The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen, published by The Penguin Group.
I freely admit that this is the first book I have read by Sarah Dessen. I knew she was an up-and-coming young adult author and I just hadn't read anything by her yet. Typically I don't read the same books as the rest of teens. I don't read the Clique series, or the Princess Diary series, or Twilight. I do, however, judge a book by it's cover. It's wrong, I know, but if I like the front cover I'm motivated enough to read the back of the book. If I like what the back says, then I'll read it. Most of the time that's what works and that's how I find really good authors.
That wasn't the case this time. I had heard about her a lot, and seen her books on the shelves enough times to note that she would be good. Then a co-worker suggested her and said she deals with serious issues in a new way. I was interested but had a lot of other books to read in my way. Then my boyfriend got me The Truth About Forever as a Christmas gift and I couldn't stall any longer. Here it was, my chance to see if she was as good as everyone claimed.
She isn't. She's BETTER. Trust me, I haven't loved a book this much since Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway. Which was this past summer, so it was nice to fall in love with characters again. It had been a long while since I loved something so much that it was the last thing I wanted to do before I went to bed and the first thing I wanted to read in the morning. I couldn't stop reading, but at the same time I didn't want to finish. That meant it would be over, and then what? I'd lose those characters that I had grown so attached to. Sometimes I find it just unfair that I read fast, it makes it that much worse to find something special and finish it in a short amount of time.
But back to the novel ... Macy is alone for the summer while her boyfriend, Jason is at Brain Camp. He is perfect and has inspired such perfection in her. She thinks of perfection as control and stability and therefore strives by it. She needs her rigid schedule to keep calm in her life since her dad's death the year before. His unexpected passing, and her key role in the moment, are what have made such an impact on her life. She is a changed Macy because of it, and not for the better. Her relationship with her mother is pivotal in the novel, as is her new job with Wish, a local catering company.
Wish brings about new characters to disrupt Macy's controlled life. She begins to thrive in chaos instead of order and finds thrill in mishaps and disasters. She makes new friends who begin to teach her a few things about truth, happiness, and being extraordinary. I don't know if I'll be able to say any more without giving some key moments away. I don't have that kind of self-restraint, especially when I love something so much.
What I will say though, is read it. If you like the unexpected, if you like a book that makes you smile to yourself, if you like staying up until 3 am because you can't wait to find out what happens next, you have to read this book. It redefines the way you look at life, being perfect, and friendships. It may take some trauma to bring people together in life, but what they can learn from each other and fresh life-changing summers is enough to make it worth it in the end.
Edited to say: I do have How to Deal by Sarah Dessen, which I hadn't read but did love the movie it was made into. It was a quirky teen movie starring Mandy Moore. It's on my list of books to read, but I already recommend it based on how good the movie was. :]
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