Book Reviews

Once and For All, Sarah Dessen

– Short Story – 

Weddings are supposed to be the most beautiful and memorable day of your relationship. For Louna, it’s just another day, another wedding, and another client that she has to help her mom deal with. It should be a flawless day of wedding and reception with all attention on the bride, but that doesn’t happen by itself, someone has to make the magic happen. The lure of love has been wasted on Louna with her mom, Natalie, and her mom’s best friend and coworker William, always betting on how long the happy couple will stay together after the wedding. That is until she meets someone at a wedding, which breaks all types of her own rules, and finally understands what love feels like. Unfortunately for them they live long distance, and don’t get to see each other after this fated night at a beach wedding. Until the unimaginable happens, and she is left feeling a heart break no one should ever have to feel, and she is stuck with Ambrose, whom her mom hired, who might possibly be the most positive guy in Colby, if not the world. Louna is trying to keep going and to fill the void with whatever work her mom has her do for the summer.

– What I Think – 

Sarah Dessen always manages to find a way to make you believe in love. During Once and For All I remembered what it was like to have that first love. The one that you believed would be forever only for something to happen to it that ruins the relationship, and the notion of love. To be wrapped in the feelings that love would never find you again until all of a sudden the unexpected happens, and there is someone right in front of you. There is a sameness to this novel from the others of hers, but I still enjoyed it nonetheless. If you are a Sarah Dessen fan then you will not be disappointed. She still makes you want to look for a love that can last. Definitely pick this one up, until next time.
Keep Turning the Pages
90s Born Reader
Book Reviews, Uncategorized

Saint Anything, Sarah Dessen

saint anythingSarah Dessen’s newest novel Saint Anything is about a high school girl named Sydney who has to be strong in ways a girl her age shouldn’t have to be. Her brother, though not at home, is always the center of attention for her mom almost like he is still at home, and her dad doesn’t stick up for her when it comes to her mom. When Sydney decides to switch schools, she doesn’t know what a good choice that is for her, and that family are not always the people that we are born into.
 
Saint Anything was a very touching novel, and what I would expect from Sarah Dessen. It doesn’t go at the top of my Dessen list, but I still enjoyed it nonetheless. She as always touched on emotions of growing up, family life, school life, and figuring out who you are amongst the whole system. I will always be a Dessen fan and will have to read everything that she writes! This of course was no exception. If you haven’t read on of her novels this is a good a time as any to start! Until next time,
Keep Turning the Pages
90s Born Reader
Book Reviews, Uncategorized

The Moon and More, Sarah Dessen

the moon and moreIn The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen a young girl, Emaline, lives in a beach town where most of their lives revolve around summer. In Colby they get most of their business in the summer when people come to the beach and stay in the houses that Emaline’s family is in charge of. It is Emaline’s summer before her first year of college, and her eyes are about to be opened to things she never thought she would want to do or see. Like not go to the same college as everyone else, find a summer romance in someone who is like no one she has ever seen, and develop a relationship with estranged family members.
Once again Sarah Dessen has written something that is relatable, amazing, and something that people should read. I went out and bought this on the day it came out, went home and read it. (yes I know this post is soooo late) I think this is relatable to any young girl, especially those from small towns. Finding someone who is new and exciting, and learning what it’s like to have an unconventional family. This is something a lot of people know the feeling of. I of course recommend this book and I plan on reading whatever comes out next by Sarah Dessen. Until next time,
Keep Turning the Pages
90s Born reader
Bookish, Uncategorized

Sarah Dessen came to Pittsburgh!!!

As I said in my video blog. Sarah Dessen came to Pittsburgh!! As we all know she is my favorite author of all time and I was so excited to see her! Unfortunately I was not able to stay and get an autograph or a picture with her, but I did muster up the courage to ask her a question.
During her time on stage she dropped hints, or really flat out told us that she is having another book come out in the summer of this year and of course we were all excited to here the news! She told us what inspired her to write another book and that’s where I got the question of asking her what inspired her to write her first novel, That Summer.
Her answer basically was that she liked the idea of a young woman who was different than everyone else, her being very tall, but comfortable with it. Because Sarah Dessen herself wasn’t comfortable in high school like many others, and some of her inspiration came from one of the players on the UNC Women’s Basketball team.
What I also love about her is that she writes what she wants to write. She told us that she doesn’t read other Young Adult authors because she really doesn’t want to know and doesn’t want to start comparing herself to others. She also doesn’t really watch MTV and other things like that, but she honestly writes what she wants and feels, and I really admire that as a reader.
Sarah Dessen continues to be my favorite as I grow up and I can’t wait to read her next book over the summer when I have a lot of time to read it.
Until Next Time,
Keep Turning the Pages
90s Born Reader
Book Reviews, Uncategorized

What Happened to Goodbye, Sarah Dessen

Sarah Dessen‘s What Happened to Goodbye was not unlike any of her other books. In this novel a young gir, Mclean Sweet,l has been incredibly hurt by her parents scandal, and messy divorce. By the end of the custody battle she has decided to live with her dad who is a restaurant consultant. Because her dad has this time consuming job, she has to move around a lot making her constantly move away from friends and what she knows. This also makes her come up with a new identity for herself in each new place, from personality, involvement, and even her name. Mclean and her dad finally stop at a place that she grows to love, and accidentally starts to allow people into her life, and into her real name. It’s not until her relationship with her mother completely breaks that things start taking a turn for the worse.

What Happened to Goodbye, has the same sequence of events like in every other Sarah Dessen novel. Of course I love every single one of them and it never takes me more than 3 days to read them. In every novel, a girl has a hard life, someone particularly a boy changes her life, her life hits rock bottom, and then all of a sudden everything is good again. I enjoyed reading the novel because parts of it always touch my heart and makes me think about my own life. If you’re a hard core Sarah Dessen fan like myself you should definitely read this heart touching story. If you’re not a hard core fan, I still recommend this novel. Until next time

Keep turning the pages,

90s Born Reader