‘I Heart Forever’ is #7 in the I Heart series but it was the first I’ve read so my opinion will be focused on this volume on its own.
Disclaimer: I’ve received an advanced reader copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Personal Experience:
Quote:
“If you want someone to check out your Tinder date before you go into the bar again, I am not your girl.”
Who should read it? Fans of the series as it follows the characters’ journey. But if you want a light read, this might be for you too.
Would I recommend it? It didn’t have enough of an impact for me to recommend it.
The Plot
Was there a plot? Even the most charismatic characters couldn’t make up for the lack of action this narrative had. I was unlucky in the sense that in this volume, pretty much everyone is settled down and the drama consists of nothing more than relationship issues and disagreements.
The positive point is that even though I haven’t read the previous books in the series, I was still able to get into the story and context. So this is something you can definitely pick up even if you haven’t read anything else from the series.
I was disappointed with the ending as well. The book focused so much on Angela’s career so the least it could do was at least to give us a glimpse at her new professional life.
Basically, I felt nothing truly happened from the beginning until the end of the book.
The Characters
I’m sure I’d feel more attached to these characters if I had followed the series so I don’t want to be unfair. Judging by this book alone, I didn’t feel much for them, but I didn’t dislike them either. I liked Angela but mostly due to the author’s writing style. Angela has funny remarks and even when you don’t care as much for the plot, you still enjoy reading through her thoughts and actions. It’s well, fun. I didn’t feel particularly attached to Jenny or Alex. Jenny’s parallel story felt real but predictable, and Alex was just not present that much. Actually, it feels as if Alex is never there, I didn’t feel any spark or connection for the couple, even though every character keeps saying he’s awesome.
The Writing Style
Bonus points for the engaging writing style. The story is narrated from the main character’s PoV (Angela) and she’s quite fun and entertaining. She and her friends are dealing with common problems of growing up, which makes it relatable for many. Even if the plot didn’t feel very interesting to me, I had fun accompanying these friends’ lives and their genuine struggles. I think Kelk’s writing style was what saved the day and made me keep reading even when I wasn’t invested in the story anymore.
Overall, I felt I Heart Forever was yet another chick lit book, but without the spark and the romance. It’s as if we are taking the ending of a story and trying to keep going from there. But when the after “Happy ever after” is still “Happy ever after”, things get boring quickly.
