Forever in Blue: The Fourth Summer of the Sisterhood
by Ann Brashares
The summer after freshman year of college - the friends are scattered, changed, and struggling. The pants bring them together as they navigate who they're becoming.
Spoiler Warning
This review may contain spoilers. Read at your own discretion if you haven't finished the book yet.
When Staying Close Gets Hard
The summer after freshman year, and for the first time, the sisterhood feels fragile. Carmen, Tibby, Bridget, and Lena are scattered, changed, keeping secrets from each other in ways they never did before. Forever in Blue tackles the hardest part of lifelong friendships - what happens when everyone is growing in different directions and the distance feels impossible to bridge.
This isn't the magic-pants-fix-everything story of the earlier books. It's messier, more painful, and more honest about what maintaining friendships actually requires.
Where They Are Now
Carmen is thriving at a playwriting program, finally finding her voice and falling for someone new. Tibby is at NYU with Brian, but she's hiding something that could destroy her from the inside. Bridget is in Alabama searching for her grandmother and the mother she barely remembers. Lena is blindsided when Kostos shows up married, forcing her to confront what she let slip away.
For the first time, the four aren't just dealing with external challenges - they're failing each other. Secrets are creating distance, and the unbreakable bond they've always counted on is showing cracks.
Friendship Takes Work
The book's central truth is uncomfortable but necessary: staying close requires effort, honesty, and accepting that everyone is changing. You can't coast on shared history. You have to keep choosing each other, keep communicating, keep showing up even when it's inconvenient.
Tibby's secret - an abortion she hides from everyone - shows how shame can isolate us from the very people who would support us if we let them. The eventual revelation is handled with sensitivity, neither minimizing the experience nor turning it into melodrama.
What Works and What Struggles
The emotional honesty is powerful. These aren't the girls from the first book anymore, and Brashares doesn't pretend otherwise. The reconciliation isn't easy or complete - it's messy and ongoing, which feels true to how relationships actually work.
That said, the magic of the earlier books is diluted. The pacing feels slower, some storylines more developed than others. If you're coming to this expecting the warmth of the first three, you may find it harder to love. But if you appreciate honest portrayals of how friendships survive change, there's real value here.
Rating: 4.0/5 ⭐
Perfect for: Fans of the series ready for a more mature installment, college students navigating changing friendships, readers who appreciate honest portrayals of friendship challenges.
Skip if: You want the lighter tone of the earlier books, or stories about friendship struggles feel too close to home right now.
You Might Also Like
Girls in Pants: The Third Summer of the Sisterhood
by Ann Brashares
The summer before college - the last summer of innocence, of being together, of the magic pants. Carmen, Tibby, Bridget, and Lena face their biggest transition yet.
The Second Summer of the Sisterhood
by Ann Brashares
The pants are back for a second summer as Carmen, Tibby, Bridget, and Lena face new challenges, deeper heartbreak, and the continued magic of their unbreakable friendship.
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
by Ann Brashares
Four best friends, one pair of magical jeans, and a summer apart that brings them closer together. A heartwarming story about friendship, growth, and the bonds that hold us together.