Review: The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen

The Truth About Forever
by Sarah Dessen
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Publication Date: May 11th 2004
Publisher: Speak
Pages: 374
ISBN: 9780142406250
Genre: Young Adult | Contemporary
Source: Own

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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? (Goodreads)

When I first discovered that Penguin Teen was hosting a summer long read-along for Sarah Dessen, I knew I wanted to participate. What is summer without reading a Sarah Dessen book, anyways?? While I didn’t get to participate as much as I wanted during the summer, I was able to read The Truth About Forever. I’ve had this book on my to-read list for a really long time, and I was super excited to finally start it. I feel in love with the book just a few chapters in, and I have to say it is now on the list of my most favorite Dessen books!

Macy was a really easy character to like. She was a good girl who did exactly as she was told and never got into trouble. The last year and a half of her life was pretty much built around her boyfriend’s schedule, but once he went away to Brain Camp, things started to change for Macy. Life has not been perfect for Macy at all, and my heart hurt for her for some of the things that she had been through. But she is a strong girl, and I really enjoyed watching her character grow so much throughout the story.

There are so many wonderful secondary characters in the book that I absolutely feel in love with as well, and I really loved the friendship that was formed between Macy and the crew at Wish Catering. Kristy and her sister Monica, Delia, Burt and Wes were all such well written characters; it was hard not to absolutely love them. They all had such interesting stories of their own as well. Also, I’m kind of completely in love with Wes. Sa-woon.

I really loved the storyline for the book. I am an absolute sucker for contemporary novels, and while this one as sweet and had all the heart-warming parts to it, it also deals with deeper issues as well, like dealing with grief and how everyone copes differently to tragedy. I love that Dessen included this in the novel, as I know this could comfort readers who may have been through something similar in their lives.

Overall; there’s absolutely nothing I love more than adding a new book to my list of favorite books, and that’s exactly what I did with The Truth About Forever. This book was absolutely wonderful, and I’m so glad that I read it this summer, as that makes it even more special. I still have a few books by Dessen that I still need to read, and I’m even more excited to read them now. If you’ve not checked out Dessen’s books before, I highly recommend that you do so!