It’s going to come as a shock for most of you guys, probably, but… before The Truth About Forever, I had never read a Sarah Dessen book. That’s something I am not proud of, especially given the fact that I am a huge contemporary lover. Thanks to some people’s endless persuasion –you’ll recognize yourself, and THANK YOU-, I finally can say that I have read one of the most prolific YA contemporary authors of these days. And that I liked it, a lot.
There’s no such thing as perfection
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“It’s just that…I just think that some things are meant to be broken. Imperfect. Chaotic. It’s the universe’s way of providing contrast, you know? There have to be a few holes in the road. It’s how life is.”
What starts off as an average contemporary story, really had a lot, lot more to deliver. Macy is a sixteen-years-old teenager, struggling to deal with her father’s sudden death months ago, struggling to be the “perfect” girl she always thought she had to be, alongside of her “perfect” nerd boyfriend. But when the boyfriend in question leaves for half of the summer to some sort of Brainiac camp, Macy’s all by herself and slowly realizing that, no, being perfect isn’t all there is. That image she started building herself around, slowly shatters, and makes some room for a whole new person: a girl she didn’t realize was inside of her, a girl that shouldn’t be perfect at all costs, study hard, work hard, respect curfew and make everything goes smoothly. Because if anything, LIFE doesn’t go smoothly. As you can guess, this story was mainly character-driven, so if you’re a fan of huge plot twists and a story keeping you off your toes, well, this might not be the story for you. If you love contemporaries, characters going through a huge development, or a perfect summer read, then, this is it.
A character-driven story, with some amazing side-characters
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“It was just one of those things,” I said, “You know, that just happen. You don’t think or plan. You just do it.”
Obviously, in order for me to make sense, I need to talk about the characters, and Macy, especially. The main character of this story reminded me of myself, at times, and maybe it’s for that reason that I could relate so much, and definitely emphasize with what she’s going through. She’s struggling, she doesn’t know who she is supposed to be. She is just one of the most realistic characters I might have read about in a contemporary. Since this is mostly a character-driven story, we get to follow her all through summer, as she tries to handle one job she hates, another she’s kind of happy about, and meet people completely changing her views about things. If we get an excellent glimpse of Macy and her evolution thorough the story, secondary characters are such a huge part of the story as well, completely shaping Macy into who she wants to become. They are not just here to give the main character someone to talk to, and fit in a little dialogue here and there: they are such a huge part of the story, and all of them are fleshed-out precisely, realistically, making us discover a real little gang of people, creating friendships, and more, making us discover the heart and the roots of human relationships, and what they can bring us, how they can make us see the world completely differently.
Relationships in three words: strong, realistic, FEELINGS
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“The choices you make now, the people you surround yourself with, they all have the potential to affect your life, even who you are, forever.”
You know me: I’m not going to leave you without some kind of marshmallow story on the side. If there’s something like a love story in that Sarah Dessen book, it’s slow-building, with friendship, with getting to know each other and slowly growing feelings towards each other. Far, far away from the insta-love trope, what we get here is a realistic relationship, with a boy that’s definitely far from being perfect, yet managed to bring a huge grin on my face every single time. There was such a huge place for family relationships as well, especially between Macy and her mom, hard-working, never-stopping kind of mom. If the development of their relationship comes a little later on, we’re definitely understanding and rooting for a reconciliation and a happy ending, something we might not really get at the end of this book. If everything seemed perfect, the family issues weren’t completely solved at the last lines, sadly. However, this didn’t prevent me from caring, and thinking about these relationships for a long, long time afterwards.
OVERALL
If there’s one word to describe this book, it would be, realistic. In a world where you can’t really say forever, the truth is, all you have is right now. With realistically fleshed-out characters, great relationships and an incredible growth, Macy’s journey will take away all contemporary lovers with a huge smile on their faces. Not so into contemporaries? If you want to start, do it right here, with this little glimpse of a forever.
Final rating: 4 drops!
Did you read The Truth About Forever? Do you want to read it?
Sarah Dessen fans, WHAT is the next book I need to read now? Do you have suggestions of other books with very realistic characters? Share your thoughts in comments!
Sarah Dessen, The Truth About Forever, Published by Penguin Group Inc., May 11th 2004.
A long, hot summer…
That’s what Macy has to look forward to while her boyfriend, Jason, is away at Brain Camp. Days will be spent at a boring job in the library, evenings will be filled with vocabulary drills for the SATs, and spare time will be passed with her mother, the two of them sharing a silent grief at the traumatic loss of Macy’s father.
But sometimes, unexpected things can happen—things such as the catering job at Wish, with its fun-loving, chaotic crew. Or her sister’s project of renovating the neglected beach house, awakening long-buried memories. Things such as meeting Wes, a boy with a past, a taste for Truth-telling, and an amazing artistic talent, the kind of boy who could turn any girl’s world upside down. As Macy ventures out of her shell, she begins to question her sheltered life.
