading the rest of the series. I recommend it for the fact that you need to make your own mind as to whether or not you do. I will straight up tell you it is dark, troubling, disturbing and depressing. Caden and Ever have a very intense relationship and Caden is a such a severely broken character that many times it is hard to get through his inner dialogue. If he were a pet I might have him put down. Life isn’t fair but crap on a cracker his life is downright against all probability.

I don’t have any books suggestions to give for this title. Sorry. I think perhaps you could read Schindler’s List and feel better though. =)

 

Jasinda Wilder’s Web Tracks: Website, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Goodreads, Amazon Author Page

Jasinda Wilder’s Book:

After Forever Synopsis:

Ever,

I don’t know who I am anymore. I’m a castaway. Lost. Drowning. I love you. That’s the only true thing I know, and it’s all I have to hold on to. I love you. I’ll love you forever. Until the day I die, and I’ll love you in whatever world comes after this one. I love you so much, Ever. I miss you. Dear Jesus, I miss you. Come back to me.

For forever, and after forever,
Caden

 

 

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