The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen

Alll righty, I am finally getting around to making a guest post here on BOOKS ARE LOVE <3 ^___^ I told you I'd find time, Zakuro-chan!

This is the most recent book I have read, THE TRUTH ABOUT FOREVER. A friend lent it to me, saying that she loves this author, and while this is not her favorite of her books, she thinks it will be the one I like best :D And I TOTALLY LOVED IT ^______^

The Truth About Forever is about relationships, your path in life, and who/where you want to be. Everything happens over the short period of one summer, the summer before Macy's senior year in high school. The overview of the story is that Macy's dad passed away about a year and a half ago, when she was 13. They were really close, and it totally shook up her whole life, especially her relationship with her mom. Shortly after that, she meets Jason, who is "perfect" (student council, works at the library, brilliant, and practically emotionless. he knows everything) Macy thinks that this guy, with his extreme knowledge and consistency, will help her get her feet back on the ground.

We enter the story the first week of summer, as Jason is leaving for Brain Camp, and will be gone for 8 weeks. The longest they've been apart during their relationship thus far (which is about a year and a half now) is a weekend at a time, so Macy is pretty nervous. She's built her life to fit with his, in his perfect world, by being as perfect and smart and predictable as possible. Without him, it's going to be a little empty.

I dont want to give away too much of the story, so I'll leave off there. We follow Macy as she meets new friends and sees the side of life (untamed!) that she has been missing over the last couple of years. We see her get drawn into it and change and figure out who she really is and what she wants out of life. We watch Macy stumble through her relationship with her mother and try to figure out how to really deal with the loss of her father. We see her sort-of romance with Wes, the charismatic and artistic bartender of the Wish catering company that caters one of her mother's big parties. And through it all, we watch her change and find her true self, no longer confined by the demands and expectations of those around her.

THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST COMING OF AGE BOOKS I HAVE EVER READ. It has such a uniquely pointed storyline, such a different view of the world, that it really stands out among other books of it's kind. But more than that, it is so REAL in every way, you could just see Macy as one of your friends, going through this struggle, in any town. You can honestly feel her emotions and understand the way she thinks--all the characters are so real. If you want to read a story that will make you think, and appreciate your life, and see the world a little differently, THIS IS IT <3 I absolutely loved this book!!

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