The premise for this novel was definitely interesting. I mean, you don't hear too often about teenagers living and working in a funeral home. And Gabriella - or Gabe, as she likes to be called - is definitely on the morbid side. She wears vintage clothes in black, and loves Wednesday Addams. Not that I have a problem with either of these things! I think that the author enticed readers by showing them this breakdown in friendship between Gabe and Bree, and the emergence of something romantic between Gabe and Hartman. But I wish the author had really gotten into the material instead of just skimming the surface. There were quite a few instances where the author could have really pushed and delivered more on the emotional front, but instead, it just felt very ... superficial. Instead of making this more of a heartbreak, this novel (for the most part) just seemed like a girl whining about growing up. Even during times when my alarm bells went off, things didn't really take a serious or deep turn. This novel had a lot of potential but I think its flaw comes from the fact that everything that happened with the characters just skimmed the surface. When I read a realistic fiction story, I expect it to be very character-driven; I want it to be teeming with complex emotions from the side of the protagonist as well as the other characters. However, this novel didn't dig deep enough into the character's personality, so it was very hard for me to feel any sympathy for anyone in the story. Also Hartman's character just came off weird. I understand that the author wanted to show him as grieving but his actions just didn't match up so he just confused me. In the end, this was a novel with a lot of potential that didn't really deliver what I was expecting.

I can't say I loved the characters in this, but they weren't awful.

This wasn't a bad read, but it wasn't one that gripped me unfortunately. It struggled to keep my interest, and I felt quite bored for most of it. It didn't drag too badly though thankfully.

Overall, Not awful, but nowhere near as good as the other books I've read from this author.

Growing up in a funeral home and being saddled with the nickname Graveyard Gabe has made it difficult for Gabe to make friends. Bree is her one true companion until Bree starts dating the very boy that gave Gabe her hated nickname. How can Gabe be a good friend when Bree is making decisions that Gabe is certain will have dangerous consequences? And why has Bree gone MIA just when Gabe needs her advice to navigate her first boy/girl relationship?

Jolene Perry's novel about what true friendship means and how to confront death and keep on living is a story with plenty of quirk and lots of heart. All the Forever Things is perfect for a younger YA audience, and for that group, I think it is a great read. I actually like that Gabe is not mature beyond her years. Troubles with friendships and the first romantic relationships do feel like a huge deal when you are a young teenager experiencing them for the first time.

This will go live on my blog on April 5. Kellyvision.wordpress.com


Gabe (Gabby to her parents, much to her annoyance) lives in a funeral parlor. It's the family business. Most of her classmates think she's really weird but she doesn't care. She has her best friend, Bree, and they're happy. Except then Bree starts dating Bryce (who used to be really mean to Gabe, and who's never been exactly pleasant to her). Now their friendship is really strained and Gabe has no idea how to get her friend back...or how to deal with the guy she's kind of dating.

This book has a lot going on, probably a little too much. I think first love AND weird family AND friendship drama is a little too much for a book that's not even 300 pages.

And yet, it's interesting and even kind of beautiful. I wish we had spent more time on the ways the family business has harmed Gabe (she's very Vada Sultenfuss--not hypochondria, so much, but she knows all the ways you can die and she's nervous about a lot of them).

That's the plot I was most interested in, and it's what we spent the least amount of time with.

I read only about fifty pages of the book, before I realized that I wasn't connecting with the main character. I found her to be too immature for my liking and I promptly did not finish the book. I wanted to give it a shot but the plot or the characters didn't interest me as I liked.

I think I had my expectations for this a little high. Because the main character, Gabe (Gabriella), lives in a funeral home, it immediately drew connections for me to My Girl and Six Feet Under (although SFU is way too adult for this, clearly). Gabe was also a little Wednesday Addams. She was odd and quirky in a likable but at times immature way. (She's a teen, I can forgive immaturity.)