Is it really always better to be safe than sorry?
I am so glad you loved this book. Sarah Dessen was actually one of the first YA contemporary authors I read, and this was years ago now, but I think you’ve picked one of her best books to start off with because The Truth About Forever is one of my favourites (the other is Just Listen which I really think you should read next if you’re looking for suggestions!)
I really loved Macy, especially her character growth throughout the story as learns she doesn’t need to be “perfect”, I thought overall she was an amazing character and someone I really looked up to when it first read this book.
Great review! You’ve really made me want to re-read this book again, and soon as well! 😀
Ohh thank you so much for the recommendation Beth, I’ll make sure to pick up Just Listen next, because of COURSE I am looking for suggestions, especially when they come from you 😀
Thank you so, so much! <3
Yay! Like I said Just Listen is my other favourite of Dessen’s and the first book by hers I picked up so I’m really excited for you to read it! 😀 I hope you love it as much as I did! ❤️
Well it’s definitely decided then, I WILL get Just Listen next 😛 I can’t wait!
Yay! I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for you review of Just Listen then! 😀
Please do,hopefully it will come SOON, ahah, well…whenever I buy books again 😛
Just chiming in to give another vote for Just Listen! Still my favourite contemporary YA of all time. ❤️
OHH REALLY? Well, all I have left to do now is to RUN and buy that book right now 😛
Yeees, do it! I hope you love it. <3
I’m sure I will <3
A realistic love in a contemporary? Say no more, I will check it out! Great review! I love how I was able to feel you really liked it through your words.
I will admit something… I have never read anything from Sarah Dessen, and had never heard of her! Thank you for putting an end to my ignorance, haha!
Ahhh Donna thank you, you really are the sweetest I want to hug you and give you tons of chocolate ahah <3
Oh I'm glad you said that, makes me feel a bit less alone about just starting now, ahah. You should read that book, and/or read one with me, that'd be quite awesome 😀
I love huuuuugs <3 I'll definitely read this one, and we should totally read one together 😀
That would be AWESOME 😀
Then we have a date xD for whenever we want to get another of her books!
YES WE DO. A date with you, I and our books = best date EVER. 😛
xD You’re the sweetest!
YOU ARE <3
Great review! ?
Thank you so, so much! 🙂
You’re so welcome!
Biggest Sarah Dessen fan here! Haha. I’ve read all her books and if you loved The Truth About Forever, I think you’ll also love What Happened to Goodbye. It was the first Dessen book I’ve read, despite it being one of the most recent ones. (It was published in 2011).
This is a really great review – and the second one of The Truth About Forever that I’ve read today. Is this a sign that I should re-read this?? Haha.
Just beware though, once you read two or three Dessen books, you’ll never want to stop 😛
Oh yay, a Dessen fan, I’m so so glad you’re here, I definitely NEED your advice :p I’m going to put What Happened to Goodbye on my TBR right now then, thank you so much! And ooh yes, I can feel the addiction coming, but this makes me HAPPY 😛
Just Listen and This Lullaby are great books, too. Just Listen is actually my favorite but I think What Happened to Goodbye is the closest to The Truth About Forever, when it comes to the characters and maybe even the plot. That’s not to say thay they’re the same all throughout, though. AHHH I’m so excited for you to read them – and actually a bit jealous, because you still have many Dessen books ahead of you, but I’m stuck here waiting for her next release. Haha!
Ohh well all of your recommendations and enthousiasm makes me want to buy ALL THE BOOKS right now, ahah, thank you so much! <3 I think I'll start with Just Listen, I don't know why ahah <3 Oh well, you can always re-read her books while you wait 😛
I definitely would not object to that! 😀 Will you be writing a review for Just Listen when you finish? 🙂 I’m actually planning to re-read The Truth About Forever sometime before the month ends. But it’s different for you because you get to read them for the next time. Haha!
I will be for sure! I don’t know when that’ll be, because I have so many books to read, haha, but I will write one for sure 🙂 Ohh that’s awesome, I hope you’ll like it even more the second time. Whenever I re-read a book, I get scared to like it less 🙁
I’m looking forward to it! I have that fear, too! But with Sarah Dessen, I just have this feeling that I will like whatever she writes, no matter what. 🙂
Oh, I have that feeling with my favorite authors as well, it’s just so great to know you’re going to love a book even before reading it <3
I know! And sometimes, even if the book turned out to be not so good, you’ll read the author’s next book anyway, because that’s how much you trust him/her 🙂
Exactly. I guess there are some authors we just can’t live without 🙂
I haven’t read any Sarah Dessen books either, and I’m a big contemp fan. ? That’s like saying I haven’t read CoHo, right? But I’ve read all her books. I guess I have some books I need to add to my TBR. Nice review!
