Parents' Guide to

Forever for a Year

By Lucinda Dyer, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Freshman first-love tale has some insight, lots of sex.

Book B.T. Gottfred Coming of Age 2015
Forever for a Year Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Community Reviews

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age 17+

Based on 2 parent reviews

Mom2885
Mom2885 Adult
March 18, 2019
age 18+

No

Sexually explicit. Not just saying that they had a sexual encounter, but details on body parts and activity. Any "message" in the story is lost. Even without the sexual passages, a poorly written book.

This title has:

Too much sex
Too much swearing
Kjbartolotta
Kjbartolotta Adult
September 9, 2015
age 15+

Too much S-E-X!

I guess other kids were doing things like this when they were 14, I sure wasn't. Written in a jarring stream-of-conscious style, 'Forever For a Year' tries very hard to rise above teen softcore, but never quite gets there. Lots of sex, lovingly described in every icky detail, and most of the rest of the book never rises above gossip & canned sentiment. Did I mention there's too much sex?

This title has:

Too much sex
See all 2 parent reviews

What's the Story?

For both Carrie and Trevor, freshman year is a new beginning: Carrie is reinventing herself as Carolina, and Trevor has just moved to town and is entering a new school. They meet on the first day and, despite pressure from friends who are against the relationship, fall in love and soon begin to explore and then act on their sexual feelings for each other. The relationship portrayed in FOREVER FOR A YEAR is filled with the usual teenage "loves me, loves me not" angst, and both teens are coping as best they can with parents whose marriages are often on shaky ground, as they weather almost every storm that seems destined to pull them apart.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2):
Kids say (6):

This book has a split personality: One side shows a sweet, realistic look at first love, and the other offers up enough sex to verge on soft porn. On the positive side, the voices of Trevor and Carolina are distinctive as they chronicle their relationship in alternating chapters that offer insight into how differently boys and girls act and react to love and sex. And both Carolina and Trevor are likable and relatable as they stumble, fall, and find their way through freshman year. Ultimately, it's a story that could have offered a window into how teens explore a first serious relationship but has been hijacked by too much sex.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the realities of teens having sex. What are the emotional consequences of having a sexual relationship?

  • How realistic do you think Carolina and Trevor's relationship is for high school freshmen?

  • Several characters cheat in their relationships, both innocently and not at all innocently. Would you forgive someone who cheated on you?

Book Details

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