Gabe's best friend is Bree. But Bree starts dating a guy (who is a jerk to Gabe), and Gabe is sidelined. This is actually an interesting part of the book to me because a lot of girls (and maybe guys too?) know what it feels like when your best friend starts dating someone, gets completely absorbed, and basically disappears from your life. It feels like a forever change, but generally it is not. All you feel is that it is broken and different. And if your best friend was the only one that understood you, in Gabe's case, it is hurtful. It even goes so far as to have Bree started to hang out with other people, which makes sense because she is dating Bryce... this is a natural thing, but can be hard to swallow as a teen. I didn't actually find Bree to be very likable, but I could accept that they are best friends and that's all that mattered and now they were growing apart for many reasons.

Enter Hartman. Gabe gets her turn at a little romance, though she is wary about becoming the kind of girl Bree is becoming, and holds back from Hartman. Ultimately though, this is not a story about Gabe and Hartman. It all circles back to Bree when a horrible accident happens after Prom.

Even typing about it... I'm not completely sure how I felt about this book. It was unique but also predictable. It highlighted the occasional mercurial temperament of best friend relationships, and showed imperfect home life situations. So, my point, is that it had an interesting foundation. I was still left wanting for a stronger heroine and message. I liked it, but I didn't love it. I will however keep it in mind for any friends looking for a quirky, original and darker contemporary.

Note: Thank you to NetGalley and Albert Whitman & Company for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

(I received an advance copy of this book for free. Thanks to Albert Whitman & Company and NetGalley.)

"Wanna guess?" He grins.
I glance at the man's face, a little grayish now, but it will pink pretty quickly once the embalming fluid fills his veins.
The man is older, but not super old. About ten years older than my dad and pretty overweight. "Heart attack?"



This was a YA contemporary story about a girl who lived at a funeral home.

Gabriella came across as a quite normal sort of girl, even if she did like to play up the whole funeral-home thing by dressing like Wednesday Adams. She did seem to really love her best friend Bree though, and continued to try and look out for her, even when Bree didn't want her to. Bree on the other hand didn't seem to take Gabriella's feelings into account much at all, and only really seemed interested in her new boyfriend.

The storyline in this was about Gabriella living at the funeral home where her parents worked, and about her best friend Bree who was dating a boy who Gabriella didn't like. We also got a bit of romance between Gabriella and a boy called Hartman, but mostly the story was about Gabriella's dislike of Bree's boyfriend, and the rift that caused in their relationship. What was weird though was the way that Gabriella and her friends had so much access to the dead bodies! Surely that isn't right?!

The ending to this was quite surprising, and certainly shook things up a bit! I can't say that I really cared all that much about the characters affected by the accident though.



6 out of 10

In general this was an overall ok book. For books available in the YA genre this is something extremely different. Although I am a little put off by the how it ends. Not so much by what happens but more of the idea that behaving in certain ways or partaking in certain activities is alright no matter what is going on in your life. I understand that people go through things differently but I feel like it is saying that sometimes it's ok to behave this way when in reality it's not. I not know. I am in the process of reading again to verify these thoughts but overall it's good and looks at life in a new way and reminds us why best friends are important.

Above was my opinion while reading the book the first time... my opinions have changed after the second reading. I could see a great discussion being held around this book and I judged this book a little to harshly.

Guys... It finally happened? After years and years of reading books and not crying... THIS BOOK BROKE ME! Yup, broke me, nasty sniffling and tears and everything.

I wanted to start this review by saying that Jolene Perry is one of my favorite authors. I found her book, The Summer I Found You, on NetGalley and requested it. I got approved but ended up NOT reading the book because I fell behind with deadlines. So a few months later a friend read that very same book and told me what it was about and I decided I HAD to read it. So, I read it. And ever since then I haven't stopped reading her books. They are all hard hitting, quick reads that leave me emotional but they also have such a deeper meaning about how we as humans should be. So, yes, this review might be extremely biased. BUT the author won my heart fair and square.

