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Once and for All
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Best Young Adult Fiction (2017)From Sarah Dessen, the beloved New York Times bestselling author of SAINT ANYTHING and JUST LISTEN, comes a new novel set in the world of wedding planning!
Is it really better to have loved and lost? Louna's summer job is to help brides plan their perfect day, even though she stopped believing in happy-ever-after when her first love ended tragically. But charming girl-magnet Ambrose isn't about to be discouraged now that he's met the one he really wants. Maybe Louna's second chance is standing right in front of her.
Sarah Dessen's many fans will adore this latest novel, a richly satisfying, enormously entertaining story with humor, romance, and an ending that is so much more than happily ever after.
363 pages, ebook
First published June 6, 2017
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June 20, 2017
2.25/5 stars
I decided to quote the very last sentence of this book because it was my favorite line throughout this entire thing. It meant it was finally over.
warning: unmarked spoilers
Huge thank you @SarahDessen, as I almost forgotten what disappointment felt like.
This book was supposed to be good. It was supposed to be cute . It was supposed to make me want to actually leave my house and fall in love with some overly-handsome dude. What it wasn’t supposed to do was let me down like a casket in a grave. After I was finally finished with this trainwreck, this was pretty much how I felt about romance in general:
Please don't tell 16-year-old Emi that I'm rating a Sarah Dessen book two stars. I don't want her coming after me.
Was I suppose to like Ambrose? Like was it intended for me to think he was amazing and want him to be my boyfriend? Becuase I don't think it was possible for me to hate him any more than I already do. Luckily Ambrose is an uncommon name because if I ever have to see it again, I’d think I’d claw my eyes out.
Because Ambrose Ambrosia was the most annoying character I have ever read about. He wasn't funny, or cute, or interesting, or lovable. He was fucking annoying and I was #done with him by chapter three.
It didn't help that the first time we met him, he was flirting with a girl instead of supporting his mother at her wedding.
He actually delayed the wedding because they couldn't find him.
Flirting with girls is not more important than your mother's wedding! He shouldn't have to be told that.
Later in the book, Ambrosia stole a dog from a possibly abusive owner. Which is great and all. No dog deserves to be abused. But he stole the dog and didn't face any consequences. No one got mad at him. He didn't get a talking to by the police or anything. He stole a dog and everything was okay. That's not okay!!!
Then we have Louna Louney who is still "getting over" the death of her boyfriend Ethan. I say "getting over" because she was literally never upset about his death unless it contributed to the plot. Which is rarely did. I would also have like Louney a lot more if she hadn't had sex on the beach and said "I love you" to Ethan approximately 39 seconds after meeting him.
Louney works for her mother, who is an infamous wedding planner, and her mother's business partner, William. They are all single pringles who hate love and don't believe in happily ever after. They also hire Ambrosia to help out at the weddings after he destroys their tape dispenser bc why the hell not. I didn't really understand exactly why.
Other than the entire wedding thing, Louney was one of the most boring protagonists ever. I didn't feel any concern for her at all. She could have been replaced with a brick and it would have been more interesting to read about.
If you weren't able to predict it, Louney and Ambrosia like each other. But they don't want to admit it. Until Ambrosia does and Louney freaks out for no reason and the second half of this entire book they don't talk to each other. Louney starts dating this nice, normal, not-annoying guy named Ben until the last chapter when something happened (I was too busy skimming to really understand what happened. I think Ambrosia got hit by a car. Maybe it was the dog he stole. I don't really care to go back and figure it out) and Louney decides that she loves Ambrosia and makes out with him whILE SHE'S STILL ON A DATE WITH BEN. Because she has no respect. So she then starts dating Ambrosia instead and the end. The book is over. #BenDeservesBetter #WhatEvenWasThatEnding
There was no character development through this entire book. Ambrosia was annoying from the beginning to end while Louney was consistently boring. I thought maybe Louney's best friend, Jilly, would have some development. She was constantly having to take care of her four brothers and sisters so much that it affected her social life. I thought "Maybe Jilly will stand up for herself and make her parents take care of their children for once." I was wrong. Jilly continued to babysit her siblings without even a complaint.
TBH the only good part of this book was when it finally ended bc it meant that I was free of this prison.
Maybe next time Sarah Dessen.
Ambrose would again reach out a hand, asking me to dance. And this time, I'd say yes.
I decided to quote the very last sentence of this book because it was my favorite line throughout this entire thing. It meant it was finally over.
warning: unmarked spoilers
Huge thank you @SarahDessen, as I almost forgotten what disappointment felt like.
This book was supposed to be good. It was supposed to be cute . It was supposed to make me want to actually leave my house and fall in love with some overly-handsome dude. What it wasn’t supposed to do was let me down like a casket in a grave. After I was finally finished with this trainwreck, this was pretty much how I felt about romance in general:
Please don't tell 16-year-old Emi that I'm rating a Sarah Dessen book two stars. I don't want her coming after me.
Was I suppose to like Ambrose? Like was it intended for me to think he was amazing and want him to be my boyfriend? Becuase I don't think it was possible for me to hate him any more than I already do. Luckily Ambrose is an uncommon name because if I ever have to see it again, I’d think I’d claw my eyes out.
Because
It didn't help that the first time we met him, he was flirting with a girl instead of supporting his mother at her wedding.
He actually delayed the wedding because they couldn't find him.
Flirting with girls is not more important than your mother's wedding! He shouldn't have to be told that.
Later in the book, Ambrosia stole a dog from a possibly abusive owner. Which is great and all. No dog deserves to be abused. But he stole the dog and didn't face any consequences. No one got mad at him. He didn't get a talking to by the police or anything. He stole a dog and everything was okay. That's not okay!!!
Then we have
Louney works for her mother, who is an infamous wedding planner, and her mother's business partner, William. They are all single pringles who hate love and don't believe in happily ever after. They also hire Ambrosia to help out at the weddings after he destroys their tape dispenser bc why the hell not. I didn't really understand exactly why.
Other than the entire wedding thing, Louney was one of the most boring protagonists ever. I didn't feel any concern for her at all. She could have been replaced with a brick and it would have been more interesting to read about.
If you weren't able to predict it, Louney and Ambrosia like each other. But they don't want to admit it. Until Ambrosia does and Louney freaks out for no reason and the second half of this entire book they don't talk to each other. Louney starts dating this nice, normal, not-annoying guy named Ben until the last chapter when something happened (I was too busy skimming to really understand what happened. I think Ambrosia got hit by a car. Maybe it was the dog he stole. I don't really care to go back and figure it out) and Louney decides that she loves Ambrosia and makes out with him whILE SHE'S STILL ON A DATE WITH BEN. Because she has no respect. So she then starts dating Ambrosia instead and the end. The book is over. #BenDeservesBetter #WhatEvenWasThatEnding
There was no character development through this entire book. Ambrosia was annoying from the beginning to end while Louney was consistently boring. I thought maybe Louney's best friend, Jilly, would have some development. She was constantly having to take care of her four brothers and sisters so much that it affected her social life. I thought "Maybe Jilly will stand up for herself and make her parents take care of their children for once." I was wrong. Jilly continued to babysit her siblings without even a complaint.
TBH the only good part of this book was when it finally ended bc it meant that I was free of this prison.
Maybe next time Sarah Dessen.
June 9, 2017
Either I've outgrown Sarah Dessen, or this was a huge dip in quality. I'm going go do some... homework. It'll be a better use of my time than reading this mess was.
● where
● the
● FUCK
● is the plot
● ??
● how can you publish a book that has neither plot nor character development
THE 2015 DESSEN STAN IN ME IS DISAPPOINTED.
It started out good. It even made me laugh — and I found myself shipping loony tunes and embryo.
BOY WAS I WRONG. After 50% of the book, the characters STOP TALKING TO EACH OTHER BC EMBRYO SHARED HIS “FEELINGS” AND LOONY TUNES GOT EMBARRASSED.
But wait! That’s not even it. In the last chapter, while she’s dating another guy, they kiss out of nowhere. And promptly, start dating. No chemistry. Nada.
WHERE IS THE SENSE.
I may have been willing to overlook everything else that went wrong if not for the fucKING ROMANCE but tough luck:
● william and her mum are both “coupling”
● she completely ditched jilly, her best friend of Years
● NO CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT
● nothing made sense tbh
● YOU DON’T HAVE SEX WITH A STRANGER ON THE BEACH IF YOU’VE KNOWN HIM FOR TWO HOURS
● is this NA
● didn’t anybody tell you about stranger danger
● she’s in denial about her bf dying,, and what does she do about it?
● NOTHING
● she takes out a Saturday night
● says, ok I’ll get over him today by donating the dress I wore when I had sex with him
● but oh WAIT her new boyfriend called her
● well
● let’s just forget about closure
● it’s important to be a Wild Teen
● I’m honestly DONE
● I can’t believe I was excited for this??
________________________
● Buddy read with the Harry to my Ron
● where
● the
● FUCK
● is the plot
● ??
● how can you publish a book that has neither plot nor character development
THE 2015 DESSEN STAN IN ME IS DISAPPOINTED.
It started out good. It even made me laugh — and I found myself shipping loony tunes and embryo.
“I think,” he continued, ignoring me, “that we met cute. Like, you dropped a kitten, and I picked it up for you.”
“Why would I drop a kitten?”
“Well, clearly, it was an accident,” he replied, sliding his other arm around me. I told myself not to stiffen, then glared at William, who had the nerve to laugh out loud. “Your hair smells good, by the way. Is that vanilla?”
I didn’t respond to this. The photographer, now shooting, said, “Louna, can you relax your mouth? You look kind of angry.”
“Imagine that,” I said under my breath.
BOY WAS I WRONG. After 50% of the book, the characters STOP TALKING TO EACH OTHER BC EMBRYO SHARED HIS “FEELINGS” AND LOONY TUNES GOT EMBARRASSED.
But wait! That’s not even it. In the last chapter, while she’s dating another guy, they kiss out of nowhere. And promptly, start dating. No chemistry. Nada.
WHERE IS THE SENSE.
I may have been willing to overlook everything else that went wrong if not for the fucKING ROMANCE but tough luck:
● william and her mum are both “coupling”
● she completely ditched jilly, her best friend of Years
● NO CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT
● nothing made sense tbh
● YOU DON’T HAVE SEX WITH A STRANGER ON THE BEACH IF YOU’VE KNOWN HIM FOR TWO HOURS
● is this NA
● didn’t anybody tell you about stranger danger
● she’s in denial about her bf dying,, and what does she do about it?
