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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
"May you always have answers to each other's most important questions."
Not a fan of Ambrose as the lead dude and found Louna a bit annoying at times, the plot was pretty basic and the cute details weren’t my favorite. A Sarah dessen vibe no doubt just not her best work imo.
Super cute book with a good plot and lots of chemistry. The love interest was actually likable unlike some other teen romance books.
I was sooooo excited to have my wish granted through Netgalley and receive a copy of this book to review! I've only read two other Dessen titles - one I rated two stars, and one I rated four - but I've been wanting to read more as I'm on a bit of a contemporary YA kick. I was hoping "Once and For All" would give me some sweet swoony times and a storyline with a bit of meat to it, and for the most part, I'd say this book delivered just that.
Starting with Louna, I would say she's introverted, not necessarily shy but not overly outgoing either. She's very cautious romantically, being brought up surrounded by her mother's and William's attitudes - not exactly flattering to men! (On a bit of a sidebar, I am not loving her name, and here's why: I had a great aunt in Australia, who I never actually met, and her name was "Luna". My mom said she was "crazy" and whenever I hear that name, I think of "Loony Luna"! It's a good thing this book is told in first person, so I didn't have to read Louna's name on the page very often, otherwise I'd be thinking "Loony Louna" the whole way through!)
Ambrose is pretty much Louna's exact opposite. He seems hyper to me - maybe he has ADHD? He's definitely annoying, but he knows it and kind of owns it. He's charismatic, charming, spontaneous, caring, and pays attention. All great things, but Louna doesn't trust the chemistry between them because he flirts with EVERYONE! Everyone loves him, and he loves everyone, too, so why should Louna be the special one who wins his heart? I don't blame her one bit for being apprehensive about him.
And then there's Louna's backstory. Oh my goodness, so heartbreaking! I was really surprised at how the flashbacks pulled me in so much. Dessen unfolds everything so gradually, I was turning the pages frantically to find out what really happened, and, well, sigh. Things sucked, I'll say that much. Can't give anything more away, because spoilers, but I hated what happened there, ugh.
Back to Louna and Ambrose. They start off as...well, I was going to say friends, but it was really less than that. Let's just say they were forced to work together, and eventually, they did become friends. Then comes the bet: Louna will try dating freely, as freely as Ambrose does, at least three dates a week, for two months (I think). Ambrose will try the opposite: date one girl exclusively for two months. The person to win the bet gets to choose the next date for the other. I remember thinking that the terms of this bet would be equally difficult for both to stick to: Louna hasn't gone on a date in a year, for reasons that soon become apparent, and Ambrose has never dated a girl more than two or three times, if memory serves. Maybe neither of them would succeed! I guess you'll just have to read "Once and for All" yourself to see how things work out.
Oh, and one more thing I loved about this book: the weddings! I remember planning my own wedding, and thinking that being a wedding planner would possibly be the best job in the world. That far fetched dream never came to fruition, and after reading this book, I'm rather glad it didn't - seems a bit more stressful than I'd envisioned! But if you've ever wondered what that type of job would be like, or if you are just a fan of weddings in general, than you won't be disappointed with this title.
Starting with Louna, I would say she's introverted, not necessarily shy but not overly outgoing either. She's very cautious romantically, being brought up surrounded by her mother's and William's attitudes - not exactly flattering to men! (On a bit of a sidebar, I am not loving her name, and here's why: I had a great aunt in Australia, who I never actually met, and her name was "Luna". My mom said she was "crazy" and whenever I hear that name, I think of "Loony Luna"! It's a good thing this book is told in first person, so I didn't have to read Louna's name on the page very often, otherwise I'd be thinking "Loony Louna" the whole way through!)
Ambrose is pretty much Louna's exact opposite. He seems hyper to me - maybe he has ADHD? He's definitely annoying, but he knows it and kind of owns it. He's charismatic, charming, spontaneous, caring, and pays attention. All great things, but Louna doesn't trust the chemistry between them because he flirts with EVERYONE! Everyone loves him, and he loves everyone, too, so why should Louna be the special one who wins his heart? I don't blame her one bit for being apprehensive about him.
