Zomerliefde

Girl Heart Boy #1

by Ali Cronin

Girl heart boy: Echte liefde, echte levens, echte seks

Vier vriendinnen, drie vrienden. Allemaal worden ze dit jaar achttien. Cass is Miss Monogaam. Ashley is een flirt. Donna is een feestbeest. En Sarah? Haar vriendinnen plagen haar en noemen haar preuts, maar Sarah wacht gewoon op De Ware. Wanneer ze in Spanje tijdens de zomervakantie met haar ouders een romantische flirt beleeft met Joe, is Sarah over the moon - maar Joe houdt de boot af. Komt het goed, of is Sarah voor hem gewoon een zomerliefde?

Ali Cronin is een Engelse schrijfster van Young Adult-verhalen. Ze werkte voor bladen als Bliss, Sugar en J17 en was producer van de BBC-website voor tieners.

Girl heart boy is een nieuwe serie over een hechte vriendengroep van vier meisjes en drie jongens die dit jaar allemaal achttien worden.

Genres: Young Adult, Romance, New Adult, Contemporary, Ebooks, College

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Hello. I write YA / NA novels, I’m tall, and my hair is now shorter and redder than in this pic. Other than that, we’re good.

My books have been translated into several languages and have reached the top 10 of both the Amazon and iBooks charts. My LinkedIn page has more CV stuff, plus editorial endorsements.

My favourite food is Thai curry with coconut rice and Christmas cake, tho’ not at the same time HAHA.
I love a stud, of the metal-on-clothes-and-shoes variety. I don’t like studly men. They’re weird and serious. I like silly men, who are weird and lovely.

If I could have anyone over for tea, it’d be Vanessa Bell (for talking about sex in posh accents), Diana Athill (ditto, plus books), Mary Wesley (ditto again, plus the war), Lee Mack (he funny) and Don Draper (he sexy. And, yes, a bit studly. But he’s from the ‘60s so it’s OK).

Reviews

[Carmen de la Rosa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Voy a darle a este tres estrellas y media. Ya he leído algunas historias de romance y, sinceramente, he leído mejor pero también he leído peor. Entonces es un poco en el medio. Hubo mucho drama en este libro y pensé que el personaje principal era un poco demasiada ingenua y demasiada pegajosa. La historia en sí fue realmente agradable, un poco predecible, pero aún así linda. Sin embargo, el final fue tan vago, deseé que hubiera sido más claro, o que la historia hubiera sido un poco más larga para que al menos hubiera sabido lo que realmente había decidido hacer con la información que acababa de obtener sobre uno de sus amigos, pero tal vez lo descubra en el próximo libro? ¿No lo sé? Aunque eso espero. De todos modos, ella tomó la decisión correcta al final, así que al menos eso es todo. Fue una bonita historia corta, algo bueno para leer cuando estás en un paro lector o algo así. Se lee fácilmente, rápido y no es demasiado largo. Fue bueno, pero no fantástico.

[Lucka · Rating 1 out of 5]

CAUTION! One of my most bad-ass reviews ever!

Cover: A little kitschy. That's all.

„Well... maybe I'll just let it go.“

The story: Seventeen Sarah and a bunch of her friends are dealing with only one thing - boys. Cass is in relation, Ashley likes to alternating boys and Donna is a party girl. A typical bunch of today's teenagers. Sarah has never dated a guy before, and she's like, when she could finally talk about her experience with love.

She met an awesome guy at her holidays in Spain and It looked promising. And then, after returning home, Joe is silent and doesn't behave nicely. Oh, what a surprise!

„Hey, did you asked me now at all how am I?“

Rating: The main plot can't keep my attention and I'm starting to get bored quickly. Ali Cronin tries to build a plot, but the scenes, which she adds in thinking, that they can create action, are inappropriate and the main character is ABSOLUTELY STUPID!

Don't know why? She's whining and dependent on someone, who is obviously dependent on her, but motto of this book probably sounds like: Who's not?

