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But Not Forever
Could she be everything you aren’t, but somehow―still be you?
It’s the year 2015 and Sonnet McKay is the daughter of a globe-trotting diplomat, home for the summer from her exotic life. Everything would be perfect if not for her stunning sister, whose bright star has left her in the shadows. In 1895, Emma Sweetwine is trapped in a Victorian mansion, dreaming of wings to fly her far from her mother, who gives her love to her sons, leaving nothing for her daughter. Fate puts them in the same house at the same moment, 120 years apart, and the identical fifteen-year-olds are switched in time. In their new worlds, Sonnet falls in love with a boy, Emma falls in love with a life, and astonishing family secrets are revealed. Torn, both girls want to still go home— but can either one give up what they now have?
But Not Forever is an enchanting story of love and longing, and the heart’s ultimate quest to find where it belongs.
It’s the year 2015 and Sonnet McKay is the daughter of a globe-trotting diplomat, home for the summer from her exotic life. Everything would be perfect if not for her stunning sister, whose bright star has left her in the shadows. In 1895, Emma Sweetwine is trapped in a Victorian mansion, dreaming of wings to fly her far from her mother, who gives her love to her sons, leaving nothing for her daughter. Fate puts them in the same house at the same moment, 120 years apart, and the identical fifteen-year-olds are switched in time. In their new worlds, Sonnet falls in love with a boy, Emma falls in love with a life, and astonishing family secrets are revealed. Torn, both girls want to still go home— but can either one give up what they now have?
But Not Forever is an enchanting story of love and longing, and the heart’s ultimate quest to find where it belongs.
312 pages, Paperback
First published June 12, 2018
5 people are currently reading
2854 people want to read
About the author
Jan Von Schleh
1 book23 followersWriter, traveler, and fan of chocolate croissants, But Not Forever is my sweet debut novel - loved especially by the younger YA reader. When I'm not writing you might find me hanging around ancient buildings, wondering about the stories they would tell if only they could talk. I'm pretty sure - whatever those stories are - they most probably have to do with love.....
But Not Forever won the 2019 IBPA Benjamin Franklin Silver Medal in Young Adult Fiction and the 2019 Independent Publisher Silver Medal Award in Juvenile/Young Adult Fiction E-Book. But Not Forever is also a 2019 Forward Indie Finalist in Young Adult Fiction, a 2019 National Indie Excellence Finalist in Young Adult Fiction, 2019 International Book Awards Finalist in Young Adult Fiction, and was shortlisted for the 2018 Chanticleer Young Adult Fiction Dante Rossetti Book Award.
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But Not Forever won the 2019 IBPA Benjamin Franklin Silver Medal in Young Adult Fiction and the 2019 Independent Publisher Silver Medal Award in Juvenile/Young Adult Fiction E-Book. But Not Forever is also a 2019 Forward Indie Finalist in Young Adult Fiction, a 2019 National Indie Excellence Finalist in Young Adult Fiction, 2019 International Book Awards Finalist in Young Adult Fiction, and was shortlisted for the 2018 Chanticleer Young Adult Fiction Dante Rossetti Book Award.
Follow me!
https://web.facebook.com/janvonschleh...
https://www.instagram.com/janvonschleh/
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
August 8, 2018
I received an ARC of this book for free as part of BookSparks’ YA Summer Reading Challenge.
I give this book 3.5 stars which rounds up to 4.
This was a fun and fast read. It wasn’t super intricate but it was still enjoyable.
I loved the characters, especially the side characters like Kerry (she was the best!) and Sonnet’s cousins.
The ending was really good. I didn’t quite know how it was going to end but I loved the reveal that happened. I was on the fence about this book while I was reading it, but the ending tipped me over and made me decide that I liked the book.
As for the things I didn’t like, there were a few things I wasn’t huge fan of. The first being that the book read a little too juvenile for my taste. The characters are 15 and 16 but the writing style felt very middle grade.
Second, there really was no explanation at all for the time travel aspect. That didn’t bother me a lot, but I still would have lot to have seen more depth to it. How it happened still remains a mystery.
Lastly, two of Sonnet’s cousins were half Filipino and half white (just like me!), and I wish there would have been more done with their heritage, since Filipinos hardly get any representation. I knew it probably wasn’t going to happen, but I kept hoping that there would be some sort of nod to Filipino culture in the book.
Overall, while this book wasn’t 100% perfect, it was still an entertaining read.
I give this book 3.5 stars which rounds up to 4.
This was a fun and fast read. It wasn’t super intricate but it was still enjoyable.
I loved the characters, especially the side characters like Kerry (she was the best!) and Sonnet’s cousins.
