Forever

In the Changers series by T. Cooper and Allison Glock-Cooper Ethan is an unexceptional skateboarding videogame-playing teenager about to enter high school. Then he wakes up as a girl. Cue the freakout. It turns out he's a special kind of person called a Changer, and that he will start each year of high school with a different type of outer form. At the end, he gets to choose which one to be for the rest of his/her life. The already-existing Changers hope to change the world by spreading their acquired empathy. Ethan mainly wants to mentally survive the viciousness and intolerance of high school.

What a fascinating premise! I received Changers Book Four as an ER copy. My wife had loved and recommended the series, so I proceeded to read show more the first three and then this one. I loved the series, too. This is a YA book, so you're not getting Richard Powers level writing, but you are getting a page-turning and thought-provoking story.

We get to experience gender and race and other changes through Ethan, and it's cleverly done by a husband and wife author team, one of whom is transgender. We get male perspectives on everyday female issues, female on male, and so on. Pretty addictive. Meanwhile, Than experiences romance each school year despite the changes. Since Changers are supposed to keep their nature hidden, this makes for some tricky maneuvers. Ethan in his manifestations is very likeable and (if you accept the premise) believable. He was fine with being Ethan, and at times resists the changes. But, as his mother says, "Who hasn't fantasized about being someone else?" show less

I'm shamefully late with this review because it's taken me months to straighten out my thoughts. Until now, my review was basically, "OMG I LOVE THIS WANT MORE NOW," which, while enthusiastic, doesn't tell any more than my 5 star rating, so I've waited until I calmed down a bit. There are going to be spoilers ahead so read on at your own peril (and, honestly, don't read on if you haven't read the book cos it's so incredibly wonderful & surprising).

I thought this volume was more "literary" than the other three, with it's foreshadowing and allusion that at times seemed heavy handed. It may be that I just noticed it more than I did in the other books because it was pretty predictable who our protagonist would be this year, and thus the show more whole year was kind of predictable, so I was able to pick apart the structure rather than just hurry through the plot. Within those limits, though, I continued to adore being in our protagonist's head. The secondary characters were wonderful and the new side of our familiar antagonist was revealing, while still revolting. I thought the authors went a little too easy on the Dad, but I almost always think authors go too easy on Dads, so that's probably my issue, not the book's. The thing with Chase and the grandmother was never really developed, which was disappointing. This was probably the weakest book of the 4.

But what transformed this from a very good read into a great read:
the always-smart meditations on gender, race, body.
Our protagonist's voice.
The ending!!!!! Oh my god, the ending!!!!!!!!!!!!! There aren't enough exclamation points!!!!!!!!

I actually had a dream that Cooper & Glock-Cooper were going to continue this series -- that's how much I love these books. I don't know what I'll do now without a Changers book to look forward to.

Thank you so much, T Cooper & Allison Glock-Cooper, for writing these. When each new volume came out, I'd reread the ones that came before just so I could make sure the story was fresh in my mind, so now I've read Volume 1 four times. My partner is about to start the series & I'm about to pick up Volume 1 again, too, that's how much I love these books. Thank you both so, so much -- and get writing! show less

When this series first came to my attention, I was like uhh, yes, obviously I will be reading these books. The first book did not disappoint...it was fascinating to read a book like this, about someone coming to terms with their changing identity, seeing Drew struggle with social dynamics at school and learn about herself along the way. I've been putting off writing this review though, because while I was impressed with and drawn into the first book, the second and third were not quite as enjoyable, and as much as I wanted to be able to gush about the series, this fourth book...I didn't like it.

Where the strength of book 1 lies is in examining social expectations and dynamics. That was a central point in Drew's story, and if that focus show more had remained consistent through the last three books this would have been a stronger series. It went off the rails, though, throwing in the drama of the Abiders, kidnapping, murder, etc. This just didn't work for me. There were several separate storylines, each more ridiculous than the last, and none of them were incorporated into the others, which was jarring. Also, whether it be a traditional three-act or something else, I need some kind of structure, and this book didn't have one. Every chapter was up and down, back and forth. Kyle's emotions shift so quickly, and for reasons difficult to understand, that it was exhausting reading about him. One page Audrey hates him, the next she loves him, then she hates him again...honestly, this fourth book reads like a rough draft, like the goal was "get everything on the page, and then we'll go back, edit, and move some stuff around"...except that second part never happened. Not great.

