Ever

What's Interesting: Being in love with your best friend but him not knowing plus the fact he's dead! The possibility of losing your soul to love!

Overall, I liked Ever. I liked her name (which I won't explain), and I liked the way she thought and was written. It's a little different twist, what with not realizing she loves her best friend, until he's gone....and haunting her. Well, not haunting...more like still hanging out.

Toby's a mystery, and his story line did throw me for a slight loop, but I expected the paranormal twist, so not much.

Ever is likeable, if immature, even when faced with some fairly grown-up reality issues. Clearly, this is meant to be a paranormal romance, but I felt like sometimes there was too much emphasis on the romance side, and not enough furthering of the story. And honestly, I couldn't see that Frankie had much purpose in the story....until the first climactic point.

so heartbreaking! I am a sucker for teen ghost stories.

Sarah Elizabeth's Bookshelf - http://sarahelizabethsbookshelf.blogspot.co.uk/

Post date: 28th September 2012

(Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to Curiosity Quills Press and Netgalley.)

17- year-old Ever lives with her mom, dad, and deceased best friend/boy-next-door Frankie. Yes, deceased. Frankie is a ghost.

2 years ago Frankie and Ever were in a car accident, Frankie died, and he’s lived with Ever as a ghost ever since. More surprisingly, Ever is not the only person who can see Frankie, her mom, dad, and best friend Jessie see him too (surprisingly though none of them think that this is abnormal!).

Ever has been secretly in love with Frankie for a long time.
She never told him, and now nothing can happen between them anyway ‘cause he is a ghost, so she’s never going to say anything about her feelings, and she’s pretty much resigned to life as a spinster, with Frankie in residence.

That all changes when a new family moves into Frankie’s old house next door though, because 22-year-old Toby is tall, dark, and gorgeous,
and Ever can’t help herself when he starts to show an interest in her and asks her out.

How can Ever cope with the guilt she feels over dating Toby whilst Frankie is still present though? And what the hell do Toby and his dad argue about in private?

Evers life is about to get a whole lot more complicated, and there’s some massive secrets about to be revealed that will change the way she looks at Toby and Frankie forever.

I really enjoyed this book, I even toyed with giving it 5 stars but there were just a few too many issues to justify it. These issues weren’t necessarily ‘bad’ points, just odd!

For a start, Ever comments about how insane it is to be in love with a ghost, yet the fact that she even sees a ghost isn’t commented on at all! What’s more, Ever isn’t the only one who sees Frankie, her parents and her best friend can see him too! At one point Evers mum is having a conversation with him quite openly, and at another point Ever freaks out when he is in her room at night because she says her parents will go nuts if they catch him! It seems her best friend Jessie sees him too and keeps telling Ever that she needs to get over him.

Does anybody think it’s odd that Ever has a ghost living with her? Not really.

Does Ever think it’s strange that she sees Frankie’s ghost all the time? Not really.

Does Ever see other ghosts? Possibly 1 or 2 other ghosts during the story, but again, not really, and comments are never made about Ever being different in any way, if anything it’s Frankie who is different.

This to me is a little odd. If my best friend had a ghost living with her, I would not classify this as normal. If my friend could see ghosts, any ghosts, I would not think this was normal.

Secondly, Ever comments right at the start of the book that she won’t ever be able to have a boyfriend, to go out on dates, or have sex because of Frankie hanging around, but to be honest he’s not really around all that much, he seems to come and go – nothing is said about where Frankie is when he’s not there either. In fact, the start of this book is very much a contemporary romance, Frankie is just treated like a good friend who Ever kind-of has feelings for, the fact that he’s a ghost is almost a second thought. If it wasn’t mentioned occasionally that Frankie is a ghost, you would never even know.

That being said, I did enjoy this book! I liked Ever, and I liked how she actually thought things through before doing them. I liked the love interest Toby, probably more than Frankie really, but I think this was clouded by the fact that we didn’t actually hear that much from Frankie until quite a way into the book. The actual romance, was pretty hot, and Ever got some serious action in that department! I have to say that the romance part of this book was really good, and even steamy in some places, I can totally see why Ever was torn between the two guys, and even though I dislike love triangles, this one worked!

