Young adult author Sarah Dessen released her 13th novel, Once and For All, last month. Growing up, I was a huge fan of her work, so I knew I had to pick up her latest book, if only for nostalgic reasons. At first, I was skeptical. There was something different about this book and I couldn’t get myself past the first chapter no matter how badly I wanted to, but then finally, after realizing this book was different than her others, I let go of my preconceived notions and lost myself in its pages.
Once and for All follows high school graduate Louna during her final summer before starting off at university in the fall. Throughout her summer, she plans on working alongside her mother in the family wedding planning business. Cynical about love after the tragedy that was her first relationship, Louna intends on staying single. However, when serial dater Ambrose enters the picture, both Louna and Ambrose must re-evaluate their take on love and romance.
This isn’t your typical summer romance/Sarah Dessen novel. It doesn’t follow the “Dessen formula” that revolves around a beach, a summer fling and climax that contains a huge blow-out fight between the two main characters. Instead, the entire concept has Louna and Ambrose almost annoying each other throughout.
Instead of just focusing on love and boys, Louna is instead affected by a traumatic event the summer before. While she has gotten over the initial trauma, she must learn to accept the past and use those memories to help build her character for the future.
Sarah also tackles some more deep-rooted issues throughout this novel that were not as apparent in her previous novels. You can tell she drew inspiration from real life, constantly using occurring news events as a main theme in the book.
Like any Sarah Dessen novel, you’re going to leave reading this feeling happy, with a dopey smile on your face, having hopes for an adorable “meet-cute” to happen to you. It’s a cute beach read that you’ll be able to lose yourself in and imagine living in Louna’s shoes. Like all romance reads, there are some over reaching plot lines, but for a work of fiction, it’s easy to believe. There are also plenty of Easter eggs linking back to Sarah’s other books, connected each world back to one another.
Whether you’re just enjoying the summer or hoping to lose yourself inside a good book for a few hours, Once and for All is a must for Summer 2017.
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