Once and for All

So I am reviewing this book completely on story and characters alone. I love Sarah Dessen books with all my heart, the first one I picked up was The Truth About Forever and I've read them all since then. So when she announced this book I couldn't wait, I have literally been overjoyed for this book for like a year, and it came out yesterday, I got it in the mail at like 4 and I blew through it tonight. I adore her writing style and her characters they just grow and this story just... I loved it so much. Now I am not going to talk about any representation when it comes to this story because that isn't why I read her books. There is a gay male father figure to the main character named William, I adored him but I can speak on if his life story is realistic and I don't want too. I really just want to enjoy the story. I know a few had issues with the fat representation when it come to Jilly the best friend, I didn't really notice it and I again wasn't looking. Louna is going through a hard time with her grief and you learn about her story as the book progresses and why she feels so cynical about life at the moment. I think she was written well and I like we were so far removed from the horrible incident. I don't like shooting stories, though I know it is realistic and it happens I just don't think those stories should be made into fiction, it doesn't help and it is never portrayed well. So the fact she wasn't directly there but suffered such heartbreak still put us there I guess in a way I could keep reading. I loved Ambrose as I love all Sarah Dessen guy love interest characters but this book was so focused on Louna I didn't feel he got a fully fleshed out character. Usually we get why they act they way they do and this one there was just a weird guy who did a lot of things nobody understood with no explanation. Overall I adored this book like I do all of her books, the characters, the story, everything just pulls me in and gets me hooked till I know they get their happy endings. This one is dealing with a lot heavier subject matter than usually but it still read so well on the page and I still cared so much by the end. I will probably read all her other books again because her writing style just floors me every time, I mean What Happened to Goodbye will forever be my go to book for summer days.

Once and For All is a true Sarah Dessen romance. This coming of age story is an emotional story that will have you believing in second-chances before the last page. Ambrose's eternal optimism is a stark contrast to Louna's heartbroken cynicism and exactly what she needed. I don't want to give any spoilers, so I will simply state that Once and For All is sadly relevant to today's society, but hopefully it won't always be that way. Sarah Dessen has long been one of my go-to authors. Once and For All is a good read, but it wasn't my favorite of hers. This book is just as emotional as her others, but there isn't quite as much romance throughout. The lack of undeniable romance throughout is the only thing that kept this from being a 5-Star read for me. If you enjoy heartfelt, clean, coming of age romances, then I recommend Once and For All as one of your next reads.

The 5 stars are for shipping only, book was in pristine condition and shipped promptly. I feel like my rating of the book itself has no basis to change that. If I had to leave a rating for the book, like many of the reviews I've seen I do agree that the book overall while enjoyable, didn't really measure up to her previous books. I am a lover of Sarah Dessen and currently own all her books, but I will say that this is one that I actually had to force myself to get through. The idea to the story was wonderful, kind of playing off the "always a bridesmaid never a bride" mentality, but in the case always a wedding planner and never the bride. I just felt like the characters themselves were underdeveloped and their relationship almost forced. I do still love Sarah Dessen and I look forward to reading her future work!

I really recommend this book! It is so summery and I loved every second of it! It’s been a while since I read this book (I finished it back in July), but, that being said, it is one of those books that sticks with you. So even now, months later, I wanted to share my thoughts on the book with you all, because I find myself still thinking about this book and its characters and its story. First of all, I want to say (again) that Dessen has this way of making you feel like you’re living in the world of her books. I always find myself getting absorbed in her novels and reading them in just a few days, or less! Maybe it is the descriptions she uses, or the way she strings her words together, but I get wrapped up in each and every one of her stories. Every time. And Once and For All was certainly no exception. I loved the character of Ambrose! And he was perfect for Louna. He was exactly what she needed in her life, especially after the hard times she had faced recently. I loved the way Dessen created Ambrose and Louna and they way they just seem to fit together and be exactly what the other needed, but didn’t know they needed. *full review on blog*

Actual Rating: 4.5 ‘It was the closest thing to “I love you” a boy had ever said to me. Maybe it meant even more.’ It’s been years since I read the blurb of ‘Once And For All’ but remembering it’s wedding planner premise and thanks to its cute style cover I was honestly expecting a light hearted, swoon-worthy read for my first contemporary of 2022. Boy were my expectations wrong. The swoon factor was there, the rom-com elements popping up time and time again but this book packs one hell of an emotional punch too and deals with some unexpectedly dark – and potentially triggering – subjects as well. So please do bear that in mind and look into its triggers if necessary. All that being said I adored this novel. It tackled some heavier issues than I’d expected but I can hardly fault it for that when it did it so well. There are two major love stories told over the course of this book – Louna’s previous one that’s left her guarded and the present day one, building up throughout the book. Both were wonderfully well done and felt utterly believable to me. Perhaps some people would find one of these love stories to be a case of ‘insta-love’ but for me the connection felt believable and that’s what ultimately counts in my mind. One day, whirlwind romance stories exist for a reason, after all. Ambrose was delightful, making me smile time and time again during his appearances across the page. Louna was interesting and believable, her jadedness towards love understandable given her back story. Her best friend felt vibrant and real with a hectic life of her own and her family were intriguing too. All in all I didn’t really feel that any character wasn’t fleshed out fully. The drama of planning weddings led to some wonderfully creative moments that made me laugh. Personally I could read dozens of stories within this family business and would happily follow in any of these character’s footsteps again. As I said earlier Louna’s past experience with love is an ultimately difficult read though so please do bear that in mind. It’s handled with care and felt like a realistic take on such trauma but as it covers a very traumatic subject I feel that warning readers to look into this book’s triggers is due. I’d say it goes without saying that I wholeheartedly recommend ‘Once And For All’ and am kicking myself for having let it sit unread on my Kindle for so long. This is my first book by Sarah Dessen in years but it certainly won’t be my last. Diving into this tale reminded me of all the reasons I adored what I’ve read by her in the past.

A wonderful story! Idk if it's just me but this story had me in tears a number of times (I always love a good cry) but Sarah Dessen Always does make up for it with the development of the story! A beautiful story of a teenage love - or two.

I recommend this book to anyone that love aldult romance. I read all of sarah dessen books and love them all. Always something different.

Retrouvez les conversations et situations drôles typiques de Sarah Dessen avec une ombre plannant sur l'histoire tout de même un peu plus sombre cette fois.

Not my favourite Dessen book but still just as adorable as usual. I think the reason it didn't get five stars from me was that the relationship we were all waiting for only happened at the end of the book. I kind of wanted to spend some time with the couple. Also, some of the wedding parts got a little boring especially at the beginning. Still a great and adorable summer read!