What Happened to Goodbye

Another town. Another school. Another Mclean. Ever since her parents' bitter divorce, Mclean and her father have been fleeing their unhappy past. And Mclean's become a pro at reinventing herself with each move. But in Lakeview, Mclean finds herself putting down roots and making friends—in part, thanks to Dave, the most real person Mclean's ever met. Dave just may be falling in love with her, but can he see the person she really is? Does Mclean herself know?

The first few chapters are a bit slow in this book, but it gets better and the ending is really good. It has some similarities with the last Dessen book I read, The Truth About Forever. Girls with a dodgy relationship with their mothers, either divorce or death in the family and these guys that they really shouldn't be interested in. Although, I shouldn't say it's the same and I like the book nevertheless.

The focus is on a teenage girl's life after her parents divorce that has taken harder on her than perhaps even she had imagined. I have married parents so I do not know how it is, but it's interesting to read and interesting to know how Mclean reacts. The relationship between Mclean and her mother is strained to say the least, and through half the book, I was just SO tired of her mother Katherine.

So, it's a good book and it's easy to read. It's perfect to read this summer, like any Dessen book seem to be. The only thing that bothered me was the slow start but as I said, it got better.

What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen 
Paperback, 402 pages
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The Truth About Forever

Expect the unexpected. 

Macy's got her whole summer carefully planned. But her plants 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. 

This was the first Dessen book I've ever read and I didn't know what to expect. I've read so many wonderful reviews about her books but at the same time it felt like it was not for me. Too much love and too much drama but I was wrong. I really liked this book and I'm so happy about that.

It's a super summery book that probably works just as well to read at age 13 as for someone who is 30 +. The language is good and even though the book is over 400 pages, it is a really fast read.

The reason I only (!) gave this book four stars was because of the characters. Macy was sometimes a really lovely girl and that reminded me a lot about my best friend in high school but just as often she was annoying and the relationship between Macy and her mother was SO disturbing. Macy's mother was so terribly naive and insensitive. And Wes .. yes, Wes. What to say? What a guy!

Read it - preferably this summer!

The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen
Paperback, 374 pages
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Summer Books

The other day I was thinking about summer books and my summer reads this year. Since Sarah Dessen and Jenny Han is two of my favorite authors I will read some of their books. I got Dessens That Summer in the mail yesterday and I've pre-booked her new book The Moon and More. I also want to re-read Jenny Hans Summer-trilogy.

A few days ago I also bought Breathe by Abbi Glines for my Kindle, which I hope is a good summer read. I was actually thinking about re-reading The Summers of the Sisterhood-series by Ann Brashares. I've only read book one and two but I have to finish the series.

A book that I've been curious about for a while is My life next door by Huntley Fitzpatrick. I've read a lot of great reviews and the book is just so pretty. I was also thinking about How I lost you by Janet Gurtler, but I don't know about that one.

Do you have any great summer reads to share?