The whole plot is slightly knowable since the beginning and Sarah's behavior can be characterized as ''I'm teen and I'm not taking advice''. Sarah's friends aren't doing much better and you will hardly find a sympathetic person. Perhaps the only cute thing about this book was Ollie, without debate! Some parts can entertain you, but rather the incredible Sarah's naivety. I expected something completely different certainly and mainly conceived otherwise. The book reads quite quickly, maybe because when you skip a few pages, nothing will change. Like, seriously... I have to buy a book, in which is written life of half teen people in the world? Really? *banging her head* Damn it! money thrown out of the window (at the bookstore).

„And we also had fabulous sex. But...“

I would recommend this book, well... to noone. It's full of illusions and absolutely stupid bullshits.

Percent: • Cover: 35%
• Storyline: 25%
• Love story: 40%

Overall impression: 25%

[Mariana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Terrible. A fin de cuentas, es un libro ligero, en realidad algo que necesitaba, pero simplemente no.

[Laura Vargas Mora · Rating 1 out of 5]

ESTA RESEÑA CONTIENE POSIBLES SPOILERS

Si alguien me preguntara si recomiendo leer este libro inmediatamente le respondería con un hermoso NO.

Lo único que me gusto del libro: Ollie, me pareció muy tierno y considerado, a pesar de que su amiga se estuviera comportando como una idiota, él la escuchó siempre que ella lo "necesitaba".

Mis problemas con este libro fueron muchos y el más grande de todos era la ESTUPIDEZ e INGENUIDAD de la protagonista y las falsas esperanzas que adquiere con base en nada.

A ver, primero que nada, conoció al tipo en unas vacaciones y tuvieron un romance; cualquier persona con sentido común habría deducido que era solo eso: un romance de verano, peeeero, Sara claramente no tiene ni una pizca de este.

Luego, él le dijo muy directamente que no quería nada serio y básicamente le dijo que la quería para tener sexo cuando se le antojara, y algo que me pareció pésimo fue que a pesar de que Joe la ignoraba y hablaba con ella solo cuando quería utilizarla, ella cada vez que él le mandaba un mensaje ella inmediatamente lo respondía y tenía que esperar otra semana por otro mísero mensaje diciéndole que no podría ir a verla por que tenía que "trabajar y estaba ocupado con la universidad". Esa disponibilidad por parte de ella me provocaba ganas de agarrarla del pelo y meter su cara en agua fría para ver si reaccionaba.

Además que me pareció terrible que la muchachita esta pensara que eran novios, POR DIOS!!! cómo pudo pensar eso si ni siquiera le respondía los mensajes ni las llamadas. Que encanto de novio tenía, en serio, impresionante. Y me pareció súper estúpido que considerara ir a una universidad con mala reputación en vez de entrar a una buena, solo por que quería estar con el tipo.

Otra cosa que me molestó de la protagonista es que a pesar de que todas las señales apuntaban a que sus amigas tenían la razón, ella seguía de necia y pensaba que la razón la tenía ella y cada vez que alguien se atrevía a comentarle que tal vez estaba equivocada se ponía hecha una furia y se ponía a llorar. Eso es otra cosa POR TODO LLORABA, en serio!! ni yo cuando estoy con el SPM soy tan sensible, y eso que me pongo insoportable, pero Sara era peor durante todo el mes!

En fin, este libro me pareció terrible, lo terminé solo porque no me gusta dejar los libros a medias, y tampoco las trilogías, por lo tanto empezaré el segundo, pero si me parece algo como este, sin duda lo dejaré a medias, no podría soportar leer algo como esto de nuevo.

[Shirley · Rating 2 out of 5]

To be honest, it’s books like No Such Thing As Forever that put me off reading contemporary YA. I can only say I’m so glad the majority of contemporary books I’ve read this year have been so much better. No such thing as Forever was, most unfortunately, a major disappointment. The characters were dull and irritating; and nothing about the plot intrigued me. I was just glad that this was a quick read, so I didn’t have to spend so much time reading it.

