Netflix has released a new teen romance drama series based on a Judy Blume book, and it’s totally binge-worthy. Netlix’s Forever (based on Blume’s novel Forever…) tells the story of high school students Keisha Clark (Lovie Simone) and Justin Edwards (Michael Cooper Jr.) as they experience all of the ups and downs that come with your first love. Keisha and Justin were friends as children, but find each other again as teenagers. As sparks fly, we watch the pair fumble through all the awkwardness of young love, figuring things out as they go along. While some core themes of the two stories are the same, the differences between Netflix’s Forever and the Judy Blume book are stark.
While the drama series just hit Netflix, the story of Forever isn’t new — it’s based on Blume’s 1975 classic coming-of-age novel. Over the years, the book has gained massive notoriety for boundary-pushing depictions of sex and the use of birth control. Though many have celebrated the book for its depiction of such themes, its content has also resulted in the novel being banned from schools and libraries.
While the Netflix series isn’t an exact adaptation of Blume’s original story, it retains similar themes. On the surface, one notable difference are the protagonists names (in the book, the young couple’s names are Michael and Katherine). Though, the story has gotten a twist in some other, more prominent ways too. Mara Brock Akil, Forever’s showrunner, has given the classic story a modern makeover and reimagining. It takes place in 2018 Los Angeles, compared to the book taking place in Westfield, New Jersey during the 1970s. Of course, this means that the characters in the show take on all the iconic LA hot spots, like Fairfax and the Santa Monica Pier. Along with the show’s modern setting comes storylines more culturally relevant to today’s viewers. A leaked sex tape, uber rides, an ADHD diagnosis, and tough college decisions are all topics of discussion in the show.Â
Additionally, Akil aimed to include themes pertaining to race in her retelling. She stated that when she first read Forever… as an adolescent, she could not help but notice that it “did not have a lot of Blackness — or any Blackness,” but that Blume “wrote with such humanity that [she] could project [her]self into the story and see [her]self, and understand.” By portraying Keisha and Justin as Black teenagers, Akil is opening a door for more viewers to see themselves in the characters and their experiences.Â
Keisha and Justin also have been given several layers of character that are not shown in the novel, which adds to the show’s modern setting. For example, Justin loves music and is always working on his computer to make beats. Though he’s encouraged to pursue a more “practical” career, he can’t seem to erase his dreams of making music. The familiar struggle of college applications and dream schools are brought into the show as well. Keisha is sure that she is bound for Howard University, while Justin’s family hopes that he will attend Northwestern University (though, he’s still not certain).Â
All in all, Forever the series and Forever… the novel are not identical by any means. Though, the Netflix series still retains Blume’s boundary-pushing intentions and the brutal honesty and vulnerability that first put this story on the map.