The way that the whole ‘ghost’ issue was handled was done well. I sometimes find with books with a paranormal element that everything is normal, and then all of a sudden the main character finds out that everyone she knows is either a vampire, a werewolf, or a witch, and that the paranormal element of the story just doesn’t gel well with the more normal elements. That wasn’t a problem in this book at all. Even with the whole paranormal element kicking off, the book never lost sight of reality, the story never felt wrong or surreal, and there were no ‘what?’ moments. Like I said before, this was almost too well done in places, where the fact that Frankie was a ghost was almost ignored, but overall this was done really well, and I loved how ‘normal’
and realistic the story still felt even with the supernatural storyline.

I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but the mystery surrounding Toby was also done well, and while I had an idea of what was going on, it wasn’t obvious which I liked.

The cliff-hanger ending was sort of unnecessary, I thought that there was plenty of material still to be covered in the next book, without the (duh-duh-duhhhhhhh!) big revelation at the end.

Overall; I really enjoyed this book, and I’m excited to find out what happens to Ever in the next instalment!

8 out of 10.

I think it's safe to say I absolutely adore Jessa Russo. Her novel, Ever started off a bit slow, but before I knew what was happening I was being sucked into a world of ghosts and mysterious strangers and if you know me you know how I love mysterious strangers. I have read a lot of paranormal books in my time and I was pleasantly surprised to find that this particular one was a lot more original than I originally expected it to be.

The love of Ever's life, Frankie, was killed, but his soul hasn't moved on and so he haunts her for lack of a better word. But the cool thing is she isn't the only one who sees him. Her parents and best friend do too,though I'm not exactly sure how that works. Ever's best friend Jessie, the resident girly girl, boy lover, and party gooer is awesome. she totally reminds my of my best friend.

Jessie's boyfriend Greg is also pretty cool. I like how he just sort of integrates himself into the group. I adore his relationship with Bessie even though we wont see much of it.

But I digress. This is one of those girl loves boy, girls meets mystery boy and then loves him too kind of stories, but its the little details that set it apart from all the others.

Ever is probably one of the most sheltered 17 year old's that I have seen in a story, but that's actually what I like about her. Not every teenager is out there boozing it up and having sex, so it's a nice change to see a main character that isn't the female version of Don Juan. I pretty much enjoyed all of Russo's characters, even the bad ones.

I cant tell you how many times I wanted to slap Ariadene. She is wickedly evil and her obsession with Toby is bordering on psycho, but it's highly entertaining too.

Ever's parents are a nice dose of normal added into the story too. If you notice a lot of young adult novels start with the main characters parents being dead, but Ever is one of the few that doesn't do that. She has parents who worry, set boundaries, and are there to comfort her when she needs them. I won't spoil what happens on that front, but this gif pretty much sums up my feelings on the matter.

Now moving on to my favorite part of the story aside from the actual plot, Toby. Insert dreamy sigh here. I love Toby! I want to have his Soul Collector babies!...Did I not mention he's a Soul Collector? Well he is and that's another thing I really liked about this story. A new supernatural being, sort of like a modern day Grim Reaper, but alive.

The fierce way in which Toby loves Ever is seriously addicting. I'm sorry, but while I like Frankie I am totally Team Toby FTW (for the win). I think he and ever had a real connection and the one thing I wasn't crazy about in this book was Ever jumping to being in bed with Toby one night and Frankie in the other. That struck me as odd especially because of how Ever is depicted in the beginning of the story.

You're probably asking yourself how can Ever be in bed with Frankie if he's dead, good question. You're going to have to read the book to find out and that scene is particularly amusing. By the end of the book I was openly yelling at Ever for making bad choices or rather one bad choice. But the fact that I was annoyed was proof of how invested I was in this book.

The characters were all well written and relatable. No one was perfect and things seemed pretty realistic...well except for the ghost part, but that's sort of the point! Anyhow the book left off on this huge cliffhanger and I was like what? No! I'm hoping Russo is planning a trilogy of some kind because I need more.

I would definitely recommend this to readers who enjoy paranormal romance. And I'm totally making a Team Toby banner!....Okay fine I'll probably have Andi make a Team Toby banner, but that's just semantics.

There were a lot of things I really liked about Ever and I truly believe that this is one of many amazing things to come out of Jessa Russo’s creative brain. I liked the concept a lot. A girl who is haunted by her dead love? I mean, come on. What’s not to like? Ever is not your typical YA read or concept, so picking it up kind of felt like a breath of fresh air.

