The Truth About Forever

[image error]  The Truth about ForeverBy Sarah Dessen Summary: 

Macy's summer stretches before her, carefully planned and outlined. She will spend her days sitting at the library information desk. She will spend her evenings studying for the SATs. Spare time will be used to help her obsessive mother prepare for the big opening of the townhouse section of her luxury development.But Macy's plans don't anticipate a surprising and chaotic job with Wish Catering, a motley crew of new friends, or . . . Wes. Tattooed, artistic, anything-but-expected Wes. He doesn't fit Macy's life at all&150so why does she feel so comfortable with him? So . . . happy? What is it about him that makes her let down her guard and finally talk about how much she misses her father, who died before her eyes the year before?Sarah Dessen delivers a page-turning novel that carries readers on a roller coaster of denial, grief, comfort, and love as we watch a broken but resilient girl pick up the pieces of her life and fit them back together.The summer following her father's death, Macy plans to work at the library and wait for her brainy boyfriend to return from camp, but instead she goes to work at a catering business where she makes new friends and finally faces her grief.   
Rating:   4- Really great read! Highly recommended.

Review:
My sister- in- law actually recommended I read this book, knowing I'm a huge romance buff. We don't usually agree on books, so I was skeptical. And she said she's not like most YA writers she's read. Plus, it's sort of a drama, which doesn't really appeal to me. So, near the beginning of chapter 2, Macy, the main character, meets this boy. And he's short, chubby, and has a red face. I start thinking, 'This isn't gonna work for me.' Just when I'm about to put the book down in disgust, a new character, Wes, enters the scene, and he's dashing, handsome, and has that 'I'm deeply troubled and so I'm mysterious' type of demeanor. Good timing, Sarah Dessen. Once the guy I was hoping Macy would get with (and hoping there wouldn't be some stupid love triangle between the ugly guy and the perfect guy) came into Macy's life, I was hooked. I'm a sucker for romance, so of course I was cheering Macy on the whole time. After a while, I found myself really connecting with Macy. She only does her hair to keep up appearances to hide her grief, not because she cares what she looks like, and when Wes is telling her about his current girlfriend, she instantly makes up (in her mind, of course) an identifier for the trollop who dares to date the guy she just met, as all females do (but not because we're jealous, silly). Her identifier: Becky. Becky the shoplifting pothead. I love it! Snide heroines are always my favorite. Wes is a great character, too. No, he's not perfect, but no, he's not realistic, either. That's one of Sarah Dessen's greatest writing qualities, I think. She creates characters who are not entirely perfect, so they're believable, but at the same time, they're perfect enough to draw you in. Who wants to read about a real live boy? There's a reason we read fiction. (Yes, it's fiction, people-who-complain-about-books/movies-not-being-realistic!) All in all, I really enoyed this book. The characters have so much depth and I found myself intrigued by all the quirky details present in each character, like Macy's dad's obsession with EZ products from infomercials. I only gave it a 4 out of 5 because I was slightly annoyed with Macy's character sometimes. I wanted to shout at her, 'Stop dating that stupid boy! And quit being so melodramatic!' But I suppose it's the same way that I get annoyed at myself for being a stupid girl, obsessing over boys and thinking my life is torturous sometimes. Hopefully I'm not as dumb or dramatic as Macy seemed sometimes, though. Other than that, I loved the storyline and the characters (especially the supporting characters). I definitely recommend this book! -Amber You can buy it here: barnes and nobleamazon Learn more about Sarah Dessin here! amazon author pagedessen's websiteGoodreads Enjoy!