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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I have read almost all of Dessen’s books and have enjoyed all of them, but the last one or two sort of didn’t do it for me. This book gives me hope that the old Sarah is back and tackling issues that are still so present in our world today. Plus I loved Ambrose’s character.
I'm starting to think Sarah Dessen just isn't for me. This was fine - especially since I listened as an audiobook and had no real expectations. I was looking for something to play while I did things around the house and was driving and this fit the bill. My biggest gripe, and I think this is a Dessen trademark, so again - this is probably a reader taste issue rather than a plot issue, but my biggest issue is that Luna is this super broken character because her boyfriend, with whom she spent a sum total of 12 hours with one time, was killed in a school shooting. This boyfriend she loved so much, but was too sick to attend the funeral for and whose family she has no relationship to - likely because of the aforementioned 12 hour history. Then this Matthew McConaughey type comes along and he and his love "save" her from her own sorrows. I just don't buy it. I likely would have loved this 10 years ago, but I think I'm just beyond it now.
I'll be one of the first people to go on record and list Sarah Dessen as one of my favorite authors. I first discovered her writing at 17, a couple weeks after moving to a new city, shell-shocked, friendless and struggling to survive. Just Listen brought me to tears (which rarely happens) and I've been hooked on her writing ever since. It has gotten me through some of my highest highs and lowest lows. I started reading Once and For All during one of those lows and it was the perfect escape from a hectic moment.
While it is not one of Dessen's best novels, it does hit all the parts of a classic Sarah Dessen novel. It's set in summer, there is a budding relationship and there is a main character who you just can't help but fall in love with.
Louna is absolutely amazing and goes through such amazing character development. I loved how everything was not sunshine and rainbows. There is struggle, and tragedy intertwined with the story of friendship and family. I found Louna's friendship with Ambrose so realistic and well played out. It is believable that after everything she has gone through before she would really only be open to friendship. And while their bet is a bit juvenile, it makes sense.
I loved every minute of this read and could not put it down. I constantly wanted to know what happens next, what was going on with the various weddings they were always planning, and how the Louna would evolve. The ending had me swooning and it was better than I could have ever imagined.
While it is not one of Dessen's best novels, it does hit all the parts of a classic Sarah Dessen novel. It's set in summer, there is a budding relationship and there is a main character who you just can't help but fall in love with.
Louna is absolutely amazing and goes through such amazing character development. I loved how everything was not sunshine and rainbows. There is struggle, and tragedy intertwined with the story of friendship and family. I found Louna's friendship with Ambrose so realistic and well played out. It is believable that after everything she has gone through before she would really only be open to friendship. And while their bet is a bit juvenile, it makes sense.
I loved every minute of this read and could not put it down. I constantly wanted to know what happens next, what was going on with the various weddings they were always planning, and how the Louna would evolve. The ending had me swooning and it was better than I could have ever imagined.
Once and For All, was a definitely improvement for Sarah Dessen over the last couple of books. I’ve loved her writing since she came out with Dreamland, but I’ve really started to see where her last few have been formulaic. I’m not sure what was so different about this one, but I genuinely liked Louna and I could see where having a relationship that had one beautiful night, and then ended so tragically could be so traumatic especially for a young teenager who hasn’t even had a normal relationship.
I think I also liked the fact that Ambrose was a serial-dater. Usually in these books the guy is some kind of pristine virtuous man, and I liked the fact that Ambrose was just unapologetically himself. There was definitely the typical drama you expect in a coming of age story, but I really liked the way things ended with Ambrose and Louna. Neither of them completely gave up everything for the other one. It was a solid 4 out of 5 stars for me.
*This review was first posted to Moonlight Gleam Reviews http://moonlightgleam.com/2017/10/once-and-for-all-by-sarah-dessen.html*
I think I also liked the fact that Ambrose was a serial-dater. Usually in these books the guy is some kind of pristine virtuous man, and I liked the fact that Ambrose was just unapologetically himself. There was definitely the typical drama you expect in a coming of age story, but I really liked the way things ended with Ambrose and Louna. Neither of them completely gave up everything for the other one. It was a solid 4 out of 5 stars for me.
