Review: Ever by Jessa Russo

Ever (Ever, #1)
by Jessa Russo
Published: October 1, 2012

Publisher: Curiosity Quills Press
Available: Amazon

Synopsis:

Seventeen-year-old Ever’s love life has been on hold for the past two years. She’s secretly in love with her best friend Frankie, and he’s completely oblivious.

Of course, it doesn't help that he’s dead, and waking up to his ghost every day has made moving on nearly impossible.

Frustrated and desperate for something real, Ever finds herself falling for her hot new neighbor Toby. His relaxed confidence is irresistible, and not just Ever knows it. But falling for Toby comes with a price that throws Ever’s life into a whirlwind of chaos and drama. More than hearts are on the line, and more than Ever will suffer.

Some girls lose their hearts to love.

Some girls lose their minds.

Ever Van Ruysdael could lose her soul.

Review:
There were so many things I wanted to like about this book. The ghost of a childhood crush, a girl who was a devoted to his memory, a hot new neighbor. Combined they should have made an awesome read. Instead this story fell flat.

So, Frankie is dead and he's been haunting Ever for the past two years. Which was pretty much fine by her because she was fifteen (or was it fourteen) and madly in love with him when he died, although he never once thought of her that way. Having Frankie haunt her and her family is just peachy because this way she knows that she never has to move on and actually experience any healthy relationships. Then Toby moves in next door and he's hot enough that Ever realizes she's not dead like Frankie and maybe she should move on with her life.

I spent the entire novel rooting for Ever and Toby. Yes, Frankie appears first, and there's the whole unrequited love issue Ever has going on with him, but seriously? He's a 17 year old ghost with a pompadour and a cigarette behind his ear, who is actually pretty mean to Ever. There was a lot of Ever flip flopping between her love of Toby and Frankie. And really, it's pretty pathetic how quickly she does it. One minute she's making out with Toby the next she's realizing Frankie is her life (despite the fact he has none) and then it's back to Toby.

A few other characters appear and it's kind of hard to figure out what their motives really are. By the end I was confused and disappointed, and maybe even a little angry. Ever was set up to be a girl who had realized that she was wasting her life day dreaming over someone she could never have, who was determined to move on with her life, and then she just folds.

While the writing wasn't bad, this is not a series I am the least bit interested in continuing. I have a feeling that the next book will simply weaken Ever to the point of no return.