Between Here and Forever

Between Here and Forever
By Elizabeth Scott
Simon Pulse, 2011. 250 pgs. Young Adult

Abby's older sister, Tess, who is the golden girl that everyone has always loved, is in a coma, and Abby is determined that she's going to wake up, but not so much because she misses her sister but because she wants her life back. She's always lived in Tess's shadow, but since the accident, it's even worse, as she's constantly reminded of how she doesn't live up to Tess. So, she has to find a way to wake her sister up--and Eli seems to be the way to go. Handsome Eli, a guy that no girl could resist, even a girl in a coma. But as Abby convinces Eli to visit Tess, she finds it hard to get either of them to concentrate on Tess. And then she realizes that there's so much about her sister that she never knew, and in some ways, they aren't as different as they seem.

This is a pretty heavy book, with Abby dealing with her family trauma as well as her own lack of self-esteem. Even the romantic twist is weighty, as Abby has been burned in the past and Eli has issues of his own. Tess's secret is one that some readers will be uncomfortable with, so while I think the book is well-written, I also think conservative readers might want to go with something else.

AE