*This review was first posted to Moonlight Gleam Reviews http://moonlightgleam.com/2017/10/once-and-for-all-by-sarah-dessen.html*
I am a true lover of Dessen books, but I have to admit that I finally found one that didn't quite work out for me. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoyed aspects of the book- the wedding planning premise, the side characters (William and Louna's mom were hilarious, I need a book based just on their misadventures in wedding planning!) and of course the timeline of an entire summer, when so much growth can happen. However, I just couldn't connect with Louna in any way and she felt like the least dynamic Dessen protagonist I've come across, so reading her narrative eventually left me feeling sluggish and uninterested and I really had to power through the end of the book.
I was really excited going into Once and for All, as it has all of the trademarks of a good Dessen book- set in the summer, a budding yet unlikely romance, a quirky element, and a darker shadow hovering over the plot of the story. However, the tragedy that befell Louna feels inorganic and hard to connect with. Without mentioning too many spoilers, it seemed like the tragedy was so big and publicly known that it almost lost some of the intensity of the demons her other protagonists face, which are much more rooted in the personal and private spheres (such as Caitlin from Dreamland and Annabelle from Just Listen).
I also had a major problem liking, or even tolerating, the main characters. Louna was just so boring. I know Dessen's protagonists are generally more on the quiet side, the silent sidekick to a more dynamic supporting cast, but I felt like I wasn't getting anything from Louna at all. She didn't have Auden's bitterness or Halley's recklessness or Caitlin's depth. She was just there. Ambrose annoyed me 110% of the time. I'll be the first to admit I'm not always smitten by Sarah's love interests, but even if I don't find them swoonworthy I can still appreciate the romance and relationship that develops between the two main characters. Ambrose, however, was so infuriating that I could not come around to liking him even though you can tell as a reader you're supposed to find his lack of a filter and brutal honesty endearing after a time. I however think that just because you admit you're a certain way doesn't give you an excuse to continue on with that behavior (aka him always saying things like "I'm not for everyone") and really found the eventual slow burn romance to be really unbelievable.
However, my experience with this book wasn't wholly negative. The easter eggs were REALLY fun to spot (I'm sure I missed some but there were some awesome ones like Eli and Auden in one of Louna's flashbacks) and since I purchased the Barnes & Noble special editions, I had a bonus epilogue at the end of my book which was hands down my FAVORITE thing about reading this book. It pulls in the favorite band we all love to hate, plus many of the major players from Saint Anything and was so much fun to read.
Overall: This book had a really fun and unique setting with the wedding planning backdrop, and it was nice to return to Lakeview and spot all of the easter eggs from Dessen's past books. However, the novel really didn't work for me as it felt more like it was following the formula of previous Dessen books without the heart or depth that her other books have. I definitely seem to be in the minority with this opinion though, so if you're a Dessen fan I think you should definitely still give Once and For All a shot!This review was originally posted on Girl in the Pages
I was really excited going into Once and for All, as it has all of the trademarks of a good Dessen book- set in the summer, a budding yet unlikely romance, a quirky element, and a darker shadow hovering over the plot of the story. However, the tragedy that befell Louna feels inorganic and hard to connect with. Without mentioning too many spoilers, it seemed like the tragedy was so big and publicly known that it almost lost some of the intensity of the demons her other protagonists face, which are much more rooted in the personal and private spheres (such as Caitlin from Dreamland and Annabelle from Just Listen).
I also had a major problem liking, or even tolerating, the main characters. Louna was just so boring. I know Dessen's protagonists are generally more on the quiet side, the silent sidekick to a more dynamic supporting cast, but I felt like I wasn't getting anything from Louna at all. She didn't have Auden's bitterness or Halley's recklessness or Caitlin's depth. She was just there. Ambrose annoyed me 110% of the time. I'll be the first to admit I'm not always smitten by Sarah's love interests, but even if I don't find them swoonworthy I can still appreciate the romance and relationship that develops between the two main characters. Ambrose, however, was so infuriating that I could not come around to liking him even though you can tell as a reader you're supposed to find his lack of a filter and brutal honesty endearing after a time. I however think that just because you admit you're a certain way doesn't give you an excuse to continue on with that behavior (aka him always saying things like "I'm not for everyone") and really found the eventual slow burn romance to be really unbelievable.