All the Forever Things is unlike any book this author has written before. It still has the love story and the emotional turmoil but the characters felt a lot more real to me. I think I connected with this book more because it is centered around life and death and those are two things everyone has to deal with in this life whether we want to or not.

Gabe is the daughter of funeral directors. That sounds ring right? Well, they actually LIVE in the funeral home her parents direct in. It is a family business. So Gabe hasn't exactly had the best life because obviously people need to tease someone for being different. So Gabe has her best friend, Bree and that is about it. She does help her parents with the funeral stuff, as does Bree. I think the only thing I didn't really like about Gabe was the fact that she was way too timid. She pretty much hid behind her black clothes all because some dickhead called her Wednesday Addams.

And.... that dickhead ends up asking Bree out and Bree is all overjoyed and crap while Gabe just stands in the background wondering what she could have possibly done to warrant her best friend making google eyes at Bryce AKA, hottest guy at school AKA, douche-bag that called her Wednesday Addams and ruined a precious moment for her when she was younger.

Gabe cannot seem to let go of this grudge she holds against Bryce. Then again, Bryce wasn't earning any brownie points for growing up. He still teased Gabe and Bree just let it happen. That is exactly when I started HATING Bree and started calling Bryce a fuck-boy. Yep. It happened. I have officially used the term "fuck-boy" in a review. I get a medal for that, right?

Well since Bree got her man, what does Gabe get? Oh, don't you worry. Her present comes in the form of an extremely tall new guy that wears plaid and bowties and drives his dads car. Trust me, he is better than I make him sound. I promise! But you will have to read the book to see what I mean.

I truly loved this book beyond words. I really loved Gabe and Hartman. They were perfect. He definitely sounded like my kind of guy. You know... If I was still in high school. I would be all over that! Just kidding...or am i? Gabe was a little bit of a chicken though. Seeing all the dead people that come into her home and hearing about the ways people die, she has kind of become weird about everything. She doesn't want to drive and only trusts certain people to drive her. But that same fear is what has been holding her back from really living her life. A lot of us can relate to that, I bet.

If there was one thing to take away from this book it would be... the grass isn't always greener (or the coffin isn't always better) on the other side. You might think your family is icky or horrible or too protective but I bet there is someone you know who envies your life with your family. And then that person sees you as ungrateful even though in your eyes your parents really are horrible. Everyone views situations differently. No one ever sees the same thing or reacts the same way. This... this right here, is WHY the world is so imperfect. People believe the way they view life is the right way. It isn't the right way and it isn't the wrong way. We are all very different and need to learn to accept that and start listening more to other people. No, you don't have to change your view on life, but you do need to learn to see things from other perspectives in order to understand how to be a better person.

By the end of the book I was left with a beehive of emotions and I just kept saying "Oh no she didn't!!" about the major plot point at the end. I knew something bad was going to happen. I mean come on, something bad HAS GOT TO HAPPEN, right? Yup, I was right. Just not exactly what I was expecting or, more like, WHO I was expecting.

Overall, I have the book 5/5 stars.

Beautiful little story about a teenager who lives in a funeral home. She must learn to figure out how to deal with death daily. Her parents worry they've ruined her, but no. She learns that "forevers are everywhere."

I highly recommend this wonderful book.

Gabriella Osborn's parents run a family business of being undertakers, of which Gabriella and her cousin help out at.
Gabriella's best friend Bree also does make-up on the dead there.

We learn about Gabe as she's known to everybody else and Bree's history of discovering boys and their shared passion of all things, vintage, dark, Gothic, Wednesday Addams style fashions and films.

Bryce the school jock ruined Gabe's first kiss but now he's dating Bree leaving her with new guy Hartman whom she's embarrassed herself in front of upon first meeting.

Throughout the book, Gabe and Bree become less friendly towards each other, no longer like sisters due to Bryce being hated by Gabe and Bree drinking, changing style and hanging out with the popular group more. Gabe finds herself drawn more to Hartman but tearing up inside over her feeling of unease over Bryce and Bree.

