Notice for Review Requests

I receive review requests weekly. However, my personal schedule is hectic and I no longer review actively. (I also manage another blog called The Toronto Cafe and Food Blog). I do read every request sent but I apologize in advance that I do not reply to them all.

If I do take on a request, I will forewarn that it may take some time before I can review it. I am now looking to review adult fiction and self-help books instead of young adult fiction because I have grown out of it. If you are to request a review for either adult fiction or self-help, I will more likely to give it a shot.

In the meantime, Stop, Drop, and Read! serves as an archive book review blog. When I have the time, I may post a review. Thank you for understanding.

Saturday, April 4, 2009

Forever... by Judy Blume

Title: Forever...
Author: Judy Blume
Age Group: Older Teens
# of Pages: 220
My Rating: 2/5

Katherine meets Michael at a party and they immediately hit it off right away. Their love for each other grows everyday and even becomes very physical. They believe they are going to be together forever. Until one event changes everything.

Who here read Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing? Now that is a kids' classic. I loved it when I was in elementary. So when I got Forever..., I had no idea what to expect because this was my first YA novel by Judy Blume. How should I put my thoughts of it? She wrote it exactly in the style she did for her younger audiences.

The writing was extremely brief and if you skipped a line while reading, you would jump to the next scene without expecting it! Therefore, no depth in characters. Everything just went by with a lot of dialogue. I think this took me a month to finish because I was absolutely bored with it. The plot did not build up and the climax wasn't even a climax. If you read it, you can tell the difference of the stories written recently and ones from a couple of decades ago. Forever... explores a lot on sex and the responsibility you have to take in account if you wish to decide on intercourse. Comparing the sex in teen books now to back then, they took it much more seriously. If you are offended by explicit content, you shouldn't look into it. Either way, I wouldn't recommend it in the first place.

I just have to add that what made the story extremely awkward was the fact that Michael's penis had a name. So whenever Katherine mentioned it by name, I thought it was absolutely strange. Naming body parts is extremely weird in my case.

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7 comments:

Unknown said...

Hahahaha I remember Ralph. I know a lot of guys who have named their penises, which is to say I know a lot of strange guys. I didn't read this when I was younger and had always heard about how controversial it was, but it didn't really live up to the hype.

I respect the book for how it frankly discusses teenage sex (just like how Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret is about puberty) but I didn't particularly care for the story. I love love love Judy Blume, though.

Diana Dang said...

Haha, I heard a lot of girls named their boobs and that was weird too.

Exactly! There was so much controversy but I was surprised that it wasn't as bad as I thought it was (in term of the concepts).

I see Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing in front of me and I have an urge to read it again after so many years. Ah, but my TBR pile is getting as tall as me though (and I'm quite tall!)

The Book Resort said...

Judy brings back memories...

Diana Dang said...

It does, doesn't it?

Sadako said...

I LOVE Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing! I mean, I enjoyed Forever, too, but I read ToaFGN over and over soo many times as a kid. I remember everything, esp wondering how Fudge could swallow a turtle. (Then I got a tiny turtle in college and I realized.) And the dog, Turtle. And the other Fudge books, too.

Also Just as Long as We're Together. Judy Blume is a national treasure.

Diana Dang said...

I always wondered how he managed to swallow that turtle! Haha.

Dawnysha Alexander said...

I loved this book. I broguht it to school and im like this book is sick but I couldnt stop reading it