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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
3.75 stars, maybe.
While overall, I enjoyed the book a lot, there were certain aspects that were less than savory.
For one, there is some insta-love. I'd also like to have seen some actual more romance between Louna and Ambrose, instead of them just getting together like BAM.
I kinda wish Sarah Dessen would work on giving her protagonists a bit more voice, because they all sound the same.
As always, I like how Dessen includes a snapshot into some interesting, everyday kinda job, and the wedding planning was not an exception.
But character growth was a bit dismal and unfortunately, there just wasn't that much chemistry between the two characters, despite being told otherwise.
While overall, I enjoyed the book a lot, there were certain aspects that were less than savory.
For one, there is some insta-love. I'd also like to have seen some actual more romance between Louna and Ambrose, instead of them just getting together like BAM.
I kinda wish Sarah Dessen would work on giving her protagonists a bit more voice, because they all sound the same.
As always, I like how Dessen includes a snapshot into some interesting, everyday kinda job, and the wedding planning was not an exception.
But character growth was a bit dismal and unfortunately, there just wasn't that much chemistry between the two characters, despite being told otherwise.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
emotional
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
1.75 stars!
TW: school shootings (mentioned and kinda described, but not graphically), grief
To be completely honest, most of this book made absolutely no sense, but it still held my attention through the whole book.
TW: school shootings (mentioned and kinda described, but not graphically), grief
To be completely honest, most of this book made absolutely no sense, but it still held my attention through the whole book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mass/school shootings
Either I'm totally over Sarah Dessen, or this book is just a dud. It had none of the heart that her other books did. And the characters all seemed flat.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mass/school shootings
Louna's life is very ordered and she defined boundaries, which help when she is working with her mother's wedding planning business. However, she may have met her match with Ambrose, who is an impulsive, charming, direct playboy. When Louna's mother takes on Ambrose's sister's wedding, she hires Ambrose to get him out of his sister's hair. Only now he is driving Louna crazy and pushing at all of her walls. The two enter into a bet, where Louna is required to serially date, while Ambrose must have a monogamus relationship. The first to quit will have their next date chosen by the winner. However, it seems that the two have a great amount of chemistry, which might be too much for this bet.
I was kinda bored by this book. The real action didn't start taking place until the last half of the book. It felt like two different novels, the main romance story, which wasn't as developed as Louna's past. It felt like the reader was outside the action looking in. The characters were great, which I always expect from Dessen. This novel was better than St. Anything and certainly speaks to her style better. This is a Sarah Dessen book, so I don't know if I am giving it such a high rating because it is a Dessen book or a low rating because it is a Dessen book....if that makes any kind of sense. I wanted to know more about Louna's mom and William, or Maya and Roger.
I was kinda bored by this book. The real action didn't start taking place until the last half of the book. It felt like two different novels, the main romance story, which wasn't as developed as Louna's past. It felt like the reader was outside the action looking in. The characters were great, which I always expect from Dessen. This novel was better than St. Anything and certainly speaks to her style better. This is a Sarah Dessen book, so I don't know if I am giving it such a high rating because it is a Dessen book or a low rating because it is a Dessen book....if that makes any kind of sense. I wanted to know more about Louna's mom and William, or Maya and Roger.
Ambrose drives me bonkers, but Louna's kind of unbearable too. Also, the reveal of why she and Ethan aren't a thing anymore was a thing.
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Mass/school shootings
More reviews at The Once and Future Reader
THIS IS A SPOILER FREE REVIEW
Sarah Dessen has been one of those consistent presences in my life. I started reading her books when I was twelve (perhaps a little young to be reading Just Listen, but I credit Sarah Dessen with getting me into writing, because as I read her books, I discovered the desire to want to do exactly what she did). So I don't think it's possible for me to be disappointed with anything Sarah Dessen does, because I have such a long and tender history with her books. Once and for All did have a snag for me because I wasn't a huge fan of the romance, but I still really enjoyed it.
What Worked for Me
One of the things I've come to appreciate Sarah Dessen novels for is the prevalence of family. I've noticed it's a common complaint amongst readers that parental figures and family units in general are either unnecessarily demonized or absent entirely. Such is not the case in Sarah Dessen's work. Louna has a good relationship with her mom, who is present for a great deal of the book, and she has a father figure in her mom's best friend and business partner, William. And while that's all she has in terms of family, they play a major part in the story and it's one of the main things that made Once and for All so enjoyable.
I really liked Louna's character. The girl had so much on her plate and she was just trying to keep it all together. She also didn't fit into a trope. She wasn't snarky or bitter or (too) OCD; she didn't have a "thing." So it made her feel real, like she was just a girl who was dealing with trauma and not conforming to a type.
The story of Once and for All was engaging and enjoyable. I was caught up in it. I laughed out loud and the ending made me gasp. I've always liked Sarah Dessen's writing style and she seems to have a natural ability to tell a good story. I can't wait to add this one to my Sarah Dessen collection.
