Proof of Forever by Lexa Hillyer Published by HarperCollins
Published: June 2nd 2015
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From debut author and poet Lexa Hillyer comes the lyrical story of four seventeen-year-old friends who receive an unlikely chance to relive the perfect summer . . . and the devastating secret that could unravel it all. Elegant and evocative, Proof of Forever is one of those first novels that hooks you from the beginning and builds toward a stunning—and unexpected—end, calling to mind Gayle Forman and Ann Brashares.
Joy, Tali, Luce, and Zoe were once best friends. Now they barely speak. That is, until the fateful flash of a photo-booth camera transports them back in time, to the summer they were fifteen—the summer everything changed. Photos fade. Friendships dissolve. Summers end. But this one will change the girls forever . . . again.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
I was first interested in Proof of Forever because it reminded me of the Britney Spears movie Crossroads. I love a story about girls that are pulled apart, whether it is because they have grown apart or for other reason, that are all of sudden thrust back into each others lives. And although the book is very different from Crossroads, they did have some similarities and the same vibe.
Proof of Forever is the story of Joy, Tali, Luce, and Zoe, 4 girls that used to spend their summers at camp attached at the hip. But now they are virtual strangers as 2 years ago something pulled them apart. When the camp reunion happens though Joy is convinced they all need to come together and be together one last time. Not completely sold on the idea Tali, Luce and Zoe go along begrudgingly. But before they even know what happens a flash of a camera transports them back in time to the summer they were 15 and all had each other’s back. Now with only each other to count on the 4 of them must figure out a way to fix what broke and get back to the future where they belong.
I guess the main part that I liked about Proof of Forever didn’t end up being the friendships, but the growth of each individual girl. Joy, Tali, Luce and Zoe each had a lot of growing up to do and needed to look at their life before things got complicated. They needed to see what they were like before boys and popularity and the stress of perfection and anger got in the way of everything. It was a highlight to see them make the changes when forced to confront the past and what exactly tore them apart to begin with. It’s a fact that we all change as we get older, but if given the chance to look back would we do things differently? I liked that idea as I watched the 4 of them struggle with it.
All in all Proof of Forever definitely wasn’t Crossroads. It was something else. It was a different kind of story about friendship and growing up. And about how hard it is to stay true to what you feel and believe when other outside sources what you to behave differently.
1) Liam Hemsworth or Theo James? Theo! Sexy.
2) Reading a Book or Writing a Book? Hard to answer—generally when I am doing one I have the urge to do the other!
3) City or Country? City to live, Country to roam on weekends
4) Phone Call or Text Message? Text
5) Series or Standalone? Standalone… I think?
6) eBook or Print? Print
7) Bad Boy/Girl or Good Guy/Girl? Bad, obviously
8) Sweet or Salty? Salty
9) Facebook or Twitter? Instagram
10) Noon or Midnight? Sunset (am I cheating?)
11) UPS or USPS? USPS.
12) Macaron or Macaroon? I would pick the two oo’s but I don’t actually like the cookie all that much! See my response to salty or sweet, above
13) iPhone or Android? iPhone
14) Cooking or Take Out? I have a love/hate with SeamlessWeb. Or more like addiction/hate. My husband is an amazing cook so I pick cooking if he’s home!
15) Eraser or White Out? White Out—also doubles as nail polish.
16) Sneakers or Heels? Heels
17) Ocean or Pool? Ocean (even though I’m terrified of big waves.)
18) Sour Patch Kids or Swedish Fish? Sour Patch, definitely!
19) DIY or Hire Someone? DIY (and then usually regret it)
20) Starbucks or Make at Home? No coffee for me, please! However, I’m known to spend way too much on iced tea at some fancy Brooklyn cafe when I could easily have made it at home.
*Giveaway is US ONLY
I just picked this one up at BEA! It sounds like such a great story!
I really liked Proof of Forever! I love the way she allowed them to grow up individually, but also loved how she made their friendships (and rediscovering why they were friends) an important part of the story too 🙂