The Summer Before Forever by Melissa Chambers Pages: 304
Published by Entangled Teen on August 22, 2016
Series: Before Forever #1
Genres: Young Adult, contemporary, Romance
Also in this series: Falling for ForeverSome boys break your heart. Others teach you how to heal it.
Chloe Stone’s life is a hot mess. Determined to stop being so freaking skittish, she packs up her quasi-famous best friend and heads to Florida. The goal? Complete the summer bucket list to end all bucket lists. The problem? Her hot soon-to-be stepbrother, Landon Jacobs.
Landon’s mom will throttle him if he even looks at his future stepsister the wrong way. Problem is, Chloe is everything he didn’t know he wanted, and that’s...inconvenient. Watching her tear it up on a karaoke stage, stand up to his asshole friend, and rock her first string bikini destroys his sanity.
But there’s more than their future family on the line. Landon is hiding something—something he knows will change how she feels about him—and she’s hiding something from him, too. And when the secrets come out, there’s a good chance neither will look at the other the same way again...
Happy monday everyone! Falling For Forever released last week and I enjoyed this book (and series) so much that I wanted to plan something special to celebrate it. Today I have a review of The Summer Before Forever, but be sure to check out my review of Book 2, as well as ,guest post from the author Melissa, giveaways, along with some instagram fun and lots of other fun things.
See my review of Falling for Forever here
See my Guest Post with Melissa Chambers here
The Summer Before Forever is the first book in the before forever series by author Melissa Chambers. The books are all interconnected standalones. I have read and really enjoyed both of the books in the series, but my favorite book was the first one. I just loved Chloe. She was by far my favorite character. It was so great watching her summer transformation. It didn’t feel cheesy or forced; it felt natural. And it was a ton of fun.
In The Summer Before Forever, Chloe goes to spend the summer with her dad, his fiance and her soon to be new step-brother, Landon. I really, really loved Landon at the start of the story and at the end of the story. He got to be a bit much for me at about the 75% mark because I thought he was acting a little crazy, but I get it- Chloe is pretty awesome. But he won be back over again very quickly. Chloe is pretty much dreading the summer because things have been tense between her and her dad, so she brings her best friend Jenna along. Jenna is the main character of the second book in the series, Falling for Forever. And she is a larger than life personality. She cracks me up. I loved seeing her as Chloe’s best friend first before I saw her in her own story. She is a lot, but it is so clear that she would do anything for her friends. Chloe and Jenna are an odd pair, but I really love their friendship.
The Summer Before Forever was a feel good read from start to finish. I love that Melissa Chambers picked a learning disability that I had never heard of before. I learned a lot about Dyscalculia, which is a learning disorder that affects the way numbers are processed in the brain. I found this to be a fascinating pick, not only academically, but also for things in Landon’s every day life, not to mention how it affected his ability to play football at a college level. Melissa Chambers clearly did a lot of research to make everything seem realistic, and she brought up many points that I hadn’t even considered. I actually really loved that aspect of Landon and how it all played out.
And finally, let’s talk about the romance in The Summer Before Forever. I freakin’ love Chloe and Landon. looooove them! I loved how Landon was fascinated by Chloe right from the very start, and he was unwavering. I liked how Chloe was a bit reserved, but her progression with Landon was super adorable and heartfelt. This book, and this series, is the perfect summer read. Pick it up for a beach day, a pool day, or even a rainy day in bed. Just read the Before Forever series. It will put a smile on your face.
. @BookBriefs reviews the #BeforeForever series by @MelChambersAuth @EntangledTeen with a #review & #Giveaway of The summer before forever Click To Tweet
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About Melissa Chambers
Melissa Chambers writes contemporary novels for young, new, and actual adults. A Nashville native, she spends her days working in the music industry and her nights tapping away at her keyboard. While she’s slightly obsessed with alt rock, she leaves the guitar playing to her husband and kid. She never misses a chance to play a tennis match, listen to an audiobook, or eat a bowl of ice cream. (Rocky road, please!) She serves as the president elect for the Music City Romance Writers and is the author of The Summer Before Forever and Falling for Forever (Entangled Teen).
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
Victoria
Great review, I’ll definitely be checking this one out!
Cathy French
I can’t sing a lick but is I had the chops I would sing Halleluhah
Morgan Bishop
I love reading books about summer time romances! On raining days they bring summer back to life! I would love to read these books this summer! ?
Dianna
I would sing the theme song to Cops — “Bad boys, bad boys…” No one can understand the words so it wouldn’t matter if I forgot them.
Angela Zhang
I so want to read this book! Plus, I lvoe the cover.