The ending was really good. I didn’t quite know how it was going to end but I loved the reveal that happened. I was on the fence about this book while I was reading it, but the ending tipped me over and made me decide that I liked the book.
As for the things I didn’t like, there were a few things I wasn’t huge fan of. The first being that the book read a little too juvenile for my taste. The characters are 15 and 16 but the writing style felt very middle grade.
Second, there really was no explanation at all for the time travel aspect. That didn’t bother me a lot, but I still would have lot to have seen more depth to it. How it happened still remains a mystery.
Lastly, two of Sonnet’s cousins were half Filipino and half white (just like me!), and I wish there would have been more done with their heritage, since Filipinos hardly get any representation. I knew it probably wasn’t going to happen, but I kept hoping that there would be some sort of nod to Filipino culture in the book.
Overall, while this book wasn’t 100% perfect, it was still an entertaining read.
June 9, 2018
But Not Forever just didn't do it for me. I really struggled to understand the target audience -- the characters are all teens, but the writing style, story logic, and dialogue was far more suitable to a middle grade audience. I think this would have been a better story if all the characters had been around 12 years old and there had not been any real romance involved.
Thank you to NetGalley and SparkPress for providing me with a free electronic ARC of this book.
Thank you to NetGalley and SparkPress for providing me with a free electronic ARC of this book.
February 19, 2018
I was fortunate to receive an advanced reader copy of the book. BUT NOT FOREVER is a magical time-traveling adventure that captivates readers from the start. Von Schleh’s sparkling prose sets the stage for the thrilling, intertwining journeys of Sonnet and Emma. Doppelgangers born into separate worlds, both are forced to face family dysfunction and reexamine societal conventions. Love and heartache cross over generations while universe forces and unbreakable family ties are clearly at work in this page-turning tale.
March 2, 2018
Jan has an incredible way of pulling you into the parallel timelines of Emma and Sonnett. The richness of the Pacific Northwest setting, combined with the sweet romance makes this a book you won't want to put down! Wonderful debut!
April 24, 2018
A time traveling twist sets up a parallel story that manages to interweave the past and present together to give us a cute ya read.
“But Not Forever” begins in 2015 with Sonnet and her family investigating an abandoned mansion when she finds herself in a daze and trapped in the closet only to be pulled out by an unknown woman calling her by a different name. On the opposite side of the same coin we have Emma, a young woman in 1895 struggling with an abusive mother and a secret love who finds herself stumbling in and out of the same closet only to the company of strangers. As both girls try to navigate their unique situation the struggle to come to terms with the differences in both of their lives while also doing everything they can to make it home.
This book is sweet and I know there’s supposed to be a romance element at play but it’s so minimal, at least to me, that I sort of brushed past it in order to focus on the bigger theme of these two young women from very different upbringings and societal constraints of the time in which they live coming into their own and growing as individuals. We have a girl who is starved for affection that she welcomes the tiny moments with the Aunt of the girl she’s pretending to be and the shy Sonnet is making waves in a time where women were supposed to be seen and not heard and that was wonderful to see.
My biggest critique and I know this is a personal thing and reality is no excuse for fiction but so many people were told of this time travel switch and not one person questioned it. Not one person. In a time when women were sent to asylums for the slightest thing we somehow manage to convince a large amount of people from the beginning that the girl they believe is Emma is actually another girl from the future and no one bats an eye.
All in all this is more of a personal growth type plot with the addition of time travel to really convey the push and pull of certain constraints on both women as they become the person they were always supposed to be with the help of family and friends who have always known how great they were and that makes for a good story.
**special thanks to the publishers and netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for a fair and honest review!**
“But Not Forever” begins in 2015 with Sonnet and her family investigating an abandoned mansion when she finds herself in a daze and trapped in the closet only to be pulled out by an unknown woman calling her by a different name. On the opposite side of the same coin we have Emma, a young woman in 1895 struggling with an abusive mother and a secret love who finds herself stumbling in and out of the same closet only to the company of strangers. As both girls try to navigate their unique situation the struggle to come to terms with the differences in both of their lives while also doing everything they can to make it home.
This book is sweet and I know there’s supposed to be a romance element at play but it’s so minimal, at least to me, that I sort of brushed past it in order to focus on the bigger theme of these two young women from very different upbringings and societal constraints of the time in which they live coming into their own and growing as individuals. We have a girl who is starved for affection that she welcomes the tiny moments with the Aunt of the girl she’s pretending to be and the shy Sonnet is making waves in a time where women were supposed to be seen and not heard and that was wonderful to see.
