The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen

The Truth About Forever 
Sarah Dessen
Released: May 2004
Pages: 374 (paperback(
Publisher: Speak
Source: Own

a long, hot summer...

That's what Macy has to look forward to while her boyfriend, Jason, is away at Brain Camp. Days will be spent at a boring job in the library, evenings will be filled with vocabulary drills for the SATs, and spare time will be passed with her mother, the two of them sharing a silent grief at the traumatic loss of Macy's father.

But sometimes unexpected things can happen—things such as the catering job at Wish, with its fun-loving, chaotic crew. Or her sister's project of renovating the neglected beach house, awakening long-buried memories. Things such as meeting Wes, a boy with a past, a taste for Truth-telling, and an amazing artistic talent, the kind of boy who could turn any girl's world upside down. As Macy ventures out of her shell, she begins to wonder, Is it really better to be safe than sorry?

"What would you do, if you could do anything?"¹

Out of all of Dessen's novels to date, my copy of The Truth about Forever is the one bearing the marks of a well-loved book that has been reread time and time again. Macy begins the story as the girl-who-tries-to-be-perfect, a coping mechanism after Macy loses her father. Yet, as the story goes on and Macy becomes closer to the Wish Catering crew, that perfect façade fades. In its place, Macy begins to shine as a lively girl with a great personality that has to come to terms with her life, who she is, and what she wants. 

Each character is alive: Delia, a chaotic, kind, pregnant mother who's in charge of the crew; artistic and modest Wes; apocalypse-obsessed Bert; fashionable and straight-forward Kristy; monotone Monica; and finally Macy as the newest addition. The more time you spend flipping through the pages, the more you grow to love them all and the subtle knowledge they impart onto Macy as she breaks through her shell. One chaotic catering crew, one broken family needing repair, one girl's chance to find happiness, one shot at love, and only one summer to figure it all out in The Truth about Forever. 

Highlights: Dessen excels when it comes to writing realistic characters and situations - there's a sense of honesty to her characters. The games "Truth" and "Gotcha" provided some of my favorite moments of the novel. And Wes² was, of course, the best. Honestly, I could go on for days about why this novel is amazing. If you haven't read it, check it out. It's worth it. 
Lowlights: There's no sequel? Glimpses of these characters in other Dessen books is not enough for me!
Allusions: Lorna the weather girl from That Summer; the lovely beach town of Colby & a reference to Last Chance café from Keeping the Moon; and likely more that I forgot to jot down. 
Rating: 

1 pg. 370 - This scene gets me every time. *sighs happily*2 The boy that originated the term "swoonworthy". *swoons*



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