Friends Forever by Shannon Hale & LeUyen Pham is a relatable graphic memoir about the insecurities of teenage years that also offers a beautiful message of hope.
Friends Forever is the third and last book of Shannon Hale’s Friends graphic memoir series. In this instalment, Shannon is 13-14 years old and seems to have found the things she love: good friends and drama class. But insecurities set in and she finds herself wanting to be beautiful, successful and liked by boys.
Hale’s story is highly relatable—the self-doubt, anxiety and the need to be accepted when you’re a teenager. When you’re a highly sensitive individual like Hale and myself, growing up is even harder when your fears, failures and mistakes feel amplified.
Hale’s heartfelt memoir also tackles misogyny, bullying, sexual harassment and depression but ultimately offers readers a message of hope: you don’t have to be perfect and you’re enough, exactly as you are. Her story is a reminder to teenagers that there is no hurry to be the best or the most outstanding—Hale didn’t have many wins when she was young, yet she is now a successful author. She says in her author's notes, "Life moves on. Feelings change. People change. We’re never stuck. There is always hope."
This is a story that would resonate with teenage and adult readers and even tweens, whom (sadly) are growing up much faster than they should with the proliferation of the internet. I highly recommend this series to tweens and those older.
Friends Forever can be read as a standalone book, but the earlier books – Real Friends and Best Friends – are such gems, you wouldn’t want to miss them too. Thank you Experal Singapore for sending this over! You can find all 3 books of this series at Experal's shopee stores at Experal Singapore and Experal SG, and their website at Experal.com. I love their awesome variety of children and adult titles ranging from best-sellers to new releases 🤗
Disclaimer: The book is provided by Experal SIngapore for my review. My opinions and reviews here are strictly my and my family’s own.
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