Forbidden

by Katherine Powell

Social status can be something that is hard to breach and even harder to climb the ladder of. And a sure as hell way to be pushed back down that ladder is to date someone at the bottom. Jessica Anastos and Felix Brannon are complete opposites: she's gorgeous and the Queen Bee of Capital High School, he's the nerd in glasses and has never been anyone of interest in any social circle. Yet, against what anyone expected, feelings rise and a relationship begins...in complete and utter secrecy. Yet words have a way of hurting, and words that remain unsaid can have even more of an impact. As their relationship and their feelings for each other grow, one may wish to share their love with the world. Yet if the other recoils at the very thought, it's frankly impossible not to take offense...and perhaps end the whole thing. Forbidden is the first in the Three's Company trilogy, introducing two of the six high school seniors that have to do more than their fair share to succeed in the most important part of love.

247 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 25, 2018

About the author

Katherine Powell was born and raised in Bel Air, Maryland. She has a B.A. in Political Science from Brigham Young University, with a concentration in Political Strategy and a minor in Creative Writing. She began pursuing a juris doctorate at Penn State Dickinson Law School in 2023. Katherine has been writing since she was seven years old and has won multiple awards for her work. Her multimedia novel DEAR SYDNEY has been read over three million times in 50 countries and was the recipient of a 2016 Watty Award. Her drama-mystery novel TREADMILL was shortlisted for a 2021 Watty Award, and its sequel, THE TERRIBLE TRIAL OF KENNEDY ABRAMS, won a 2022 Watty Award. When she isn’t writing or studying, Katherine can usually be found reading, listening to Taylor Swift, or rewatching a sitcom.

Reviews

[SOMEONE · Rating 5 out of 5]

i am so much in love with the book. when i first read it on wattpad, i was so hooked and now ive re read it for like a million times. definitely recommend buying it because this deserves recognition and to be adapted into a movie or something haha :)

[Brian Schuch · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

This is a good bully-to-lovers story. I'm giving it 5 stars to help with visibility, but if half stars were possible, I'd knock off half, or even go down to 4 if there were more ratings. It is a good book and my nitpicks that keep me from a solid 5 stars aren't enough of a reason to lower my rating and hurting such a good book's visibility.
Things it does well: both characters are likable. It's nice to have a dual pov for this. The writing is solid and strong enough that it got me in all the right feels.

My nitpicks (major spoiler alerts):
During the "she's embarrassed to be with me" falling apart, the ML does nothing to change his image. He doesn't go to his fashionably conscious girlfriend and have her give him a makeover. If she's embarrassed by you dude, maybe try meeting her halfway. I would have liked a bit of the polishing of the diamond in the rough.


Last, FL... You serious? You fk up that horrendously and all you have to do is wallow in self-pity? You're in charge of morning announcements. Where's the school-wide announcement of "I'm sorry I was a bitch. I love you, ML" big gesture groveling?

Like I said, despite those nitpicks, I really did enjoy this and will actively recommend it to others.

[Liz · Rating 1 out of 5]

Bad writing.

[Neha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Appropriate book to be read. No inappropriate contents are in the book (as of its wattpad vetsion). This book really arises a high school environment in my mind. It's worth reading.