● NOTHING
● she takes out a Saturday night
● says, ok I’ll get over him today by donating the dress I wore when I had sex with him
● but oh WAIT her new boyfriend called her
● well
● let’s just forget about closure
● it’s important to be a Wild Teen
● I’m honestly DONE
● I can’t believe I was excited for this??
________________________
● Buddy read with the Harry to my Ron
June 4, 2017
Not my favorite Dessen novel nor my least favorite. I would put this in the top 8 if you really want to get detailed.
I love the aspect of wedding planning in this book! Being a wedding photographer myself, I understood so many of the situations and people that were a hassle in weddings! I also just love weddings in general!!
Louna was a likable character. She was defiantly guarded throughout the novel and we learn why and it 100% makes sense but I wanted to see a tad bit more growth from her. I enjoyed her character overall and her relationships with her mom and her best friend were amazing.
Ambrose was just adorable. You don't want to love him but you just do. He had a great heart but I wasn't a fan of him dating a different girl literally every other day but he definately had amazing growth!
I liked the romance in this book but didn't love it. I didn't feel an intense chemistry between the two for a long time and even then it wasn't 100% there. I wanted more romance, sooner. That's the thing with a ton of contemporary books; you get the really good romance the last 15 pages...and then the book's over. I need more!
Like I said, I enjoyed this book because I love Dessen's writing and her characters and plot and this one was no exception. It's not one of my favorites by her but I would definitely recommend it!
I love the aspect of wedding planning in this book! Being a wedding photographer myself, I understood so many of the situations and people that were a hassle in weddings! I also just love weddings in general!!
Louna was a likable character. She was defiantly guarded throughout the novel and we learn why and it 100% makes sense but I wanted to see a tad bit more growth from her. I enjoyed her character overall and her relationships with her mom and her best friend were amazing.
Ambrose was just adorable. You don't want to love him but you just do. He had a great heart but I wasn't a fan of him dating a different girl literally every other day but he definately had amazing growth!
I liked the romance in this book but didn't love it. I didn't feel an intense chemistry between the two for a long time and even then it wasn't 100% there. I wanted more romance, sooner. That's the thing with a ton of contemporary books; you get the really good romance the last 15 pages...and then the book's over. I need more!
Like I said, I enjoyed this book because I love Dessen's writing and her characters and plot and this one was no exception. It's not one of my favorites by her but I would definitely recommend it!
May 21, 2019
I liked parts of this.
Unfortunately, those parts didn’t include the love story or the love interest or the sub-love story or the setup to the love story or the obstacles to the love story or anything related to the love story (otherwise known as the “plot”) top to bottom.
Can’t win em all.
I do not care for Ambrose, the love interest of this little shindig. He is an attempt at that trope of the Goofy Charming Flirt (who always corresponds to the Uptight Teenage Female With Too Much Responsibility Who Does Not Know How To Let Loose And Also Does Not Know She’s Beautiful), except it...doesn’t work? He doesn’t feel goofy or fun or charming. Just immature and annoying. Am I getting old? No, I’ve always been like this. I can soothe myself with the thought that I was born grumpy and cynical.
I also don’t like cheating as a plotline!! Sorry!! I don’t think love stories are fun when the obstacle preventing the two main characters from getting their love on is another person’s emotions and well-being!!! What is fun about that!!! I don’t understand!!!
Further, I do not like anything about how this book was handled. Sarah Dessen books often contain a Social Issue of some sort - teen pregnancy, drug addiction, body image - and this one is no exception. Except the social issue is, uh, gun violence? Specifically school shootings?
The thing about social issues in Sarah Dessen books is that they’re mostly a thing that is causing Problems for the main character, and then when the main character Comes Of Age they also overcome that social issue. But
Basically, the characters’ problems in this book feel way more dramatic and real than in most contemporaries, but they’re overcome in the same way, in the same two hundred page span. It feels rushed.
Essentially, the plot to this is “here is a bunch of terrible things and everyone is suffering and now 200 pages have passed so they’re in love and completely fine thanks for reading!!!!”
I am not a fan of that.
Bottom line: This did not feel like a Sarah Dessen book. Which wouldn’t even necessarily a bad thing, except in this case it, uh, was.
---------
pre-review
Can't win em all.
Review to come / 2 stars
---------
currently-reading updates
This book is the only thing standing between me and the feat of having read every Sarah Dessen book in 2018.
Except Dreamland. But that doesn't count.
Let's do this.
Unfortunately, those parts didn’t include the love story or the love interest or the sub-love story or the setup to the love story or the obstacles to the love story or anything related to the love story (otherwise known as the “plot”) top to bottom.
Can’t win em all.
I do not care for Ambrose, the love interest of this little shindig. He is an attempt at that trope of the Goofy Charming Flirt (who always corresponds to the Uptight Teenage Female With Too Much Responsibility Who Does Not Know How To Let Loose And Also Does Not Know She’s Beautiful), except it...doesn’t work? He doesn’t feel goofy or fun or charming. Just immature and annoying. Am I getting old? No, I’ve always been like this. I can soothe myself with the thought that I was born grumpy and cynical.
I also don’t like cheating as a plotline!! Sorry!! I don’t think love stories are fun when the obstacle preventing the two main characters from getting their love on is another person’s emotions and well-being!!! What is fun about that!!! I don’t understand!!!
Further, I do not like anything about how this book was handled. Sarah Dessen books often contain a Social Issue of some sort - teen pregnancy, drug addiction, body image - and this one is no exception. Except the social issue is, uh, gun violence? Specifically school shootings?
The thing about social issues in Sarah Dessen books is that they’re mostly a thing that is causing Problems for the main character, and then when the main character Comes Of Age they also overcome that social issue. But
Basically, the characters’ problems in this book feel way more dramatic and real than in most contemporaries, but they’re overcome in the same way, in the same two hundred page span. It feels rushed.
Essentially, the plot to this is “here is a bunch of terrible things and everyone is suffering and now 200 pages have passed so they’re in love and completely fine thanks for reading!!!!”
I am not a fan of that.
Bottom line: This did not feel like a Sarah Dessen book. Which wouldn’t even necessarily a bad thing, except in this case it, uh, was.
---------
pre-review
Can't win em all.
Review to come / 2 stars
---------
currently-reading updates
This book is the only thing standing between me and the feat of having read every Sarah Dessen book in 2018.
Except Dreamland. But that doesn't count.
Let's do this.
June 11, 2017
I legit forgot I had to write this review lol jokes on me
Let’s be real, no one actually goes to weddings for any reason BESDIES the food and the CAKE obvious.
and the entire theme of this majorly disappointing book is weddings. The mc’s mother is a wedding planner and I was super excited to see how this would be bc personally, I really enjoy weddings. Idk something about the whole festivities and traditions of it
its cool as French fries
but you wanna know whats NOT as cool as French fries??
THIS BOOK !!!
- The plot died somewhere around chapter 4
- The main character is bland
- The love interest is a butt head
- He annoys the hell out of me
- And he thinks hes super cute
- The LAST 5 CHAPTERS WERE A TRAGEDY
- There was no effing point to the book
- Also
- after 20 minutes of meeting
- Which goes on to after 30 minutes of meeting
- What the eff
- What the eff indeed
- I mean
- Stranger danger yikes
- BEN DESERVES JUSTICE
- What was the point of ANYTHING
- I really hated how the beginning was great but the ending plummeted
- Into the depths of poop
- Wow this was bad
- Basically I just want to apologize to the world bc SARAH DESSEN I EXPECTED MORE FROM YOU
me @ this book
2 stars!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Buddy read with the Ron to my Harry. ((ugh, all these HP references attacking me at once))
Let’s be real, no one actually goes to weddings for any reason BESDIES the food and the CAKE obvious.
and the entire theme of this majorly disappointing book is weddings. The mc’s mother is a wedding planner and I was super excited to see how this would be bc personally, I really enjoy weddings. Idk something about the whole festivities and traditions of it
its cool as French fries
but you wanna know whats NOT as cool as French fries??
THIS BOOK !!!
- The plot died somewhere around chapter 4
- The main character is bland
- The love interest is a butt head
- He annoys the hell out of me
- And he thinks hes super cute
- The LAST 5 CHAPTERS WERE A TRAGEDY
- There was no effing point to the book
- Also
- after 20 minutes of meeting
- Which goes on to after 30 minutes of meeting
- What the eff
- What the eff indeed
- I mean
- Stranger danger yikes
- BEN DESERVES JUSTICE
- What was the point of ANYTHING
- I really hated how the beginning was great but the ending plummeted
- Into the depths of poop
- Wow this was bad
- Basically I just want to apologize to the world bc SARAH DESSEN I EXPECTED MORE FROM YOU
me @ this book
2 stars!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Buddy read with the Ron to my Harry. ((ugh, all these HP references attacking me at once))
August 2, 2018
“Some stories tell themselves.”
I’ve been an avid Sarah Dessen reader since that fateful night that led me to pick up Just Listen years ago. And to this day I’m grateful that read was my first choice because it utterly captivated me and cemented my decision to then check out nine more books by the author.
So I’ve been clearly patiently waiting for this newest book to come out, checking info about it almost monthly since I finished reading Saint Anything in 2015. And thankfully Once and For All lived up to the hype I created in my mind.
However, I will admit that I went in a bit hesitant since I recently came upon the realization that I only like a certain type of book when it comes to YA, i.e. not set in high school. So the main reason I then ended up enjoying Once and For All was because it was about all family and summers and wedding shenanigans, and it felt both real and complex.
The last young adult book I read was Nina LaCour’s We Are Okay back in February, so I was pleasantly surprised to see this newest Dessen book having a similar structure that I loved in the latter. We have switching chapters set between the present and past to give us a full picture of everything seventeen-year-old Louna Barrett went through in the past year.
I felt the latter most critically the moment we found out what exactly happened in Louna’s past to make her so guarded and cynical. I had guessed what the addressed topic would be from the start, but the details weren’t clear to me until put on paper.
But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s start at the beginning with what I loved:
(Possible **spoilers** ahead)
• The fact that Louna’s mother, Natalie, and her business partner (and best friend), William, weren’t hopeless romantics when it came to weddings. Both had low expectations when it came to men and love.
“Real love didn’t exist, they maintained, despite building an entire livelihood based on that very illusion.”
