M+o 4evr

M+O 4EVR is Tonya Cherie Hegamin's debut novel. The story is about love in a universal sense: family, friendship, first love, ill-fated love... The novel opens with two African American teens, Marianne and Opal (M is biracial, O is not) and the two are taking a drive around town after Marianne has been crowned the town's first black homecoming queen. Marianne has dreams of the glamorous life, of running far away, of making it in Hollywood. Opal has dreams too that come crashing down... Hegamin's ability to paint these characters is so strong that they pulsate off the page and the reader is mesmerized and enchanted. It almost feels wrong to know these characters as intimately as we do, which makes the blow that appears later in the novel so devastating. One girl wants so badly to be loved by everyone. The other wants so badly to love just one. Both teens have been raised practically together by O's family since childhood. The grandmother is real. The father is loving. The mother appears as ethereal, in a lovely scene at sea, as the stories she once told M and O before they went to bed. This sets up the story-within-a-story of Hannah, a slave who escaped her owners and found herself in the arms of real love. Ultimately, Hegamin's message is clear: "It doesn't matter who you love, just so you love them right." That love may last a lifetime or a mere mass of stolen moments. One thing is sure--love endures. We make sacrifices for that love. We see this in M+O's story and in Hannah's story as well. This is a beautifully written novel for teen and adult readers to enjoy and discuss. It also raises issues of racism, sexism, and class without feeling forced. Highly unforgettable and recommended!

Marianne and Opal have always had a special connection. Home schooled for a time, when they were separated their first day in a real school, neither girl was the same. They screamed and only relaxed when they were together in the same room holding hands. As they grew up, there was always the unique bond. But Marianne often wanted to test her wings and try to fit in with the popular crowd. She tried to join the cheerleading team. And she made up her mind to go for the Homecoming crown. Opal was happy with the way things were, and would've been perfectly content had her world consisted of only her and Marianne. But one night, the entire world changed. The two girls ventured out towards the ravine where they had their own world. Marianne brought drugs with her and proceeded to get high. Opal, wanting nothing to do with the drugs, and having obligations back home with her grandma, left Marianne at the ravine. The next morning, Opal is awakened by her grandma. Marianne was dead. Found at the bottom of the ravine. Hearing the news, Opal is in shock. And it brings back the ghost stories of Hannah that the girls were told growing up. M+O 4EVR tells the story of Opal getting past her grief. Opal remembers bits and pieces of her life with Marianne. As she recalls their history, a second story of the ghost, Hannah, is revealed. Hannah was a young slave girl that attempts to escape the horrible life that awaits her as she grows out of her young years. M+O 4EVR is not an easy story to read. The grief and sadness is evident throughout the entire story. But even with the bleak outlook Opal has, there is a hint of hope throughout. Reading about Hannah's dream of a better life as well as Opal's struggles to decide upon a future leaves the reader feeling stronger by the end. Reviewed by: Jaglvr