Well I had to get this review up before 2019 rolls in because guess what friends? I have officially read 13 books in 2018!! Made my goal plus ONE and I have already started another book, chances are that I will not finish it before 2018 is over but I am so proud of the amount I read this year. As I sit here and think about the new year I am excited to jump into my new goal of 24 books read in 2019! I cannot wait to share what books I have planned to enjoy!
For my 13th book read in 2018 I picked up a book from one of my favorite Young Adult authors, Sarah Dessen. Once and For All is her newest release and when I saw it on the shelf at the library I knew I had to give it a go. I have always enjoyed Young Adult fiction. They are usually easy and breezy reads and Sarah Dessen has written some of my favorite books.
Once and For All by Sarah Dessen
Louna, daughter of famed wedding planner Natalie Barrett, has seen every sort of wedding: on the beach, at historic mansions, in fancy hotels and clubs. Perhaps that’s why she’s cynical about happily-ever-after endings, especially since her own first love ended tragically. When Louna meets charming, happy-go-lucky serial dater Ambrose, she holds him at arm’s length. But Ambrose isn’t about to be discouraged, now that he’s met the one girl he really wants.
About Sarah Dessen
Sarah Dessen is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of over a dozen novels for teens, which have received numerous awards and rave reviews. Her books have been published in over thirty countries and have sold millions of copies worldwide. She is the recipient of the 2017 Margaret A. Edwards Award from the American Library Association for outstanding contribution to young adult literature for her novels: Keeping the Moon, Dreamland, This Lullaby, The Truth about Forever, Just Listen, Along for the Ride, and What Happened to Goodbye. Her newest novel, Once and for All, will be released in June 2017. An NC native, she currently lives in Chapel Hill with her family.
Like I said, Sarah Dessen is one of my favorite young adult authors. I have read nearly all of her books so when I saw her most recent one I was super excited to read it. While this was not my favorite Sarah Dessen book it was a pretty good read. Like most young adult books it was a fast read.
The characters were interesting and likable. Louna is a teen girl who works for her mom’s successful wedding planning business. Louna’s mother eventually hire Ambrose, a cocky rich boy who’s a total flirt with EVERYONE. Just like most of these kinds of books there are pieces that are pretty predictable, however with the narration jumping back and forth between the present day and the story of Louna’s first love (a few years prior), there is a lot of depth added to this novel.
I do need to add that there should be a trigger warning about one major event in this book. While it isn’t described in detail there is a school shooting in this story. I was a little surprised by this event and felt like it was thrown into the plot with out much thought.
Overall, I would give this book a 3 star rating. It was a fun read and I enjoyed the past and present narration. I would suggest this book to anyone who loves a good romance book with some silliness intertwined.
Make sure you also read one of my book reviews featuring Sarah Dessen’s Saint Anything. Saint Anything was way more than I expected. This novel was so well written and the characters were perfectly done. The character development was pretty intense and this was a book I had a hard time putting down. Read my Saint Anything book review here.
Well there you have it. We are waving goodbye to 2018 with 13 books read and looking towards even more reading time in 2019!!
WHAT BOOKS ARE ON YOUR 2019 READING LIST?
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