• Jilly, Louna’s best friend, having to juggle her four little siblings because her parents were quite busy overlooking “their empire of food trucks.” For reasons unknown to me, I loved that there was always a little kid around Jilly. #Momfriend.
• Speaking of kids, Ambrose Little - aka the love interest - seemed to behave like one when we first met him, what with his “hate not having what I want” approach. He also came of as quite arrogant and unnecessarily honest with his antics…
“Are you serious, with all this?”
“What this?”
I nodded at the door, which Grace had left slightly open behind her. “The way you talked to her. Is it a joke, or not?”
“I never joke when it comes to pretty girls,” he replied.
Of course he didn’t.
“Don’t feel bad about not understanding me, though,” he said. “I’m kind of an enigma. Mysterious, hard to know.”
“People that are hard to know don’t often announce the fact they are hard to know,” I pointed out.”
But over time I grew to love how effortlessly he managed to light up any scene with his cheerful and easygoing manner. He’s all sunshine and it’s a challenge trying to not get swept up.
• Also, that time he stole a dog from a possible abusive store owner left me with my mouth wide open in both surprise and laughter.
“I didn’t hear him get called anything, did you? Guess that means we can name him whatever we want.”
We? I thought. Out loud I said, “What’s Bee going to say about this?”
“Oh, she’ll be fine. She loves animals.” The dog finished off the water, then sat back and shook its jowls, sending droplets flying. “And anyway, she won’t have to deal with him. He’ll go everywhere with me.”
“On foot,” I said, clarifying. He nodded. “What’s going to happen when you crash at people’s houses, like last night?”
“This is a small dog,” he replied. “Compact. Won’t be a problem.”
This guy can get out of anything. It’s astonishing, really.
• The dynamic between Louna and Ambrose was another thing I adored. Their constant give and take was satisfying to witness from the sidelines. And really, Ambrose is a good soul. A bit annoying at times, sure, but he has good intentions and lights up my day with his antics. With the addition of them setting up a bet for the summer, I never grew bored with those two on the page.
• Going behind the scenes of what it really takes to create a wedding was a) stressful b) entertaining and c) utterly mind-blowing.
“This is the first wedding you’ve attended that you weren’t in?”
“Yep,” he replied. “It’s like seeing the man behind the curtain. And that man is scary.”
“Sorry,” I said.
“But that’s the thing,” he replied. “It’s okay. Because when I do get asked to another wedding, I won’t go into it thinking about everything that can go wrong. I’ll just enjoy the party and the moment.”
“Good for you. I wish I could,” I said.
“You can, though.”
“Nope. Too late.” I cleared my throat. “That ship has sailed. Once you see how things can go, you can’t unknow it.”
I felt him look at me, and realized this sounded harsh. But it was the truth. It took a lot to have hope in this world where so little evidence of it existed. We may all start in the same place, at a church, watching a couple begin a whole new life together. But what we glimpse beyond that is different for each of us, a funhouse mirror reflection of our own experience. Maybe if nothing bad had ever happened, you didn’t even consider those clouds and storms ahead. But for the rest of us, even the brightest sunshine carried a chance of rain. It was only a matter of time.”
• Certain storylines were quite predictable from the start, but I realize now that that’s not necessarily a negative thing. It’s good to have some predictability in life sometimes.
• But I can’t move on without mentioning how utterly charming the boy of Louna’s past was. Their meet-cute on the beach was on a whole other level. And then getting to see them hang out for the rest of the magical night and connect and talk nonstop was intoxicating.
“Now, in his arms, facing the water, I could smell salt on his shirt and beneath it the slight tinge of his cologne, as well as sweat. It would only be a matter of time before someone came along, walking with their dog or kid, making it clear that the beach, and the night, were no longer ours alone. Thinking this, I squeezed my eyes shut tightly, again willing time to stop. Like the game Ethan played with his friends, striking a deal—I would have given anything for a few more hours.”
This is exactly why I prefer sunsets to sunrises because if you just spent the night talking with someone special, seeing the sunrise is bound to be a disappointment. Nothing signifies that a night is truly over quite like the first hint of light, as Dessen put it: “yet more proof of the intrusion of the world.”
• Unrelated: I started listening to this next song while reading about their hours together coming to an end, slowly yet all too quickly, and I realized just how fitting the lyrics are.
But what I kept repeating to myself throughout this part of the book was to not get sucked into Ethan and Louna’s relationship, because it was hinted at from the start that it doesn’t end well.
“I’d never had this feeling before, that something big was about to happen, and there was nothing I had to do but wait for it.”
• So you can only imagine how utterly devastated I was when I came to learn that Ethan Caruso had been the victim of a school shooting only seven months ago.
That vivid chapter of Louna finding out about the most devastating event of her life was what made the tears finally well up in my eyes.
“8:20, I thought. I’d just gotten my Spanish quiz. Ethan should have been in English, trying not to look at the hair of the girl in front of him, which he maintained was so greasy it literally dripped onto his desk. I knew this. I knew everything about him. So how did I not know if he was all right?
The hallway was emptying as everyone went into classrooms and down the nearby staircase. Moments earlier, it had been packed, elbow to elbow, with me just one of a sea of people. Now I stood there, staring at my screen, until all the doors around me shut and I was the only one left, standing alone. I told myself I wasn’t moving until I knew something, that I’d stop time in this interim. Later, it would seem silly that I thought I could do this, have some control over events already unfolded. But I believed in a lot of things, before. I never heard from Ethan again.”
My stomach dropped at that last sentence. They’d had the best night of their lives, talked everyday since - every moment, really - and then one day a tragedy happens and that’s it... no more plans, no more talks, nothing. Just radio silence.
• After the truth was out in the open, I was more than invested to see a happy future for Louna. And though the ending wrapped up quite loosely and quickly, I was still satisfied with where things seemed to head for our main character and the people surrounding her. (Though, the whole Ben storyline was a mess and uncalled for, in my opinion.)
All this to say that I’m still so grateful Sarah Dessen decided to release a brand-new book. I don't see myself ever tiring of her comforting characters. So for now I’m back to patiently waiting for new content, hopefully set to arrive in the near future.
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I’ve been an avid Sarah Dessen reader since that fateful night that led me to pick up Just Listen years ago. And to this day I’m grateful that read was my first choice because it utterly captivated me and cemented my decision to then check out nine more books by the author.
So I’ve been clearly patiently waiting for this newest book to come out, checking info about it almost monthly since I finished reading Saint Anything in 2015. And thankfully Once and For All lived up to the hype I created in my mind.
However, I will admit that I went in a bit hesitant since I recently came upon the realization that I only like a certain type of book when it comes to YA, i.e. not set in high school. So the main reason I then ended up enjoying Once and For All was because it was about all family and summers and wedding shenanigans, and it felt both real and complex.
The last young adult book I read was Nina LaCour’s We Are Okay back in February, so I was pleasantly surprised to see this newest Dessen book having a similar structure that I loved in the latter. We have switching chapters set between the present and past to give us a full picture of everything seventeen-year-old Louna Barrett went through in the past year.
I felt the latter most critically the moment we found out what exactly happened in Louna’s past to make her so guarded and cynical. I had guessed what the addressed topic would be from the start, but the details weren’t clear to me until put on paper.
But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s start at the beginning with what I loved:
(Possible **spoilers** ahead)
• The fact that Louna’s mother, Natalie, and her business partner (and best friend), William, weren’t hopeless romantics when it came to weddings. Both had low expectations when it came to men and love.
“Real love didn’t exist, they maintained, despite building an entire livelihood based on that very illusion.”
• Jilly, Louna’s best friend, having to juggle her four little siblings because her parents were quite busy overlooking “their empire of food trucks.” For reasons unknown to me, I loved that there was always a little kid around Jilly. #Momfriend.
• Speaking of kids, Ambrose Little - aka the love interest - seemed to behave like one when we first met him, what with his “hate not having what I want” approach. He also came of as quite arrogant and unnecessarily honest with his antics…
“Are you serious, with all this?”
“What this?”
I nodded at the door, which Grace had left slightly open behind her. “The way you talked to her. Is it a joke, or not?”
“I never joke when it comes to pretty girls,” he replied.
Of course he didn’t.
“Don’t feel bad about not understanding me, though,” he said. “I’m kind of an enigma. Mysterious, hard to know.”
“People that are hard to know don’t often announce the fact they are hard to know,” I pointed out.”
But over time I grew to love how effortlessly he managed to light up any scene with his cheerful and easygoing manner. He’s all sunshine and it’s a challenge trying to not get swept up.
• Also, that time he stole a dog from a possible abusive store owner left me with my mouth wide open in both surprise and laughter.
“I didn’t hear him get called anything, did you? Guess that means we can name him whatever we want.”
We? I thought. Out loud I said, “What’s Bee going to say about this?”
“Oh, she’ll be fine. She loves animals.” The dog finished off the water, then sat back and shook its jowls, sending droplets flying. “And anyway, she won’t have to deal with him. He’ll go everywhere with me.”
“On foot,” I said, clarifying. He nodded. “What’s going to happen when you crash at people’s houses, like last night?”
“This is a small dog,” he replied. “Compact. Won’t be a problem.”
This guy can get out of anything. It’s astonishing, really.
• The dynamic between Louna and Ambrose was another thing I adored. Their constant give and take was satisfying to witness from the sidelines. And really, Ambrose is a good soul. A bit annoying at times, sure, but he has good intentions and lights up my day with his antics. With the addition of them setting up a bet for the summer, I never grew bored with those two on the page.
• Going behind the scenes of what it really takes to create a wedding was a) stressful b) entertaining and c) utterly mind-blowing.
“This is the first wedding you’ve attended that you weren’t in?”
“Yep,” he replied. “It’s like seeing the man behind the curtain. And that man is scary.”
“Sorry,” I said.
“But that’s the thing,” he replied. “It’s okay. Because when I do get asked to another wedding, I won’t go into it thinking about everything that can go wrong. I’ll just enjoy the party and the moment.”
“Good for you. I wish I could,” I said.
“You can, though.”
“Nope. Too late.” I cleared my throat. “That ship has sailed. Once you see how things can go, you can’t unknow it.”
