REVIEW: Forever My Girl (The Beaumont Series #1) by Heidi McLaughlin

Forever My Girl by Heidi McLaughlin

My rating: 

I was never supposed to be a rock star. I had my life all planned out for me. Play football in college. Go to the NFL. Marry my high school sweetheart and live happily ever after. 

I broke both our hearts that day when I told her I was leaving. I was young. I made the right decision for me, but the wrong decision for us. I’ve poured my soul into my music, but I’ve never forgotten her. Her smell, her smile. 

And now I’m going back. 

After ten years. 

I hope I can explain that after all this time. 

I still want her to be my forever girl.

I never thought I'd see the boy who stole my heart and failed to give it back.... I'm not sure I want it back.

So many feels man! So many fucking feels. I didn't really think I would like this book, because I honestly hated Liam right on the first page. But when I finished... Oh god! I was tearing up... I'm so happy Josie and Liam had their happily ever after. I'm such a sucker for happy endings!!

I hate guys who leave girls without any explanation. That is suck a dick move. It's the worse way you could leave someone. I'd prefer you break my heart and tell me you don't love me, than just leaving without telling me why. So imagine how I felt when I read of Liam. That was exactly what he did. This is not a spoiler, because this was on the blurb, but yeah... hated Liam. Detested him. Abhorred his entire existence. I'm not even kidding. I really disliked him right on the first chapter.

So anyway, I'll probably dwell more on my thoughts about Liam later on.. Let me start with telling you about the story.

THE INTRODUCTION

A light snore reminds me that I'm not alone. The heaviness of a body sprawled out, sets me off immediately. The stale smell of day old perfume lingers in the air and on my sheets.

THE GIST

My decision destroyed everything.

Liam's life has been pretty much planned out.

Finish highschool.

Go to college.

Join the NFL.

Marry his girlfriend.

Have kids.

Normal stuff.

But when the opportunity knocked, he knew he had to grab it, because if not, the moment will pass him by. Yeah right!!

To follow his dream, he had to leave everything behind: his family, his friends, college... and most of all, his girlfriend, Josie. your are a dickhead!

I did this for me and I did it the only way I knew how. I just didn't think I'd care so much about missing everything.

After running away from it all, he never came back to Beaumont since. That was until, his best friend, Mason, died. He knew he had to go back. oh shit this is making me really angry.

And now I'm heading home to face the music.

Josie's life changed drastically when Liam walked out on her without telling her why.

My life was turned-upside down with just a few short words and a door slam, creating a wall between me and the love of my life.

Years pass, and Josie moved on. At least that's what she tells herself. She now Nick who had been constantly at her side, since Liam left. Even though I didn't like Nick, at least he was man enough to be there for Josie when she was down and also help her raise her son, Noah. (Now, we all know who the father of this kid is right?) Nick has been asking her to marry him, but she was still unsure. Maybe it was because at the back of her mind, she was still waiting for fucked up Liam who left her without any fucking reason.

It was time to make a decision. A man like Nick isn't going to wait around forever. Everyone says he's a catch because he's the one of us who really makes something from his eduation and they're right.

But wait, Liam comes back... Sorry darling, but he didn't come back for you. see what a dickhead Liam was. He came back to see his best friend, Mason, through to his final resting place. Despite the hurt that Liam brought her when he inexplicably abandoned her, she still felt something... something that she thought she already left behind. But after then years... the feeling was still there.

I never thought I'd feel anything for Liam again. Those feelings had been long dead and then he started coming around.

Liam's plan was to stay until Mason's funeral, then leave. He felt that he had no other reason to stay in Beaumont. He knew that Josie hates him and didn't want to wreck her life more than he already did in the past. But he met someone he wasn't expecting. He unexpectedly met Noah.

THE CHARACTERS

Josie: I easily related to her character. She had been strong throughout the book. I was happy that she didn't go immediately running to Liam, pulling off her clothes immediately when Liam came back. I admire her for keeping her shit together, even when it's just for show.

Ten years have passed and she still had not gotten over Liam. She knew it, but she didn't want anyone else to know that. Especially not Noah. She wanted to protect her son from the heartache that she felt when Liam just threw her and their relationship away for fame, which she didn't know at the time. She didn't want Noah thinking that his father didn't love him.

I want this.

I want to feel him.

And she said this, when she was still together with Nick. And this literally, made me shake my head. I don't approve of cheating. I mean they didn't have a relationship, Liam and Josie, at this point, but the fact that she kissed someone else (yes they did kiss) aside from her fiancee, seems a lot like cheating to me. And I didn't like it. I mean if she really don't love Nick, just... break up with him. I get that she owed him a lot. She does really. I mean, he had been there for her, when Liam was out fucking some other bitch. Nick was the one that was there. Helping her in every way he can, although, he was a dick sometimes too. But come on, he deserves a bit of respect on that regard. I think this was just one of the things I did not approve of that Josie did.

But other that, I thought Josie was a great character.

Relatable.

Flawed.

Strong.

Liam: I think I mentioned this earlier. But I hated Liam, start from the first page. Based on the blurb, we already knew what he did. And just reading about that first scene, where he was in bed with a skank, made me hate him immediately. Instantly.

His reason for leaving, reminded me of Mia's (from Where She Went).

"Because it wasn't like that, I felt like... like I was suffocating."

I understand, but then I don't approve of the way they left the people who love them behind. I thought it was selfish and inconsiderate. I mean come on, the people you left, are not just people you know. They fucking love you. The least they could have done is said something. They could have understood and supported their decision.

The good thing about Liam's character was... despite him seeming like a dick on the first 1/4 of the book, he starts to redeem himself. You sort of get to the point where you sympathize for him and what it must have been like for him to choose between two lifes that he want to have.

"God damn it, Jojo. If I knew about the baby I would've stayed and figured something out. I would've married you and gone back to school."

"But you wouldn't have been happy?"

Liam's character was unperfect, in the most perfect way. He was honest, to the point that he wants to be honest so that he doesn't hurt anyone by lying. Also, he had been nothing but loving to Noah. They hid the truth from Noah for a while, but that didn't stop him from showing Noah that he adores him. Such a sweet gesture. I love guys who are good with kids.

THUMBS UP:

- The whole story spoke to me.

- The pace.

- The character development.

- The ending.

- Mason. Okay. Mason was a secondary character, that you don't even get to meet. But oh boy, did I love this guy. If you read this, you'll understand why. In the beginning, I wasn't exactly that invested with Liam and Josie's story yet, but Mason's passing... tug some heartstrings.. So sad.

- The romance. I loved it. Honestly adored the relationship that Josie and Liam had back in high school, and after when the truth came out and everything. Just one of the most perfect couple.

THUMBS DOWN:

- Predictability. I knew they would end up together. I would have liked it better if Nick was a better person than how the author made him here, because then, there would be a possibility of him and Josie ending up together... So yeah.

FINAL RAMBLINGS

My Forever Girl was a great read. I loved how it dealt with different types of relationship. Between friends, lovers, family, and your child. It also touched on forgiveness and moving on.

I think the reason why I liked this book was because I could relate a lot to it, but I'm not wishing my ex back. Not in a million years or in the next thousand lifetimes. I will never ever get back together with him. But I do admire Liam and Josie's love. Despite being apart for a long time, they still have that connection, that love.

True love.

Will I recommend this? Definitely.

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