Title: The Truth About Forever
Author: Sarah Dessen
Publication: April 6, 2006
Publisher: Speak
Genre: YA Fiction, Teen
Pages: 398
SYNOPSIS: (From Goodreads)
Expect the unexpected.
Macy’s got her whole summer carefully planned.
But her plans didn’t include a job at Wish Catering. And they certainly didn’t include Wes.
But Macy soon discovers that the things you expect least are sometimes the things you need most.
REVIEW:
I have never read anything by this author, although they are one of my friend’s favorites. You would think that hearing her talk about this author on multiple occasions would have lite a fire under me to read something by her. It wasn’t until I found a copy of her favorite book at Goodwill that she convinced me to read it before sending her the better copy because her copy had all but fallen apart from repeated readings.
As the book opens, Macy is helping her boyfriend, Jason, pack for “Brain Camp”. She is helping him check and recheck his lists and sub-lists of things to pack. She doesn’t want him to leave. What will her summer consist of? She has already agreed to take his job at the local library at the information desk. Paired with her studying for her SAT’s, her summer looks rather boring. One day she is helping her mother with an open house for the housing development that her mother and father started. Her mother has been working a lot harder at it since her father unexpectedly passed away while out for a jog. Macy helps her mother by passing out brochures and directing people to the restroom if they need it. This time she goes into the kitchen to pass a message along and is greeted with a scene of chaos. The catering company which consists of the owner, Delia, and her nephews, Wes and Bert, and friends of the family, sister duo of Kristy and Monica, are all in there. Suddenly, Macy finds herself helping to plate crab cakes. Delia tells her that she has a job if she ever wants one. As summer starts up she finds that she hates the library job with a passion. One night as she heads home, she sees the catering truck and in a split second, she decides to follow them. Before she loses her courage, she asks Delia for a job. She starts helping out that night. As things progress, she becomes friends with everyone. They show her there is a life outside of the square that she has built around herself. Things fizzle out with Jason and slowly heat up with Wes. Will her newfound friends be able to help her live her life to the fullest? Will she finally be able to grieve for the father that she lost?
O.M.G……. this book was soooooo good. I have become a huge fan of Sarah Dessen. I am so glad that my friend asked me to read the book before sending it off to her. The author weaves a wonderful story filled with lessons that leave you thinking about things. The way that Macy dealt with the grief of her father dying, especially since she was the one that found him on the sidewalk and rode with him in the ambulance, changed her markedly. The author beautifully delivers this information in a way that is easy to understand. The romance here was subtle. It is very appropriate for teens. I don’t know what else to say about this book aside from “go read it”!! I will be reading more books by this author in the near future.
STAR RATING: 5/5
Pick up your copy of The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or your local bookstore. Also make sure to add it to your To Reads list on Goodreads and leave feedback for the author when you are finished. You can check our more books from author Sarah Dessen on her website HERE!