I felt him look at me, and realized this sounded harsh. But it was the truth. It took a lot to have hope in this world where so little evidence of it existed. We may all start in the same place, at a church, watching a couple begin a whole new life together. But what we glimpse beyond that is different for each of us, a funhouse mirror reflection of our own experience. Maybe if nothing bad had ever happened, you didn’t even consider those clouds and storms ahead. But for the rest of us, even the brightest sunshine carried a chance of rain. It was only a matter of time.”
• Certain storylines were quite predictable from the start, but I realize now that that’s not necessarily a negative thing. It’s good to have some predictability in life sometimes.
• But I can’t move on without mentioning how utterly charming the boy of Louna’s past was. Their meet-cute on the beach was on a whole other level. And then getting to see them hang out for the rest of the magical night and connect and talk nonstop was intoxicating.
“Now, in his arms, facing the water, I could smell salt on his shirt and beneath it the slight tinge of his cologne, as well as sweat. It would only be a matter of time before someone came along, walking with their dog or kid, making it clear that the beach, and the night, were no longer ours alone. Thinking this, I squeezed my eyes shut tightly, again willing time to stop. Like the game Ethan played with his friends, striking a deal—I would have given anything for a few more hours.”
This is exactly why I prefer sunsets to sunrises because if you just spent the night talking with someone special, seeing the sunrise is bound to be a disappointment. Nothing signifies that a night is truly over quite like the first hint of light, as Dessen put it: “yet more proof of the intrusion of the world.”
• Unrelated: I started listening to this next song while reading about their hours together coming to an end, slowly yet all too quickly, and I realized just how fitting the lyrics are.
But what I kept repeating to myself throughout this part of the book was to not get sucked into Ethan and Louna’s relationship, because it was hinted at from the start that it doesn’t end well.
“I’d never had this feeling before, that something big was about to happen, and there was nothing I had to do but wait for it.”
• So you can only imagine how utterly devastated I was when I came to learn that Ethan Caruso had been the victim of a school shooting only seven months ago.
That vivid chapter of Louna finding out about the most devastating event of her life was what made the tears finally well up in my eyes.
“8:20, I thought. I’d just gotten my Spanish quiz. Ethan should have been in English, trying not to look at the hair of the girl in front of him, which he maintained was so greasy it literally dripped onto his desk. I knew this. I knew everything about him. So how did I not know if he was all right?
The hallway was emptying as everyone went into classrooms and down the nearby staircase. Moments earlier, it had been packed, elbow to elbow, with me just one of a sea of people. Now I stood there, staring at my screen, until all the doors around me shut and I was the only one left, standing alone. I told myself I wasn’t moving until I knew something, that I’d stop time in this interim. Later, it would seem silly that I thought I could do this, have some control over events already unfolded. But I believed in a lot of things, before. I never heard from Ethan again.”
My stomach dropped at that last sentence. They’d had the best night of their lives, talked everyday since - every moment, really - and then one day a tragedy happens and that’s it... no more plans, no more talks, nothing. Just radio silence.
• After the truth was out in the open, I was more than invested to see a happy future for Louna. And though the ending wrapped up quite loosely and quickly, I was still satisfied with where things seemed to head for our main character and the people surrounding her. (Though, the whole Ben storyline was a mess and uncalled for, in my opinion.)
All this to say that I’m still so grateful Sarah Dessen decided to release a brand-new book. I don't see myself ever tiring of her comforting characters. So for now I’m back to patiently waiting for new content, hopefully set to arrive in the near future.
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June 23, 2017
As a teenager, I truly thought no one could write a contemporary like Sarah Dessen. I'm not sure if I'm romanticizing her earlier books, but this paled in comparison. The characters were flat, the plot seemed pointless, the romance was lame, and the writing style was extremely basic. The characters in this felt recycled - Louna was like the girl from The Truth About Forever and Ambrose was a low budget version of Dexter from This Lullaby. After this experience, I'm not sure if I should ever reread my old favorites because I might be sorely disappointed.
December 6, 2017
Sarah Dessen books usually make me cry a good cry. This book did make me want to cry but only because I never ever expected to give the YA Romance Queen’s book a two star rating. *sniffs*
I really tried to like it but everything I look for in her novels are missing in Once and for All. Usually her books don’t have exciting plots but I still find them substantial. Here I thought it was just slow and dull. I couldn’t connect with the characters which is a first for my Sarah Dessen experience. Honestly, it breaks my heart to be saying all these things about the book.
I usually don’t mind insta-love as long as it’s done right or at least realistically but insta-love in my opinion can only be as instant as at least a week. One night though where everything happens including you know what already and saying “I love yous” is just stretching it too far. I would have forgiven this epic romantic failure had there been a great character development but alas, there wasn’t so I’m just gonna keep crying.
The only thing consoling me is the knowledge that I saved her other older books Along for the Ride, Lock & Key and The Truth About Forever because I have a feeling they will revive my love for the queen. Please don’t be discouraged. If you want to read her books, I suggest you start with the other ones I have already read and loved. Someone Like You, This Lullaby and my favorite so far Just Listen.
April 21, 2017
This book was... alright. But mostly disappointing.
I read it while I was sick, and when I'm sick all I want to read is light and fluffy contemporary.
For awhile, this was giving me exactly what I wanted. Especially as someone currently planning a wedding, it was a delight to read.
And then BAM all of a sudden there's a shoot shooting sub plot? What? Where did that come from? Why was I not emotionally prepared for this in any way? A little touch of #toosoon?
Also halfway through BAM the characters make a shallow bet about dating? Am I reading a fanfiction? Is this a debut author unsure how to add conflict to her story? No... it's Sarah Dessen. An acclaimed author. On her 13th book.
Why didn't the MC feel like she was dealing with the psychological fallout of her first love dying in a school shooting? Why did it feel like her only struggle was "learning to love again"? Why did every single character end up happily paired off at the end? I personally loved her mother and gay business partner's alternative relationship. What was Jilly's actual purpose in this story? Why did we casually encounter a school shooting and not TALK ABOUT IT?
Sigh. I still give this 3 stars because I still read the whole thing. I still wanted to know what happened. But I was shaking my head the whole time because it was predictable and kept delving deeper into tired clichés the further we went.
And please don't act like school shootings are so common place now that we don't need to treat them seriously, even in light fluffy books. This MC didn't seem to have spoken to any kind of counselors, or emotionally dealt with feelings of safety or anything. That's not okay. She would not be this okay without dealing with any of that.
I read it while I was sick, and when I'm sick all I want to read is light and fluffy contemporary.
For awhile, this was giving me exactly what I wanted. Especially as someone currently planning a wedding, it was a delight to read.
And then BAM all of a sudden there's a shoot shooting sub plot? What? Where did that come from? Why was I not emotionally prepared for this in any way? A little touch of #toosoon?
Also halfway through BAM the characters make a shallow bet about dating? Am I reading a fanfiction? Is this a debut author unsure how to add conflict to her story? No... it's Sarah Dessen. An acclaimed author. On her 13th book.
Why didn't the MC feel like she was dealing with the psychological fallout of her first love dying in a school shooting? Why did it feel like her only struggle was "learning to love again"? Why did every single character end up happily paired off at the end? I personally loved her mother and gay business partner's alternative relationship. What was Jilly's actual purpose in this story? Why did we casually encounter a school shooting and not TALK ABOUT IT?
Sigh. I still give this 3 stars because I still read the whole thing. I still wanted to know what happened. But I was shaking my head the whole time because it was predictable and kept delving deeper into tired clichés the further we went.
And please don't act like school shootings are so common place now that we don't need to treat them seriously, even in light fluffy books. This MC didn't seem to have spoken to any kind of counselors, or emotionally dealt with feelings of safety or anything. That's not okay. She would not be this okay without dealing with any of that.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 15, 2017
Dnf at 65%.
My first Sarah Dessen book & what a disappointment at that.
let me just begin with the mc & the love interest, just the enough reason to drop out of the book for me. Louna is such a dull & boring character. i do understand that she was going through a tragedy of her ex. but her dullness was too much to take, as we were going through day to day with her. plus she did not look at all grief-stricken to me. if the event of her ex was all that painful then why not go for therapy, get over it & live & move forward? she herself was pretending & was okay with it most of the time. it was just a back story to her, to be dull & boring & nothing else. it did not evoke sympathy in me, guess that was the reason behind it?
Where do i even begin with Ambrose? an annoying love interest with want to be funny lines on his part, does not make it likeable or swoon worthy or even little bit interesting.
the guy has more issues than the mc. he is got commitment issue. flirting with two dozen girls in one night is not a type of a love interest i want to read about. seriously how can any self-respecting girl, with even a tiniest bit of common sense fall for such a guy??? & he is really very very very very very annoying. plus the character thinks that his annoying ness is a reason to be overconfident. oh that is so annoying.
The plot? they both bet on their so called dating habits or not. its just obvious that they are going suggest each other from this. that's it?? they just go through this terribly slow book to just get to this end. no thank you. by this point i am not interested in either of these characters. so i don't really care how they end up with each other. not worth this entire book to watch this painful process.
My first Sarah Dessen book & what a disappointment at that.
let me just begin with the mc & the love interest, just the enough reason to drop out of the book for me. Louna is such a dull & boring character. i do understand that she was going through a tragedy of her ex. but her dullness was too much to take, as we were going through day to day with her. plus she did not look at all grief-stricken to me. if the event of her ex was all that painful then why not go for therapy, get over it & live & move forward? she herself was pretending & was okay with it most of the time. it was just a back story to her, to be dull & boring & nothing else. it did not evoke sympathy in me, guess that was the reason behind it?
Where do i even begin with Ambrose? an annoying love interest with want to be funny lines on his part, does not make it likeable or swoon worthy or even little bit interesting.
the guy has more issues than the mc. he is got commitment issue. flirting with two dozen girls in one night is not a type of a love interest i want to read about. seriously how can any self-respecting girl, with even a tiniest bit of common sense fall for such a guy??? & he is really very very very very very annoying. plus the character thinks that his annoying ness is a reason to be overconfident. oh that is so annoying.
The plot? they both bet on their so called dating habits or not. its just obvious that they are going suggest each other from this. that's it?? they just go through this terribly slow book to just get to this end. no thank you. by this point i am not interested in either of these characters. so i don't really care how they end up with each other. not worth this entire book to watch this painful process.
July 18, 2017
This is a YA book that says that it's centered around wedding planning when it's actually centered around a tragic school shooting. I found it gross and exploitative, but also (inexplicably?) boring. I did manage to read the entire book in one night, but that's because Matt drove to Houston and left me alone in the house, meaning I could barely manage to get up off the couch. Usually after work I lie down and his mere presence shames me into getting up. So, thanks a lot, Matt. This book was bad.