My biggest critique and I know this is a personal thing and reality is no excuse for fiction but so many people were told of this time travel switch and not one person questioned it. Not one person. In a time when women were sent to asylums for the slightest thing we somehow manage to convince a large amount of people from the beginning that the girl they believe is Emma is actually another girl from the future and no one bats an eye.
All in all this is more of a personal growth type plot with the addition of time travel to really convey the push and pull of certain constraints on both women as they become the person they were always supposed to be with the help of family and friends who have always known how great they were and that makes for a good story.
**special thanks to the publishers and netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for a fair and honest review!**
June 5, 2018
Rating: 3.25 stars
Thank you to NetGalley and SparkPress for sending this ARC to me in exchange for an honest review.
Initially, I thought I wasn't going to like this book at all. The first chapter jumped right into the story with little background and the switch between Sonnet's first person POV and Emma's third person POV was frustrating. However, the story turned out to be enjoyable enough.
The biggest problem I had with this book was that everyone, whether in 1895 or 2015, was quickly and completely open to accepting the fact that these two girls had time traveled into each others' worlds. There was little questioning about it all, especially with Emma in 2015. If my sister came out of a closet claiming to be another person from 120 years in the past, I'd roll my eyes and tell her to come up with a better prank. But everyone just accepts it like it's the norm when Emma and Sonnet "switch places".
Another issue I had with this, albeit small, was that there were some discrepancies with the time line. I knew this would be an issue as soon as I read that one of the settings is in 1895. I've found more often than not that authors do not always do the proper research to make a setting this far back believable. For instance, though this is small, Sonnet eats cotton candy at a fair in 1895, but cotton candy wasn't actually invented until 1897, and was not released to a larger public until a fair in 1904. Now I know this isn't just common knowledge, but it's easily accessible information that the author didn't look into. I also found that some of the dialect spoken in the 1895 setting didn't feel quite right for that time period.
Now, let's talk about the good things! This was a fairly quick read and once you get past the fact that everyone is just okay with two girls casually time traveling, the story pulls you in. I found that I was genuinely curious about how Emma and Sonnet were each going to get back home. I preferred to read about Sonnet in 1895, as this was just the more interesting POV between the two, but I didn't mind Emma's. The mix of the two made for a cute, magical realism type of story.
My favorite thing about this was that it really gets you thinking about how the past and the future are connected. The book discusses reincarnation and doppelgangers and I actually really loved that. I always love getting into something that reminds me that our present - and future - is built up by the tiniest moments and decisions in the past, even before we are born. These kind of stories are just really intriguing. I liked the way that the author decided to connect everything towards the end of the story, but I do think that it should've been done a little more carefully, since our past is not altered by our future as this kind of indicated, but instead the other way around.
Overall, this was something nice to really get you thinking about some things you might not always have on your mind, and the story is compelling enough to keep it interesting. I'm not disappointed.
Thank you to NetGalley and SparkPress for sending this ARC to me in exchange for an honest review.
Initially, I thought I wasn't going to like this book at all. The first chapter jumped right into the story with little background and the switch between Sonnet's first person POV and Emma's third person POV was frustrating. However, the story turned out to be enjoyable enough.
The biggest problem I had with this book was that everyone, whether in 1895 or 2015, was quickly and completely open to accepting the fact that these two girls had time traveled into each others' worlds. There was little questioning about it all, especially with Emma in 2015. If my sister came out of a closet claiming to be another person from 120 years in the past, I'd roll my eyes and tell her to come up with a better prank. But everyone just accepts it like it's the norm when Emma and Sonnet "switch places".
Another issue I had with this, albeit small, was that there were some discrepancies with the time line. I knew this would be an issue as soon as I read that one of the settings is in 1895. I've found more often than not that authors do not always do the proper research to make a setting this far back believable. For instance, though this is small, Sonnet eats cotton candy at a fair in 1895, but cotton candy wasn't actually invented until 1897, and was not released to a larger public until a fair in 1904. Now I know this isn't just common knowledge, but it's easily accessible information that the author didn't look into. I also found that some of the dialect spoken in the 1895 setting didn't feel quite right for that time period.
Now, let's talk about the good things! This was a fairly quick read and once you get past the fact that everyone is just okay with two girls casually time traveling, the story pulls you in. I found that I was genuinely curious about how Emma and Sonnet were each going to get back home. I preferred to read about Sonnet in 1895, as this was just the more interesting POV between the two, but I didn't mind Emma's. The mix of the two made for a cute, magical realism type of story.