With Prom night here, Gabe is driving the popular group to prom only for the night to start off rough and only get worse resulting in a hospital stay for some of the group as well as a shocking event.

This book is super quirky and never have I ever read a book even an inkling like it with the setting and descriptions of the place and style of our main character. This book was sent to me for review by the publisher and it has been a pleasure to read it!

I really enjoyed this book loved how the author writes the words just flow it's a very easy read it took my just two hours start to finish
I would really recommend it

I liked all the forever things, I was left with a warm and fuzzy feeling in my tummy.

I connected with the main character, although I do think the author got a little confused between what she thought she was in her mind and how she was being represented on the page. Perry made out like Gabe was selfish and that she was in the wrong for what happened to her and Bree's relationship. But I'm not sure I got that. I think she was just a young girl, desperate to keep her friend. She didn't come across selfish to me and in some respects, the fact Gabe backed down, and apologised was a bit disappointing.

I loved the concept of this story and the fact Gabe had become numb to emotion because she was constantly surrounded by death. I would have liked to have seen the change and growth of feeling start earlier on rather than all at the end. But despite that, the growth that was there at the end was really good. I loved the flip from things are temporary to things are forever, and some of the philosophical moments attached to that really touched me.

I really enjoyed the relationship between Gabe and Hartman, I smiled and laughed so many times during their moments together in this story.

I wasn't so keen on the relationship between Gabe and Bree, it felt controlling and possessive and it didn't really ever change from that. I'd have liked to of seen some growth there too or some kind of character arc. I didn't like the fact that Gabe never stood up for herself. It felt like things happened to the character rather than her curate them. Perhaps that was how the story was written. But my personal preference is for the character to be more active.

That being said, I would definitely read another book by this author.

My thanks to NetGalley and Albert Whitman and Co for an advanced copy.

Goodreads review live now: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1875534037?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

Blog review live March 6th: http://wp.me/p8a9GB-2i

Gabriella, von allen nur Gabe genannt, führt nicht gerade das typische Leben einer 16-jährigen. In erster Linie liegt das daran, dass ihrer Familie das örtliche Bestattungsunternehmen gehört und Gabe schon seit sie denken kann jeden Tag von Leichen und trauernden Hinterbliebenen umgeben ist. Sie selbst hat daher eine eher abgeklärte Ansicht zum Thema Tod. Die Einzige, mit der sie wirklich offen und ehrlich sie selbst sein kann, ist ihre beste Freundin Bree, die mehr Zeit bei Gabe als in ihrem eigenen schwierigen Zuhause verbringt.
Bree und Gabe sind schon seit Jahren unzertrennlich und teilen viele gemeinsame Interessen, unter anderem ihren ungewöhnlichen Kleidungsstil und ihrem Blog über Vintage Klamotten. Viele andere Freunde hat Gabe allerdings nicht. In der Schule wird sie dank ihrem Mitschüler und Erzfeind Bryce schon seit Jahren nur Graveyard Gabe oder Wednesday Addams genannt. Doch solange sie Bree hat kann sie das alles irgendwie hinnehmen.
Als Bree allerdings beginnt einen neuen Jungen zu daten scheint sich das schnell zu ändern - denn dieser Junge ist ausgerechnet Bryce. Gabe und Bree liegen sich deshalb immer öfter in den Haaren und entfernen sich rasant. Gleichzeitig verändert sich Bree vor Gabes Augen und sie hat keine Ahnung, was mit ihrer besten Freundin los ist.
Gabe wäre wahrscheinlich vollkommen einsam, wenn da nicht ihr neuer Mitschüler Hartman wäre. Gabe weiß nicht so recht, was sie aus dem großen, schlaksigen und ein wenig merkwürdigen Jungen machen soll, doch irgendwie fühlt sie sich erstaunlich wohl mit ihm.
Trotzdem kann und will sie ihre Freundschaft mit Bree nicht so schnell aufgeben. Dann schlägt allerdings das Schicksal zu und verändert das Leben aller Beteiligter für immer...