Louna narrates both sections of this book. In the present, she's working at her mother's wedding planning business alongside new recruit Ambrose. In the alternating chapters set in the past, she tells the story of her last boyfriend, Ethan. Here are all the reasons I hate the secondary plotline:
Six thumbs down would not recommend
Louna narrates both sections of this book. In the present, she's working at her mother's wedding planning business alongside new recruit Ambrose. In the alternating chapters set in the past, she tells the story of her last boyfriend, Ethan. Here are all the reasons I hate the secondary plotline:
Six thumbs down would not recommend
September 3, 2020
4.5./5 • i was in a huge reading slump when i began Once and for All, so i'm really surprised i binged it in two days. everything about the story was super cute! this was my first sarah dessen book (jk i read one in the early early days of YA and i remember NOTHING so i count this as my first) and there were lots of good things said; Once and for All didn't disappoint. it's a solid contemporary romance. there's nothing wrong with it, but it also didn't make me super emotional. the only complaint i have is that i wish the ending was longer. other than that, i'm happy with everything in this novel. :)
June 17, 2019
This was my first Sarah Dessen book and I loved it!!
The characters were great, the backstory was well-told and heartbreaking, and I adored the idea of a jaded wedding planner and the wedding drama.
Can't wait to read more of her books!
The characters were great, the backstory was well-told and heartbreaking, and I adored the idea of a jaded wedding planner and the wedding drama.
Can't wait to read more of her books!
July 26, 2017
[3.75] 3rd book completed for BookTubeAthon!
So the beginning took me a while to get into, the middle was perfect and gave me feeeeels, but the ending didn't leave me as satisfied as I wanted. I needed more depth to it and it felt rushed. Sarah Dessen is still pretty great though! On a mission to read all of her books.
So the beginning took me a while to get into, the middle was perfect and gave me feeeeels, but the ending didn't leave me as satisfied as I wanted. I needed more depth to it and it felt rushed. Sarah Dessen is still pretty great though! On a mission to read all of her books.
December 22, 2019
Zero plot
Zero character development
Zero chemistry
Yet still a three star?
How you ask? Sarah Dessen magic.
The characters barely progressed through this book, and their development felt non-existent.
Louana was boring to me, I was confused why a bunch of guys were so enthralled with her. She also apparently had never heard of stranger danger. Having sex with a stranger you just met a few hours ago on a beach? Probably not her best idea. I’m not even going to talk about the insta love.
Ambrose was one of those typical goofy, flirty and charismatic love interests that I am usually a sucker for. Instead, I found him annoying at some points. We first meet him holding up his mother’s wedding because he is too busy flirting with a girl in a carpark. PRIORITIES MAN.
The best characters to me were the ones with the least page time. William- my fav gay dad with commitment issues, and Ida the dog. (Speaking of ida, is no one going to talk about the fact that Ambrose stole a dog? The owner was abusive, but surely consequences must result.You can’t just go around stealing dogs from shops)
I’m not sure in what world Sarah Dessen thought weddings and school shootings would be a good mix for a fun summery contemporary- but here we are.
She could have done it well- but it seemed like she just added in that element for shock factor and as a way for her MC to be ’troubled’ even though it never bothered her except when it furthered the plot.
Speaking of plot-
What plot?
Thinking back on what happened in the 350+ pages of this book, there was next to nothing. A bet about dating, a few weddings, some flashbacks and a lot of unnecessary drama.
As a result of not much happening, it took me a relatively long time to get through this one.
That being said, I did enjoy some parts of this, namely the banter (I’m always a sucker for it) and descriptions of wedding shenanigans, I found myself smiling a few times because in typical Sarah Dessen fashion it had some moments that were so cute they were sickly sweet.
Despite all of those problems, the thing that reduced my enjoyment of this book the most was the lack of chemistry. I felt no chemistry between Louna and ben, lumberjack guy (that might even be the same person but I have no clue- they were both personality-less) or ambrose. It probably doesn’t help that we don’t even really see him for the last half of the book and when we do he has a girlfriend and she has a boyfriend.
But that doesn’t stop them from making out on the side of the road, because who cares about cheating when they love each other soooo much.
I would recommend this for anyone looking for a mindless summer read with a hint of the feels. Just don’t think about it too hard like I did or you will end up overanalysing it until the book becomes ridiculous.
Zero character development
Zero chemistry
Yet still a three star?
How you ask? Sarah Dessen magic.
The characters barely progressed through this book, and their development felt non-existent.
Louana was boring to me, I was confused why a bunch of guys were so enthralled with her. She also apparently had never heard of stranger danger. Having sex with a stranger you just met a few hours ago on a beach? Probably not her best idea. I’m not even going to talk about the insta love.
Ambrose was one of those typical goofy, flirty and charismatic love interests that I am usually a sucker for. Instead, I found him annoying at some points. We first meet him holding up his mother’s wedding because he is too busy flirting with a girl in a carpark. PRIORITIES MAN.
The best characters to me were the ones with the least page time. William- my fav gay dad with commitment issues, and Ida the dog. (Speaking of ida, is no one going to talk about the fact that Ambrose stole a dog? The owner was abusive, but surely consequences must result.You can’t just go around stealing dogs from shops)
I’m not sure in what world Sarah Dessen thought weddings and school shootings would be a good mix for a fun summery contemporary- but here we are.
She could have done it well- but it seemed like she just added in that element for shock factor and as a way for her MC to be ’troubled’ even though it never bothered her except when it furthered the plot.
Speaking of plot-
What plot?
Thinking back on what happened in the 350+ pages of this book, there was next to nothing. A bet about dating, a few weddings, some flashbacks and a lot of unnecessary drama.
As a result of not much happening, it took me a relatively long time to get through this one.
That being said, I did enjoy some parts of this, namely the banter (I’m always a sucker for it) and descriptions of wedding shenanigans, I found myself smiling a few times because in typical Sarah Dessen fashion it had some moments that were so cute they were sickly sweet.
Despite all of those problems, the thing that reduced my enjoyment of this book the most was the lack of chemistry. I felt no chemistry between Louna and ben, lumberjack guy (that might even be the same person but I have no clue- they were both personality-less) or ambrose. It probably doesn’t help that we don’t even really see him for the last half of the book and when we do he has a girlfriend and she has a boyfriend.
But that doesn’t stop them from making out on the side of the road, because who cares about cheating when they love each other soooo much.
I would recommend this for anyone looking for a mindless summer read with a hint of the feels. Just don’t think about it too hard like I did or you will end up overanalysing it until the book becomes ridiculous.
August 30, 2017
I found this romantic story predictable and sappy.
This novel is about Louna -the daughter of a successful wedding planner- and Ambrose, a funny and nice guy who has not yet found "the" girl. They start working together and at the beginning Louna can't stand him (don't know why because he's perfectly fine). But as time passes a romantic relationship develops.
I did not enjoy the novel because I could see everything that was going to happen and that fact turned the reading experience into a boring one. The story is narrated by Louna and it alternates between the present and past.
There is a backstory related to Louna's past which was also easily foreseeable based on how she reacted to some news she heard at the beginning of the novel.
Overall, it was ok. Do NOT be dissuaded by my reading experience with this novel, go ahead an read it if you enjoy contemporary romantic novels. Some of my favorite authors have published books I've not enjoyed but I've loved most of their works.
Review posted on blog.
This novel is about Louna -the daughter of a successful wedding planner- and Ambrose, a funny and nice guy who has not yet found "the" girl. They start working together and at the beginning Louna can't stand him (don't know why because he's perfectly fine). But as time passes a romantic relationship develops.
I did not enjoy the novel because I could see everything that was going to happen and that fact turned the reading experience into a boring one. The story is narrated by Louna and it alternates between the present and past.
There is a backstory related to Louna's past which was also easily foreseeable based on how she reacted to some news she heard at the beginning of the novel.
Overall, it was ok. Do NOT be dissuaded by my reading experience with this novel, go ahead an read it if you enjoy contemporary romantic novels. Some of my favorite authors have published books I've not enjoyed but I've loved most of their works.
Review posted on blog.
May 8, 2017
I actually waited till a month before the release to post this review. Applaud me for following the rules ;)
My first and only experience with Sarah Dessen's writing until now happened four years ago. I borrowed Someone Like You translated into Macedonian from the library, and I swore I'd never read another translation again. That experience threw me off reading Dessen too.
But this book introduced me again to her writing, and this time the right way. And don't worry, I'm gonna keep it short, bleak and spoiler free as I tend to do.
I'm not gonna comment on my favorite topic: the writing style. There's a reason why Mrs. Dessen is one of the most famous authors out there today. My main focus, even while I was reading, were the plot and the characters.
I really loved the story and the setting it was in. It was well-executed, well-presented and very fun to read. It seemed, and this is going to sound odd (it is to me too because I have little experience with synesthesia) but I saw it like spring, in blue and beige pastels.
I enjoyed the characters too. Louna was beautifully written and her development was the main point of the story. For the first time in a while I actually enjoyed having the romance part of the story slightly in the background.
It's a great book, and I'm glad I got the chance to read it and write this review before it's release.
Copy received through NetGalley. Huge thanks to Penguin Group for granting me the wish!!
My first and only experience with Sarah Dessen's writing until now happened four years ago. I borrowed Someone Like You translated into Macedonian from the library, and I swore I'd never read another translation again. That experience threw me off reading Dessen too.
But this book introduced me again to her writing, and this time the right way. And don't worry, I'm gonna keep it short, bleak and spoiler free as I tend to do.
I'm not gonna comment on my favorite topic: the writing style. There's a reason why Mrs. Dessen is one of the most famous authors out there today. My main focus, even while I was reading, were the plot and the characters.
I really loved the story and the setting it was in. It was well-executed, well-presented and very fun to read. It seemed, and this is going to sound odd (it is to me too because I have little experience with synesthesia) but I saw it like spring, in blue and beige pastels.
I enjoyed the characters too. Louna was beautifully written and her development was the main point of the story. For the first time in a while I actually enjoyed having the romance part of the story slightly in the background.
It's a great book, and I'm glad I got the chance to read it and write this review before it's release.
Copy received through NetGalley. Huge thanks to Penguin Group for granting me the wish!!
