Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Book Review: Ever (The Ever Trilogy) by Jessa Russo

Seventeen-year-old Ever’s love life has been on hold for the past two years. She’s secretly in love with her best friend Frankie, and he’s completely oblivious.

Of course, it doesn't help that he’s dead, and waking up to his ghost every day has made moving on nearly impossible.

Frustrated and desperate for something real, Ever finds herself falling for her hot new neighbor Toby. His relaxed confidence is irresistible, and not just Ever knows it. But falling for Toby comes with a price that throws Ever’s life into a whirlwind of chaos and drama. More than hearts are on the line, and more than Ever will suffer.

Some girls lose their hearts to love.

Some girls lose their minds.

Ever Van Ruysdael could lose her soul.

Ever immediately hooked me in with its original story line. Right away we discover that our heroine is haunted by her old neighbor and best friend—a handsome guy she developed feelings for just before he died. Ever can see Frankie and speak to him, but he's nothing more than a mist, unable hold her as she wishes he would. Poor Ever is struggling with her feelings for Frankie that can never been realized when a cute guy moves into Frankie's old house across the street. Ever soon finds herself in the most unique love story, knowing she'll never have a relationship with Frankie although she loves him, and totally falling for mysterious Toby, the old guy next door.

The story was a fast read. I fell for Toby right along with Ever, and was blindsided by the twist toward the end. Interestingly enough, the twist reminded me of one of my own books, and made me enjoy the story even more. The characters were likable, filled with individual flaws and quirks that made them interesting.

The only thing that almost made me stop reading was the pet nickname Frankie has for Ever: "Doll". I had a hard time shaking the image of a 1950s teen donning cropped jeans and a cardigan. But once I was able to get past that, I really enjoyed the story, and can't wait for the sequel as we were left with quite the cliffhanger. Four zombies for Ever!

When not writing or reading, Jessa Russo is out and about making memories with some seriously awesome people - for an introvert, she's pretty extroverted. You can bet that she's also ALWAYS secretly planning her next trip to New Orleans. (If her eyes glaze over, she's in one of her stories, or NOLA.) Southern California will always be her home, but she's open to suggestions. An unashamed super fan of all things paranormal romance, Jessa reads, writes and breathes paranormal YA, rarely straying from her comfort zone.
Follow Jessa Russo:

1 comment:

Jessa Russo said...

Ha! I love that you couldn't shake the image of a 1950's teen because--and here's some EVER trivia for you--Frankie actually started out as a teenager who'd died in the 1950's and was stuck in Ever's home! :-) So, as the story morphed and changed, Frankie remained true to his roots because by that point, regardless of the story's time frame, Frankie was that guy to me. So, befitting of his love for the 50's and his rockabilly style, I just left the pet name. I couldn't strand to part with it. So glad you enjoyed EVER!

Post a Comment