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Forever in Blue: The Fourth Summer of the Sisterhood
BOOK REVIEW, June 2007, by Jenny McWha
Forever in Blue:
The fourth summer
of the sisterhood
by Ann Brashares
Forever in Blue continues the story of Tibby, Bridget, Lena, and Carmen, as they spend their fourth summer apart. Like the previous books in the series, the story is told from each of the girls’ perspectives and follows their summer adventures. They’ve each just completed their first year at four separate universities, and all four girls have changed dramatically. When Bridget finds out that her boyfriend is leaving for the summer, she signs up for an archaeological dig in Turkey, where she meets a hot young professor. Carmen and a friend she met while away at school go to a summer drama program – but is Julia really her friend for the right reasons? All is going well for Tibby and her new beau until a problem arises that threatens to tear them apart for good. Lastly, Lena throws herself into her artwork, and a summer fling trying desperately to forget about her ex-boyfriend – but can she? The drama continues in the fourth book of the Sisterhood series. The characters are as real and endearing as ever. Each character develops really nicely, as they finally face some of the problems that have been facing them since they were sixteen.
GENRE: It’s hard to place Forever in Blue in a specific genre, but you could call it fictional young-adult chick-lit. The author depicts some of the tough issues girls are facing, with a touch of humour to lighten things up, and of course, some romance.
AGE: While there are some more mature themes implied throughout the novel, they are done quite tastefully. Certainly nothing that would warrant a parental advisory label.
DOWNSIDE: Forever in Blue is a definite page turner and there is seldom a dull moment. The only downside is that the characters’ problems are pretty much the same as in the previous three books. At some moments you feel inclined to slap some sense into them. But I suppose, teenage girls can be like that, and if I looked at my life from an outside perspective, I may want to give myself a good slap, too! This book was very funny, and kept me on the edge of my seat. The characters feel like friends: you want to cry when they cry and smile whenever they smile. Ann Brashares’ writing is clever and interesting, making it hard to put down.
RATING: TWO THUMBS UP!
OTHER BOOKS: Other Anne Brashares books include: The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, The Second Summer of the Sisterhood, Girls in Pants: The Third Summer of the Sisterhood and The Last Summer (of You and Me). If you like this book, you may also enjoy The Princess Diaries and All-American Girl by Meg Cabot, as well as That Summer and Someone Like You by Sarah Dessen.
~ Jenny