My favorite thing about this was that it really gets you thinking about how the past and the future are connected. The book discusses reincarnation and doppelgangers and I actually really loved that. I always love getting into something that reminds me that our present - and future - is built up by the tiniest moments and decisions in the past, even before we are born. These kind of stories are just really intriguing. I liked the way that the author decided to connect everything towards the end of the story, but I do think that it should've been done a little more carefully, since our past is not altered by our future as this kind of indicated, but instead the other way around.
Overall, this was something nice to really get you thinking about some things you might not always have on your mind, and the story is compelling enough to keep it interesting. I'm not disappointed.
July 30, 2018
"But Not Forever" is such a beautifully written novel that captures your attention right from the beginning. I could not put that book down because I was so anxious to learn more about the characters and what happens to them. Two young girls are switched in time and end up in two very different worlds. They are 120 years apart! The author does an outstanding job describing what 1895 looked and felt like. It's a thrilling journey that makes you think and want to try to help the characters. I had goosebumps reading certain chapters because of the mystery that the story contained. The major part of the novel is how everything is connected...(no spoilers here!). At the end, I was so overwhelmed and thought how amazing it would be to have this book made into a movie! It's a sweet read and is worth your time. Highly recommend it!
July 1, 2018
Interesting and soul touching!
First when I heard about this novel I got scared, because my novel has the same premise, but fortunately after reading it I realized there are definitely similarities however they are vastly different.
The story is dynamic, full of fun, self-discovery and growing up, daring to be who they meant to be. I loved the characters very much, they were so helpful and the antagonist is extraordinary, the entire story is exceptional I recommend it to everyone who wants to read about courage, love and heartwarming friendships.
First when I heard about this novel I got scared, because my novel has the same premise, but fortunately after reading it I realized there are definitely similarities however they are vastly different.
The story is dynamic, full of fun, self-discovery and growing up, daring to be who they meant to be. I loved the characters very much, they were so helpful and the antagonist is extraordinary, the entire story is exceptional I recommend it to everyone who wants to read about courage, love and heartwarming friendships.
August 16, 2018
Loved this book! Two fully developed different characters ,Emma and Sonnet, share a face and a fate, they suddenly find themselves in the wrong time and must find their way back home and a way to understand the many different kinds of love in life from friendship to romance.
The one and only complaint I have is how easily some of the other characters accepted that the person they knew was not the person they saw, they just were too quickly and easily convinced of something that is total non-reality.
The one and only complaint I have is how easily some of the other characters accepted that the person they knew was not the person they saw, they just were too quickly and easily convinced of something that is total non-reality.
July 17, 2018
I think this would be a good read for younger crowd. Heavy on the sweet eyes and overly descriptive for my taste. However, the story had good bones. Just wasn't the perfect fit for me to rave about. I'll be loaning it to my daughter in a couple years though! Thank you Booksparks for the complimentary copy.
June 21, 2018
Emma, a fifteen year old girl, born to a high class family in 1895 and Sonnet, a fifteen year old girl visiting cousins in 2015, are about to share a life changing experience. After accidentally swapping places and times periods, the girls are forced to live each other’s life for fear of being found out, and will find help in the most unexpected of people, coming to discover a great about themselves and each other in the process.
Overall I enjoyed this story; experiencing two different time periods, unravelling the family dynamics, exploring the doppelganger idea, it was definitely an easy flowing fun story to sink into.
Let’s start by looking at what made the book really good:
The Doppelganger Theme
I have a love hate relationship with time travel stories. Occasionally, you strike gold on a story like Deja Vu or Back To The Future. But more often then not the writers go so far into ‘specifics’ that the plot holes drag the story down before it’s even gotten started. What was nice about But Not Forever was the refreshing take on two identical girls of the same age switching places with each other. And not because one of them unlocked a time machine, or they partnered up with a Time Lord, just because the universe wanted to play a game! The author built on this by exploring the Loken family and their parts in the story and it was a really enjoyable aspect to the tale!
The Family Dynamics
Between the two girls, I found myself instinctively more interested in Emma’s character. A girl starved of parental affection, who searches for it in this new time period. The scenes between her and Aunt Kate were beautifully captured and made her character so much more relatable and admirable!
Exploring The New World
It’s always fun reading about a character who is out of their element and discovering the world around them, and that was the case with Emma and Sonnet as they explored their new time periods. Actually, I thought the author could have spent more time showing them 'learning the ropes', as what we did see had me yearning for more!