However, my experience with this book wasn't wholly negative. The easter eggs were REALLY fun to spot (I'm sure I missed some but there were some awesome ones like Eli and Auden in one of Louna's flashbacks) and since I purchased the Barnes & Noble special editions, I had a bonus epilogue at the end of my book which was hands down my FAVORITE thing about reading this book. It pulls in the favorite band we all love to hate, plus many of the major players from Saint Anything and was so much fun to read.
Overall: This book had a really fun and unique setting with the wedding planning backdrop, and it was nice to return to Lakeview and spot all of the easter eggs from Dessen's past books. However, the novel really didn't work for me as it felt more like it was following the formula of previous Dessen books without the heart or depth that her other books have. I definitely seem to be in the minority with this opinion though, so if you're a Dessen fan I think you should definitely still give Once and For All a shot!This review was originally posted on Girl in the Pages
4.5
--
I filmed a full video review that I posted to my YouTube channel, which you can find here.
I'm a little disappointed that people spoiled a primary plot-point in their reviews, because it's actually kept hidden from you in at least the first half of the book. Instead, I knew the justification behind the character's response to things, which may have been good or bad, I guess we'll never know. But seriously, if it isn't in the first 100 pages, don't put it in your review without a spoilers warning.
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. The last couple that Sarah Dessen has released have disappointed me and I was afraid I may have been out-growing her books. This one definitely proved otherwise. I laughed a lot and I cried a little, though most of the crying was because I was able to relate how Louna's relationship started, so then I was imagining if my relationship ended that way. There were a few good lines that I marked, which is always nice to come across. All in all, definitely something I would expect from Sarah Dessen, and if you like her other books, you'll probably like this one.
Now, minor spoilers ahead:
I think I agree that the response to the tragic part was a little off. Louna would probably have been in therapy for at least a year and Jilly certainly wouldn't have been pushing her quite so much. At the same time, I haven't been in that situation so I have no idea how I would respond, and I think you have to consider that they are teenagers, not quite adults (not that I have too many years on them, but I'd like to think I have more maturity and a different perspective), so I think their timeline of moving on would be a little quicker. Also, when Ambrose and Louna fought toward the end, I did not believe that for a second. It was just so unreal to me how she would be totally in love with Ambrose and then with the slightest mention of Ethan, whom she has moved on from for the most part, she runs away. I would expect this reaction probably four or five months after the fact, but nearly a year later? No, not since Ambrose was only apologizing about some of the insensitive things he said.
--
I filmed a full video review that I posted to my YouTube channel, which you can find here.
I'm a little disappointed that people spoiled a primary plot-point in their reviews, because it's actually kept hidden from you in at least the first half of the book. Instead, I knew the justification behind the character's response to things, which may have been good or bad, I guess we'll never know. But seriously, if it isn't in the first 100 pages, don't put it in your review without a spoilers warning.
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. The last couple that Sarah Dessen has released have disappointed me and I was afraid I may have been out-growing her books. This one definitely proved otherwise. I laughed a lot and I cried a little, though most of the crying was because I was able to relate how Louna's relationship started, so then I was imagining if my relationship ended that way. There were a few good lines that I marked, which is always nice to come across. All in all, definitely something I would expect from Sarah Dessen, and if you like her other books, you'll probably like this one.
Now, minor spoilers ahead:
I think I agree that the response to the tragic part was a little off. Louna would probably have been in therapy for at least a year and Jilly certainly wouldn't have been pushing her quite so much. At the same time, I haven't been in that situation so I have no idea how I would respond, and I think you have to consider that they are teenagers, not quite adults (not that I have too many years on them, but I'd like to think I have more maturity and a different perspective), so I think their timeline of moving on would be a little quicker. Also, when Ambrose and Louna fought toward the end, I did not believe that for a second. It was just so unreal to me how she would be totally in love with Ambrose and then with the slightest mention of Ethan, whom she has moved on from for the most part, she runs away. I would expect this reaction probably four or five months after the fact, but nearly a year later? No, not since Ambrose was only apologizing about some of the insensitive things he said.
It's hard to say why I dropped it a star without spoiling it. So I guess I won't. Y'all know I love Sarah, I will always love Sarah. This book is no exception!