November 28, 2017
This was probably one of my least favourite Sarah Dessen books that I have read, unfortunately. It didn't have that Dessen magic and I found it to be kind of dragged out. I felt like it took me forever to read it, when in actuality it took like 5 days. I don't know, it was just lacklustre. I thought about marking it as a DNF more than a few times because I knew how it was going to end and I wasn't having fun while I was reading it but I decided to stick it out.
To sum up my whole experience with this book with one word it would be the word "meh"...
Writing - meh.
Romance(s) - meh.
Story - meh.
Ending - meh.
Characters - meh.
Then again, some of the characters were unbearable at times - Louna's mom, William, Louna, her friend who's name I can't remember. Plus Ambrose..? Think of the most clichéd YA romantic interest and then don't flesh him out as a character at all and you have Ambrose. It's just frustrating because I know Dessen can do so much better.
I would not recommend this but I will still read more by Dessen because she can be a great writer and storyteller.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Sometimes forgetting was just as bad as remembering.”
“You can’t measure love by time put in, but the weight of those moments. Some in life are light, like a touch. Others, you can’t help but stagger beneath.”
“The dead aren’t the only ones who vanish: you, too, can disappear in plain sight if enough is taken from you. I was still missing, in many ways. And I wasn’t sure I wanted to be found.”
.
To sum up my whole experience with this book with one word it would be the word "meh"...
Writing - meh.
Romance(s) - meh.
Story - meh.
Ending - meh.
Characters - meh.
Then again, some of the characters were unbearable at times - Louna's mom, William, Louna, her friend who's name I can't remember. Plus Ambrose..? Think of the most clichéd YA romantic interest and then don't flesh him out as a character at all and you have Ambrose. It's just frustrating because I know Dessen can do so much better.
I would not recommend this but I will still read more by Dessen because she can be a great writer and storyteller.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Sometimes forgetting was just as bad as remembering.”
“You can’t measure love by time put in, but the weight of those moments. Some in life are light, like a touch. Others, you can’t help but stagger beneath.”
“The dead aren’t the only ones who vanish: you, too, can disappear in plain sight if enough is taken from you. I was still missing, in many ways. And I wasn’t sure I wanted to be found.”
.
July 11, 2017
"Once and For All" is Sarah Dessen's latest Young Adult (YA) book taking place in Lakeview. I have enjoyed slashed loved most of the books, though the latest couple of ones I read I was....perplexed by. Dessen is inconsistent for me as a reader which is why I have been making sure that I get all of her books via the library. I think if I had finally given in and bought this book like I was contemplating the other day, I would have broke something in a fit of nerd rage.
The main character in this book is Louna. She is about to graduate high school and has plans to attend college. Since she can remember, it's been her, her mother, and her mother's best friend William. Louna's mother and William have the most sought after wedding planning business in the area and she's been helping them for a long time. The latter two are cynical about most of the marriages they help plan while Louna feels some kind of way about love. We have a lot of mysterious mutterings and if I had never read a book before, I would totally be surprised by what Louna experienced that had her feeling that love is a lie. Or whatever it was she going on about. I started to tun her out in my own defense.
When Louna is forced to work alongside a bride's jerk of a brother (seriously ya'll I wanted him to get smacked down by everyone) named Ambrose, she has someone who keeps picking at her and telling her what she needs to do (she needs to date more).
Ambrose was not interesting and set off every irritant I have about a member of the opposite sex for me. The guy was a typical mansplainer and I just wanted him to be told to shut up by all the other characters. I think that Jilly and Ambrose's sister were the only ones who saw him for what he was and called him out on that. Ambrose is that guy that when you go out to eat with him will order for you. Ambrose is that guy that explains how reverse racism is a thing. Ambrose will explain to you why Bernie would have won. Could he have been developed better so that he would not have sucked so hard? Don't know. But I do know that I started to have physical reactions everytime this character "spoke" in this book. I had way too many flashbacks while reading this to people I know in real life.
I have no idea why no one in this book ever takes Ambrose aside and talks about Louna's past. I have no idea why Louna doesn't either. Oh wait, I do, because if anyone in this book acted like a real life human being (Louna's best friend Jilly is not included in this list) there would have been even less of a plot than what this book had.
The other characters are not developed that well. I wish that honestly we had this book told from Jilly's POV honestly. I was more interested in her story. Her parents are barely around running two gourmet grilled cheese trucks.
I maybe made myself a grilled cheese sandwich at 3 am. Don't judge me.
And Jilly has the responsibility for her younger siblings and realistic feels like she was thrown into being an adult way earlier than she should have. She also really loves Louna and seems to be her only friend besides Louna's mother and William. It's so weird to me that we have people knowing Louna and apparently people know her from school, but she felt like a blank slate the entire time to me.
The writing was uneven throughout. We had Louna in the present and in the past remembering her prior relationship with her boyfriend Ethan. I suppose I was suppose to think that Ethan was great. Maybe I would have if he had been developed at all. He was not a fully realized presence in this book so I didn't care about the not so secret reveal about him.
I don't know if chapter heading cues or something would have helped me as a reader realize I was reading about something in the past or present or what. Instead I had a fog of confusion for most of this story.
I should have known this book was going to be a dud after the insta-love between the main character (Louna) and her boyfriend Ethan resulted in them having beach sex after knowing each other for a few hours. Don't get me started people. I started having bad flashbacks to "Holly" by Jude Deveraux. These too nitwits were running around saying I love you's immediately too. There are other reasons why this book didn't work which I will get into below.
The flow was off from beginning to end. I think if the book had ended at a certain scene
The setting of this book is in Dessen's fictional town of Lakeview. I seriously don't know if prior characters from other books showed up in this one. I refuse to go back and check. Someone can let me know in the comments.
I will say that the only parts of this book that I actually enjoyed was reading about the wedding planning business. Those parts were hilarious and felt very realistic. Everything else was a big fat no and made me sigh. I was up half the night shaking my head at this book. I loved "The Truth About Forever" and "Lock and Key" and this book is now making me wonder about my taste level in liking those two books.
The main character in this book is Louna. She is about to graduate high school and has plans to attend college. Since she can remember, it's been her, her mother, and her mother's best friend William. Louna's mother and William have the most sought after wedding planning business in the area and she's been helping them for a long time. The latter two are cynical about most of the marriages they help plan while Louna feels some kind of way about love. We have a lot of mysterious mutterings and if I had never read a book before, I would totally be surprised by what Louna experienced that had her feeling that love is a lie. Or whatever it was she going on about. I started to tun her out in my own defense.
When Louna is forced to work alongside a bride's jerk of a brother (seriously ya'll I wanted him to get smacked down by everyone) named Ambrose, she has someone who keeps picking at her and telling her what she needs to do (she needs to date more).
Ambrose was not interesting and set off every irritant I have about a member of the opposite sex for me. The guy was a typical mansplainer and I just wanted him to be told to shut up by all the other characters. I think that Jilly and Ambrose's sister were the only ones who saw him for what he was and called him out on that. Ambrose is that guy that when you go out to eat with him will order for you. Ambrose is that guy that explains how reverse racism is a thing. Ambrose will explain to you why Bernie would have won. Could he have been developed better so that he would not have sucked so hard? Don't know. But I do know that I started to have physical reactions everytime this character "spoke" in this book. I had way too many flashbacks while reading this to people I know in real life.
I have no idea why no one in this book ever takes Ambrose aside and talks about Louna's past. I have no idea why Louna doesn't either. Oh wait, I do, because if anyone in this book acted like a real life human being (Louna's best friend Jilly is not included in this list) there would have been even less of a plot than what this book had.
The other characters are not developed that well. I wish that honestly we had this book told from Jilly's POV honestly. I was more interested in her story. Her parents are barely around running two gourmet grilled cheese trucks.
I maybe made myself a grilled cheese sandwich at 3 am. Don't judge me.
And Jilly has the responsibility for her younger siblings and realistic feels like she was thrown into being an adult way earlier than she should have. She also really loves Louna and seems to be her only friend besides Louna's mother and William. It's so weird to me that we have people knowing Louna and apparently people know her from school, but she felt like a blank slate the entire time to me.
The writing was uneven throughout. We had Louna in the present and in the past remembering her prior relationship with her boyfriend Ethan. I suppose I was suppose to think that Ethan was great. Maybe I would have if he had been developed at all. He was not a fully realized presence in this book so I didn't care about the not so secret reveal about him.
I don't know if chapter heading cues or something would have helped me as a reader realize I was reading about something in the past or present or what. Instead I had a fog of confusion for most of this story.
I should have known this book was going to be a dud after the insta-love between the main character (Louna) and her boyfriend Ethan resulted in them having beach sex after knowing each other for a few hours. Don't get me started people. I started having bad flashbacks to "Holly" by Jude Deveraux. These too nitwits were running around saying I love you's immediately too. There are other reasons why this book didn't work which I will get into below.
The flow was off from beginning to end. I think if the book had ended at a certain scene
The setting of this book is in Dessen's fictional town of Lakeview. I seriously don't know if prior characters from other books showed up in this one. I refuse to go back and check. Someone can let me know in the comments.
I will say that the only parts of this book that I actually enjoyed was reading about the wedding planning business. Those parts were hilarious and felt very realistic. Everything else was a big fat no and made me sigh. I was up half the night shaking my head at this book. I loved "The Truth About Forever" and "Lock and Key" and this book is now making me wonder about my taste level in liking those two books.
February 28, 2017
Love ... love ... love ... this is why Dessen is one of my favorite authors!! She tells a great story and has me falling for her characters.
More thoughts to come when I have time to gather them. For now, let's just say this will be one of my fave YAs this year. Yup! I'm pretty sure.
More thoughts to come when I have time to gather them. For now, let's just say this will be one of my fave YAs this year. Yup! I'm pretty sure.
Shelved as 'desperately-need-to-read'
August 20, 2016SHRIEKING IM SO HAPPY AND EXCITED AAAAHHH
March 10, 2020
Full Review on The Candid Cover
4.5 Stars
I have only recently discovered Sarah Dessen’s books, but I have enjoyed each one that I have picked up. I had high hopes for this one, and I can safely say that I was not let down. This book tells the story of a wedding planner’s daughter and contains a main character who is a real thinker. There are many flashbacks throughout the book, which add a lot of anticipation. Once and for All is a cutesy yet serious book that I am sure will appeal to everyone.
