Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Source: Bought (Barnes and Noble)

Edition: Hardcover

Pages: 464

Rating: A+

She is pretty and talented - sweet sixteen and never been kissed. He is seventeen; gorgeous and on the brink of a bright future. And now they have fallen in love. But... they are brother and sister.

Seventeen-year-old Lochan and sixteen-year-old Maya have always felt more like friends than siblings. Together they have stepped in for their alcoholic, wayward mother to take care of their three younger siblings. As defacto parents to the little ones, Lochan and Maya have had to grow up fast. And the stress of their lives—and the way they understand each other so completely—has also also brought them closer than two siblings would ordinarily be. So close, in fact, that they have fallen in love. Their clandestine romance quickly blooms into deep, desperate love. They know their relationship is wrong and cannot possibly continue. And yet, they cannot stop what feels so incredibly right. As the novel careens toward an explosive and shocking finale, only one thing is certain: a love this devastating has no happy ending.

I never thought I would read a book about incest and actually be able to sympathize with the characters. I mean, we're talking about incest here people. But, after I read so many good reviews of this one, I knew I had to pick it up regardless of it sounding disturbing. I can tell everyone right now that this is one book that I will never forget. It's going to stay with me forever because of how different it is from any other book I've ever read.

The lifestyle the characters have in Forbidden are so unimaginable to me. It was heartbreaking how these two teenagers had to take care of their younger siblings while they were still trying to figure their own lives out. I rely more on my mother now (I'm 21 and live at college) then they did when they were still in high school!

During the first half or so of the book, I kept hoping to myself that somehow these two characters weren't actually related. Then the second half, I honestly didn't seem to even care. The way the author writes this book makes you understand their situation and why they feel the way they do. While it's definitely a challenging read, I found myself rooting for these characters and their love story.

I can't recommend this book enough but I do have to warn you... you'll need some major tissues to accompany you during this read. It's beautiful, heartbreaking, and such an emotional rollercoaster.