[Review] Between Here And Forever by Elizabeth Scott

Title: Between Here And Forever

Author: Elizabeth Scott

Publisher: Simon Pulse (May 24, 2011)

Abby accepted that she can’t measure up to her beautiful, magnetic sister Tess a long time ago, and knows exactly what she is: Second best. Invisible.
Until the accident.
Now Tess is in a coma, and Abby’s life is on hold. It may have been hard living with Tess, but it's nothing compared to living without her.
She's got a plan to bring Tess back though, involving the gorgeous and mysterious Eli, but then Abby learns something about Tess, something that was always there, but that she’d never seen.
Abby is about to find out that truth isn't always what you think it is, and that life holds more than she ever thought it could...

When I like a book by a certain writer, I would usually go scouting for all the other books written by her, because from experience, it's highly likely I'd end up enjoying them as well. I'm not sure if this makes sense, but to me, every author has a unique, distinctive writing style that remains constant throughout her works, thus if I like one of her books, the rest will probably be to my taste! I'm guessing I'm not alone in this-how many times have you heard someone go, "Oh it's Elizabeth Scott! I read one of her books and it was awesome, I've GOT to read this one when it's out!"

My liking for Elizabeth Scott's books is exactly like this. It sounds like I'm being unfairly biased towards her, but honestly speaking, I have never been disappointed by any of her books. One thing I like about her writing is how powerful and breathtaking it can be, and Between Here And Forever definitely delivers in this department. If you're looking for something simple and sweet, this isn't it, because this story left such a huge impact on me that I literally had to stop halfway and take a breath to steel my aching heart. (I'm totally serious!)

Abby's feelings towards her older sister, Tess, is full of complications, like how relationships between siblings always are. Family is a difficult topic to touch on because there's nothing about family that's completely black and white, more likely in between. The emotional struggle Abby went through in this story made me feel extremely sympathetic towards her, yet sometimes I wanted to take her by the shoulders and shake her so she would stop belittling herself. Abby clearly thought she wasn't good enough for anything or anyone, all because Tess was the "perfect" one everyone loved, while she lived every day in her sister's shadow. Being sensitive by nature, Abby lost all confidence in herself and her own worth...some of the things going through her mind tugged at my heartstrings relentlessly and made me tear up. Even though Abby could be hard, closed up and bitchy, I felt like it was because of the armor she had built around her heart so she wouldn't get hurt again; something built up over time due to circumstances.

Although Tess was in a coma throughout the book, she had a huge role to play in the book. To me, Tess was the centre of attention when she was awake, and even in a coma, she still managed to make everything about her. While she was made out to be this flawless, nice and likeable girl who could do no wrong, I personally thought that was just from Abby's perspective. Tess just seemed like a crowd-pleaser who cared too much about what other people thought and too little about her own little sister's feelings. This was especially evident at the end of the book when the secrets started unfolding and the truth began emerging. The twists and revelations in this book totally took me surprise, especially the involvement of Claire, Tess' ex best friend, their neighbor, and now Abby's best friend.

Eli, the guy who eventually reaches Abby's heart, was so much more than just the male love interest who saves the day. He was the perfect example of how first impressions are never really accurate and that there are hidden depths to everyone, no matter who they may appear to be on the surface. I would say he is a rare male lead who is swoon-worthy (The descriptions. Oh gosh. Gorgeous guy alert!) but with flaws and problems that made him very realistic. Being imperfect made Eli perfect for Abby, and watching their relationship grow and blossom was immensely satisfying. There were some scenes which made me want to throw my arms around Eli and thank him over and over again for seeing what other people couldn't see.

Between Here And Forever was an incredibly heartbreaking, poignant and bittersweet story. Everything just seemed to fit together, including all its flawed, wonderfully relatable characters, and I could hardly take my eyes off Abby's journey of healing, believing and learning to love again.

"Is there anything you're afraid of?" Eli says.

 You, I think. I am terrified of you. Of how your kindness makes me like you in spite of myself. Of how you make me dream things I haven't dreamed in forever.

You, I think. But I don't say it.