Right off the bat, you can’t help but feel for Ever. Her world is thrown into disarray two years prior when an accident claims the life of the boy she’s in love with. If you’ve ever had a crush that you never told (as I have), you’re plagued by a love that could have been and your heart can’t help but ache for Ever.

Ever does have a love triangles (such as we find in so many YA novels these days), so if you dig that, you’ll really like this book. This has quite a love triangle, and a tortured one at that. Poor Ever can’t help but keep going back and forth between two boys. If you’re a love triangle hater, you might find yourself throwing things across the room while yelling obscenities. It’s all a matter of reading preference.

I thought that Jessa did a great job as well making me care about Ever. When the book ended I was gasping and double checking that there really wasn’t any more to read. It just proves that Jessa Russo did a great job making me care enough to be like, “Gasp! The ending? What? But… I have to…know more!”

I think Jessa Russo did a great job making something new and unique. I will definitely be picking up the sequel (because I must know that happens!!!). Go pick up Ever! Just click here!

Ever's story took me by surprise and blew me away. The emotional entanglement captivated and held me throughout the story. I am vested in these characters and am hanging on for the next installment, because OMG Jessa Russo can write a cliffhanger. Whether you're for or against being left dangling and anticipating the return to a certain world and its characters, this book is definitely 100% worth a try.

Going into Ever I was excited, and wary. Excited for the original plot and creative story line. Wary for the word of mouth; I had heard some mixed feelings on the book but I always like to test the waters myself, and my oh my I am glad I did. It was an excellent read, one that I know a lot of Paranormal YA readers will love. Having just read Betwixt (which was also phenomenal) by Melissa Pearl I was already in the mood for some more ghostly adventures. The story is Ever's, it is her crazy life and the way she copes with the hand she is dealt. Loving a boy she can't touch and lusting after a boy she can.

Not only does this talented writer excel at story telling but Jessa Russo also knows how to make an effective and nail biting love triangle. She knows how to move her readers and make them fall in love and then add this element that I personally never saw coming. She pretty much pulled the rug out from under me, and personally I am team Frankie all the way, but I can't help but feel sad about that. Like most, it's a book you have to experience first hand to get the full effect.

The main reason I love Supernatural and Paranormal books is that ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN. This book was such a glorious escape from reality, even if it was heart breaking at times, it was worth the ride. I say 4 stars (closer to 4.5) because of all the questions I still feel are unanswered, as always occurs in the first book of a series. I am definitely looking forward to book 2!

I will be on the lookout for more books by Jessa Russo but in the mean time here's a little something something to keep everyone satisfied! So share the book love!

My review will be posted on my blog, Goodreads and on Amazon (once released).

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/410729296

http://myguiltyobsession.blogspot.com/2012/10/review-ever-by-jessa-russo.html

I really enjoyed this book.  Ever is a typical 17 year old who happens to have the ghost of her best friend living in her house.  Her best friend, Jessie, is a great counter to Ever's character.  Jessie is bubbly, upbeat, and pink, where Ever is grounded, a bit pessimistic, and black.  Many YA readers will relate to Ever.

The only criticism I have is that I wish Russo had painted a better picture of Frankie earlier in the book.  What did he look like?  What were some of his mannerisms?  What did he wear?  That would have made Frankie more "real" to the reader. 

I like Ever's relationship with Toby.  It better shows the relationship between her and her parents.  Plus, he's hot.  :-)

I would recommend this book to students who enjoy romance novels and who enjoy paranormal novels.

Ever is conflicted. She’s been in love with her best friend Frankie for as long as she can remember, which would be fine, except he’s been dead for two years and living in her house as a ghost. She tries to resolve her feelings for Frankie when the hot boy next door shows an interest in her, but he’s involved in a lot more than she bargained for.

For me, Ever was a really engrossing, fun read, with just a few minor challenges that got to me at times. First, while I loved the main characters of the book, I found myself annoyed by the extremes between Ever and her best friend. Most relationships aren’t that opposed, and most people aren’t that pink or black extreme.

Second, it drove me nuts that there wasn’t any backstory to Frankie’s existence as a ghost, and even as more information comes to light in the book, my questions still weren’t answered.

Those things being said, I really enjoyed Ever. The romance and the mystery were interesting and kept me engaged and wanting to know more through the end of the book. I’ll definitely keep my eye out for the next installment!

