Forever, Interrupted: A Novel

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Elsie Porter experiences great loss when her Forever is interrupted just 9 days after marrying Ben, the love of her life. She meets her mother-in-law, Susan, at the hospital for the first time following Ben’s death. Susan’s reception toward Elsie is far from pleasant. No matter how strong you are, no matter how smart you are or tough you can be, the world will find a way to break you. And when it does, the only thing you can do is hold on." I'd read two other books by this author so I knew I was in for something unconventional from this story, but I didn't expect to enjoy it so much. Since it's given away in the synopsis that Ben had died, I knew this would be a tough book to read at times. But despite that, I loved seeing Elsie and Ben falling in love. I was intrigued by the relationship between Susan and Elsie.

The mother-in-law, Susan, who is also grieving over her son - and the recent loss of her husband of thirty years - wants all rights over Ben’s dead body- cremation included. The ambulance pulls away. Is he in it? Is Ben in there? Are they keeping him alive? Is he okay? Is he bruised? Maybe he’s in the ambulance because protocol says they have to but he’s actually fine. Maybe he’s around here somewhere. Maybe the ambulance was holding the driver of the car. That guy has to be dead, right? No way that person survived. So Ben must be all right. That’s the karma of an accident: The bad guy dies, the good guy lives. D o you understand why Ben never told his mother about his relationship with Elsie? Why do you think Elsie didn’t push him harder on this? As both Elsie and Susan try to navigate their grief and try to find a way forward, they learn to accept they weren’t the only person to love Ben Ross. Forever, Interrupted Book Review: My Opinion I don’t know,” he says, starting to rub my feet again. “I just like the idea of both our names together.”I loved how you split the chapters between now and then, but I wasn’t really hooked until you got to the NOW...and that’s because Elsie isn’t a character I enjoyed. I get that she’s going through pain and sorrow, but she is a BRAT! I didn’t care for her (or frankly, even Ben) until after he died and Elsie started getting close to Susan.

Stop it. I’m not saying something preposterous here. There are plenty of people that just don’t drink.” This book follows Elise, a widow, who was married less than 2 weeks to a man she had only known for only 6 months, before he died. Ben, despite having only known him a short while, was the love of her life. This follows her path to healing and the grief she goes through. Susan, her mother in law, who she hadn't met until the day Ben died, also has a big role in this book as we follow her grief as well and her journey to accepting Elise, as she didn't know about her and the fact that her son was even married in the first place. This book is told from Elise's pov. Most of all what was special about this book is the way it makes you think. How would you be treated if the one you loved died suddenly and no one in his life really knew you? Is it real love if it's in such a short amount of time? This journey that Elsie went through was so intense, and I just felt for her every step of the way, the happy moments and the devastating ones. Barely a week later, Elsie is standing over Ben's body laying lifeless in the emergency room and blaming herself for his death. Also standing beside her is Susan, her mother-in-law. They have never met, and Susan didn't even know Elsie existed in her son's life. I’d been up for about three and a half hours by the time I saw her. She looked like she hadn’t been up for five minutes. Ana is tall and lanky with long brown hair that falls far beyond her shoulders and perfectly matches her golden brown eyes. She was born in Brazil and lived there until she was thirteen, and it’s still noticeable every once in a while in some of her words, mostly her exclamations.Ana had already made herself comfortable on the patio, having a muffin and an iced tea. She pretended like she was about to get up when I sat down, but just reached for a half hug. Oooooh, and this book has a movie deal!! Dakota Johnson will be starring as Elsie. Right now, there isn't too much more info on it, but I'll keep everyone posted as soon as we hear more about it! Well, I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it. I didn’t meet anyone last year worth my time. I can’t say I expect that to change this year.” Ana nodded, chewing. When it started to look like she could speak without spitting food, she added, “I mean, if I meet someone and fall in love, sure. But until then, nobody’s getting in here.” She made an x in the air with her utensils. Elsie’s husband, Ben, dies early into their marriage - early into this novel - and the interesting part is how this young bride of 9 days - who has not received her marriage certificate in the mail yet is going to resolve immediate problems with her mother- in -law whom she not only has never met —but Ben never even mentioned Elsie to his mother.

Unfortunately Elsie isn’t close with her parents, but her best friend, Ana, is her major support system. I can’t imagine having to deal with this type of loss, especially at 26. How do you attempt to move forward and not let grief consume you? I also really liked the supporting characters, particularly Ana and Mr Callaghan. I also liked Elsie’s love of the library and her work there and how the book highlights the importance libraries can have on a community. This was Taylor Jenkins Reid’s debut novel..... not her strongest .... but that’s great news in my opinion. I still enjoyed it! All the human qualities I enjoy in Reid’s books were right there. Her talent for natural conversational dialogue makes for easy engaging audio listening. Sweet, heartfelt, and surprising, Forever Interrupted is a story about a young woman struggling to find her way after losing her husband. These characters made me laugh as well as cry, and I ended up falling in love with them, too." - Sarah Pekkanen author of The Best of UsPretend you are casting the film version of Forever, Interrupted. Who would play Elsie and Ben? Susan and Ana? What about Mr. Callahan?

On one rainy New Year’s Day, Elsie Porter goes to collect a pizza from her local takeout. Expecting a quiet night, Elsie doesn’t realise her life is about to change forever. Also collecting a pizza for one, is Ben Ross. Ben is charming and irresistible and the two have an instant connection and spark.

The officer looks at me. He pulls his hat off his head and places it on his chest. I know what this means. I’ve seen it done on the doorsteps of war widows in period pieces. As if on cue, I start violently heaving. What?” I said as I pulled out the menu. I don’t know why I even bothered to look at the menu. I ate eggs Benedict every Saturday morning. Forever, Interrupted is a powerful story of love and loss and I just adored it. I really liked Elsie as a main character and I grew to love Susan too. I enjoyed the interweaving of Elsie and Ben romance with Elsie and Susan’s attempts to heal.