And then there's Louna's backstory. Oh my goodness, so heartbreaking! I was really surprised at how the flashbacks pulled me in so much. Dessen unfolds everything so gradually, I was turning the pages frantically to find out what really happened, and, well, sigh. Things sucked, I'll say that much. Can't give anything more away, because spoilers, but I hated what happened there, ugh.
Back to Louna and Ambrose. They start off as...well, I was going to say friends, but it was really less than that. Let's just say they were forced to work together, and eventually, they did become friends. Then comes the bet: Louna will try dating freely, as freely as Ambrose does, at least three dates a week, for two months (I think). Ambrose will try the opposite: date one girl exclusively for two months. The person to win the bet gets to choose the next date for the other. I remember thinking that the terms of this bet would be equally difficult for both to stick to: Louna hasn't gone on a date in a year, for reasons that soon become apparent, and Ambrose has never dated a girl more than two or three times, if memory serves. Maybe neither of them would succeed! I guess you'll just have to read "Once and for All" yourself to see how things work out.
Oh, and one more thing I loved about this book: the weddings! I remember planning my own wedding, and thinking that being a wedding planner would possibly be the best job in the world. That far fetched dream never came to fruition, and after reading this book, I'm rather glad it didn't - seems a bit more stressful than I'd envisioned! But if you've ever wondered what that type of job would be like, or if you are just a fan of weddings in general, than you won't be disappointed with this title.
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Once And For All by Sarah Dessen is a young adult romance novel about a girl, Louna, who works at her mom’s wedding planning business. She meets a boy Ethan at one of these weddings and really likes him, but a tragic incident happens to Ethan, killing him and causing Louna to close herself off to others. The novel is about Louna finding her way. I liked the plot and the realistic nature of the novel. All of the characters had their own traits and characteristics that were unique to them. However, the novel was quite disjointed and flashed back and forth often between the past, with Louna and Ethan, and the present with Louna and her mom and family. It was sometimes a little confusing to follow, because I didn’t know whether chapters happened in the past or present. However, I still was hooked on reading this book and will definitely read more of Sarah Dessen. I have already read a few, but she is a very prolific author and I will read more in the future!
-Review by Shanna
-Review by Shanna
emotional
sad
slow-paced
2.25/5 stars
I decided to quote the very last sentence of this book because it was my favorite line throughout this entire thing. It meant it was finally over.
warning: unmarked spoilers
Huge thank you @SarahDessen, as I almost forgotten what disappointment felt like.
This book was supposed to be good. It was supposed to be cute . It was supposed to make me want to actually leave my house and fall in love with some overly-handsome dude. What it wasn’t supposed to do was let me down like a casket in a grave. After I was finally finished with this trainwreck, this was pretty much how I felt about romance in general:
Please don't tell 16-year-old Emi that I'm rating a Sarah Dessen book two stars. I don't want her coming after me.
Was I suppose to like Ambrose? Like was it intended for me to think he was amazing and want him to be my boyfriend? Becuase I don't think it was possible for me to hate him any more than I already do. Luckily Ambrose is an uncommon name because if I ever have to see it again, I’d think I’d claw my eyes out.
Because Ambrose Ambrosia was the most annoying character I have ever read about. He wasn't funny, or cute, or interesting, or lovable. He was fucking annoying and I was #done with him by chapter three.
It didn't help that the first time we met him, he was flirting with a girl instead of supporting his mother at her wedding.
He actually delayed the wedding because they couldn't find him.
Flirting with girls is not more important than your mother's wedding! He shouldn't have to be told that.
Later in the book, Ambrosia stole a dog from a possibly abusive owner. Which is great and all. No dog deserves to be abused. But he stole the dog and didn't face any consequences. No one got mad at him. He didn't get a talking to by the police or anything. He stole a dog and everything was okay. That's not okay!!!