And now a few unfortunate things that did jar with me (warning, there are a few spoilers here):
Everyone Takes To Time Travelling Far Too Well
At first it’s the teenagers in 2015, who are very quick to go from, ‘Hey, Sonnet, what’s up with you?’ to ‘Oh, you’re not really our sister, just some girl from 1895 who looks EXACTLY like her. This couldn’t possibly be a prank.’ This did irk me, and if it had of been just the people in 2015 who acted this way, I might have been able to brush it off. However, in 1895 there’s at LEAST 4 people who just accept that Sonnet is a time traveler. Having so many people become aware of the switch and not one of them doubt it, felt very disconcerting! Especially on Sonnet’s side. It doesn’t take her that much effort at all to convince everyone she is who she says she is. (I actually expected Tor to be more antagonistic when he found out the truth. If he had have reacted the way most men of that era would have and thought Sonnet fit for an asylum, his character could have been played out far more interestingly. Which brings me neatly to…)
Tor
This guy. Umm… what’s this guy’s deal? I seriously expected him to end up being an antagonist, or maybe an anti hero. Nope, he’s just a guy in love with a girl who has no problem kissing another girl (multiple times) that looks just like his love interest. I couldn’t wrap my head around him being a ‘nice guy’, after doing stuff like that.
A fun, lighthearted adventure story, the perfect companion for a summer day out!
My thanks to NetGalley and SparkPress for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Overall I enjoyed this story; experiencing two different time periods, unravelling the family dynamics, exploring the doppelganger idea, it was definitely an easy flowing fun story to sink into.
Let’s start by looking at what made the book really good:
The Doppelganger Theme
I have a love hate relationship with time travel stories. Occasionally, you strike gold on a story like Deja Vu or Back To The Future. But more often then not the writers go so far into ‘specifics’ that the plot holes drag the story down before it’s even gotten started. What was nice about But Not Forever was the refreshing take on two identical girls of the same age switching places with each other. And not because one of them unlocked a time machine, or they partnered up with a Time Lord, just because the universe wanted to play a game! The author built on this by exploring the Loken family and their parts in the story and it was a really enjoyable aspect to the tale!
The Family Dynamics
Between the two girls, I found myself instinctively more interested in Emma’s character. A girl starved of parental affection, who searches for it in this new time period. The scenes between her and Aunt Kate were beautifully captured and made her character so much more relatable and admirable!
Exploring The New World
It’s always fun reading about a character who is out of their element and discovering the world around them, and that was the case with Emma and Sonnet as they explored their new time periods. Actually, I thought the author could have spent more time showing them 'learning the ropes', as what we did see had me yearning for more!
And now a few unfortunate things that did jar with me (warning, there are a few spoilers here):
Everyone Takes To Time Travelling Far Too Well
At first it’s the teenagers in 2015, who are very quick to go from, ‘Hey, Sonnet, what’s up with you?’ to ‘Oh, you’re not really our sister, just some girl from 1895 who looks EXACTLY like her. This couldn’t possibly be a prank.’ This did irk me, and if it had of been just the people in 2015 who acted this way, I might have been able to brush it off. However, in 1895 there’s at LEAST 4 people who just accept that Sonnet is a time traveler. Having so many people become aware of the switch and not one of them doubt it, felt very disconcerting! Especially on Sonnet’s side. It doesn’t take her that much effort at all to convince everyone she is who she says she is. (I actually expected Tor to be more antagonistic when he found out the truth. If he had have reacted the way most men of that era would have and thought Sonnet fit for an asylum, his character could have been played out far more interestingly. Which brings me neatly to…)
Tor
This guy. Umm… what’s this guy’s deal? I seriously expected him to end up being an antagonist, or maybe an anti hero. Nope, he’s just a guy in love with a girl who has no problem kissing another girl (multiple times) that looks just like his love interest. I couldn’t wrap my head around him being a ‘nice guy’, after doing stuff like that.
A fun, lighthearted adventure story, the perfect companion for a summer day out!
My thanks to NetGalley and SparkPress for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
December 16, 2022
I am not ashamed to admit this book almost made me cry (which is rare for most media nowadays)
at first I thought this would be decent, just something fun to read in my free time before I move on to the next one. but it ended up destroying me :')
I felt so bad for Emma bc of her mother/aunt and bc of how much she'd miss 2015, since it allowed women to be so much more free than they were in 1895
and the reveal at the end that Kerry was sonnet's great-great-grandmother honestly almost made me cry the moment I read it. and the added detail that even though everyone thought sonnet was named after her aunt (Kerry's daughter), it was actually the other way around,,, and the fact that aunt sonnet died at only 14 years old,,,, GOD MY HEART
I had suspected that Kerry might be related to sonnet bc of the line that said she had Evan's smile, but I didn't expect them to put any more big twists since it was the end of the book. boy was I wrong
I had such a big soft spot for Kerry throughout the entire book. her letter to sonnet once she realized sonnet would be her great-great-granddaughter and she would never get to live to meet her broke me
and the final line from sonnet being: "And then Emma let me go." I had to put the book down for a second bc I was in the same room as my family and I was SO close to just sobbing my eyes out lol. the way Emma and sonnet are so connected even tho they never met and were never supposed to meet....
