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4.06 AVERAGE
4.06 AVERAGE
Having lost my dad, I can really relate to this story. (not a spoiler) The romance was perfect, though I wish we got more of it, and I'm happy that it wasn't insta- love. Definitely can't wait to read more of her work!
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
"...there was only one truth about forever that really mattered, and that was this: it was happening." (374).
I read a couple of Sarah Dessen's books when I was younger and I always enjoyed them, so I was excited to pick up another. This story was very sweet- I honestly couldn't stop myself from smiling multiple times throughout the story. Even though the romance may be predictable, I found myself surprised at how well Dessen managed to weave conversations about mental health and grieving into the story. We follow multiple characters as they all react to loss in different ways- obviously mostly focused on Macy but still seeing all these different ways of coping, both healthy and unhealthy. I actually really liked the "love interest" of the story. Wes was kind and selfless, he had that bad-boy charm that is so popular in teen romances but it wasn't an excuse for Dessen to write him to be toxic or problematic at all. Macy and his connection is forged through friendship and honesty, and I truly found myself rooting for them from their very first meeting. I think the most enjoyable aspect of this story, however, is all the friendships Macy manages to forge with the quirky members of the Wish Catering crew. I liked that they were all different, but still managed to bond and truly care for each other. Overall, this is just a sweet, well-written, enjoyable book; something I've found is the case with all of Dessen's stories.
I read a couple of Sarah Dessen's books when I was younger and I always enjoyed them, so I was excited to pick up another. This story was very sweet- I honestly couldn't stop myself from smiling multiple times throughout the story. Even though the romance may be predictable, I found myself surprised at how well Dessen managed to weave conversations about mental health and grieving into the story. We follow multiple characters as they all react to loss in different ways- obviously mostly focused on Macy but still seeing all these different ways of coping, both healthy and unhealthy. I actually really liked the "love interest" of the story. Wes was kind and selfless, he had that bad-boy charm that is so popular in teen romances but it wasn't an excuse for Dessen to write him to be toxic or problematic at all. Macy and his connection is forged through friendship and honesty, and I truly found myself rooting for them from their very first meeting. I think the most enjoyable aspect of this story, however, is all the friendships Macy manages to forge with the quirky members of the Wish Catering crew. I liked that they were all different, but still managed to bond and truly care for each other. Overall, this is just a sweet, well-written, enjoyable book; something I've found is the case with all of Dessen's stories.
My first Sarah Dessen, and I really enjoyed it. Loved the characters and was very engaged emotionally. I'll definitely be reading more.
April 2017: Just as phenomenal the second time around.
There were so many wonderful details that I had completely forgotten about over the past two years, and I fell so in love with the characters all over again - especially Wes. But I adored Macy, Kristy, Mona, and Bert as well. All of them are such unique, quirky, and fantastically realistic characters, like those in all of Sarah Dessen's books. Jason's a jerk though.
This will forever remain one of my favourite YA contemporaries. Highly, highly, highly recommend!
May 2021: I wondered how my feelings for this story would change reading it six years after the first time I picked it up, but honestly, I still loved it. This was one of the first YA books that I ever read back in the day, so it truly blew me away the first time that I read it. I think it may have lost a tiny bit of that magic now because I have read countless other YA contemporary romances since then, but it holds so much nostalgia for me that re-reading it was a really special experience. I thought that the romance between Wes and Macy was ground-breaking at the time, and don't get me wrong, they're still really great characters and they have some cute moments (Waffle House and Truth), but it's not quite as spectacular to me as it was six years ago. However, I will still forever be jealous that I cannot go to Waffle House, I do not have a maple syrup scented pencil, I do not work for a catering company, and I do not have a Wes of my own.
One of my favourite things about this book, as well as most of Sarah Dessen's other books, is the writing style. There are numerous quotable moments throughout the novel that I'm always in a rush to jot down. I though that I had already written down all the best parts the first two times I read this, but I somehow found even more this time! This story specifically deals with grief, but the message of healing could honestly apply to a multitude of different experiences and types of trauma. Reading this book at a much older age, I feel like I understood and related to things differently than I ever had before. I think that the fact that different parts of this book resonated with me in new ways has something to do with the different quotes that stood out to me this time around.
This will still go down as one of my favourite YA contemporaries, and I will never stop recommending it.
There were so many wonderful details that I had completely forgotten about over the past two years, and I fell so in love with the characters all over again - especially Wes. But I adored Macy, Kristy, Mona, and Bert as well. All of them are such unique, quirky, and fantastically realistic characters, like those in all of Sarah Dessen's books. Jason's a jerk though.
