Forever (Judy Blume)

Why I have this book: I borrowed it from the ebook library because once in a while, I like to revisit books from my youth.

I'm pretty sure I read this before, but I don't remember how old I was. All I know is that it certainly hits differently when you're a parent of teenagers.

The book got better toward the end. It felt pretty shallow at the beginning. Surprisingly, it needed an editor. The punctuation definitely didn't follow the rules.

What I didn't like... it is too sexually descriptive for a book that was written for teenagers/young adults. The character development is lacking. The parental attitudes about sex felt a bit too casual, but I know it's not always easy to discuss sex with teenagers. Overall, it felt too permissive about teenage sex without showing the repercussions in a meaningful way.

What I did like: I liked that the characters learned that teenage "love" doesn't always work out the way they think it will. That was one really realistic part that I wish all teenagers could learn (and not the hard way of having to suffer because of their choices).

I think what leaves me so unsettled about this book is that the casual way the topic is presented can really shape how a teenager will think of sex before they are mature enough to make those decisions. The story just doesn't go deep enough into the emotional aspects or possible biological repercussions of sex (pregnancy and STD's).

I did give it two stars because it kept my interest, it did get better as it went on, and because it showed that teenagers shouldn't think that "first love" is "forever love." I couldn't give more stars because I feel like she didn't take the opportunity to teach more important lessons about the consequences of our choices.

It's crazy to me that Judy Blume is considered such a great writer. She's really not. I think she gained her popularity because she wrote about topics that were considered more taboo for the younger crowd in her day.

There is some profanity. The sexual scenes are moderately to highly descriptive (for the target audience), and it's definitely a book that a parent should read in order to discuss it with their child if the child is going to read it.