What is good about Friends Forever is its commentary-mostly implied-about the superficiality of young romance and about sexism and gender-essentialist views of women and girls. The reader is to assume she doesn't move after getting discouraged by her friend's reaction, but I don't understand why it wasn't made totally clear in a small story arc that could have shown Hale trying to work through her hurt as she decides to stay home in Utah. This story thread then ends here, without any solid confirmation that Hale is in fact, not going to move to California.

At first, Hale is excited because she thinks about how if she moves there, she'll get to reconnect with an old friend however, when Hale calls this old friend to tell her about the potential move, the friend's indifferent reaction hurts Hale. One of the worst offenders is a tiny part in which her mom and dad tell her that an aunt has offered to let Hale live with her in California. Friends Forever has a manic quality as Hale arbitrarily tossed in numerous little story threads only to end them abruptly and move on.

Hale's early teen years are interesting, but she stuffs in way too much, and, as is the case with book two, she’s simply unable to organize her stories so they unfold in a smooth, logical way. I didn't love this latest installment in the series. As a result, she doesn't feel her parents or siblings love her, and she's needy in her friendships. Hale's parents are portrayed as physically present but emotionally absent, and when she expresses any sadness, her family makes it clear that they believe sensitivity is a choice. Life at home didn’t help soften what happened at school. It's not pretty, especially because Hale had low self-esteem and watched everyone around her pair up while she got ignored and occasionally mocked. In eighth grade, most of her misery stems from observing her peers’ obsession with romantic relationships and appearance and feeling unsure about her own feelings and status. Although this isn't uncommon for a story taking place during middle school, Hale has a way of depicting her experiences as uniquely miserable and horrendous.

I felt about Friends Forever much like I felt about book two in this series: that it's intensely focused on pain and angst. Inside, Hale feels depressed and anxious and doesn't know why. As a member of the drama club, she’s also finally found a caring group of friends. She’s now in eighth grade and enjoying being in the oldest grade at her middle school. Shannon Hale's friend drama continues in Friends Forever, the third graphic novel in her autobiographical 'Friends' series.

Friends forever book shannon hale