I was so frustrated by Sarah's behaviour throughout the book that I literally wanted to jump inside the book and throttle her. After she met a guy on holiday in Spain, her world quite literally revolved around him. She had an unhealthy and obsessive infatuation with him; something that annoyed the hell out of me. Calling her “naïve” is probably an understatement; “stupidity” though harsh, is probably a more fitting word. I hated how she deluded herself into thinking she could have a future with a guy who publicly humiliated her, ignored her phone calls, visited her only when it was convenient for him, and…who only wanted “uber hot” sex with her whenever they saw each other. Joe may be a jerk-no doubt about it-, but I found it was Sarah’s own actions that resulted in all the drama that unfolded. I mean, did it not mean anything when Joe told her point blank that their relationship wasn’t serious? Was that not the time to walk away? While Sarah may be seen as a realistic character- portraying a teenager experiencing love for the first time, I found it incredibly difficult to relate to her. I mean…not ALL girls who experience first love are like her.

So Sarah’s obsessed, and Joe's a (for a lack of better word) douchebag, unfortunately the other characters weren't much better. The only characters I liked were the guys- Ollie(who's so sweet by the way!), Jack and Rich; who, in my opinion were the only SENSIBLE characters in the book. I felt Sarah's three 'best friends' Donna, Cass and Ash were either selfish or just..incredibly dislikable characters. Ash was ungrateful (Is it too much to say “Thank You” after your best friend (literally) saved you from death? ) ; and Cass and Donna just….didn’t strike me as great friends. Let’s just say I’m glad these three aren’t my best friends.

No such thing as Forever, most unfortunately wasn’t my cup of tea. I’ve been more tolerant of contemporary books lately, but this just didn’t make the cut. I know many found this realistic, and many of the characters relatable, but, I couldn’t, for the life of me, relate to the characters. However, I’m sure many contemporary fans will find this enjoyable – pick this up if you’re in for a speedy Summer read 

[Isha · Rating 1 out of 5]

As I started reading this book, I automatically knew it wasn’t for me. The main character, Sarah is highly oblivious to her circumstances and chooses to live in denial which costs her, her true friends and family. Her continuous neglect to her position irked me and possibly other readers.

Sarah meets a perfect teethed boy on the beaches of Spain and instantly feels a ‘connection’. When things between her and Jo escalate, Sarah wants more from this relationship than the intimate moments, she wants commitment.

The book starts off with her and her friends talking about their summer perks when Sarah starts her story of her perfect moment.

Throughout the novel, the author: Ali gives subtle hints about Ollie, one of her friend’s possible feelings towards Sarah which she does not notice.

I do love and perhaps envy her friendship group and love how close and reliable they are. Even though through bad times and they may be in a row they still offer her shelter and advice, though she may not take it all the times.

I recommend this book for people who enjoy ‘chick flicks’ which may not have the obvious ending but are still finish on a happy- a good summer read. Although I am looking forward for the next book in this series: Rumour has it as I think I will enjoy reading from Ash’s perspective.

[Jo]

This book is described as "Fifty Shades of Grey meets the OC".


Um..

I doubt that FSoG refers to penises as "willies" and I've never actually been to Brighton, but I'm guessing the only thing that it has in common with California is that there is a beach. And teenagers living in it's vicinity.

I'm officially giving up, I know how this is going to end and Sarah is annoying me too much and I have had the Grease Megamix embedded in my soul since page one.

You'd think that would be a good thing..

[Celine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review originally posted in: http://forget8me8not.blogspot.com.au/...

Cover:
The cover is okay. I'm not really liking image used but I like how the font of 'Forever' is different to the rest of the title's font to emphasize on the word.

Story:

Does forever exist in real life?

Four girls, Cass, Ashley, Donna and Sarah are best friends. When Sarah and her family goes for a holiday in Spain, Sarah tells her friends that she meets a cute guy called Joe and spends her time together with him. When holiday's over, Joe goes back to London while Sarah goes back to Brighton. Sarah really likes Joe, but does Joe feel the same way or is it merely a summer fling?

No Such Thing as Forever is the first book in Girl Heart Boy series. Written from Sarah's POV, the book ventures around themes of love and teenager's life. I really enjoyed reading this book. It's one of those contemporaries that I can relate to because the characters are teenagers, the story revolves around school life, friends and there's also the romance bit that teenagers are experiencing. Ali Cronin's writing is realistic and great! She portrays teenagers' life very well such as parties, sex and also school!

