But Not Forever

“Satisfying romance, a good comeuppance, and a plan that comes together all add up to a great read. A time-travel story that entertains with distinct characters, well-observed details, and an exciting finish.”
Kirkus Reviews

Could she be everything you aren’t, but somehow—still be you?
It’s the year 2015 and Sonnet McKay is the daughter of a globe-trotting diplomat, home for the summer from her exotic life. Everything would be perfect if not for her stunning sister, whose bright star has left her in the shadows. In 1895, Emma Sweetwine is trapped in a Victorian mansion, dreaming of wings to fly her far from her mother, who gives her love to her sons, leaving nothing for her daughter. Fate puts them in the same house at the same moment, 120 years apart, and the identical fifteen-year-olds are switched in time. In their new worlds, Sonnet falls in love with a boy, Emma falls in love with a life, and astonishing family secrets are revealed. Torn, both girls want to still go home— but can either one give up what they now have?
But Not Forever is an enchanting story of love and longing, and the heart’s ultimate quest to find where it belongs.

Author: Jan Von Schleh

Publication Date: June 12, 2018

 

Description

2019 Nautilius Book Awards Silver Winner in Young Adult Fiction
2019 Readers’ Favorite Awards Bronze Medal Winner in Children/Preteen
2019 IPPY Silver Medal Winner in Juvenile/Young Adult Issues
2019 IBPA Benjamin Franklin Silver Medal Award in Young Adult Fiction
2019 Independent Publisher Silver Medal Award in Juvenile/Young Adult Fiction
2019 International Book Awards, Finalist, Fiction: Young Adult
2019 Foreword Indies Finalist in Young Adult Fiction
Shortlisted for the CAC2018 Chanticleer International Book Award in Young Adult Fiction
2017 Rossetti Book Awards Shortlist in Young Adult Fiction

“Satisfying romance, a good comeuppance, and a plan that comes together all add up to a great read. A time-travel story that entertains with distinct characters, well-observed details, and an exciting finish.”
Kirkus Reviews

“I stayed up well past my bedtime, devouring this charming, vividly imagined time-travel story. Jan Von Schleh plumbs the drama of her twin heroines’ dilemma with evocative period details, a cast of fully realized characters, and lots and lots of heart.”
—Pam McGaffin, author of The Leaving Year

“Outstanding. I hadn’t intended to stay up late, but, honestly your story is just so good, I had to finish it.”
—Sam Morton, author of Jericho Road

“From the heart-thumping opening lines of But Not Forever, one begins a thrilling journey from 2015 to 1895 and back again. Set in an abandoned mansion in the romantically named place, Monte Cristo, Jan Von Schleh has a beautiful, fresh style that deftly straddles the two eras.”
—Rohini Sunderam writing as Zohra Saeed, author of Desert Flower

“Lush, poignant, enchanting. Sonnet and Emma, and their intertwining stories, grabbed me from the start and wouldn’t let me go.”
—Julia Inserro, author of Nonni’s Moon

But Not Forever is a magical time-traveling adventure that captivates readers from the start. Von Schleh’s sparkling prose sets the stage for the thrilling, intertwining journeys of Sonnet and Emma. Doppelgangers born into separate worlds, both are forced to face family dysfunction and reexamine societal conventions. Love and heartache cross over generations while universe forces and unbreakable family ties are clearly at work in this page-turning tale.
—Heather Cumiskey, award-winning author of I Like You Like This

“Romance and humor blend into family drama and time travel fun as Jan Von Schleh explores the past, balancing two vastly different timelines. . . . But Not Forever is a stunning coming-of-age journey that keeps the page turning.”
Seattle Book Review 

About the Author

Jan Von Schleh is a third-generation Seattleite who has lived and worked around the world in fascinating places including Zimbabwe, Nicaragua, Democratic Republic of Congo, Turkmenistan, and the Kingdom of Bahrain. When she’s not writing, she likes to explore ancient buildings wherever she can find them and wonder about the stories they would tell—if only they could talk. She is sure that whatever those stories are, they most probably have to do with love.

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