Review: Forever (Friends #3) by Monica Murphy

Title: Forever
Series: Friends #3

Author: Monica Murphy
Publisher: EM Publishing
Published: April 4, 2017
Pages: 221
Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Source: Ebook

She’s all I could ever want… 

I have a reputation around school. Cold. Untouchable. Unfeeling. Only one girl could ever make me want to change and that’s Amanda Winters. Too bad I broke her heart and drove her away. 

So to get through the rest of my days in high school, I tell myself I need to focus on more important things. Like taking our football team to championships. Get accepted to the college of my choice. And finish my senior year without wanting to run away from my problems. 

But your problems chase after you no matter where you go. And it’s a lot harder when you fight them alone. The longer I go without Amanda, the more I miss her. Her smile. Her laughter. The things she said. How she looked at me like I was the only person who mattered. The way she made me feel… 

Why can’t I have everything, including the girl? I’m determined to make things right. And make Amanda mine… 

Forever.

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MY REVIEW

Disclaimer: This review MAY contain SPOILERS.

This book was by far my favorite of the series! Amanda and Jordan's story was powerful and it dominated this series. I loved every moment.

The plot in the third book of this series was definitely stronger than the previous books. Like the other books, this one also centers upon teenage romance and drama. Though the drama was much more tolerable in this one. There was a little bit more included in the characters' lives in this one, which I appreciated. It makes for a better story. It wasn't just smut or teenage pining. 

The characters are pretty great in this one. Amanda and Jordan had such excellent character growth. I was so pleased with their personal stories and their shared story. The realization of Jordan's family life troubles and how they connect with his personality is addressed in this book. I really felt for his character because of the crap card life had dealt him in the family department. I like the conclusions that Jordan was able to make about himself in the end. He sees that Amanda makes him happy and he likes who he is when he is with her even though he swore up and down that he could never change. I loved Amanda's journey. I love how well rounded it was. She isn't just dealing with her love for Jordan and their back and forth relationship. She deals with family, her friends, her job, and planning for her future. She juggles everything so well despite the constant drama that is thrown her way. 

I liked the representation of friendship and forgiveness in this book. New friendships are formed and friends come back together after parting on bad terms. I also liked how Amanda still supported Livvy when she thought that Livvy was doing something wrong. And despite Livvy's selfishness throughout most of this series, she did show that she supports Amanda as well in their friendship. This series definitely shows that everyone makes mistakes and that forgiveness can be a beautiful and harmonious thing. 

I absolutely loved the romance in this book. Amanda and Jordan have the best chemistry, plain and simple. I loved their ending so much. The way that her family accepted him, in the end, was so beautiful that it truly warmed my heart. Amanda and Jordan's relationship was so strong because they took the time to really know one another. Even when Jordan was hiding things from Amanda about his family, she still understood him and knew him deeply. She gives Jordan and second and a third chance in the book, which normally would seem like a bad idea. She knew his personality so well that she knew his faults and his strengths. When she gave him another chance she based it on knowing these things about him. She put a lot of trust in him. She knew that he could break her heart again but she gave him chances anyway. And she knew that he needed time to himself to figure things out before he apologized to her. And I loved the alternating POVs in this book. 

Overall, I loved the conclusion of Amanda and Jordan's story. I am so sad it has ended and I would honestly love to have a glimpse into their future. This is a series that you will breeze on through because it is so compelling and entertaining. This book had more feels than the other books though. I would have loved to read more books from other characters' POVs though. 

THIS BOOK CONTRIBUTED TO THESE 2018 READING CHALLENGES

- Stellar Series Challenge
- Beat the Backlist Challenge
- Tackle My TBR Challenge
- Let's Read Indie Challenge
- Contemporary Romance Challenge

Check out my 2019 Challenge Page to see my progress!

This book was told from two POVs. I really love books with several POVs, though some people get confused with so many. Do you prefer one POV or multiple in books?