Characters:
One thing I liked besides the story itself are Cronin's characters. She voices them really well. I really liked Sarah in the beginning. She tries to find a guy who she really likes and when she finally finds him, he is not a good guy. At first, I completely understand how she tries hard to make Joe like her, but I do agree with her friends that she becomes obsessed with him. She texts him all the time, even though he rarely replies and he often cancels his plans with Sarah in the last minute. Sarah should have known that Joe is not interested in a serious relationship when Joe rarely replies her texts or even said that he is not looking for anything more. As the book progresses, I become annoyed with Sarah but I still understand how she feels that way. I really liked her best friends! They are very supportive of Sarah and are always there to help her, including Ollie, Rich and Jack! Meanwhile, Joe is absolutely a jerk. He merely uses Sarah for sex and pretends as if he cares about her! But nevertheless, I liked how all the characters feel so real!

Overall:
No Such Thing as Forever is the first book in the exciting new series from Ali Cronin. Cronin's writing is realistic and her characters are voiced really well! Portraying real lives, romance and relationships of teenagers, I'd definitely recommend this book to fans of older young adult contemporaries!

Thank you Penguin Australia for the review copy!

[Georgia · Rating 3 out of 5]

No Such Thing as Forever was a typical, average YA Contemporary book. It wasn’t anything exciting or special. The main character was stupid and immature. It took me a while to read this. I wish I enjoyed it more.

Sarah is like most clichéd YA girls. She has a solid group of friends, girls and boys, and is a man hater. Until one moment, when she is swept of her feet by someone she hardly knows during a holiday with her family at the beach. This boy, Joe, lives in London and is in university. Sarah is still in school and lives in Brighton. Hmm, see a problem? After the holiday, Sarah goes back to school like a whole new person! She is no longer Sarah the man hater virgin; she is Sarah with a long-distance boyfriend. Of course, naturally, her friends are all exciting for her and interested at first, until Sarah is verging on the point of obsessed. Joe is all she thinks about! This is where Sarah turns completely stupid. More stupid than before, is that possible? She ditches her friends for a boy; a summer fling. A boy who is an ass, who just wants her for her stupidity because she has no idea what he is doing!! Ahh! This was so frustrating! And then, enter Ollie, perfect best friend and typical man whore. Ollie calls her flower… so Sarah isn’t it obvious? No, it wasn’t obvious, not to her. This book was just a silly, short, typical YA contemp. The story line was obvious and non-eventful.

The characters… Well. As you have probably gathered, I did not like Sarah. She was silly, annoying, whiny and immature. She could not see what Joe was doing, she did not understand her friends’ opinions on Joe and she could not see how obvious Ollie was being, until it was practically shoved in her face. I hated Joe. He was awful and a dick and he should not be allowed to treat innocent women like that; women that generally like him. Sarah’s friends weren’t actually too bad. They cared about Sarah and they tried to warn her. I like Ollie and I felt sorry for him. Sarah didn’t deserve him; she was rude and hot headed. Ollie was sweet Ollie; he deserved a girl who actually cared about him.

This book was average. Not good, not bad. Just… okay. I didn’t like the characters very much and the story line was predictable. I wish I enjoyed this more. I might read the next book; Ash’s story.

Thanks to Penguin Books Australia and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book!!

[Alba · Rating 2 out of 5]

Creo que he muerto de vergüenza ajena. Así, tal cual. Hace tiempo que no se me presenta una protagonista tan infantil, tonta y ciega. Dan ganas de darle un par de bofetones a ver si se le pasa a la pobre muchacha, que más que 17, parece que tiene 12 años.
Cuando compre este libro en su día, pensé que sería del tipo de Love You, o de After, pero me he llevado una gran desilusión. Además, a pesar de que he leído en varias reseñas que la gente cree que el libro está bien escrito y que los pensamientos de una adolescente están bien plasmados en él, discrepo totalmente. La prosa está como forzada, parece muy falsa y los diálogos son por lo general bastante cursis e infantiles, por no hablar ya de las reflexiones internas de la protagonista.
Me da pena criticar un libro así, pues soy consciente que detrás de cada novela hay un gran esfuerzo e ilusión por parte de la autora, pero aún así me duele haber gastado 15€ en un libro que seguro que voy a vender o donar.