don't get me wrong tho, this wasn't flawless. in the beginning, there were a LOT of punctuation errors (missing periods) and it kinda took me out of it a little
and sometimes the perspective would switch from first person to third person inexplicably and it threw me off as well. if it was an aesthetic choice, it wasn't pretty at all lol
and for some reason tor in general just made me super uncomfortable. I don't know what it was, there was just something about him that made my nerves go off. maybe it was just me tho
in short, I don't think I'll ever get over this book. this was AWESOME despite the flaws I pointed out above
at first I thought this would be decent, just something fun to read in my free time before I move on to the next one. but it ended up destroying me :')
I felt so bad for Emma bc of her mother/aunt and bc of how much she'd miss 2015, since it allowed women to be so much more free than they were in 1895
and the reveal at the end that Kerry was sonnet's great-great-grandmother honestly almost made me cry the moment I read it. and the added detail that even though everyone thought sonnet was named after her aunt (Kerry's daughter), it was actually the other way around,,, and the fact that aunt sonnet died at only 14 years old,,,, GOD MY HEART
I had suspected that Kerry might be related to sonnet bc of the line that said she had Evan's smile, but I didn't expect them to put any more big twists since it was the end of the book. boy was I wrong
I had such a big soft spot for Kerry throughout the entire book. her letter to sonnet once she realized sonnet would be her great-great-granddaughter and she would never get to live to meet her broke me
and the final line from sonnet being: "And then Emma let me go." I had to put the book down for a second bc I was in the same room as my family and I was SO close to just sobbing my eyes out lol. the way Emma and sonnet are so connected even tho they never met and were never supposed to meet....
don't get me wrong tho, this wasn't flawless. in the beginning, there were a LOT of punctuation errors (missing periods) and it kinda took me out of it a little
and sometimes the perspective would switch from first person to third person inexplicably and it threw me off as well. if it was an aesthetic choice, it wasn't pretty at all lol
and for some reason tor in general just made me super uncomfortable. I don't know what it was, there was just something about him that made my nerves go off. maybe it was just me tho
in short, I don't think I'll ever get over this book. this was AWESOME despite the flaws I pointed out above
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 27, 2018
I have nothing against the story. It's an okay story. Still there is one part of the story that has no bearing whatsoever on the story itself that really gets to me... and not in a good way. Her grandfather goes out of his way to find her a ring that her grandmother loved and gives it to her for her birthday. What kind of an ungrateful, hateful, spiteful little bitch does this. (Lia says he had combed through Grandma's stuff and chosen the ring himself [mind you he is dealing with his on loss]. He was crushed that I didn't act excited about his present. But I was still mad at Grandma for dying.) Now this really gets me...do you really think teenagers are so freaking selfish and spoiled that they are going to piss on their own Grandfather like that? And to act like Grandma had a choice in dying, did she suicide because if not she had no say in the matter. Like she just woke up one day and said " Hey today seems like a good day I think I'll check out today."
If this is how she thinks in her mind then I would have to say I'm not sure I want to be in Jan Von Schleh's head. This character deserves NOTHING good to happen to her at all with an attitude like that. Spoiled rich brat is too good a term for her character. How can you act like your character is in any way, shape or form a "nice" person while having her treat her own Grandfather like a piece floating stool?
If this is how she thinks in her mind then I would have to say I'm not sure I want to be in Jan Von Schleh's head. This character deserves NOTHING good to happen to her at all with an attitude like that. Spoiled rich brat is too good a term for her character. How can you act like your character is in any way, shape or form a "nice" person while having her treat her own Grandfather like a piece floating stool?
June 11, 2018
This is actually a pretty fun little story. It doesn't have a heck of a lot of depth to it, but there are a lot of details I really liked. While the time-travel story line is cool, it is pretty simple and if there's one thing I could probably maybe tell you it's that time-travel is almost certainly not simple. But Sonnet and Emma are likeable, and even the side characters aren't too bad. It seems strange to me how accepted the idea of the girls switching places is among the others - nobody even questioned the possibility, not even the maid in 1895. There is some instalove, yes, but it's not really central to the story. And there is a little bit of familial abuse, so watch out for that. It's not graphic or anything, but still. The whole story reminded me a bit like the Doctor Who episode Blink to be honest, especially with Kerry's letter to Sonnet at the end. Anyway, everything turns out so that's a bonus.
