The Problem with Forever

By: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Narrated by: Amy Landon

Length: 14 hrs

Publisher's Summary

From number-one New York Times best-selling author Jennifer L. Armentrout comes a riveting new story about friendship, survival, and finding your voice.

For some people, silence is a weapon. For Mallory "Mouse" Dodge, it's a shield. Growing up, she learned that the best way to survive was to say nothing. And even though it's been four years since her nightmare ended, she's beginning to worry that the fear that holds her back will last a lifetime.

Now, after years of homeschooling with loving adoptive parents, Mallory must face a new milestone - spending her senior year at a public high school. But of all the terrifying and exhilarating scenarios she's imagined, there's one she never dreamed of - that she'd run into Rider Stark, the friend and protector she hasn't seen since childhood, on her very first day.

It doesn't take long for Mallory to realize that the connection she shared with Rider never really faded. Yet the deeper their bond grows, the more it becomes apparent that she's not the only one grappling with lingering scars from the past. And as she watches Rider's life spiral out of control, Mallory must make a choice between staying silent and speaking out - for the people she loves, the life she wants, and the truths that need to be heard.

©2016 Jennifer L. Armentrout (P)2016 Harlequin Enterprises, Limited.

The story was really good. The narrator was off.

The Problem with Forever is a YA contemporary about self discovery with romance. Others would probably disagree with the order in which I labeled it. It is from the POV of Mallory “Mouse” Dodge. I would put this as young as 12-13 years old because it is very tame romantically but does bring up abuse and death. I think is a great book for a girl who might doubt herself when it comes to interacting with others or public speaking.

I have always like/loved JLA’s books. I had preordered the book way back when preorder came out. I really wanted to read this book but I had no time to sit and read, so I got the Audible upgrade to listen while getting things done. I’ll be honest. I did not care for the narrator in this book. She felt flat and it was missing so much. Her male voices were laughable. Let’s just say I only listened to an hour of this before I switched solely to reading. Yes I did listen to the audio clip prior to getting the Audible but that small selection of the book was probably the best the narrator read.

Overall, I felt the story was about Mallory discovery of her as a 17 year old girl. Her early life experiences damaged her view on the world and how she perceived it. She did become involved with Rider romantically; I think it was more part of her growing up. I read some reviews that said she was immature and too grown-up at the same time. She has PSTD. Normal development of emotions can be stunted. So yes, she might have been immature and too grown up, which would be normal for someone with her background.

This story will probably bring tears to people who cry easily. My heart is pretty much stone but I felt many of the emotions Mallory was going through. I think JLA did an incredible job making us feel what Mallory felt.

I added it to my daughter’s Kindle.

It Was Ok

Very predictable but an easy listen. Not one of her stronger stories. If you're looking for romance, I say skip. It is a coming of age story and that's it.

THIS BOOK IS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!

I don't even know where to start with this review...I've been a fan of Jennifer's for A VERY LONG TIME! I've listened to all her books & bought them all in ebook format as well. THIS ONE I WILL TRY MY HARDEST TO BUY A HARDBACK & I HOPE 1 DAY TO BE ABLE TO HAVE IT SIGNED! The Problem With Forever Touched Me In So SO MANY WAYS! it Hit SO CLOSE to home for me! I wish I would've read this book when I was younger....If I could give this book 10 Stars I WOULD!! YES IT'S THAT AMAZING!! Amy Landon Really Did an Awesome job bringing Mallory(Mouse)TO LIFE!! Heck she did Great on Ryder, Hector All of them!!
DEFINITELY WORTH A CREDIT!! SO HAPPY I HIT PRE-ORDER ON THIS 1 JUST LIKE I DO WITH ALL JENNIFER'S BOOKS!

My only regret...

The story was pretty good. I wasn't a huge fan of the narrator, but the story was sweet.

My only regret is that I didn't count how many times Mallory mentioned Rider's dimple. Seriously. She talked about that dimple A LOT.

Great, compelling novel.

Many life lessons wrapped into the story.
I would recommend this book to my mother and my daughter, there's so much depth.

One of my favorites!

I have liked all the books I've read by Jennifer Armentrout. She is an amazing author.

