It's not you: It's me: Forever for a Year by B. T. Gottfred

Forever for a Year by B. T. Gottfred

When Carolina and Trevor meet on their first day of school, something draws them to each other. They gradually share first kisses, first touches, first sexual experiences. When they’re together, nothing else matters. But one of them will make a choice, and the other a mistake, that will break what they thought was unbreakable. Both will wish that they could fall in love again for the first time . . . but first love, by definition, can’t happen twice.
Told in Carolina and Trevor's alternating voices, this is an up-close-and-personal story of two teenagers falling in love for the first time, and discovering it might not last forever.

Publishes in US:  July 7th 2015 by Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Genre: ya contemp
Source: Macmillan via netgalley
Series? no

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Did not finish

     I have done this several times on my blog. Books that just don't work for me. I know my reading style pretty well, and I can tell whether I will like the book or not accurately about 80-90% of the time. If I finish a book, then there are aspects of that book that I enjoyed. I never talk about the author in a negative way, I only say what doesn't work for me. Normally if I finish a book, I give it at least 3 stars, meaning that I liked it.

       I wanted to read this one because I wanted to experience their firsts and falling in love, and I am also intrigued by what will go wrong and if things might be fixable. And if not, seeing if that can be made into a relatable story, one that is realistic since many high school relationships aren't in it forever. I wanted to get to know the characters and root for them even knowing that it probably won't be a HEA in the way that's the norm.

   However, I had problems connecting with the main characters. Carolina had a narrative style that felt like she was talking to me instead of a stream of consciousness or normal style. I got the weird feeling that she was trying to impress me.

   And me and Trevor got off to a bad start because his mom tried to kill herself a year ago, and while I understand that everyone grieves differently, he turns it into a joke and then the next it comes off like he doesn't care if she is there or not. I dealt with the suicide of my dad and even though I dealt with such as an adult, it just made my heart hurt and not in the therapeutic way that stories with that line can at times.

    That isn't to say that the writing is poor or the characters are poorly constructed, it's personal on my end.

Positive Reviews:

Downright Dystopian

Today in Jen's Library

My question to you, my lovely readers:
Is there a promise or a line that a loved one can cross that's unforgivable?