Forever by Monica Murphy

Release Date: April 4th, 2017

Series: Friends

Genre: Young Adult

Forever, an all new Friends story from Monica Murphy, is available now!!

She’s all I could ever want…

I have a reputation around school. Cold. Untouchable. Unfeeling. Only one girl could ever make me want to change and that’s Amanda Winters. Too bad I broke her heart and drove her away.

So to get through the rest of my days in high school, I tell myself I need to focus on more important things. Like taking our football team to championships. Get accepted to the college of my choice. And finish my senior year without wanting to run away from my problems.

But your problems chase after you no matter where you go. And it’s a lot harder when you fight them alone. The longer I go without Amanda, the more I miss her. Her smile. Her laughter. The things she said. How she looked at me like I was the only person who mattered. The way she made me feel…

Why can’t I have everything, including the girl? I’m determined to make things right. And make Amanda mine…

Forever.

Excerpt:

I’m walking through the senior parking lot when I spot Jordan standing near his black Range Rover, leaning against its side. He’s wearing a white Henley shirt, his arms crossed and his biceps bulging beneath the long sleeves. The breeze ruffles his dark hair across his forehead and he stares off into the distance, every inch the troubled, broody boy that he is.

He looks so freaking good, I’m momentarily distracted by him. I stop and stare, my lips parted, my breath becoming shallow. It’s still hard for me to believe that this guy, this gorgeous, sweet, annoying, smart, strong, wonderful, awful boy likes me. That he might even care about me.

“Hey.” His deep baritone knocks me from my daze, and I head over, stopping just in front of him. “Where’s Livvy?”

“She made last minute plans. With someone else.” I don’t say anything else. Livvy’s secret isn’t mine to tell, and I’m afraid if I start talking about it, I’ll get really pissed. So I leave it alone. “Guess I don’t need to drive your car after all, but thank you for offering. I sense it was huge deal.”

“It is,” he agrees, tipping his head toward me. “But you’re worth it.”

Oh. He says things like that and I’m left speechless.

“You don’t have any plans?”

“No.” I shake my head, feeling tongue-tied.

Jordan grabs my hand, lacing our fingers and giving them a squeeze. “Then let’s go to lunch together.”

“Don’t you want to stay here?” He usually does. He’s always out at the quad, holding court over his loyal subjects. I used to sit out there with him, with all of them, just basking in his presence. But once we had the so-called breakup of our so-called relationship, I stopped going. One, because I couldn’t stand to be near him knowing he wasn’t mine anymore. Besides, most everyone who would hang out with Tuttle is annoying. Frustrating. Awful.

All of the above.

“No, not if I can sneak off campus somewhere with you.” He tugs me closer, his expression serious, his voice low. “Let me treat you to lunch, Amanda.”

When he talks to me like that, looks at me like that, I tend to give in easily.

“Okay,” I say softly, a jolt pulsing through me when he runs his thumb over the top of my hand. Sometimes the simplest touch has the most devastating effect.

*ugly crying* *sobbing* It’s over. I don’t want the book to be over. I need #cuddlewithTuttle forever. *wipes nose* *hiccup* I feel like a part of me is gone forever. My heart for one. My faith that not all Young Adult novels are so angst driven that by chapter 2, I’m giving up. Sure this book has teenage angst but it’s dealing with normal things that most teens go through. Parents that don’t care about you, parents that care too much, friends that end up being frienemies, breakups, gossip, the mean girl, finding out that it’s okay to be yourself with someone because they will love you no matter what.

Tuttle and Mandy have that one special love that will never burn out. It was nice to FINALLY learn all of Tuttle’s secrets. The last secret is a doozy and I SWOONED hard. Bless his heart. To tell Mandy that and realize that she didn’t care that she was glad that they were together at least. I remember that time, too. At my age, you’d think that I would forget about it but it’s forever burned into my brain. You never forget and to share it with a person that feels and is going through the same thing. *sigh* I even remember the song that was playing in the background. I know…

Livvy still got on my nerves but she did bring up a point about when was Mandy going to stop giving Tuttle all these chances with her. Mandy was NEVER going to give up on him; he just needed to understand that. There is love that is unconditional and their’s is unconditional. Warts and all. No lies, no secrets, just love. Tuttle saw that in the end with Mandy’s family, too. He realized that just because his family is whacked, that parents do love their children and only want the best for them.

Overall, you really, really need to read this series. I could talk about this book like FOREVER!!! Beautifully written, characters that I fell for and a storyline that captured my heart and never let go. Ms. Murphy, I aspire to be like you when writing my own YA. It’s taking me forever but after reading this series, I feel like I can finally get it done. Thank you!

Also, I don’t feel like we’ve seen the last of Tuttle and Mandy. I would love to know what happens after the graduate. Hint, hint.

Not a typo. 10 stars!

More, please!

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About the Author:

Monica Murphy is the New York Times, USA Today and #1 international bestselling author of the One Week Girlfriend series, the Billionaire Bachelors and The Rules series. Her books have been translated in almost a dozen languages and has sold over one million copies worldwide. She is both self-published and published by Random House/Bantam and Harper Collins/Avon. She writes new adult, young adult and contemporary romance.

She is a wife and a mother of three who lives in central California on fourteen acres in the middle of nowhere along with their one dog and too many cats. A self-confessed workaholic, when she’s not writing, she’s reading or hanging out with her husband and kids. She’s a firm believer in happy endings, though she will admit to putting her characters through angst-filled moments before they finally get that hard won HEA.