[Katie (Kitkatscanread) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was an OK read for me, and personally 3 stars to me means an OK read.
The main protagonist annoyed me.
She is just so difhsdaifosaofheaoh
I wanted to reach into the book and strangle her.
Or slap her.
Either one.
Just knock sense into her for being so RETARDED!!!
WHY CANT YOU SEE WHAT HE'S DOING?!?!
Grrr <_<
Ollie is cute.
End of.

Full review: http://kitkat1242.blogspot.co.uk/2013...

[Lena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tak jo, čekala jsem od toho víc. Už od začátku jsem věděla jaký je Joe kokot. A Sára? Bože, za tu dobu co umím číst jsem snad neviděla naivnější holku. Až do samého konce jsem se chytala za hlavu a doufala, že už to skončí, protože stejně tak jako všechny její přátele, mě nebavilo poslouchat ty její kydy.
Najvětší plus na týhle knize?
Ollie. Jo, ten jedinej se zdál normální.
Možná ještě Jack a Rich...

[Táňa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Knížka byla čtivá a lehce se četla, ale ten děj už byl o něco horší a zápletku jsem měla hned prokouklou.
Co jsem si myslela o Joem?


Tohle asi říká všechno....

[Gala · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

Este libro lo leí hace muchos años,cuando era adolescente,recuerdo que no me gustó mucho. Después de no recordarlo,decidí releerlo y creo que mi puntuación se mantiene.
Es un libro de drama adolescente muy básico,es ligero y sencillo. Siempre quise leer los otros de la serie y nunca pude. Si algún día lo logro,habrá reseña.

[Maebhe · Rating 1 out of 5]

Im sorry this is bad - the wee girl in annoyed me sooooo much. I wanted to adopt her and then shake her for being such an idiot! SOrry dont like dis-ing peoples books but she is what makes people think teenagers are idiots and i dont like this but im gona say it - Easy!

[Tracey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably closer to 3.5 stars! Review to come...

[Poisongirl 0101 · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the beginning I was not thinking I would like this book... but then the story was unfolding and I ended up adoring this group of friends, and, of course, especially Ollie <333

[Janell Mayura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Una lectura rápida y fresca. Aunque a la protagonista exaspera por ratos xD pero para una mañana aburrida me mantuvo entretenida y lo termine en unas horas.

[ALPHAreader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sarah was happy in her role as the stable, reliable one in the friendship group. Ash is ‘doing it like a dude’, Donna is the wild child, and Cass is ‘Ms Monogamy’. Sarah was the happy-medium; not a prude, but certainly not about to give it up for just any boy who thinks romance is a spare bedroom at a house party. Sarah wanted her first time to be special – maybe she doesn’t (entirely) believe in the Hallmark fallacy of rainbows, unicorns and chocolate hearts when it comes to popping your V-card . . . but having a spark with the boy you’re giving it up to? Maybe an inkling that he’s ‘The One’ and not just ‘There’ would be nice?

What Sarah wanted was a smidge of romance; sweaty palms and butterflies in stomach. Maybe even the possibility of forever?

What she got was Joe, while on holidays with her family in Spain.

And while Sarah didn’t necessarily believe in the aforementioned rainbows, unicorns and chocolate hearts, Joe makes her question everything she ever felt or thought about ‘The One’, as she falls into obsession with her holiday romance . . . But what happens when only one of you is falling and believing in forever?

‘No Such Thing as Forever’ is the first book in a new young adult contemporary series called ‘Girl Heart Boy’, from British author Ali Cronin.

Once upon a time teen readers had Judy Blume to teach them all about love, sex, pain, relationships, boys affectionately calling their junk ‘Ralph’ and horrifying descriptions of menstruation contraptions called ‘belts’ (seriously, it was a thing – look it up and blow your mind). Since Ms Blume (and largely thanks to her) the contemporary young adult genre has grown up quite a bit, and what was titillating and risqué in the 70s now pales in comparison to what some young adult authors explore these days. But Blume never really set out to titillate and excite – she really just wanted to write about normal teen experiences like love and breaking up, and to occasionally explore mature teenage sexual relationships that didn’t end in disease or pregnancy. And I feel like that’s what Cronin is doing in her ‘Girl Heart Boy’ series. She’s not here to write ground-breaking tear-jerkers about teenagers in mental institutions or suffering from deep, emotional traumas. She’s just writing about normal, adolescent behaviour. And that’s okay, heck, it’s even commendable. But it also means that ‘No Such Thing as Forever’ is kind of ho-hum as a result, and just ‘okay’. Cronin isn’t reinventing the wheel, or reinventing the Blume, if you will.