This will forever remain one of my favourite YA contemporaries. Highly, highly, highly recommend!
May 2021: I wondered how my feelings for this story would change reading it six years after the first time I picked it up, but honestly, I still loved it. This was one of the first YA books that I ever read back in the day, so it truly blew me away the first time that I read it. I think it may have lost a tiny bit of that magic now because I have read countless other YA contemporary romances since then, but it holds so much nostalgia for me that re-reading it was a really special experience. I thought that the romance between Wes and Macy was ground-breaking at the time, and don't get me wrong, they're still really great characters and they have some cute moments (Waffle House and Truth), but it's not quite as spectacular to me as it was six years ago. However, I will still forever be jealous that I cannot go to Waffle House, I do not have a maple syrup scented pencil, I do not work for a catering company, and I do not have a Wes of my own.
One of my favourite things about this book, as well as most of Sarah Dessen's other books, is the writing style. There are numerous quotable moments throughout the novel that I'm always in a rush to jot down. I though that I had already written down all the best parts the first two times I read this, but I somehow found even more this time! This story specifically deals with grief, but the message of healing could honestly apply to a multitude of different experiences and types of trauma. Reading this book at a much older age, I feel like I understood and related to things differently than I ever had before. I think that the fact that different parts of this book resonated with me in new ways has something to do with the different quotes that stood out to me this time around.
This will still go down as one of my favourite YA contemporaries, and I will never stop recommending it.
read this book to find out why "I'm fine" is the most used lie in the English language.
Words cannot describe my feeling about this book. The Truth About Forever is one of my all time favorite books. Sarah Dessen captures her characters so perfectly and makes it so easy to fall in love with all of them, from Macy to Wes to Burt. I love this book so much.
I've decided I don't like Sarah Dessen books. Don't get me wrong, though - her writing is wonderful and I've only read two of her books, so I'm not really one to judge. My main problem with it, honestly, is that it's too realistic.
Yep, you heard me. I don't like Sarah Dessen books because it's too realistic. That's totally insane, right?
This is why I'm going to say you don't have to listen to my opinion on this. Dessen's writing is fantastic, and all her characters (for the most part), are believable. The reason I don't like them is because I'm one of those girls who doesn't like being realistic. I like fairy tales and romance that lights up a room, where the two people are obviously soul mates. The pattern I've noticed with this book and the only other Dessen book I've read, Along For The Ride, is that the romance actually happens like it would in real life, meaning the feelings develop at a painfully slow pace and nothing too heart stopping happens at all. Most of the scenes are pretty much every day life stuff.
My favorite character was Delia, which I find interesting because she may be the first female character I've actually really really liked in a book. She was great, and I could picture her clearly.
I had one other problem with this, though: Macy's mom. And honestly, it's because I relate. Macy's mom has this perfect little mold in which she wants Macy to forever stay. She doesn't accept her when she changes, even though she changes for the better. My dad is just like this, never accepting anything I do on my own. And I suppose I should have felt good about relating to it, but it just made me really mad because Macy was understanding to her mom, even though her mom didn't deserve it. Which is so dumb for me to think that, because that's obviously the better thing for Macy to do. I don't know, basically, the two reasons I didn't like this book were because of personal problems.
Ages 14&up: Cussing. Drinking. Some sexual talk.
Yep, you heard me. I don't like Sarah Dessen books because it's too realistic. That's totally insane, right?
This is why I'm going to say you don't have to listen to my opinion on this. Dessen's writing is fantastic, and all her characters (for the most part), are believable. The reason I don't like them is because I'm one of those girls who doesn't like being realistic. I like fairy tales and romance that lights up a room, where the two people are obviously soul mates. The pattern I've noticed with this book and the only other Dessen book I've read, Along For The Ride, is that the romance actually happens like it would in real life, meaning the feelings develop at a painfully slow pace and nothing too heart stopping happens at all. Most of the scenes are pretty much every day life stuff.
My favorite character was Delia, which I find interesting because she may be the first female character I've actually really really liked in a book. She was great, and I could picture her clearly.
I had one other problem with this, though: Macy's mom. And honestly, it's because I relate. Macy's mom has this perfect little mold in which she wants Macy to forever stay. She doesn't accept her when she changes, even though she changes for the better. My dad is just like this, never accepting anything I do on my own. And I suppose I should have felt good about relating to it, but it just made me really mad because Macy was understanding to her mom, even though her mom didn't deserve it. Which is so dumb for me to think that, because that's obviously the better thing for Macy to do. I don't know, basically, the two reasons I didn't like this book were because of personal problems.
Ages 14&up: Cussing. Drinking. Some sexual talk.