Then we have Louna Louney who is still "getting over" the death of her boyfriend Ethan. I say "getting over" because she was literally never upset about his death unless it contributed to the plot. Which is rarely did. I would also have like Louney a lot more if she hadn't had sex on the beach and said "I love you" to Ethan approximately 39 seconds after meeting him.
Louney works for her mother, who is an infamous wedding planner, and her mother's business partner, William. They are all single pringles who hate love and don't believe in happily ever after. They also hire Ambrosia to help out at the weddings after he destroys their tape dispenser bc why the hell not. I didn't really understand exactly why.
Other than the entire wedding thing, Louney was one of the most boring protagonists ever. I didn't feel any concern for her at all. She could have been replaced with a brick and it would have been more interesting to read about.
If you weren't able to predict it, Louney and Ambrosia like each other. But they don't want to admit it. Until Ambrosia does and Louney freaks out for no reason and the second half of this entire book they don't talk to each other. Louney starts dating this nice, normal, not-annoying guy named Ben until the last chapter when something happened (I was too busy skimming to really understand what happened. I think Ambrosia got hit by a car. Maybe it was the dog he stole. I don't really care to go back and figure it out) and Louney decides that she loves Ambrosia and makes out with him whILE SHE'S STILL ON A DATE WITH BEN. Because she has no respect. So she then starts dating Ambrosia instead and the end. The book is over. #BenDeservesBetter #WhatEvenWasThatEnding
There was no character development through this entire book. Ambrosia was annoying from the beginning to end while Louney was consistently boring. I thought maybe Louney's best friend, Jilly, would have some development. She was constantly having to take care of her four brothers and sisters so much that it affected her social life. I thought "Maybe Jilly will stand up for herself and make her parents take care of their children for once." I was wrong. Jilly continued to babysit her siblings without even a complaint.
TBH the only good part of this book was when it finally ended bc it meant that I was free of this prison.
Maybe next time Sarah Dessen.
Ambrose would again reach out a hand, asking me to dance. And this time, I'd say yes.
I decided to quote the very last sentence of this book because it was my favorite line throughout this entire thing. It meant it was finally over.
warning: unmarked spoilers
Huge thank you @SarahDessen, as I almost forgotten what disappointment felt like.
This book was supposed to be good. It was supposed to be cute . It was supposed to make me want to actually leave my house and fall in love with some overly-handsome dude. What it wasn’t supposed to do was let me down like a casket in a grave. After I was finally finished with this trainwreck, this was pretty much how I felt about romance in general:
Please don't tell 16-year-old Emi that I'm rating a Sarah Dessen book two stars. I don't want her coming after me.
Was I suppose to like Ambrose? Like was it intended for me to think he was amazing and want him to be my boyfriend? Becuase I don't think it was possible for me to hate him any more than I already do. Luckily Ambrose is an uncommon name because if I ever have to see it again, I’d think I’d claw my eyes out.
Because
It didn't help that the first time we met him, he was flirting with a girl instead of supporting his mother at her wedding.
He actually delayed the wedding because they couldn't find him.
Flirting with girls is not more important than your mother's wedding! He shouldn't have to be told that.
Later in the book, Ambrosia stole a dog from a possibly abusive owner. Which is great and all. No dog deserves to be abused. But he stole the dog and didn't face any consequences. No one got mad at him. He didn't get a talking to by the police or anything. He stole a dog and everything was okay. That's not okay!!!
Then we have
Louney works for her mother, who is an infamous wedding planner, and her mother's business partner, William. They are all single pringles who hate love and don't believe in happily ever after. They also hire Ambrosia to help out at the weddings after he destroys their tape dispenser bc why the hell not. I didn't really understand exactly why.
Other than the entire wedding thing, Louney was one of the most boring protagonists ever. I didn't feel any concern for her at all. She could have been replaced with a brick and it would have been more interesting to read about.