We meet Sarah as she recounts the tale of her recent Spanish holiday to her three best friends – Ash, Donna and Cass. But this is not your typical dull summer holiday recollection, because on this particular trip Sarah met Joe – and that has changed everything. Sarah is no longer the uptight wowser her friends have found to be comfortably reliable in her predictability – Sarah is now obsessing over Joe and everything they had, and everything he may (or may not?) want from their relationship.

Sarah is taking pointers from her friends as she tries to find her footing in obsessing over Joe. She takes advice from Cass, who has been with Adam for four years now and “knows the score”. Ashley, the ‘player’ of their group who they could all learn a thing or two from, and Donna, the girl who knows how to have a good time. But Sarah is learning a lot about herself in the aftermath of her summer romance, and she doesn’t necessarily like what she is becoming. But in finding out about her own romantic self, Sarah is also unearthing some interesting insights about her friends and how they all deal with the complicated ways of the heart;

Surprised, I turned to her. ‘You’ve got an actual list?’ Ash nodded. ‘What else is on it?’
Without pause, Ash reeled them off. ‘Round-the-world trip, perform at Glastonbury, write novel, have sex with girl, get married, have children, have general anaesthetic, fly plane, learn to cook.’
I mulled over those for a minute. Sex with a girl? Interesting. General anaesthetic? Weird, but I could sort of see her thinking. I rubbed my eye. ‘You want to get married and have children?’
Ash smirked. ‘I knew you’d pick up on that.’ Her expression was light, but her mouth was tense. This list business was obviously no joke, then. I altered my expression accordingly.
‘I can’t help what I want, can I?’ she said. We walked in silence for a few seconds. ‘It’s like . . . ’ She stopped. ‘Do you believe in God?’
I shrugged. ‘Dunno. I suppose so.’
‘Well, I've thought about it a lot,’ she said. ‘It’d be nice to believe in heaven and all that, but I don’t. I can’t . . . It’s the same with the marriage-and-children thing. I'd rather not want them, but I do.’

I did like this book. It was easy enough for me to keep getting stuck back into it as it languished on my bedside table for a few weeks. I chuckled quite a bit in reading, and nodded understandingly at some of Sarah’s cringe-worthy antics, performed in the name of obsession. But I didn’t love this book, and I’m not sure I'd make the trek to the second instalment, ‘Rumour Has It’.

Partly, for me at least, it was the British barrier that stopped me from really investing in the book. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge fan of TV show ‘Skins’ (well, until Franky came along at least) and I really loved Gareth Russell’s YA book ‘Popular’ (set in Ireland). I have no problems with the United Kingdom teen front. But while reading ‘No Such Thing as Forever’, I couldn’t help but think that I would be more invested in this if it were set in Australia . . . if the entire concept of the ‘Girl Heart Boy’ teen series had been executed by an Aussie author. There was just something in this book being quintessentially British that stopped me from taking it entirely seriously – maybe it was the ‘blimey’ talk or the confusing ‘forms’ school grade system. In ‘Popular’ I found it really interesting to read a YA novel that had such a different setting as an Irish Catholic high school. But in ‘No Such Thing as Forever’ I just couldn’t help thinking it would mean so much more to me if it had been Aussie . . . So, just to be clear, I’m not nit-picking Ali Cronin being a British author. I actually really like the entire concept of a Judy Blume-esque ‘Girl Heart Boy’ series that is straight-up about love, sex and relationships for teenagers. I would just, given the choice, rather read an Australian YA contemporary romance series.

