Sarah Dessen is one of my favorite writers. I discovered her in early high school, and even since then I have read all of her books. She has ten to be exact. I really love them all, and can't pick favorites, but I'll do a little review on the ones that I have read more than once. Or twice. Or three times.
Dreamland
"I was worn out, broken: He had taken almost everything. But he'd been all I'd had, all this time. And when the police led him away, I pulled out of the hands of all these loved one, sobbing, screaming, everything hurting, to try and make him stay."
This is about a girl named Caitlin. The book starts off with her "perfect" sister running away to be with her shady boyfriend. Her mother turns her attention to Caitlin, trying to make her everything that she lost with her sister Cass, like being a cheerleader. She soon meets a boy named Rogerson, who is complete trouble and turns her world upside down for the worse. I'm not going to say anymore, because I don't want to give anything away, but this one is a book that I couldn't put down.
The Truth About Forever
“It's just that...I just think that some things are meant to be broken. Imperfect. Chaotic. It's the universe's way of providing contrast, you know? There have to be a few holes in the road. It's how life is.”
This one is about a girl named Macy. Her summer is looking pretty boring, because her stuck up boyfriend went away for some type of camp. She works at the library, and studies for the SAT all day. Her father has recently died, and she was there to experience every second. But then everything changes when she somehow falls into an unexpected job with a catering crew. She meets Wes who is artistic and understanding, and starts to change Macy's life by showing her not to be afraid to live.
What Happened to Goodbye
“It was so quiet, I could hear my own breathing, loud in my ears. Outside, the ocean was crashing, waves hitting sand, then pulling back to sea. I thought of everything being washed away, again and again. We make such messes in this life, both accidentally and on purpose. But wiping the surface clean doesn't really make anything any neater. It just masks what is below. It's only when you really dig down deep, go underground, that you can see who you really are.”
McLean is an only child, who's parents got divorced recently. She moved away with her dad, who's job is to fix up falling apart restaurants, and has lived in four towns in two years. She decided to almost make it a game, changing her name and identity with whatever town she went to next. It made it easier for her to not get attached. But now, she has landed in a place where she wants to be herself, but she really doesn't even know who that is anymore.
Lock and Key
“It's a lot easier to be lost than found. It's the reason we're always searching and rarely discovered--so many locks not enough keys.”
This is about a girl named Ruby, who has not had an easy life. Her mother is frequently in and out of her life, and she has pretty much learned to live alone. Out of the blue, her sister Cora, who she has not seen in 10 years, invites her to live with her and her husband in their lavish home. It's a hard adjustment for everyone, and is kind of a Cinderella Story with a twist.
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