If you weren't able to predict it, Louney and Ambrosia like each other. But they don't want to admit it. Until Ambrosia does and Louney freaks out for no reason and the second half of this entire book they don't talk to each other. Louney starts dating this nice, normal, not-annoying guy named Ben until the last chapter when something happened (I was too busy skimming to really understand what happened. I think Ambrosia got hit by a car. Maybe it was the dog he stole. I don't really care to go back and figure it out) and Louney decides that she loves Ambrosia and makes out with him whILE SHE'S STILL ON A DATE WITH BEN. Because she has no respect. So she then starts dating Ambrosia instead and the end. The book is over. #BenDeservesBetter #WhatEvenWasThatEnding
There was no character development through this entire book. Ambrosia was annoying from the beginning to end while Louney was consistently boring. I thought maybe Louney's best friend, Jilly, would have some development. She was constantly having to take care of her four brothers and sisters so much that it affected her social life. I thought "Maybe Jilly will stand up for herself and make her parents take care of their children for once." I was wrong. Jilly continued to babysit her siblings without even a complaint.
TBH the only good part of this book was when it finally ended bc it meant that I was free of this prison.
Maybe next time Sarah Dessen.
To my mind, Sarah Dessen is the Queen of YA romantic realistic fiction. Though in recent years, it seems like the quality of her books fluctuate a little, I find that Once and For All is actually one of the better ones. Unlike with [b:The Moon and More|16101126|The Moon and More|Sarah Dessen|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1426912781s/16101126.jpg|19144117], however, she firmly returns to a more formulaic book more akin to [b:Saint Anything|23009402|Saint Anything|Sarah Dessen|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1414680105s/23009402.jpg|42576172]: it's a story of girl-meets-boy, even if the meeting between Ambrose and Louna starts off rather inauspiciously:
In fact, throughout the novel I was never entirely sure whether or not I liked Ambrose or whether he was just a good-looking, obnoxious boy who has randomly captured Louna's attention.
However, the romance takes more of a backseat here because the spotlight is definitely on Louna and her internal turmoil over true love and whether it exists. Louna's had a traumatic experience with her first love, Ethan, who she's unable to forget. Working in the wedding industry with her mother and William hasn't helped matters either because of their cynical views regarding whether love can truly be enough to help a couple go the distance. Louna's feelings regarding relationships have therefore been shaped by these experiences, even if her best friend Jilly continues to have a starry-eyed view of romance and constantly tries to convince her to date once again.
The writing regarding Louna and Ethan's relationship was poignant and extremely sad.
Given the magic of her first relationship, it's easy to understand why Louna finds it difficult to move on to someone else. And Ambrose's flippant attitude, his charming good looks and his inability to stop dating couldn't be further from what Louna is looking for.
Despite all his imperfections, however, there's definitely chemistry between Louna and Ambrose. The only thing is that I'm not sure that he's sufficient to revive Louna's belief in true love.
"Man! You are tough!" He shook his head, the curl I couldn't seem to not focus on bobbing. The conga line was now winding around a nearby chair, a red-faced man with a cigar clamped in his mouth leading it. "So what you're saying is that you are never going to dance with me right now, no matter how I plead or beg you, even if conga is involved."
"Correct," I said.
"Really?" He made a face. "Shoot. I hate not having what I want."
This was such a weird thing for him to say – arrogant, honest — that I found myself, for the first time, without a set response at hand. But as the conga line came up behind him, the girl in pink letting out a whoop as she reached for his belt buckle, I almost wished for a final beat to address this thought, one I still had myself, more often than I could admit.
I hate not having what I want.
"Don't we all," I said quietly, as the line blurred past me weaving through the tables.
In fact, throughout the novel I was never entirely sure whether or not I liked Ambrose or whether he was just a good-looking, obnoxious boy who has randomly captured Louna's attention.