Perhaps I could have tried to look past the rough quality of the writing itself, but the nail in the coffin for me was the very casual inclusion of suicide. Maybe that wasn't the authors' intention, but the way it was thrown in, as though it was an unimportant side story, really bothered me. Kim wakes up as Kyle and, next page, apropos of nothing, he's on a bridge attempting suicide. Now, I suppose to their credit, this chapter does end with the woman who stopped him reminding him, "be mindful...that you don't pick a permanent solution to a temporary problem." That doesn't do much to make up for such offhand use of suicide as a plot device, though, particularly when later they casually throw in during a fit of angst later the thought that he "can't stay. Can't leave. Can't kill [himself]. Can't build an Alien sleeping capsule and seal the door for nine months." Just...no.

I'm sad I didn't love this series. I really wanted to. But ultimately the plot was all over the place, with too many ideas crammed into one series, and while the handling of topics like racism and gender identity were done well, others, like mental health, were treated too lightly. It was too unbalanced for my taste. show less

My rating:☆☆☆☆☆

Review: I received Forever (Changers Book 4) from LibraryThing to read and review. I have not read books 1 - 3 yet but this little novel is such a hidden gem! The beginning was basically a recap of what happened in the first three books and the authors do such an amazing job with the writing that I was able to read Forever (Changers Book 4) with no problem. So, just because this is the fourth book in the installment doesn't mean that you can't read it as a stand-alone as well.

There is LGBTQ+ representation along with ethnic representation throughout the entirety of the novel. This was seriously a jackpot of a book to get. I enjoyed every second of it and my attention was grabbed and never let go until I put the show more novel down. As I was reading, I couldn't and didn't want to stop reading. I ended up devouring it in a matter of a 3 day period.

I loved how this was a middle-school grade, young adult, contemporary fantasy but also had hints of sci-fi. Due to the fact that some people changed each year into new individuals. It makes me want to get books 1 - 3 and reread the entire series.

Reasons why I rated it 5 stars:
1. Amazing read!
2. Multiple of different representations.
3. My attention was maintained on the entirety of the novel.
4. Writing was well-done, no grammatical or spelling errors that I saw. show less

The end is finally nigh for Ethan/Drew/Oryon/Kim/? (I'm not going to give away anything about his/her final identity). S/he has one more year to go before s/he can choose his/her final identity. Who will s/he be this time? What choice will s/he ultimately make? These are the questions that made me want to read the last book in this series, and kept me reading until the end of the book. I have to admit, though, that it was sort of tough going. First of all, the plot holes are back and better than ever! Secondly, slang vomited all over this book. It definitely helped the character have a voice, but it got grating.

And then. Oh, and then. For the first quarter or so of the book, we're still with Kim as she wraps up her affairs, particularly show more with Audrey, with whom she swears undying love and devotion, no matter what the next identity is. Until it's time for said identity when s/he totally bails. Good reason? Maybe. But not big enough to close the plot hole. And made most of the second half of the book aggravating.

But, it's all over now. Ethan/Drew/Oryon/Kim/? has made his/her decision and started the rest of his/her life. And I will say that the ending was quite lovely. show less

I started this series after getting the first one at ALA. I’ve been lucky to get the other three as ERs. Book Four takes place during Evan’s last year in high school - where he becomes his fourth Changer - and through his decision of which of these people he will choose to be for the rest of his life. I would recommend these books for YA and Adult readers, but think they would be great reading for those about to enter their four years of high school. Each book’s “Evan” let’s us explore what it’s like to live another’s life.

This one was okay. I wish I would have read books 1-3 first and then maybe it would have made more sense. Without reading the three previous books I was still able to figure out the plot and the characters in the book. Overall it was an okay book but the concept of changing who you are for four years was a bit too bazaar for me.