The Truth About Forever
by Sarah Dessen
Loading...
Release Date: May 11, 2004
Pages: 374 (paperback)
Publisher: Penguin Group Inc.
My Rating: 5/5
*NOTE* "The Review" & "Favorite Quotes" section may contain spoilers. Read at your own risk.
Summary from Goodreads:
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?
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?
Quick Thoughts (for those who don't want any spoilers):
At first when I started reading this, I wasn't sure how much I would have liked it. It seemed really slow in the beginning, but then it began to pick up. Then it came to the point where it was near impossible for me to put it down. I always get so sappy when it comes to romance, especially in books. I loved this book. It was such a page turner for me and I would definitely recommend it for anyone who's looking for a good romance novel.
The Review:
Well first off, the cover is really enticing and it's one of the many reasons I wanted to read this book. The color scheme is just perfect. I love it. I feel like the beauty of this cover foreshadows the beautiful love story within the pages of the book. Also a few of my friends had read it, and it seemed interesting to read.
I keep saying it all the time, I'm so incredibly sappy when it comes to romance. The romance between Macy and Wes was beautiful. Everytime I turned the page, I was waiting for something to happen. A touch, a feeling, anything where Macy felt a connection when she was with Wes. And I was really happy with what came about. I feel like in almost every chapter after she meets Wes, she sees him everywhere, and she keeps getting a certain feeling around him. Probably even more than she did when she was with Jason. When Jason decided it was best that they take a break, of course I saw it coming, but it was just wrong the way he handled it and expected things to be better after the summer was over. But Wes was always there for Macy. He understood her past. She understood his past. They accepted each others past. But they both never admitted to themselves or each other that they wanted to be with each other.
I love how the game of Truth is put into the story. It highlights what Macy and Wes have in common and their differences. They both find out things they didn't know about each other, and probably even suprised themselves. When they got stranded on the road and they started playing the game, and as the game continued throughout the book, my heart would not stop pounding. It was one of the things that makes their relationship so unique, that they share something like that whenever they're alone. I love how that game is what, in the end brought them together as a couple. Again, predictable, but I'm glad it happened that way. I wish there would've been a better close to the story after Wes and Macy kissed. My goodness, I loved this part in the book when she discovers that Wes broke up with his girlfriend to be with Macy and she's running after him. She asks to change the rules to Truth where she has to answer the question he didn't answer and she kissed him. Though, I felt like it wasn't quite finished there. I really hoped there had been more. That's the only thing I was disappointed about.
In the book, there were other important characters that I feel brought the theme of the book to justice. There were a lot of characters: Macy, Wes, Bert, Kristy, Monica, Delia, Jason, Caroline, Amanda, Macy's mother. Kristy and many of these characters highlight the theme of perfection. Kristy was in an accident when she was younger and she lived her life with scars on her face. And she also had to learn how to cope with being bald for part of her life. At this point in time, Kristy has a full head of hair, scars on her face, and yet, she dresses like there's no tomorrow! She doesn't let anybody's opinion of her get in the way of her being who she is. She acts like it defines her. It's like perfection has no meaning to her at all. She loves the way she is. And Caroline, her sister who's trying to pull the pieces of the family back together and she sees the brighter side of life. She learned to get past her father's death, and she's trying to help Macy and their mother to get past it. Then there's Macy, who strives to please the people in her life. People like her mother, Amanda, and Jason. It was difficult for Macy to cope with her father's death at first, but it took a long time for her mother to deal with the idea. She worked to get her mind off of things. She didn't see the needs and wants of Macy and Caroline, as if she was blinded from what was going on. Amanda, her co-worker at the library was simply a jerk. Completely mean. Macy tried to enjoy her job at the library and please her, but it was difficult, because she hated her. Then there's Jason, who takes the break from the relationship because Macy didn't fit into his goals. When she was with Jason, she probably felt like the perfect daughter/ girlfriend. When he broke things off, and she met people like Wes, Delia, and Kristy, she changed, in a good way. She realized there's no need to be perfect, as long as she's happy.
Favorite Quotes:
“That was the thing. You just never knew. Forever was so many different things. It was always changing, it was what everything was really all about.”
“I don't get it,' Caroline said, bemused. 'She's the only one with wings. Why is that?'
There were so many questions in life. You couldn't ever have all the answers. But I knew this one.
It's so she can fly.'"
There were so many questions in life. You couldn't ever have all the answers. But I knew this one.
It's so she can fly.'"
“Wes wants to be with Macy. And Macy, whether she'll admit it or not, wants to be with Wes. And yet they're not together, which is not only unjust, but when you think about it, tragical!”
^^^
(when I read this quote, I could feel my heart racing and my emotions of happiness, excitement, and longing just bursting. I got a really bad case of the feels.)
OVERALL, this was a spectacular book. I definitely recommend greatly. I LOVED THIS BOOK. Such a page turner and so many things. I would probably say this qualifies as one of my favorite books.
Before I bore you with anything more, just one more thing..."Sawoon."
Thanks for reading!
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thanks for reading! I might respond to your reply & I love getting replies. It just really makes my day. So thanks so much and have a great day :)