There were things about ‘No Such Thing’ and the entire concept of ‘Girl Heart Boy’ that I really loved. Like the girls’ guy-friends; Ollie, Rich, and Jack. These guys were so adorable; a little bit hopeless but oddly, endearingly, crush-worthy. I can see that if they are all given a big focus, this series could go far. But at the same time, some things in the book felt very forced and self-consciously ‘YA’. Little things, like mentioning ‘Glee’, which I think will date the book fairly quickly (the same way readers nowadays raise their eyebrows at the mention of menstruation belts in Judy Blume novels of yesteryear?). There were just a few times when I really felt like Cronin had quite obviously set out to write the quintessential YA contemporary romance novel – and had jam-packed it with the expected pre-requisites accordingly. That meant that sometimes I didn’t feel like the book had much heart. Like how the girls’ foursome felt a little bit ‘Sex and the City’ for the younger set – complete with Ashley as the ‘player’ (Samantha), Ms Monogamy Cass (Charlotte), party girl Donna (Miranda. Kinda?) and our narrator in Sarah (Carrie). That just felt very much like the essential ingredients to a girl friendship group in a YA novel.

All in all, I can honestly and objectively see that ‘No Such Thing as Forever’ and the entire ‘Girl Heart Boy’ series concept will find a strong, teen audience. And it’s great that those readers will be getting stuck into a series that’s very straight-talking about love, sex and heartbreak (and how those things tend to go hand-in-hand when you’re young). It’s even great that there’s a ‘Parental Advisory - Explicit Content’ sticker on the back of the book – Judy Blume, eat your heart out! But, for me, when it comes to these kinds of contemporary YA novels I'd much prefer to read those of my homeland, for a stronger sense of connection.

[Khatherine Noriega · Rating 2 out of 5]

Si alguien me pudiera que le recomendara un libro, sin duda alguna este sería el último que le recomendaría porque la historia es tan pero tan básica... Para leerlo en uno de esos ratos donde quieres conectar con la lectura y no encuentras alguna otra obra está bien, pero no es un libro que sea espectacular se podría decir que es bueno y está bien narrado pero hasta ahí.

Mi frustración más grande es la ingenuidad de la protagonista y esa ceguera que le da con esa ilusión amorosa que tiene con el jevo ese que conoció en las vacaciones. Con dos dedos de frente tenía que haber sumado 2+2 y darse cuenta que lo que tuvo con él no fue más que un rollo de verano y ya está, pero no la nena estaba ahí duro y dale con él incluso cuando este le dió a entender en su encuentro luego de las vacaciones que no estaba interesado en tener algo serio con ella.

En fin la testaruda sigue ilusionada o mejor dicho encaprichada con él y por más que sus amigas intentan hacerle ver que tiene es una obsesión mal sana por el tipo ella cree que el universo entero está en su contra y se pelea con todo el mundo para luego resolver todo en el final cuando por fin acaba dándose con la pared y acabando con su ceguera. De toda la historia lo peor fue el final quedé ¿?

Debo decir que en estos momentos estoy leyendo el segundo libro, pero si me parece tan descabellado como la trama central de este juro por Dios que lo voy a dejar tirado y a medias aunque deteste no llevar a termino una lectura.

[ꪆ ݃ㅤ E꯭nɥɑ̱ ;（︕) ˒ · Rating 3 out of 5]

La verdad es que yo no conocía este libro, ni la serie a la que pertenece, para ser sincera, el libro viene narrado en primera persona por Sarah, una chica de diecisiete años, que empieza a contar la historia de su verano, del chico que conoció y de como esto viene a afectar su vida en el presente... La verdad es que la historia no es "mala", sino que la encontré en extremo simple y lineal, sin muchos giros o sorpresas, porque casi todo lo que sucedía no me sorprendió ni me dejo con ese sentimiento de querer saber mas, simplemente seguí leyendo por simple mecánica y porque soy bastante terca y no me gusta dejar libros a la mitad xD.

Los amigos de Sarah están bien, pero quiero conocerlos un poco mas a fondo antes de decir si me agradan o no, el único que si me agrado desde el inicio fue Ollie. Joe es un maldito hdp, lo odio, lo odio, lo odio casi igual que a Umbridge. En cierta escena donde Sarah lo encuentra yo que ella lo hubiera agarrado a golpes xD. Se termino la niñita tierna.