Everyone must read this book!  I'm not kidding around here people...I mean business!  When I started this book I was unaware that it was a series, and thought I had picked up a standalone to read.  I was wrong.  After finishing the book (because that's how it always seems to work) I realized that this was just the first installment in a series and the cliffhanger Russo leaves her readers with at the end of this book was enough to make me want to jump up and scream while tearing my hair out.

I can't believe this happened to me again, but there's nothing I can do about it now.  It's only happened a handful of times before and each one of those was equally frustrating.  Russo sucked me into this book so quickly that I didn't even realize it until I'd glance at the clock and see how much time had gone by and that I needed to find a breaking point so I could get some sleep....only there was no good breaking point.  It was one revelation after another, more mystery and suspense than I expected for sure, and it was addicting to a dangerous degree.

So be full warned that this is NOT a standalone and trust me when I say that being frustrated with the cliffhanger is an understatement of epic proportions.  I haven't heard anything about a second book (please let there be a book two contracted already) so I'm crossing my fingers that one is already in the works, but on the off chance that nothing is finalized yet we've got to get more people reading this book so that book two becomes a reality.  I can't stand the idea of not knowing what will happen next for Ever and the rest of the gang!

So do yourself a favor and HUGE one for me and pick up this book when it hits the shelves on October 1st!

Review will be posted on blog tomorrow morning 8:30 central http://rabidgummibear.wordpress.com/2012/10/01/trashy-tuesday…by-jessa-russo/

Has already been posted to goodreads and amazon.

Full Excerpt here:

I’ll be the first person to tell you I often pick what books descriptions to read based on a cover. Ever by Jessa Russo has one of the most beautiful covers I’ve seen this year and it is a great book cover to judge because it’s eerily haunting and befitting of the book’s plot. This is one of the times I highly recommend judging a book by it’s cover.

Ever is an amazing book I literally stayed up most of the night reading it. I only stopped because my kindle died. The biggest downside of an ebook would be that. We start with meeting Ever whose best friend/love of her life Frankie died in her arms nearly 2 years ago. His ghost now occupies her house as a permanent resident and of course Ever has not moved on yet in her life of course from her love for Frankie. Though I don’t think in her shoes I would have an easy time moving on either. I mean really what would you do if your best friend/love of your life died in your arms?

Now the plot obviously doesn’t only revolve around Frankie and Ever, but a new guy named Toby. It ends up becoming something pretty different and unexpected for someone who reads a TON of paranormal books. I honestly have not enjoyed a paranormal young adult this much in a very long time. I was left feeling very emotional during the entire book and cheering on the main character Ever. Also you find yourself falling in love with Toby and Frankie. Mostly Frankie for me because of his rockabilly style. All in all Ever left me feeling like the next book can't be released soon enough.

Ever is worth the cash and you should pick it up if you like young adult paranormal romance novels. It is truly a unique and fun book to read.

5/5

Ever is an original love story filled with heartache, teen angst, and paranormal mystery. Jessa Russo immediately appeals to emotion by opening with the saddest tale of love unfulfilled. Ever's best friend and first love, Frankie, is dead but still very much present in her life. Even though she can see him and speak with him, Ever suspects he'll never know just how deep her feelings are for him. When Ever decides to move on and turn her affection towards her new neighbor, Toby, her life is turned upside down and normal becomes an impossible dream.

Ever is beautifully written and saturated in suspense. The clock counting down to something bad happening to Ever's attempt at a normal life ticks loudly. Russo's ability to write scenes that are literally filled with palpable tension or attraction is uncanny and really enhances the reading experience. Once one falls into the story, it's impossible not to become tangled in the game of tug of war played on the most delicate parts of Ever's heart. Russo unexpectedly gives so many reasons for increasing anticipation as Ever discovers the danger surrounding her new relationship and struggles to fit the pieces together. The situation of the story is inconceivable yet so realistic.

Sometimes it's just not possible, but Russo manages to create a book filled with easily lovable characters. Even the most villainous of the characters are perfect in this story! Ever is a stuck in a delicate point in her life but she's aware, and this makes her one of the kmost intriguing characters to read about. The novel is full of her presence and it's so wonderful to connect with the protagonist with such intensity. Toby and Frankie are both enigmatic and by the end of the story they're both still mysteries, but mysteries worth solving.

Jessa Russo is definitely an author to follow. Her debut novel, Ever, will rock the socks of readers and build excitement for more, more, more!

*eGalley provided through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*"