This book was wonderful. I fell in love with the characters. My heart hurt for them at times. I laughed with them at other times. This was a great story in more than one way. It can teach you a lot about loving yourself and not letting your past destroy you.

Hands down, best listen of 2016 so far

There is no way to walk away from this book and not feel changed. It is an unforgettable story of learning you should know how to save yourself but recognizing that sometimes it's ok to let others save you too.

I will seriously never forget Mouse and I hope I can always remember to not take for granted the people in my life who are kind to me, because as we read in this story, that is not guaranteed to anyone.

Amy Landon was fantastic. I do with her voice was younger since it does take place in high school, but I'm not going to dock any stars because what she did was on point.

Mallory and Rider

Would you listen to The Problem with Forever again? Why?

Yes, I enjoyed the narrator and their story.

What did you like best about this story?

I liked Mallory and her will.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I had a lot of moments where situations made me sad especially for Mallory.

Any additional comments?

While I thought this was a slow read (listen) I still found it quite enjoyable. I started to wonder if my guessing some of the situations made this predictable but the fact that I was still able to enjoy it all made me not care so much. I liked Rider and I loved Mallory. Her (both of theirs actually) history sucked but I liked the way she was able to fight through things. Of course I'm curious about Ansley and Hector so it will be great to get their story next hopefully.

Fantastic!!

I was riveted from the Prologue in. Fantastic story and amazing narration. This story will stay with me for a long time. Loved it! And the narration was outstanding!!

Do not hesitate to purchase this book.

This book was perfect. It was the first book I've listened to from this author, but it will not be the last. The characters were well-developed and charming. I typically listen to books on my commute to work and back, but I just couldn't wait to finish this, so I put it on during every free moment I had. I cried, laughed out loud, and smiled so hard it hurt. You will not regret this purchase.

Loved

One word 'Rider'. He's just the most perfect bad boy gentleman, does that make sense? Probably not but that's how I feel. Rider and Mallory were brought up in the same foster home, where they were both verbally and physically abused, Rider protected Mallory with everything he had for years. This all came to a head following a particularly bad episode which ended up with Mallory being hospitalised and eventually adopted. For four years they had no contact, until Mallory's first day at high school (after being homeschooled), when they meet again. Mallory has difficulty speaking and communicating with strangers, but not Rider, even after all those years. Rider still feels the need to protect her, but maybe they need each other. A beautifully written story about love, life and growing up. Loved the characters and would love Hector and Ainsley to have a book. Thoroughly enjoyed

Highly moralistic, American and rather irritating.

Our main character uses her upbringing, relationships and almost intriguing life to preach to us about appreciating white American middle class privolage.

Easy listen but not much meat

OK book, easy listen. Not gripping, the story tries to be serious at points but really is just bland. A "listen to once" book. 3 stars.

Beautiful story would 100% recommend

This was an absolutely beautiful story with fantastic characters that are very relatable in their own ways. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute :)

great book

great book. The characters felt real. The writing was so good. It made me think about life and living. It is a story that you don't want to finish.

WOW just WOW!

This story was powerful! It was such a sad story that evolved into a girl showing how she over came an horrific childhood with a loving person who always protected her and very loving foster parents who showed her what love is. She then shows the one who protected her that he is loved and cherished too! Such a beautiful, emotional Rollercoaster with some extremely sad parts and a happily ever after!

This one had tears dripping down my face and the speech she makes had me sobbing but overall a gripping read and one I'd definitely read again.

The narrator does an amazing job.

Complicated

A complex story exploring friendship, trauma, love, and hope.
It has a lot of yhrmes throughout but it’s a really nice story in the end.

loved it!!!!

Ok, so I bought this not knowing what to expect. . . But absolutely loved it! totally couldn't stop listening to it.

Loved how the characters develop and you get to know them...amazing!

Recommend

I thought this was a good story, really easy to listen to. Would recommend it to people.

I loved this book.

I loved the story of this book, a nice change to the normal YA romance. Found myself really growing attached to the characters and feeling exactly what they were feeling.
Lovely book, lovely story, fantastic narration. Now finding myself searching for similar books.