Staff Pick
The problem with maintaining the status quo is that you're always standing still. But if you start running, are you running away from something? Or towards it?
The Truth About Forever is a perennial favorite of mine, especially for summertime re-reading. This is one of Dessen's strongest works, full of beautiful prose and characters that feel like old friends (shoutout to monosyllabic Monica; sweet, harried Delia; and quiet, expectation-defying Wes). I won't spoil for you what the truth about forever is, but the truth about this book is that it's an incredibly worthwhile read. Recommended By Madeline S., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
Macy's summer stretches before her, carefully planned and outlined. She will spend her days sitting at the library information desk. She will spend her evenings studying for the SATs. Spare time will be used to help her obsessive mother prepare for the big opening of the townhouse section of her luxury development.
But Macy's plans don't anticipate a surprising and chaotic job with Wish Catering, a motley crew of new friends, or… Wes. Tattooed, artistic, anything-but-expected Wes. He doesn't fit Macy's life at all — so why does she feel so comfortable with him? So… happy? What is it about him that makes her let down her guard and finally talk about how much she misses her father, who died before her eyes the year before?
Sarah Dessen delivers a page-turning novel that carries readers on a roller coaster of denial, grief, comfort, and love as we watch a broken but resilient girl pick up the pieces of her life and fit them back together.
Review
"Grief, fear, and love set the novel's pace, and Macy's crescendo from time-bomb perfection to fallible, emotional humanity is as gripping as any action adventure." School Library Journal, starred review
Review
"Dessen gracefully balances comedy with tragedy and introduces a complex heroine worth getting to know." Publishers Weekly
About the Author
Sarah Dessen grew up in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and attended UNC-Chapel Hill, graduating with highest honors in Creative Writing. She is the author of several novels, including Someone Like You, Just Listen and Along for the Ride. A motion picture based on her first two books, entitled How to Deal, was released in 2003. Her tenth novel, What Happened to Goodbye, will be published in May 2011. She lives in North Carolina.