What Didn't
The backstory is interspersed into the opening act of the book, but isn't clearly marked, so it may be the kind of book better read in just one or two sittings because time away from it may make returning to the plot line a bit confusing. I lost track of the timelines a once or twice in the beginning, and though it worked out in the end, I don't want to be confused.
I've been learning more about male dominating rhetorics being passed of as romantic lately (I found Aentee's review of Roar by Cora Carmack very enlightening), but I was surprised to still see bits of that operating in a Sarah Dessen book. (Maybe they have all along and I've never been aware enough to notice them?) The rhetoric is subtle, but we still see language of women being viewed as prizes. You even get it right there in the summary:
It may be subtle enough that most readers won't care, and in the context it's given, see it as genuinely sweet. But it bothered me enough that I'm not 100% into Ambrose's character.
So the romance fell a bit flat for me. I liked Ambrose well enough (despite the perpetuation of the men conquering women rhetoric), but I didn't think that they actually worked as a couple. I honestly thought that it was going to end where they went on as good friends and I was totally okay with that.
This might have been because Ambrose as a character wasn't developed to my satisfaction. I know that the focus is Louna, obviously, but Ambrose wasn't wrestling with anything or had any issues of his own to deal with. (The dating thing doesn't count in my opinion.) So there were things about Louna that surprised Ambrose, but nothing about Ambrose that surprised Louna. (Other than the declaration of love, which also doesn't count in my opinion because everyone sees it coming before they pick up the book.) I wanted Ambrose to have more dimension.
Takeaway
Despite my under enthusiastic response to the romance, it was still engaging and fun and definitely worth a spot in your summer reading pile
THIS IS A SPOILER FREE REVIEW
Sarah Dessen has been one of those consistent presences in my life. I started reading her books when I was twelve (perhaps a little young to be reading Just Listen, but I credit Sarah Dessen with getting me into writing, because as I read her books, I discovered the desire to want to do exactly what she did). So I don't think it's possible for me to be disappointed with anything Sarah Dessen does, because I have such a long and tender history with her books. Once and for All did have a snag for me because I wasn't a huge fan of the romance, but I still really enjoyed it.
What Worked for Me
One of the things I've come to appreciate Sarah Dessen novels for is the prevalence of family. I've noticed it's a common complaint amongst readers that parental figures and family units in general are either unnecessarily demonized or absent entirely. Such is not the case in Sarah Dessen's work. Louna has a good relationship with her mom, who is present for a great deal of the book, and she has a father figure in her mom's best friend and business partner, William. And while that's all she has in terms of family, they play a major part in the story and it's one of the main things that made Once and for All so enjoyable.
I really liked Louna's character. The girl had so much on her plate and she was just trying to keep it all together. She also didn't fit into a trope. She wasn't snarky or bitter or (too) OCD; she didn't have a "thing." So it made her feel real, like she was just a girl who was dealing with trauma and not conforming to a type.
The story of Once and for All was engaging and enjoyable. I was caught up in it. I laughed out loud and the ending made me gasp. I've always liked Sarah Dessen's writing style and she seems to have a natural ability to tell a good story. I can't wait to add this one to my Sarah Dessen collection.
What Didn't
The backstory is interspersed into the opening act of the book, but isn't clearly marked, so it may be the kind of book better read in just one or two sittings because time away from it may make returning to the plot line a bit confusing. I lost track of the timelines a once or twice in the beginning, and though it worked out in the end, I don't want to be confused.
I've been learning more about male dominating rhetorics being passed of as romantic lately (I found Aentee's review of Roar by Cora Carmack very enlightening), but I was surprised to still see bits of that operating in a Sarah Dessen book. (Maybe they have all along and I've never been aware enough to notice them?) The rhetoric is subtle, but we still see language of women being viewed as prizes. You even get it right there in the summary:
When Louna meets charming, happy-go-lucky serial dater Ambrose, she holds him at arm's length. But Ambrose isn't about to be discouraged, now that he's met the one girl he really wants.
It may be subtle enough that most readers won't care, and in the context it's given, see it as genuinely sweet. But it bothered me enough that I'm not 100% into Ambrose's character.
So the romance fell a bit flat for me. I liked Ambrose well enough (despite the perpetuation of the men conquering women rhetoric), but I didn't think that they actually worked as a couple. I honestly thought that it was going to end where they went on as good friends and I was totally okay with that.
This might have been because Ambrose as a character wasn't developed to my satisfaction. I know that the focus is Louna, obviously, but Ambrose wasn't wrestling with anything or had any issues of his own to deal with. (The dating thing doesn't count in my opinion.) So there were things about Louna that surprised Ambrose, but nothing about Ambrose that surprised Louna. (Other than the declaration of love, which also doesn't count in my opinion because everyone sees it coming before they pick up the book.) I wanted Ambrose to have more dimension.
Takeaway
Despite my under enthusiastic response to the romance, it was still engaging and fun and definitely worth a spot in your summer reading pile
This kid, surrounded by weddings, was a great story. Probably my favorite Sarah Dessen (but I should re-read the rest of them). I loved this. Ugh. Weddings and happiness.