Weekend Writing: Reviewing Karen Kingsbury's "Forever"

"Whatever the future held, for now it was only important to be there together--all of them, including Dayne. Because togetherness was the greatest tradition of all." - Karen Kingsbury, "Forever" 

It's always sad to finish reading a book series. The characters become your friends. You love reading their stories--learning what they will experience next. So, when a chapter closes, when you reach the final page, it's like you're saying goodbye to a family member or a beloved friend. You want to keep talking to them for as long as possible.

That's how I felt when I finished Karen Kingsbury's Firstborn series. If you have been following my blog, you should know by now that I am a fan of Kingsbury's writing. I have been reading my way through the Firstborn series--a continuation of the Baxter Family series established in the Redemption series. Kingsbury's "Life-Changing" fiction never fails to surprise me, yet comfort, inspire and impact me in more ways than I hardly expect.

I love the Baxter family. Like I have previously expressed in other book reviews [for example, my review of Family], I love the family but the Firstborn series is especially captivating to me because Dayne Matthews is a character we can all relate to and love. He's a Hollywood heartthrob who, after a very long and difficult battle with finding his identity, chooses to reconnect with his faith and family [his birth family, the Baxters]. He falls in love with Katy Hart, the small-town, innocent Christian girl who works as a director for the Christian Kids Theater in Bloomington, Indiana. He loves Katy, but he also loves the world she comes from--a world so different from his own.

People dream of becoming a Hollywood star, but all Dayne wants to do is be normal. He doesn't want to be followed by paparazzi. He dreams of living the simple life, and there's no one he would rather share it with than Katy Hart.

Karen Kingsbury's "Firstborn" series (photo/Amazon.com).

Forever continues the story of Dayne and Katy. Since the first book in the series, Dayne and Katy have a connection they can't deny. Whenever they tried to stay away from each other, it proved to be impossible. They're soulmates and God wanted them together. He forced them to confront their issues at hand and learn to grow closer together.

They finally gave in to their feelings, and Dayne proposed to Katy. They're planning a wedding and a future together in Bloomington. Katy found them a house to live in--right on the shore of the beautiful Lake Monroe. Everything is perfect.

But as we know far too well, just when everything seems to be going well, that's when tragedy strikes. That's what happened when Dayne was involved in a serious, life-threatening car accident. He was trying to flee the paparazzi, but they caused a truck to slam into his SUV.

"In the final split second before the truck slammed into the driver's side of his Escalade, he had just enough time to grieve everything he was about to lose. His place in the Baxter family, his years in the house on the lake, his life with Katy. But only her face filled his heart and mind and soul as the truck slammed into his SUV, as glass exploded and the sound of screaming, twisting metal filled his ears. Something sharp and burning tore through his body, his head, as everything was going black, and his final thought was the saddest of all. The face in his mind was one he might never see again this side of heaven. The face of his forever love, Katy Hart." - Karen Kingsbury, "Forever" 

Dayne's injury from the car accident occupies the majority of the novel. Everyone is heartbroken and worried--John Baxter, who worries he might never really form a connection with his firstborn son; Ashley Baxter Blake, who worries she missed out on all those years of knowing her older brother; and, Katy Hart, who grieves at the potential loss of her one true love.

But there's one person who isn't heavily affected by the news: Luke Baxter.

Since his childhood, Luke Baxter had always been the Baxter son. He was the golden boy--the youngest brother of four sisters. He was the pride and joy of his parents--their only son. But now, everything has changed. He's no longer the only son in the Baxter family. Instead, the Baxter's firstborn son was the one and only Dayne Mattews--Hollywood's hottest, strongest actor. How could he compete with that? How could he be the brother his sisters turned to for help when they now had Dayne Matthews? Was John going to form his own bond with Dayne--the bond he used to have with Luke?

To be honest, I understand Luke's emotional struggle with the news. If my parents told me I had another sibling I had never known, I would be upset and confused. I wouldn't know how to interact with the new sibling.

So, I understand Luke's personal struggle. But, instead of confronting it, Luke pushes away everyone in his life--including his wife, Regan, and children, Tommy and Malin. He criticizes Dayne to the paparazzi, saying "blood doesn't make him a Baxter." My heart ached for Luke, but I was also upset with him. Isn't it funny how you can sometimes both love and be angry with a character at the same time? Luke needed a good slap across the face. His life might not be the way he thought it was, but he's still a Baxter. Dayne is a Baxter.

And once you're a member of the Baxter family, you're a member forever.

Forever. 

Karen Kingsbury's "Forever."

I won't spoil the ending of the novel, but as always, I was more than pleased with the outcome. Once again, Kingsbury continued her phenomenal writing style of being inspirational and heartbreaking at the same time. I was worried about Dayne. Would he wake up from the coma? Would he be okay? Would Luke be okay, too?

Throughout the novel, the characters are reminded that they must never turn away from their trust in God. He knows what is best, after all. God will allow them a "forever," in His own way. It might not be the future everyone planned, but it is always God's plan. This is an important lesson that we must learn in our own lives.

I'm sad to finish the Firstborn series. I have enjoyed it so much. I loved Dayne and Katy's story. I loved learning about the Christian Kids Theater. I loved reading about the different theatre productions. I also loved reading about Dayne's struggle with his Hollywood life and the life he desperately wanted with the Baxters. The Firstborn series was unique, heartbreaking, inspirational, and beautiful.

Karen Kingsbury (photo/Fresh Grounded Faith)

I look forward to continuing with the Baxter family in the Sunrise series--the next installment in Kingsbury's Baxter Family series. If it's anything like the Redemption and Firstborn series, it will be a beautiful adventure. I can't wait to begin!

Until next time...

-KJL-