Nada es para siempre es un libro que cuenta con una historia sencilla y real, que si bien no es una lectura que pasará a la historia como una con un gran argumento o personajes maravillosos, si se convierte en una lectura para pasar el rato, seguiré con la serie, porque tengo cierta curiosidad por conocer a los demás integrantes del grupo y ver como serán sus historias. Pero en un cierto tiempo los leeré, por ahora me enfocare en otros.

[Ingrid Santanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cass é a namorada fiel. Ashley não leva nada a sério. Donna é festeira. Ollie é mulherengo. Jack é esportista. Rich talvez seja gay. Mas e Sarah? Os amigos sempre tiram sarro dela por ser
certinha demais, mas ela só está esperando pelo cara certo e agora tem certeza de que o encontrou. Será que ele sente a mesma coisa? Ou tudo não passa de uma paixão de verão?

Nesse primeiro livro descobrimos a amizade desses 7 personagens, que são diferentes entre si.
O destaque do nada é para sempre é a Sarah. Uma menina virgem, que diferente das amigas está esperando pelo cara certo, que demonstre um pouco de paixão por ela, é ai que aparece o Joe.
Nas férias de verão com a família na Espanha, eles se conhecem e logo Sarah está apaixonada.
O que pra ela foi algo super especial, para Joe não passou de um caso de verão. Mas só Sarah não ver que ele à está usando. Mesmo todos os seus amigos a alertando sobre a falta de entusiasmo de Joe.
Até que Sarah caia na real muitas coisas acontecem. Mas por fim ela se descobre e vê que a amizade é que importa.
Gostei bastante do livro, o começo é um pouco lento, mas depois deslancha.
A escrita da autora e a formação dos personagens é muito boa.
Que venham os próximos da série.

[☆ Naomi ☆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm going to give this one three and a half stars. I've read a few romance stories by now and honestly, I've read better but I've also read worse. So it's a little in between. There was a lot of drama going on in this book and I thought the lead character was a little bit too naive and too clingy. The story itself was really nice, a little predictable maybe but still cute. The ending was so vague though, I wished that it had been more clear, or that the story had been a little bit longer so that I at least would have known what she had really decided to do with the info she had just gotten about one of her friends, but maybe I'll find out in the next book? I don't know? I hope so though. Anyway, she made the right choice in the end, so at least there is that. It was a nice short story, something good to read when you're in a reading slump or something like that. It reads easily, fast and it's not too long. It was good, but not the fantastic.

[María Maldonado · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un libro bastante divertido con narrativa bastante light. Siempre me ha encantado el rollo amigos y sus distintas relaciones. A pesar de que Sarah me ponia algo nerviosa con su acritud, la forma como contaba su historia me gustaba mucho. De hecho me ha encantado el hecho de que no sea tan cliché y se quede con un capullo así.

Debo reconocer que me ha durado horas.

[Liliana Calvo · Rating 1 out of 5]

El peor libro que he leído por dios santo, no se lo recomiendo a nadie, sabía que no tenía buenas críticas, pero igual me aventuré a leerlo para ver si me sacaba del bloqueo lector que tenía con el género fantasía y fue TERRIBLE.

Leeré los otros 3 porque ya los compré, pero ya imagino el tipo de escritura que me encontraré

[M. Blue · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cumplió la función de entretenerme en un día en el que necesitaba mantener la cabeza distraída pero no podía procesar un libro muy complejo. Sin embarg, sería entretenido jugar uno de esos drinking games tipo "Un shot cada vez que _______", aquí sería: "Un shot cada vez que sucede algo FUNABLE"y seguro terminaríamos ebrios todos los participantes.

[lara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very good book. It’s mainly based off of romance but there are other factors about the book that make it interesting as well. Overall, the plot keeps you quite involved in the story and makes you want to read on. Highly recommended!

[Kit731 · Rating 2 out of 5]

To je vážně tak blbá?!?

[Anna Diafa · Rating 1 out of 5]

UTTERLY HORRIBLE.

[Adelik153 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nic moc jsem od knihy nečekala a je to i dobře. Je to kniha napsaná pro mladší holky co jsou zrovna v pubertě. Je to dost předvídatelny příběh takže mě konec ani nijak nepřekvapil.