This review also appears on my blog in a longer, more cohesive post (and is also probably a lot better than this rambling of words I quickly put together (but also probably not)) here.
I received an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This review also appears on my blog in a longer, more cohesive post (and is also probably a lot better than this rambling of words I quickly put together (but also probably not)) here.
I received an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
September 12, 2018
If you try to search for lesser-known books, sometimes you'll stumble upon an intriguing book that is beyond your expectations. Unluckily, this book is a so-so to me. Although the Doppelganger theme is gripping, the story itself falls flat.
The biggest problem I have with this is that people surrounding Sonnet and Emma come to terms with travel switch very fast.
"Hey, Sonnet, what’s up with you?’ to ‘Oh, you’re not really our sister, just some girl from 1895 who looks EXACTLY like her. This couldn’t possibly be a prank.’
It's not reasonable at that point. If I were in their shoes, I would be worried to death since I don't know how to bring my sister back. Especially with those in 1985, I don't think people accept it easily without regarding her as witch and burn her. When it comes to Emma, it doesn’t take her that much effort at all to convince everyone she is who she says she is. Moreover, the dialect spoken in the 1895 setting didn't feel quite right for that time period.
However, I treasure the efforts of both girls to fit into the brand-new environment that is unfamiliar to them. If you want a fun, easy-to-read time-travel book, this book is for you.
The biggest problem I have with this is that people surrounding Sonnet and Emma come to terms with travel switch very fast.
"Hey, Sonnet, what’s up with you?’ to ‘Oh, you’re not really our sister, just some girl from 1895 who looks EXACTLY like her. This couldn’t possibly be a prank.’
It's not reasonable at that point. If I were in their shoes, I would be worried to death since I don't know how to bring my sister back. Especially with those in 1985, I don't think people accept it easily without regarding her as witch and burn her. When it comes to Emma, it doesn’t take her that much effort at all to convince everyone she is who she says she is. Moreover, the dialect spoken in the 1895 setting didn't feel quite right for that time period.
However, I treasure the efforts of both girls to fit into the brand-new environment that is unfamiliar to them. If you want a fun, easy-to-read time-travel book, this book is for you.
June 13, 2018
I received a copy of this book from the publisher on Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
While this book is definitely not the best book in the world, it's such a fun read. I really enjoyed reading But Not Forever and finished it in two days. It was an easy, enjoyable book that reminded me a lot of Caroline B. Cooney's series The Time Travelers which I read when I was younger.
This book follows two girls named Emma, who's from 1895 and Sonnet, who's from 2015 as they switch places in time. Emma is thrust into the present and Sonnet is thrust into the past. It was really interesting watching as the two struggled to get back to their own time, while also dealing with the problems of living in another time and another person's life.
While none of the characters really stuck out to me as being fantastic, I loved the plot of this book. It was fun to think about what I would do if I was in Sonnet's situation and who would help the "other" me. I loved watching the challenges they faced and seeing different aspects of their lives. I also think everything wrapped up in a way that was satisfying and that I was happy about.
While I wouldn't recommend this book to just anyone or at any time, I think for the target age group it would be a hit and inspire many good memories and daydreams. And, in a way, isn't that a mark of a good book?
While this book is definitely not the best book in the world, it's such a fun read. I really enjoyed reading But Not Forever and finished it in two days. It was an easy, enjoyable book that reminded me a lot of Caroline B. Cooney's series The Time Travelers which I read when I was younger.
This book follows two girls named Emma, who's from 1895 and Sonnet, who's from 2015 as they switch places in time. Emma is thrust into the present and Sonnet is thrust into the past. It was really interesting watching as the two struggled to get back to their own time, while also dealing with the problems of living in another time and another person's life.
While none of the characters really stuck out to me as being fantastic, I loved the plot of this book. It was fun to think about what I would do if I was in Sonnet's situation and who would help the "other" me. I loved watching the challenges they faced and seeing different aspects of their lives. I also think everything wrapped up in a way that was satisfying and that I was happy about.
While I wouldn't recommend this book to just anyone or at any time, I think for the target age group it would be a hit and inspire many good memories and daydreams. And, in a way, isn't that a mark of a good book?
January 3, 2021
I really liked the main characters, Sonnet and Emma, as well as some of the secondary characters, like Kerry. I also enjoyed how everything was interconnected: objects, relationships, etc. the story did fall a little flat at times, and I found it a little difficult to believe that so many people knew someone who was familiar enough with time travel to help the girls out. Overall, though, I couldn’t wait to find out what would eventually happen.