However, the romance takes more of a backseat here because the spotlight is definitely on Louna and her internal turmoil over true love and whether it exists. Louna's had a traumatic experience with her first love, Ethan, who she's unable to forget. Working in the wedding industry with her mother and William hasn't helped matters either because of their cynical views regarding whether love can truly be enough to help a couple go the distance. Louna's feelings regarding relationships have therefore been shaped by these experiences, even if her best friend Jilly continues to have a starry-eyed view of romance and constantly tries to convince her to date once again.
The writing regarding Louna and Ethan's relationship was poignant and extremely sad.
Spoiler
The way that their relationship ended was terrible and it's understandable why Louna is unable to move on, because there was no closure over what happened between them. That's not to say that everything about it was perfect, though, because it did strike me as a little odd that they were "in love" from the very first magical night. Nonetheless, what happened between them was definitely a tragedy.Despite all his imperfections, however, there's definitely chemistry between Louna and Ambrose. The only thing is that I'm not sure that he's sufficient to revive Louna's belief in true love.
Spoiler
Sure, he seems charming and claims to have liked her from the start. However, the story seems to end a little abruptly from when Louna agrees to be with him to Bee's wedding. It definitely feels like we spent far more time with Louna and Ethan's relationship than with Ambrose and Louna.
Once and for All by Sarah Dessen - 4/5 ⭐️
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I am the biggest sucker for Sarah Dessen books. I found this one during my trip to New York at The Strand for the best price. I love a good, cheesy contemporary just as much as the next person but what I adore about Dessen books is that they also have really well rounded characters. Sarah Dessen isn't afraid to incorporate deeper backstories and underlying issues in her main characters.
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So why did I give this 4 stars instead of 5? Well that would be mostly based on Ambrose, who from the beginning was obnoxious, annoying, and frustratingly self-centered. I would've liked more character development from him. There was some, little snippets here and there that indicated he was more than this presentation of arrogance but it didn't go as far as I would've liked. I took slight issue with Louna's best friend, Jilly, who seemed pushy and unaware of the anxiety that Louna experiences. I think best friends are supposed to try to help you out of your comfort zone but there's a way to go about it and sometimes she felt just SO pushy. Those were my only 2 issues with this book though. I LOVED the wedding planning and diverse family dynamics. I really felt Dessen captured the anxiety and panic that Louna experienced at times so accurately. I think it was an interesting, fresh story that I personally haven't read before which is ALWAYS a plus because I hate feeling like I'm rereading stories. Overall I'd definitely recommend this for anyone wanting a good contemporary book.
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I would also recommend Just Listen by Sarah Dessen, which is literally my FAVORITE standalone ever that I could reread a million times.
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I am the biggest sucker for Sarah Dessen books. I found this one during my trip to New York at The Strand for the best price. I love a good, cheesy contemporary just as much as the next person but what I adore about Dessen books is that they also have really well rounded characters. Sarah Dessen isn't afraid to incorporate deeper backstories and underlying issues in her main characters.
.
So why did I give this 4 stars instead of 5? Well that would be mostly based on Ambrose, who from the beginning was obnoxious, annoying, and frustratingly self-centered. I would've liked more character development from him. There was some, little snippets here and there that indicated he was more than this presentation of arrogance but it didn't go as far as I would've liked. I took slight issue with Louna's best friend, Jilly, who seemed pushy and unaware of the anxiety that Louna experiences. I think best friends are supposed to try to help you out of your comfort zone but there's a way to go about it and sometimes she felt just SO pushy. Those were my only 2 issues with this book though. I LOVED the wedding planning and diverse family dynamics. I really felt Dessen captured the anxiety and panic that Louna experienced at times so accurately. I think it was an interesting, fresh story that I personally haven't read before which is ALWAYS a plus because I hate feeling like I'm rereading stories. Overall I'd definitely recommend this for anyone wanting a good contemporary book.
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I would also recommend Just Listen by Sarah Dessen, which is literally my FAVORITE standalone ever that I could reread a million times.
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