Forever, Interrupted by Taylor Jenkins Reid tells the story of the supernova relationship of Ben, a graphic designer, and Elsie, a librarian.

They meet by chance on New Years Day at a pizzeria after Elsie decides to go and collect hers rather than having it delivered and this meeting determines their lives for the next 6 months. They have a whirlwind romance and elope in May, without his Mum or her parents in attendance. Nine days after they marry, Ben dies after a collision with a car whilst cycling to the store to get Elsie her favourite cereal.

The narrative alternates between the before and the after, over a period of one year, tackling head on the grieving and healing of Elsie, with the support of her best friend Ana, and Susan, the mother in law she never met until after Ben's death. 

I am not normally a fan of books which have duelling timelines but for this story it worked and I was able to follow it through.  

I owned a copy of this book and listened to it on Borrowbox. I read this for prompt "Be Mine, Valentine" for the 52 Book Club mini challenge February 2024. 

I struggled to connect with the characters for much of the book, but the ending had me in tears. It is hard to connect with people experiencing grief, even when they’re fictional, and that made this book all the more worthwhile to read. It helped me to remember that sometimes people just need you to keep showing up. 

Cannot believe this was TJR’s first published book. This does not read at all like a debut novel. This work is more mature than some of her later work that I’ve read, so I really was surprised to find that this was her traditional publication debut. It is a brilliant and beautifully crafted study of the relationship between not only a husband and wife separated too soon, but between a motherless child and a childless mother and how they both needed each other to heal and relearn how to be after enduring such tragedy and loss. A haunting romance, a sweet story of the enduring love of a good friend, and the healing love between two women who seemingly have nothing in common but actually share everything that matters. 

God. If I could recommend this to anyone I ever knew, it would literally never be enough. If I thought The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo was good I was FLOORED by this book. The exploration on loss and grief centered around women and connection through tragedy. I wish I could reread this for the first time again. Chapter 60 on was just waterworks and sobbing. 

Title: Forever, Interrupted
Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Rating: 4.25
Pub Date: July 9, 2013

T H R E E • W O R D S

Touching • Authentic • Distinctive

📖 S Y N O P S I S

Elsie and Ben are average twenty-somethings, but this is not your average love story. It begins bright and promising: the newlywed couple is head over heels in love, having eloped six months after they met. But it all shatters in an instant; Ben out riding his bike, is hit by a truck—and dies on impact.

Elsie hears the sirens outside her apartment, but by the time she gets downstairs, his body has already been taken to the hospital. When she arrives, Elsie is greeted by an unexpected visitor—her mother-in-law, Susan, whom she has never met and who doesn’t even know she exists.

Both are seared with grief; Susan is still mourning the death of her own husband several years earlier, and the loss of her only son is almost too much to bear. The two women immediately sour on one another, fighting over what to do with Ben’s belongings and how to fulfill his wishes. But as time goes by, Susan and Elsie both realize that despite the terrible accident that brought them together, they are now the only family they have left.

💭 T H O U G H T S

Having read, and loved, several of Taylor Jenkins Reid's newer releases in 2022, I immediately knew I wanted to tackle her entire backlist. Forever, Interrupted (her debut) was the backlist title that piqued my interest the most given Elsie and I's shared experience of having a partner die suddenly. For that reason, I knew this book would likely destroy me emotionally, and of course, it did.

In this novel, TJR approaches love in such an unconventional manner, while also exploring grief and healing with gentleness and subtlety. Done seamlessly, the dual timelines help guide the story at the perfect pace. The characters are real, and I came to love them as the flawed humans they are. And I can certainly vouch to the fact that the evolution of Elsie and Susan's relationship felt like an accurate representation of the messiness that is grief. The bonds one forms when going through the most awful of situations can come from the most unlikely of places. It is no secret that the people you expect to show up are often the ones who disappear, and the people who show up can be the least expected.

One small thing I also loved was the fact Elsie was a librarian. This simple little tidbit brought the book even closer to my heart given my own love of books and libraries. They say sometimes books come into your life at the right time, and I think this was a beautiful reminder of that for me.

Despite this being an incredibly emotional book on a personal level for me, the writing itself lacked the emotional depth and rawness I've come to expect from TJR. Of course, it's important to keep in mind this is her debut novel, and she her craft has likely evolved since.

A genuine portrayal of love in all its forms, Forever, Interrupted really gets to the heart of human relationships. While ultimately a tragic story, the message of happiness coming in all kinds of different shapes and sizes breathes an air of hope. This is a story I will never forget, and a reminder that the people who come into our lives, end up shaping our journeys no matter the length of time their physically present.

📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• TJR devotees
• anyone looking for atypical romance
• readers who enjoyed Come Away With Me

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"'Listen to me; it means nothing. You think that some ten minutes you spent with ben in a room defines what you meant to each other? It doesn't. You define that. What you feel defines that. You loved him. He loved you. You believed in each other. That is what you lost. It doesn't matter whether it's labelled a husband or a boyfriend. You lost the person you love. You lost the future you thought you had.'"

"Love is love is love. When you lose it, it feels like the shittiest disaster in the world. Just like dog shit." 

So boring