One of the main things that drew me to this book is the originality. The main character is the daughter of a wedding planner, but doesn’t believe in true love herself. I found all the behind-the-scenes wedding aspects to be so fascinating, and I learned that I would never be able to handle the stress of a job like this. The plot thickens as an arrogant rich boy is recruited to work for the wedding company, and I loved the comedic conversations he and the main character have. The way that the staff always predict how long the newlyweds’ marriage will last was also very entertaining. This book is cute and amusing, perfect for the beach.
Louna is a character with such a complex backstory that I wasn’t expecting when the book first began. She is so developed, and I really enjoyed how she is always up for a challenge. Louna is respectful, hardworking, and a great problem-solver, which comes in handy when brides freak out. I found her character to be the perfect narrator for a book like this, and she brought a lot of heart to the book.
I really enjoyed the use of flashbacks in this book. It’s kind of hard to describe without spoiling, but the bit of suspense added to the story really gripped me. This book is a bit slow-paced, so it takes a while to get to the big reveal, so it does kind of lose its thunder. However, I still liked being transported back to Louna’s past for an explanation of her actions.
Once and for All is an adorable contemporary with wedding planning aspects and a logical main character. I loved the use of flashbacks and the suspense that came with them. Whether you are a new or longtime Dessen fan, this book will not disappoint!
4.5 Stars
I have only recently discovered Sarah Dessen’s books, but I have enjoyed each one that I have picked up. I had high hopes for this one, and I can safely say that I was not let down. This book tells the story of a wedding planner’s daughter and contains a main character who is a real thinker. There are many flashbacks throughout the book, which add a lot of anticipation. Once and for All is a cutesy yet serious book that I am sure will appeal to everyone.
One of the main things that drew me to this book is the originality. The main character is the daughter of a wedding planner, but doesn’t believe in true love herself. I found all the behind-the-scenes wedding aspects to be so fascinating, and I learned that I would never be able to handle the stress of a job like this. The plot thickens as an arrogant rich boy is recruited to work for the wedding company, and I loved the comedic conversations he and the main character have. The way that the staff always predict how long the newlyweds’ marriage will last was also very entertaining. This book is cute and amusing, perfect for the beach.
Louna is a character with such a complex backstory that I wasn’t expecting when the book first began. She is so developed, and I really enjoyed how she is always up for a challenge. Louna is respectful, hardworking, and a great problem-solver, which comes in handy when brides freak out. I found her character to be the perfect narrator for a book like this, and she brought a lot of heart to the book.
I really enjoyed the use of flashbacks in this book. It’s kind of hard to describe without spoiling, but the bit of suspense added to the story really gripped me. This book is a bit slow-paced, so it takes a while to get to the big reveal, so it does kind of lose its thunder. However, I still liked being transported back to Louna’s past for an explanation of her actions.
Once and for All is an adorable contemporary with wedding planning aspects and a logical main character. I loved the use of flashbacks and the suspense that came with them. Whether you are a new or longtime Dessen fan, this book will not disappoint!
July 1, 2017
trigger warning: school shootings
I really missed Sarah Dessen and her heartfelt novels. This one reminded me a lot of her older books, but I really liked it nevertheless. Although Saint Anything has better ratings, Once and for All seemed like a better read for me. Louna is a complex character who's dealing with a lot of things and the dynamic between her, her mom and William might be a bit peculiar, but I really connected with her and wanted to see how she develops throughout the novel.
"Everyone's always in their own world, when it's still an option.
Ambrose is... interesting. I can definitely understand why someone might not like him, he comes off as pretentious and carefree at times, but I needed, just like Louna, someone like him in my life at this particular moment. I was really excited when I saw that the book will revolve around Louna's mom's wedding planning business & I absolutely enjoyed being dragged into their both insane and amazing world. The ending was a bit too convenient, even for Sarah Dessen, but, overall, I enjoyed reading another one of her books. Keep writing Sarah!
June 6, 2017
THIS is what a Dessen novel felt like when i first found her books. i didn't enjoy her last book (Saint Anything) but this one made me so happy and giddy. The last few chapters could have been better but I'll take them as they are.
September 15, 2017
if this book is a event of wedding of the century, i will walk out from the event no matter how killer conga they can dance.
it is disappointing book. i like along for the ride better than this book.
nothing click in this book for me.
it is disappointing book. i like along for the ride better than this book.
nothing click in this book for me.
Want to read
February 8, 2017Edited 02/06/2017
After Saint Anything and this blog post, I was worried that Sarah Dessen would never publish another book. Seeing as how she is one of my favorite authors, this was pretty heartbreaking to read. However, it seems I was worried for nothing!
Here are her tweets about the difficulties of writing ONCE AND FOR ALL:
----
Initial post 08/21/2016
All of the details available so far about Dessen's thirteenth book will be down below, but first, my initial reaction...
*COMMENCE FREAKOUT*
Romance. Marriage. Wedding planning?
I'm not sure about everyone else, but I have a soft spot in my heart for movies involving weddings (Sweet Home Alabama, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Made of Honor, The Proposal, The Wedding Date, 27 Dresses... *big gasp* Did I miss any?). I haven't read many books that involve weddings/wedding planning, though, so I'm really excited to read this one.
I'm imagining beautiful dresses, dramatic wedding shenanigans, sweet heart-to-hearts, and of course at the center of it all - a wonderfully witty heroine just trying to escape alive.
2017 IS TOO FAR AWAY!
----------
And now for what we know so far about ONCE AND FOR ALL...
From Sarah Dessen's website:
Here is the PW announcement:
If you want to read a great article from Slate about the editing process of Dessen's books (of which Hayes has been editing since 2001, including one of my favorites - Along for the Ride!), you can check that out here. I absolutely LOVE this quote from Hayes in the article where she speaks to Dessen's writing style:
I think Hayes perfectly captured what exactly it is I adore about Sarah Dessen's books so much. She creates such relatable main characters, and her secondary characters are always equally as interesting.
-------------------------------
Added 02/07/2017:
And now we have both a cover AND an excerpt! LOOK AT THAT COVER! And read the excerpt here.here.
After Saint Anything and this blog post, I was worried that Sarah Dessen would never publish another book. Seeing as how she is one of my favorite authors, this was pretty heartbreaking to read. However, it seems I was worried for nothing!
Here are her tweets about the difficulties of writing ONCE AND FOR ALL:
SO many lovely responses to the news of my new book. Number 13 was SO scary for me, for a lot of reasons. After Saint Anything, I wasn't...
...sure I had another YA book in me. It just took all I had. Then I had 2-3 false starts, which didn't help at ALL. Was kind of freaking out.
Put a YA book aside in late September, took a break. Then started on an adult book (as in non-YA, not "adult":contemporary fiction?) which..
...was just SO fun and made me happy. But by December, I'd decided I wanted to try YA. One last time. Thank goodness an idea did come.
Started ONCE AND FOR ALL in late January. It was a rough ride writing wise, with all the doubt. I cried a LOT. (Did with TTAF and L&K, too.)
In early April, I wasn't sure I'd ever finish the book. But by mid-May, somehow, it was done. Though I thought it was terrible.
I took a break for a week, then re-read and decided it wasn't HORRIBLE. Another break. Another read. Okay, some parts were actually okay.
(When I am tired and sad the world is a very dismal place. And my writing is always terrible, at least as far as I am concerned.)
Anyway. Finally worked up the nerve to send it to my agent. Told her it was, Anne Lamott style, a Sh*tty First Draft. And to be kind.
She called a day and a half later. Said:"For a sh*tty first draft, it's pretty f*cking good."I cried in parking lot of my kid's Tae Kwon Do.
I always, ALWAYS think I can't do this, even as I am doing it. Even when it is DONE. Am continually surprised when it works out, somehow.
Anyway, sorry to clog your timeline. I'm a little emotional, clearly! Thanks for listening.
----
Initial post 08/21/2016
All of the details available so far about Dessen's thirteenth book will be down below, but first, my initial reaction...
*COMMENCE FREAKOUT*
Romance. Marriage. Wedding planning?
I'm not sure about everyone else, but I have a soft spot in my heart for movies involving weddings (Sweet Home Alabama, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Made of Honor, The Proposal, The Wedding Date, 27 Dresses... *big gasp* Did I miss any?). I haven't read many books that involve weddings/wedding planning, though, so I'm really excited to read this one.
I'm imagining beautiful dresses, dramatic wedding shenanigans, sweet heart-to-hearts, and of course at the center of it all - a wonderfully witty heroine just trying to escape alive.
2017 IS TOO FAR AWAY!
----------
And now for what we know so far about ONCE AND FOR ALL...
From Sarah Dessen's website:
You guys.
I have had to keep this news secret for SO long. I am thrilled to finally share that my 13th novel (lucky, right?), ONCE AND FOR ALL, with be out in summer 2017. I can’t wait for you guys to read it!
Read the official announcement in PW here.
I know I’ve been MIA from this blog and, well, everything for awhile. I was working HARD writing this book from January to May and then immediately started editing with the wonderful Regina Hayes at Viking Children’s Books. I can’t wait to tell you more about it in the coming weeks as well as share a cover! So stay tuned. And now, back to enjoying summer while it lasts…..
Here is the PW announcement:
Dessen Goes “Once” Around at Viking Kids
In a world right deal, Regina Hayes and Ken Wright at Viking Children’s Books bought Sarah Dessen’s Once and for All. The novel, which is the author’s 13th, follows a just-graduated high schooler with a cynical view of romance and marriage. Burned by her first true love, she’s not ready to give her heart to anyone, when she meets a handsome young man. Set in what Viking called “the chaotic world of wedding planning,” Once and for All is slated for a summer 2017 release. Dessen was represented by Leigh Feldman at Leigh Feldman Literary.
If you want to read a great article from Slate about the editing process of Dessen's books (of which Hayes has been editing since 2001, including one of my favorites - Along for the Ride!), you can check that out here. I absolutely LOVE this quote from Hayes in the article where she speaks to Dessen's writing style:
"The girls in your books are always on a journey. The books are not problem novels, nor are they boy-meets-girl tales. They’re full, rich, stories about a person in transition, caught in a nexus of change. There is always a large, well-developed cast of characters, both major and minor."
I think Hayes perfectly captured what exactly it is I adore about Sarah Dessen's books so much. She creates such relatable main characters, and her secondary characters are always equally as interesting.
