Book Review & Giveaway: Forever, Interrupted

By Amy Bromberg

**Giveaway is now closed**

Elsie Porter is an average twenty-something and yet what happens to her is anything but ordinary. On a rainy New Year’s Day, she heads out to pick up a pizza for one. She isn’t expecting to see anyone else in the shop, much less the adorable and charming Ben Ross. Their chemistry is instant and electric. Ben cannot even wait twenty-four hours before asking to see her again. Within weeks, the two are head over heels in love. By May, they’ve eloped.

Only nine days later, Ben is out riding his bike when he is hit by a truck and killed on impact. Elsie hears the sirens outside her apartment, but by the time she gets downstairs, he has already been whisked off to the emergency room. At the hospital, she must face Susan, the mother-in-law she has never met—and who doesn’t even know Elsie exists.

Interweaving Elsie and Ben’s charmed romance with Elsie and Susan’s healing process, Forever, Interrupted will remind you that there’s more than one way to find a happy ending. (Synopsis courtesy of Amazon.)

I saw some friends on Twitter saying that they weren't able to put this book down. Well, let's just say this emotionally packed debut instantly sucked me in. The beginning of Forever, Interrupted will hit you really hard as this is when Ben dies, which is basically right after Elsie and Ben get married. After that the book is told in two different time periods: one being the past, during Elsie and Ben's courtship, and the other being the present, Elsie meeting Susan (her mother-in-law) and grieving over Ben's loss. One thing that really puts this book at the top, and sets it apart from other books with the widow theme, is how in depth we get to know the characters...especially Elsie. She really speaks her mind and says things that most people would just keep inside bottled up, especially while grieving for a lost love. To say that this character is very relatable is an understatement. Elsie is flawed, yet beautiful and lovable at the same time. Talking about really putting your feelings "out there," this is exactly what Ben does towards Elsie, more or less, from the first time they meet. There is no playing games or holding back on how he feels about her. Any girl would crave to have a man love her so deeply. It's one of the best feelings ever...you feel SO special and loved.

The one aspect that seemed a bit unrealistic was how quickly Elise and Ben's relationship evolved. We don't see that often a couple getting married after only dating for six months. But hey, this is fiction and it's the author's playground.

The take away message I got from Forever, Interrupted, one that I already knew, is that you need to live your life to the fullest in the right here and now. Life is so precious and it could be taken away in an instant. These two quotes from The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment by Eckhart Tolle say it perfectly:

“Realize deeply that the present moment is all you have. Make the NOW the primary focus of your life.”

"“Nothing has happened in the past; it happened in the Now. Nothing will ever happen in the future; it will happen in the Now.”

Thanks to Goldberg McDuffie Communications for the book in exchange for an honest review. They also have one copy for a lucky US reader.

How to win:
Since our two most recent reviews have been about widows, tell us your favorite novel about a widow. (If you haven't read any yet, tell us which one would interest you the most to read.)

One entry per person.

Please include your e-mail address or another way to reach you if you win. Entries without contact information will NOT be counted.

US only. Giveaway ends August 12th at midnight EST.

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