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What Members Thought

Chelsea
This is the first Sarah Dessen I've read, after much prompting. Her plots always seemed cheesy and melodramatic to me (based entirely on wildly varying reviews I've read and, you know, the back of the books), the young adult version of Jodi Piccoult (another author I am judging without ever having read her, shame on me). And, well... I don't see myself seeking out any of her others. I finished it off in about three hours, and... The beginning was mostly me rolling my eyes and going "oh, please", ...more
Lisa Vegan
I really enjoyed this book, and having been told that it’s not one of Dessen’s best, I’m now even more eager to read her other books, many of which are already on my to-read shelf.

From the book’s description, I thought it would have a somewhat different plot, but I wasn’t extremely disappointed, even though it was the description of an abandoned girl that made me particularly interested in the book.

I really liked the main character’s voice. I love how the story and characters evolved. The autho
...more
CLM
Oct 26, 2007 rated it liked it
Startling to have a Sarah Dessen heroine having sex with a drug dealer! That is not the kind of girl I went to high school with.

This is not by any means Sarah's best - the characters did not seem fully developed and the problems experienced by the sisters seem much too easily resolved or ignored - but it was still enjoyable.

For someone who is such a college basketball fan, she did not depict a (would be) swimming scholarship athlete at all realistically. Also, Cora had much too much time to co
...more
Lisa
Jul 30, 2009 rated it really liked it
Shelves: young-adult
I'm listening to this book and it's OK. I'm a little annoyed by Ruby - I don't get why she's so angsty and wants to leave her rich brother-in-law and sister's house. But I do like Sarah Dessen's writing and it's fun to listen to the narrator. Recommended for Sarah Dessen fans and teen girls who like romance novels.
Update: Sarah Dessen didn't disappoint. She's a master writer for the teen girl crowd. Recommended. It was hard listening to this though b/c I'd get out of the car and want to continue
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Janet
Jul 05, 2008 rated it really liked it
Shelves: yanovels
Teens in Trouble novels aren't really my thing, so I'm not sure why I picked this up, but I'm glad I did. Dessen does a great job showing that there is more to people than their problems or their surface persona. We start with Ruby, a messed up outsider, who moves to a perfect house with a perfectionist sister, a perfect preppy neighbor, and a perfect and scary prep school. Our understanding of the characters grows along with Ruby as their relationships grow, until we end with a whole group of m ...more
Kate
Jan 27, 2008 rated it really liked it
Shelves: age-ya, realistic, 2008
As usual, Sarah Dessen gives a great story about learning to love, without being all flowery and romance novel. Just a good story about normal people. The "special topic" of this novel was parental abandonment and abuse, and it was handled without feeling like an afterschool special. ...more
Dracolibris
May 02, 2008 rated it really liked it
Shelves: 2008, ya-lit
My very first Dessen book, and now I can totally see what the hype is all about. This book was heart-breaking and heart-warming in its quiet simplicity. Lovely, just lovely.
Ashley
Apr 30, 2008 rated it it was ok
Shelves: ya
So melodramatic and angsty, and way too much obvious, overwrought metaphor. Her earlier books are better, or maybe I'm burned out on Dessen. ...more
Pam
Mar 14, 2008 rated it really liked it
I'm addicted to Sarah Dessen. What else do I have to say? ...more
Megan
Jan 31, 2008 rated it liked it
Shelves: listened-to
Easy, breezy, cutsie.
Tara
Mar 04, 2008 marked it as to-read
Nicole
Apr 21, 2008 rated it really liked it
Shelves: young-adult
Julie
Apr 27, 2008 rated it really liked it
Lalitha
May 17, 2008 rated it really liked it
Shelves: teen
Kate
May 22, 2008 rated it really liked it
Kate H
Jul 14, 2008 rated it really liked it
Derrith
Jul 27, 2008 rated it liked it
Shelves: young-adult
Chicklit
Dec 25, 2008 rated it really liked it
Shelves: ya_lit, 2008
Abigail
Jan 26, 2009 rated it liked it
Punk
Jun 21, 2009 marked it as find-and-read
Shelves: young-adult
Lisa
Sep 13, 2009 marked it as to-read
Lainey
Oct 11, 2009 rated it really liked it  ·  review of another edition
Shelves: ya, finished-in-2009
Jennifer
May 17, 2011 marked it as nook
Kelly
Aug 06, 2011 rated it really liked it
Teresa Jensen
Oct 19, 2013 rated it liked it
Sharon
Jan 09, 2014 marked it as b-list
Hannah
Jul 12, 2016 added it
Shelves: ya, 2016
Lori
Aug 01, 2018 rated it really liked it  ·  review of another edition
Shelves: read-2018
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