-------------------------------
Added 02/07/2017:
And now we have both a cover AND an excerpt! LOOK AT THAT COVER! And read the excerpt here.here.
May 18, 2018
Initial reaction: I really enjoyed the journey in this latest book from Sarah Dessen. Sweet romance story in places, but it's also a great story surrounding grief and family as well. Louna was a nice protagonist to follow, though I did feel certain moments and revelations felt a bit rushed.
Full review:
I still struggle to try to frame my thoughts around Sarah Dessen's "Once and for All" - because this story has a lot to unpack with being a slice of life romance paired with a overarching story of grief and coming to terms. It follows right in the vein and voice of many of Dessen's other novels, and I thought the experience was heartfelt and identifiable on the whole. I didn't realize how much I'd like this read for the type of story it told until I picked it up and decided to run with what it had to offer. An overarching critique I could give this narrative is that it has bumpy pacing (moves too fast in some points and too slow in others - something I'll reflect upon in this review) and a certain plot point was delayed far too long when it was obvious after a certain point that it was coming.
Louna tells two tales in this overarching narrative. In the past (and told in flashbacks), Louna reflects on a whirlwind romance she shared with her former boyfriend Ethan. It's a bit of instalove considering the terms in which they meet, but somehow I felt I could get behind it because of the intimacy of the character detail and their chemistry. Their relationship is mercilessly cut short, and Louna thinks she's basically one and done - had her ideal romance and another one won't really come along again. Ironic, even as she points out, because she helps her mother in her famous wedding planning business.
Louna's perspective changes with the entrance of Ambrose - spontaneous, good-humored, but reckless and full of flaws. Even from the first time they meet, he's the thorn in a time-sensitive wedding ceremony that she has to haul him into (literally) at the last moment. He is her polar opposite in every way, but he attempts to create a relationship with her every chance he can. It was fun to watch their interactions in the slice of life moments. He isn't aware of Louna's relationship with Ethan and the barriers that keep her cynical and reluctant to be in another relationship. The story eventually has a coming of terms for Louna in both her grief and her ability to know what she wants for the future. I appreciated that this was definitely a coming of age tale for Louna and remained firmly in her viewpoint, with moments of the supporting characters around her to shine and create a nice familial focus to boot. The wedding planning aspect of the novel was fun to watch and felt very realistic, while also being a unique aspect that I haven't seen in a lot of YA novels.
I think the major issue that kept this book from being a higher rating from me personally was the uneven pacing. Part of that was due to the way that the conflict around Ethan was framed. While impactful and horrifying, it wasn't as much of a mystery (though it portrayed itself as such) after it came to a certain point. It felt like the book was dragging its heels just to get to that revelation. Once that revelation came, and Ambrose recognizes the truth behind it, the conflict associated with that revelation moved too quickly to be able to feel Louna's full weighing the balance of it. I understand that the story had to be that way (past interspersed with present) in order to frame the narrative, but maybe it could've came a lot sooner than it did, especially with the impact it had to Louna's relationship with Ambrose and being a part of the "bet" that's developed between them.
It's a good, character driven story, and one that I think teens would enjoy for a sweet coming to terms story showcasing much growth on the part of the protagonist. Yet, I think some pieces of it work against it from having more emotional punch, particularly with the difficult and very relevant backdrop it paints.
Overall score: 3.5/5 stars.
Note: I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley from the publisher.
Full review:
I still struggle to try to frame my thoughts around Sarah Dessen's "Once and for All" - because this story has a lot to unpack with being a slice of life romance paired with a overarching story of grief and coming to terms. It follows right in the vein and voice of many of Dessen's other novels, and I thought the experience was heartfelt and identifiable on the whole. I didn't realize how much I'd like this read for the type of story it told until I picked it up and decided to run with what it had to offer. An overarching critique I could give this narrative is that it has bumpy pacing (moves too fast in some points and too slow in others - something I'll reflect upon in this review) and a certain plot point was delayed far too long when it was obvious after a certain point that it was coming.
Louna tells two tales in this overarching narrative. In the past (and told in flashbacks), Louna reflects on a whirlwind romance she shared with her former boyfriend Ethan. It's a bit of instalove considering the terms in which they meet, but somehow I felt I could get behind it because of the intimacy of the character detail and their chemistry. Their relationship is mercilessly cut short, and Louna thinks she's basically one and done - had her ideal romance and another one won't really come along again. Ironic, even as she points out, because she helps her mother in her famous wedding planning business.
Louna's perspective changes with the entrance of Ambrose - spontaneous, good-humored, but reckless and full of flaws. Even from the first time they meet, he's the thorn in a time-sensitive wedding ceremony that she has to haul him into (literally) at the last moment. He is her polar opposite in every way, but he attempts to create a relationship with her every chance he can. It was fun to watch their interactions in the slice of life moments. He isn't aware of Louna's relationship with Ethan and the barriers that keep her cynical and reluctant to be in another relationship. The story eventually has a coming of terms for Louna in both her grief and her ability to know what she wants for the future. I appreciated that this was definitely a coming of age tale for Louna and remained firmly in her viewpoint, with moments of the supporting characters around her to shine and create a nice familial focus to boot. The wedding planning aspect of the novel was fun to watch and felt very realistic, while also being a unique aspect that I haven't seen in a lot of YA novels.
I think the major issue that kept this book from being a higher rating from me personally was the uneven pacing. Part of that was due to the way that the conflict around Ethan was framed. While impactful and horrifying, it wasn't as much of a mystery (though it portrayed itself as such) after it came to a certain point. It felt like the book was dragging its heels just to get to that revelation. Once that revelation came, and Ambrose recognizes the truth behind it, the conflict associated with that revelation moved too quickly to be able to feel Louna's full weighing the balance of it. I understand that the story had to be that way (past interspersed with present) in order to frame the narrative, but maybe it could've came a lot sooner than it did, especially with the impact it had to Louna's relationship with Ambrose and being a part of the "bet" that's developed between them.
It's a good, character driven story, and one that I think teens would enjoy for a sweet coming to terms story showcasing much growth on the part of the protagonist. Yet, I think some pieces of it work against it from having more emotional punch, particularly with the difficult and very relevant backdrop it paints.
Overall score: 3.5/5 stars.
Note: I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley from the publisher.
September 19, 2017
Louna is the daughter of a single mother, Natalie Barrett. Natalie runs a famous wedding planning business with her friend William. Together--often with Louna's assistance--they help frantic brides have the perfect day. But Louna, Natalie, and William are a cynical trio: so much that they even take bets on the success of each wedding after every affair is over and they're cleaning up. Louna has another reason to be cynical: she met her true love the previous summer, but it ended tragically. After graduating high school, she's just trying to get through her last summer and head off to college. Standing in her way: charming Ambrose, the brother of one of her mother's clients. Natalie takes on Ambrose as an employee to appease her client, so Louna is stuck with cheery, serial-dater Ambrose. But the more time she spends with him, the less he starts to bother her...
I was surprisingly charmed by this novel. It's predictable, but in a good way. You know what you get with a Dessen novel, and this book came along at a good time for me. It's more serious than expected (I won't spoil that plot twist for you) but also breezy and sweet at times. Louna is a likeable heroine--flawed, complicated, real. The supporting cast of characters is humorous and realistic: Louna's best friend Jilly, whose parents have a food truck business and saddle Jilly with her many younger siblings; William, with his bride-whisperer tendencies; Natalie, and her rigid obsession with her business; and girl-crazy Ambrose, who verges on stereotype, but manages not to. The book also gives you a fun look into the wedding business, which is sort of enjoyable and lets you see how most of our characters deal with stress.
Overall, this is an engaging novel, with serious undertones. It's a quick read, powered by an enjoyable cast of characters. While there are some dark moments that may surprise you, the romance probably won't. But there's nothing necessarily wrong with that sometimes. :)
You can find my review of Dessen's novel SAINT ANYTHING here.
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I was surprisingly charmed by this novel. It's predictable, but in a good way. You know what you get with a Dessen novel, and this book came along at a good time for me. It's more serious than expected (I won't spoil that plot twist for you) but also breezy and sweet at times. Louna is a likeable heroine--flawed, complicated, real. The supporting cast of characters is humorous and realistic: Louna's best friend Jilly, whose parents have a food truck business and saddle Jilly with her many younger siblings; William, with his bride-whisperer tendencies; Natalie, and her rigid obsession with her business; and girl-crazy Ambrose, who verges on stereotype, but manages not to. The book also gives you a fun look into the wedding business, which is sort of enjoyable and lets you see how most of our characters deal with stress.
Overall, this is an engaging novel, with serious undertones. It's a quick read, powered by an enjoyable cast of characters. While there are some dark moments that may surprise you, the romance probably won't. But there's nothing necessarily wrong with that sometimes. :)
You can find my review of Dessen's novel SAINT ANYTHING here.
Blog ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Google+ ~ Instagram
July 9, 2017
August 20, 2016: I'm actually tearing up. I started reading Sarah's books in middle school, right when things started to get, well, hard. The thought that this book will come out right after I graduate from High School, knowing that her books will truly take me all the way to the end of this journey, is making my heart swell. Let's do this, Dessen.
October 6, 2016: THE COVER!!! THE EXCERPT!!! It's all so Sarah Dessen!!!!!!
October 6, 2016: THE COVER!!! THE EXCERPT!!! It's all so Sarah Dessen!!!!!!
May 27, 2017
This is only my second try at a Sarah Dessen book, but I doubt I'm going to try any others. Don't get me wrong, it was heartfelt and lovely, just like everyone says, but I don't think they're for me.
I liked Louna well enough. She's got one hell of a backstory and those flashbacks were some of my favorite parts. I enjoyed the dynamic between Louna's mom and William and Louna. As for Ambrose, he's quirky and delightful and the much needed levity.
I did struggle with this story and yet somehow I kept reading it. Things moved too slow and there was more heartbreak and sadness than what I was expecting. I am 100% certain I will be in the minority.
**Huge thanks to Viking for providing the arc free of charge**
I liked Louna well enough. She's got one hell of a backstory and those flashbacks were some of my favorite parts. I enjoyed the dynamic between Louna's mom and William and Louna. As for Ambrose, he's quirky and delightful and the much needed levity.
I did struggle with this story and yet somehow I kept reading it. Things moved too slow and there was more heartbreak and sadness than what I was expecting. I am 100% certain I will be in the minority.
**Huge thanks to Viking for providing the arc free of charge**
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