Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
DNF @ 68%
I really gave this a try, and I remember loving Sarah Dessen when I was an actual "young adult" (I'm 26, I'm still young and an adult though, right? right?!). I'm not sure if it was the somewhat political angle I felt from one of the story lines, the predictability, or the characters themselves, but I didn't connect to anything in this story. I really really wanted to, a friend of mine even recommended that I read this. However, when my library loan was up and I hadn't finished yet, I didn't even consider extending the loan.
Ambrose was supposed to be funny and charming, and I found him more goofy than anything. At first I read all of his dialogue in a British accent, and that seemed to really work for him, but as I got to know him better I just couldn't keep it up.
The coolest thing about Louna was her name, which I actually forgot for a few minutes while writing this review.
Her friend was cool, but the amount of responsibility she had by constantly having to take care of her siblings really threw me off. It was almost the lack of being bothered by it that upset me more than anything, all the other characters just treated it like a fact of life and so did she. The reality of this is just plain out bad parenting, which normally wouldn't bother me if it was at least somewhat addressed. Instead we get multiple mentions of how much the parents must love one another since they keep reproducing (at the expense of their eldest, the built in babysitter!)
Finally, I'd like to talk about the bet
I guess this is a It doesn't make ANY SENSE. I guess I should rephrase that. The bet itself makes sense, but the "prize" for winning is that they get to pick someone for the loser to date.
First of all, this is so predictable it hurts. Second of all, why would that be a prize? Have you ever tried to set someone up with a date before? It's hard! A prize is a free dinner, a $100, a night off work, basically anything that allows the winner to gain something and the loser to lose something. In this case the loser is literally gaining a date.
The editor:
All in all, I think I'm just a bitter old lady now and this book is probably an excellent read for some people. I originally gave one star, but I bumped it up to two in case I missed some absolute magic in the last 32% of the book.
I really gave this a try, and I remember loving Sarah Dessen when I was an actual "young adult" (I'm 26, I'm still young and an adult though, right? right?!). I'm not sure if it was the somewhat political angle I felt from one of the story lines, the predictability, or the characters themselves, but I didn't connect to anything in this story. I really really wanted to, a friend of mine even recommended that I read this. However, when my library loan was up and I hadn't finished yet, I didn't even consider extending the loan.
Ambrose was supposed to be funny and charming, and I found him more goofy than anything. At first I read all of his dialogue in a British accent, and that seemed to really work for him, but as I got to know him better I just couldn't keep it up.
The coolest thing about Louna was her name, which I actually forgot for a few minutes while writing this review.
Her friend was cool, but the amount of responsibility she had by constantly having to take care of her siblings really threw me off. It was almost the lack of being bothered by it that upset me more than anything, all the other characters just treated it like a fact of life and so did she. The reality of this is just plain out bad parenting, which normally wouldn't bother me if it was at least somewhat addressed. Instead we get multiple mentions of how much the parents must love one another since they keep reproducing (at the expense of their eldest, the built in babysitter!)
Finally, I'd like to talk about the bet
I guess this is a
Spoiler
but it's kind of a lame one. I'm talking about the stupid bet that Louna and Ambrose make that is basically the foundation for anything interesting happening in this story.First of all, this is so predictable it hurts. Second of all, why would that be a prize? Have you ever tried to set someone up with a date before? It's hard! A prize is a free dinner, a $100, a night off work, basically anything that allows the winner to gain something and the loser to lose something. In this case the loser is literally gaining a date.
The editor:
All in all, I think I'm just a bitter old lady now and this book is probably an excellent read for some people. I originally gave one star, but I bumped it up to two in case I missed some absolute magic in the last 32% of the book.
Was this my favorite Sarah Dessen book? No. Was it my least favorite? Also, no. Overall, I felt this book was your average, middle of the road book. While reading, I was engaged and curious to know the story revolving around Ethan and I did enjoy the wedding planning aspect. I wanted more between Louna and Ambrose though. I just never felt much chemistry and connection between the two characters. Maybe I would have enjoyed it more if I read it back when I was in high school.
‘Voor eeuwig en altijd’ is een typische chicklit. Het einde van het boek komt helemaal niet als een verrassing. Toch heb ik van de eerste tot de laatste pagina van dit boek enorm genoten. Het verhaal zit goed in elkaar, bevat actuele thema’s, aandoenlijke personages en heerlijke trouwerijen om bij weg te dromen.
De volledige review lees je op mijn blog www.fygge.be.
De volledige review lees je op mijn blog www.fygge.be.
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
DNF @ 216 pages.
This book never captured me. All of Dessens female characters are pretty much the same. The plot was pretty dull and I couldn't stand Ambrose whose name I also didn't like. Did I miss something and it's legal for 17 year olds to just open cans of beer and drink legally in this town or something?
This book never captured me. All of Dessens female characters are pretty much the same. The plot was pretty dull and I couldn't stand Ambrose whose name I also didn't like. Did I miss something and it's legal for 17 year olds to just open cans of beer and drink legally in this town or something?
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I generally love Dessen, for a few reasons. She gives you a main character you can love and relate to, with a life you can love and relate to. This book did neither of those things. The most likable character in the book was either Ethan or Ambrose, and they are hardly featured as much as they should’ve been. However, my biggest complaint was the rush ending. Have you ever watched a movie and thought it was really boring until right at the end, and then it just abruptly ends? That was this book. Around page 280 I finally started to want to keep reading, to know more and hear about life of the people in the story. The whole first 280 pages the characters all remain 2D, flat, disinteresting and disinterested. Ultimately the ending was cute, some of the life lessons were cute, but it wasn’t worth the lengthy read. So bummed.
Sarah Dessen is one of my all time favourite authors. I started reading her books when I was in the YA age bracket and now a decade+ later I’m still reading her books even though I’m waaaaay past the target age group. That being said, I was so disappointed with her latest book! I couldn’t invest in the characters and most of the main characters are so annoying. I couldn’t finish the book.