*I received a free copy of this book from the publishers in exchange for an honest review.*
*I received a free copy of this book from the publishers in exchange for an honest review.*
June 30, 2018
YA Lit is not typically my first choice of genre but I love a good time travel story and this one did not disappoint! Von Schleh's debut novel is a lovely coming of age story of two young women, Emma and Sonnet, who find themselves living each other's lives 120 years apart in Monte Cristo, Washington. The family dynamics, friendships and romance that each of the girls experiences is both sweet and sad and makes for a great story.
April 26, 2018
Engaging from the start. The characters were believable and I was immediately drawn into their worlds - both of them. The time-travel element was cleverly played out and I was captivated the whole way through. And I never saw the final twist coming!
June 23, 2018
This book was amazing, and a very easy read. It kept me fully engrossed and waiting for the next escapade. The imagination and skills of the author are obvious as the characters are weaved expertly throughout. This book is highly recommended with enthusiasm.
April 16, 2019
The casual sprinkle of racism throughout the text makes it hard to enjoy this otherwise somewhat interesting story. Little character development and not a lot of plot twists or tension, everything basically happens as you'd expect it to. It's not a new idea, but a decent take on it.
January 27, 2023
i love this concept
at first i was afraid i’d get bored because it seemed a teensie bit juvenile, but i was pleasantly surprised with how the story turned out. even almost shed some tears towards the end :,)
at first i was afraid i’d get bored because it seemed a teensie bit juvenile, but i was pleasantly surprised with how the story turned out. even almost shed some tears towards the end :,)
August 1, 2018
I couldn't put it down and ending up reading it all in one night!
August 5, 2018
I thought this book was great
First time reading this author. Storyline was excellent, exciting and mysterious. Looking forward to reading more from her.
First time reading this author. Storyline was excellent, exciting and mysterious. Looking forward to reading more from her.
August 20, 2018
This was a page turner. I loved it!
September 30, 2018
A vividly imagined time-travel story that kept me turning the pages. I look forward to this debut author's next book!
April 26, 2019
I loved this book. I loved the diversity of the Filipino characters. The end was an amazing conclusion that still hasn't left me.
July 27, 2019
Read my full review at https://lifesanovelty.blogspot.com/20...
Opinions: In my opinion, this book has a lot of potential, but it wasn't written very well. I was bored most of the way through because there weren't enough compelling scenes. Emma was very happy in 2015, but there weren't any mind-blowing experiences to prove it. Sonnet fell in love with a boy in 1895, but all we got to read about him were small little conversations and a kiss or two. I feel like the story needed a heart beat, but otherwise, it was good.
My Favourite Thing: Jan Von Schleh has a great imagination! I can imagine there are other doppelgänger/time traveling books out there, but this is the first I've read. Although it was poorly written, the basis is creative and has potential to be exciting. The idea of switching places in time and having to seek help to find a way back is a great place to start.
My Least Favourite Thing: But Not Forever was too slow for me. Even though the story was great, I was bored through most of the book because the good scenes were spaced out too much. There wasn't enough drama and excitement! Time traveling opens up for mystery, intense romance, and scandal! But this book didn't have any of those. It seemed like Schleh was trying to keep it PG in all ways: no adult content, no violence, happy friends, and no scary motifs.
Per FTC regulations, please know that I received this title for free for review from the original author, the publisher, publicist, or a third party. I am honest in my reviews, meaning the fact I received the book for free does not alter the rating I give it.
Opinions: In my opinion, this book has a lot of potential, but it wasn't written very well. I was bored most of the way through because there weren't enough compelling scenes. Emma was very happy in 2015, but there weren't any mind-blowing experiences to prove it. Sonnet fell in love with a boy in 1895, but all we got to read about him were small little conversations and a kiss or two. I feel like the story needed a heart beat, but otherwise, it was good.
My Favourite Thing: Jan Von Schleh has a great imagination! I can imagine there are other doppelgänger/time traveling books out there, but this is the first I've read. Although it was poorly written, the basis is creative and has potential to be exciting. The idea of switching places in time and having to seek help to find a way back is a great place to start.
My Least Favourite Thing: But Not Forever was too slow for me. Even though the story was great, I was bored through most of the book because the good scenes were spaced out too much. There wasn't enough drama and excitement! Time traveling opens up for mystery, intense romance, and scandal! But this book didn't have any of those. It seemed like Schleh was trying to keep it PG in all ways: no adult content, no violence, happy friends, and no scary motifs.
Per FTC regulations, please know that I received this title for free for review from the original author, the publisher, publicist, or a third party. I am honest in my reviews, meaning the fact I received the book for free does not alter the rating I give it.
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