Thank you so, so much! And oh, I guess we can’t just read ALL the authors in the world, sadly, ahah. I hope you’ll try one of her books and love it 🙂
This sounds really good!! I’ve read some Sarah Dessen and agree with you about how realistic it is- not read this one though- looking forward to it 🙂
OHh, which ones did you read? 🙂 I hope you’ll enjoy this one! 🙂
I can’t remember exactly- I went through a sarah dessen phase (like so many people) I definitely remember reading one with a key (sorry that’s so vague lol!)
Ohh I heard the title, ahah, I think it’s Lock and Key or something, haha I guess it wasn’t too memorable then? 😛
haha yes it was! It was good- but I read a lot of her books in one go- they all sort of merged into one tbh- probably not such a good idea to read them all back to back!
Ohh you’re right, yeah, I guess it’s the kind of book you can read a lot of, but not in a row ahah.
I have yet to read this one, I only began reading her work last year as well so don’t worry about having not experienced her before 🙂 My first book of hers was Lock and Key and I enjoyed that and then I read Along for the ride and This Lullaby. I still have a bunch of hers to read last time I seemed to get hooked into her writing so I’m sure when I pick up another one that will happen again, I also want to read Saint Anything because that’s been on a bunch of bestseller lists and sounds a little bit different 🙂
Ohh well I’m glad to hear I’m not the only one 🙂 I’m so glad you like her work as well, I really enjoyed The Truth About Forever and definitely want to read more, there are just SO many books, I don’t know where to start ahah. thank you! <3
I’ve never read a Sarah Dressen book, but I do love contemporaries and your review definitely convinced me to give her books a try 🙂
Ohh thank you so, so much Michelle, this makes me the happiest <3 I hope you'll read and love one of her books, I think she's a great contemporary author, well, from what I've read for now, ahah 🙂
I think I’ve read a Dessen novel before, but it must’ve been years ago for I don’t even remember which one it was. I actually just received TTAF a few weeks ago, so that’ll probably be the first Dessen novel I read. Being a contemporary fan just like you, it must be sad that I haven’t read a Dessen novel…But don’t worry, that’ll change (someday, lol)! Great review, Marie! <3
-Jess @jbelkbooks
Ohh, I hope you’ll love that book then, it was so, so good 🙂 I’m glad I’m not the only one who hasn’t read a Dessen book before, well, now haha, I feel like she’s such a popular author 🙂 Thank you so much Jess <3
Yeah, she’s pretty popular, but then again I’m WAY behind on the “popular” train, lol.. xD
Btw, I saw your comment on my YALLWest post, but I accidentally ‘unapproved’ it…I don’t know what I pressed, but for some reason it’s not in my notifications anymore >.< BUT, what I was gonna tell you is that, YES, we are both going to go to YALLWest, or BEA, or some bookish event and we shall meet that day 😉 Just wait on it and it'll come!!
-Jess @jbelkbooks
Haha well don’t be ashamed, I’m ALWAYS late to read some popular authors, haha so at least we’re in this together 😛
oh nooo 🙁 🙁 Well YES that would be quite incredible, THE DREAM, really, I would love that <3 yes ONE DAY! <3
Haha, well thank you for reassuring me xD The day will come <3
-Jess @jbelkbooks
Haha you’re welcome 😛 YES <3
I haven’t read any Sarah Dessen books but have heard a lot. Glad that you enjoyed it 🙂 Wonderful review!
Oh well I hope you’ll try sometime, if you like contemporaries, I think you should like this one 🙂 Thank you so, so much Jenny! 🙂
This is the only Sarah Dessen book that I’ve read so far and it was an average book for me. And sadly I remember that I read it only last year and now I could hardly recall the events in the book. I tried reading Saint Anything some week ago and I couldn’t get into it inspite of it having a promising plot. Maybe Dessen’s works isn’t just for me. Though I’m very glad that you enjoyed this book. Great review, Marie! ?
Oh no, well maybe her books just aren’t for you, I guess, that’s too bad though :/ But there are other incredible contemporary authors you love, (I think you read a lot of contemporaries as well, don’t you?), so that’s okay, I guess 🙂 Thank you so much Louise! <3
Sigh, I know but I’m glad that you enjoyed her books though. Haha, yes contemporary books are basically what I live for lol. You’re very welcome! ??
Haha, oh well you’re not alone, I LOVE contemporaries too much as well <3
Love it when I come across realistic books. Character driven books are so great to read. And since you say the side characters are well developed too, I think this would make a great read.
I love these kind of books as well, and it was such a great read 🙂 I hope you’ll decide to read it! 🙂 Thank you so much!
you had me a realistic. haha. And you aren’t alone, I haven’t read a Dessen book either (but now I am alone in that. Better remedy it). This sounds like an absolutely lovely read
YES, this makes me so happy, now read it ahah <3 You're not alone, I'm sure others haven't read her books yet 🙂 And if you love realistic, well I think you'll love that one 🙂 Thank you so, so much for stopping by 🙂
I’ll grab it asap. 😀
Ohh great, I’m so excited, I hope you’ll enjoy it!
I loved this book!
Yay! <3 <3