5 * review of Saving Forever by Jasinda Wilder
Wow, ok well I have just finished reading this book and thought I needed to dive right in and write this review.
What a rollercoaster of a read! I have felt just about every emotion during this book, ok well during the entirety of this series. And I must say from the outset I think that this was the perfect ending to one of the most emotional series I have ever read. I’m not saying it was an easy ending to reach and I’d say a box or two of soft tissues wouldn’t go amiss as an accompaniment to the book either!
Well, if I hadn’t had my heart wrenched from its rightful place by the end of both Forever & Always and After Forever it was well and truly ripped, trodden and thrown back in barely in one piece by the end! I haven’t felt as invested in the lives of characters for such a long time and each and every page brought new emotions to the surface. I loved that the final book dealt with the “ever after’s” of both Ever and Eden.
The multiple perspective and the separate parts of the book really threw me into the different lives of the characters and the addition of Carter to Eden’s life just made the book for me. Without giving too much away here’s what I thought!
Caden, throughout the series, and especially this book has had his fair share of knocks in life. The pure fact he is still standing, albeit for most of the book in a shell of his former self, amazed me. To see him so broken and lost but yet trying so hard to hold himself together for Ever literally broke my heart. Knowing what we readers know made his struggle all the more real and I rooted for him and Ever SO hard and felt like I’d been on their journey with them, holding their hands the entire way. And at the moment everything is revealed I was heartbroken right there with him. I wanted to jump right into the pages and hug him hard. The burden he had to carry just kept multiplying and I honestly thought at times he was literally going to just give up but the fact he fought through really endeared him to me.
Ever, well she’s had it all too but again her resilience in the face of everything that has been thrown at her left me choked on more than one occasion. The strength of her character and the forgiveness she shows is beyond mind-blowing. Faced with everything I really do not know how I would react but I certainly know I’d be nowhere near as strong.
Eden had to make some excruciating decisions and at a time in her life when she needed her sister the most she had to do what she felt right for everyone and walk away. In a way I’m very glad she did. Why? Well if she hadn’t we wouldn’t have met and fallen for Carter for one! The unfolding story of Carter and Eden is amazing and actually made me read on even though initially their story was almost blocking us from hearing about Ever and Caden. The cliffhanger from After Forever had me almost throwing my Kindle at the wall but then you open this last installment and lo and behold we don’t actually start with the continuation of the story we want. And do you know that didn’t matter because I was very quickly dragged in to the will they/ won’t they story of Eden and Carter.
Although an entire book on the resolution of Ever and Caden’s story would have been amazing, the torment of watching Carter open up and reinvent himself alongside Eden was just as heart-rending. His support of her through the rough patches was unshakeable and his beauty for me came from the very selfless way in which he was simply there for her, asking absolutely nothing in return. But in return she inadvertently gave him everything back. I also think that the introduction of his amazing family was also a high point in the book. It was such a sweet coupling under such awkward circumstances.
All in all this was an amazing end to such a twisting and turning tale of love, loss, love found and life gained. And the ending is just perfect. I’d love to talk on about his book and series for the entire night but I would hate to ruin the books for anyone wanting to read them. Don’t read these expecting a sweet young adult romance. It is not but it is one of THE most emotional journeys I have taken in a long time and to ne honest I’m glad it’s over now. Although I envy anyone starting as the anticipation and the guessing where the story will go next was a massive part of why I have enjoyed this book and series so much.
Thank you Jasinda for bringing these amazing characters to life and telling their stories and I give his book a well-deserved 5 angsty stars!
