Who: Sarah DessenWhat: What Happened To Goodbye
When: May 10th, 2011
Where: Penguin For Young Readers
Why: Cover & Hype
How: Bought
Since her parents’ bitter divorce, McLean and her dad, aNow, I've only read one Sarah Dessen book (The Truth About Forever) so I'm not as much of a die hard Sarah fan as some people seem to be! I can say right now: I didn't love it, but I really liked it! This is exactly what it is: A Classic Dessen Novel.
restaurant consultant, have been on the move-four towns in two years. Estranged
from her mother and her mother’s new family, McLean has followed her dad in
leaving the unhappy past behind. And each new place gives her a chance to try
out a new persona: from cheerleader to drama diva. But now, for the first time,
McLean discovers a desire to stay in one place and just be herself, whoever that
is. Perhaps Dave, the guy next door, can help her find out.
What Happened To Goodbye is about a girl named Mclean, who's father's job forces her to move after her parent's divorce, decides to reinvent herself everywhere she does. Until she gets to Lakeview (where all of Dessen's books are set) and meets friends like Riley, Deb, and Dave. There, instead of being Liz or Eliza or Beth, she's just..Mclean, whoever that is. Insert some soul-searching here and you'll got a pretty enjoyable read!
Mclean was someone I could see myself knowing, and getting along with. She got tangled in her own webs sometimes, but she was human, and she just wanted to be happy. She was temperamental and sometimes didn't want to understand, which made her relatable (something Dessen is amazingly good at.) Her relationship with her father was sweet but as with her mother, shaky with good reason. Deb was probably my favorite character, or close to it. She was quirky, sweet, and naive enough that she had me laughing out loud! She was exactly what Mclean needed, reliable and nice!
Dave is probably my favorite so far of Sarah Dessen's boys. He was a kid prodigy that just..wanted to live and have fun. I loved how quirky he was and what a good friend! Their relationship forming was a bit...strange for me, but I believed it enough. I just felt it could've been developed more than it did through the course of the novel. In the end, enjoyable and sweet. Definitely, if you've never read a Dessen book before, this is a prime example of the good stuff you're missing!
Happy Reading!
-Harmony