Das eine große Thema in All the Forever Things von Jolene Perry sind sicherlich Beziehungen. Sei es mit der Familie, Liebe, Feindschaft und allen voran natürlich Freundschaft, denn die wichtigste Beziehung in diesem Buch ist natürlich Brees und Gabes Freundschaft. Die beiden machen es einem allerdings nicht immer leicht...
Wenn man All the Forever Things liest sollte man sich im Klaren darüber sein, dass es ein Jugendbuch ist und entsprechend verhalten sich die Charaktere auch oftmals nicht unbedingt erwachsen oder vernünftig. Leider hat mich das aber nicht davor bewahrt das ein oder andere Mal gehört von Gabe und vor allem Bree genervt zu sein. Ihre Freundschaft ist wie gesagt zu Beginn sehr innig und die beiden haben quasi nur einander. Von daher kann ich schon verstehen, dass einer von beiden mal rauswollte und wie Bree auch andere Leute kennenlernen bzw. das typische High School Leben genießen wollte - zumal Gabe wirklich sehr eigenbrödlerisch ist und nur wenige Leute mag. Wie sie Gabe allerdings behandelt hat ging einfach gar nicht und ich habe Bree sehr bald überhaupt nicht mehr leiden können. Dazu kommt, dass sich Gabe ständig von Bree unterbuttern ließ und wenn es zur Konfrontation kam kaum ein Wort rausbekommen hat. Ich muss deshalb sagen, dass mir ihre "Freundschaft" überhaupt nicht gefallen hat und es mir sogar lieber gewesen wäre, wenn sie sich einmal ordentlich gestritten, alles rausgelassen und es dabei belassen hätten. Gabe vergisst ständig sich selbst über Bree, was ihre Freundschaft nicht wirklich gesund wirken ließ.
Zum Glück gibt es aber einige andere Beziehungen in All the Forever Things, die mir wesentlich besser gefallen haben. Allen voran wären da Gabe und Hartman. Mit Hartman ist Gabe nämlich ganz anders als mit Bree. Sie sagt ihre Meinung, auch wenn es schwer ist, und öffnet sich ihm wirklich. Hartman ist sicher auch kein wirklich einfacher Charakter, er hat aber momentan eine Menge zu verdauen und wurde mir im Laufe des Buchs immer sympathischer. Außerdem finde ich es immer toll, wenn der Held der Geschichte mal kein Modeltyp mit einem Sixpack ist (deshalb haben auch die Bücher z.B. von Stephanie Perkins und Rainbow Rowell immer einen besonderen Platz in meinem Herzen ;). Auch Gabes Beziehung zu ihrer Familie hat mir gefallen. Das Familiengeschäft ist natürlich alles andere als alltäglich und beeinflusst das Leben aller (vor allem, da sie im gleichen Haus leben, in dem auch das Bestattungsunternehmen ist). Ich musste immer wieder Schmunzeln, wenn Gabes Eltern eine merkwürdige Angewohnheit an ihrer Tochter finden und sich fragen, ob das wohl von der Art herrührt, wie sie aufwuchs.

Leider blieb mir aber am Ende zu viel unausgesprochen zwischen Gabe und Bree. Bis dahin sind zwar eine Menge andere Sachen passiert, so dass es vielleicht ein wenig kleinlich wirkt, auf eine solche Aussprache zu bestehen. Trotzdem finde ich nach wie vor, dass sich Gabe für Sachen entschuldigt, mit denen sie vollkommen recht hatte und bei denen die Entschuldigungen eigentlich von Bree hätten kommen sollen.
Trotzdem ist All the Forever Things von Jolene Perry ein interessantes Buch mit lustigen und zumindest teilweise sehr sympathischen schrägen Charakteren, das mir sogar ein, zwei Mal die Tränen in die Augen treiben konnte.

All the Forever Things erscheint am 1. April 2017.