Between Here and Forever by Elizabeth Scott

Summary/Cover Image from Author's Website:

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...

Review:

Just when I thought Elizabeth Scott's books couldn't get any better, Between Here and Forever comes along and not only blows me away once again, but makes me proud to say Elizabeth Scott is one of my favorite authors in the world.

Between Here and Forever tells the story of Abby, a girl who always fallen second best to her sister Tess. Tess is everything Abby is not: beautiful, kind, a boy magnet...just a stunning person everyone can't help but love. But everything changes the day Tess lands herself in a bleak coma after a horrific automobile accident. The doctors tell Abby and her parents the chances are slim Tess will ever wake up, and if she does, she'll have major brain damage. Though, Abby knows she can save her sister; she has to save her sister; she can't be the the one left, right? So she recruits the beautiful and secretive Eli to help her save Tess once and for all, but what happens when she tumbles upon something she shouldn't? Will Abby be able to figure out her sister for the first time, or will she never truly understand the person Tess is deep down? Better yet, will Abby realize that everything she ever wanted in a guy is standing right in front of her? Only time can tell in this deep but light tale of one girl's coming of age in times where it couldn't be any harder.

As per usual the characters in this book were nothing short of the relatable and lovable characters I've come to expect with Scott's books. First of all I adored Abby. Abby is a girl I feel many teens will have no problem relating, because who hasn't ever felt like they lived in the shadow of a friend or sibling? Better yet, what I liked most about Abby was that even though she's had hard things happen to her that have broken down her self esteem, she's still strong and feisty, a girl to be reckoned with, a girl who has the ability to overcome life's problems and still be true to herself.

Though, the best book of this book was, in my opinion, the different relationships Abby had with others, and how they changed her life for the better or for the worse. There was the one with Tess, which always made me feel sad for not only Abby for having to live in her sister's shadow, but for Tess because deep down she has some major problems as well. I also adored the one between Eli and Abby. It was interesting to see how they came to depend on each other, and how they allowed the other to lift them up when everything was dark and deary and unforgiving. The friendship between Claire and Abby and Clemente were interesting as well and brought a lot more drama and goodness to this book.

I also adored Scott's writing in Between Here and Forever. Brisk yet informative enough to pain a vivid picture in my head, it was yet another aspect that made this book the best it could be. Scott's talent is one I always envy as well as admire.

Heartbreaking, romantic, and heartwarming, Between Here and Forever maybe just be Scott's best book yet. It's a book that will have nearly any reader on the edge of their seat, guessing until the very last pages, and rooting for Abby and her friends and family every step of the way.

Oh, and for fans of Scott's Bloom, some of the major characters from that reappear in this and that's all I'll say about that.

Grade: A+

Between Here and Forever will be released May 24, 2011.

Source: Galley Grab