The Truth About Forever

Reader reviewed by Jelly Bean. =)

I fell in love with this book from the moment I read the first page. In this book, you get to ride along with Macy as she works for WISH Catering and meets a group of people who change her for the better.

This book is excellent and enjoyable for everyone. Sarah Dessen wrote this book wonderfully. If you're looking for a sweet read or just plain bored, this is definitely the book to choose!

Reader reviewed by Tori

When I looked at the blurb inside the flap of Sarah Dessens The Truth About Forever at the library, the mention of "a boy with a past" very nearly made me cringe and shove it back on the shelf. I've read one too many novels about the bad boy who either turns out to have a heart of gold or eases the main character off of the yellow brick road. As it turns out, Wes is my favourite character. He tells his 16-year old younger brother to use his inside voice, he sculpts scrap metal, and he knows just how to make a girl feel better.

Okay, you might say, but you didn't know that at the library. Why did you take a chance?

Because the blurb wasn't about a girl learning to love, or rebelling against her parents, or trying to escape the overwhelming shadow of a sibling. It was about a girl struggling to find her voice, which, when you look at it, encompasses all three possible situations. It looked like a book about a real person. I didn't realize just how hooked I was until page 208, when Wes and Macy, the main character, are eating waffles and sniffing their syrup-scented pencils.

If youve ever felt like your voice was lost in the mire of high school politics, youll see your own struggle echoed in Macys. If the urge to dump greasy movie popcorn over the smartest arrogant girl in school has ever poisoned your mind, youll cheer for Macy when she hops the hurdle like a track star. And if youve ever felt like chaos is the best part of your life, youll chuckle at Macys boss, who is eight months pregnant and thrives on bedlam.

Not just another teen chick lit novel, The Truth About Forever is poignant and satisfying. Its a book for a humid summer evening at the cottage, sitting on the dock and dangling your toes tantalizingly as the sun dips lower and makes you rush inside to read the final pages. The Truth About Forever is well worth the mosquito bites.

Reader reviewed by jamie

Macy is stuck at a boring job, filling in for her boyfriend, Jason, who is at smart camp. the other girls there treat her horribly and she regrets taking the job, but she didn't want to let Jason down. while helping her workaholic mother at a business gathering, she stumbles upon wish catering, a dysfunctional catering company who's jobs always seem to work out in the end. the colorful crew has five people; Delia, Monica, Kristy, Bert, and Wes. Wes and Macy become good friends, but what does Macy decide to do when her mother tries to pull her back to her old, perfectionist, boring life?

Sarah Dessen writes another wonderful book about teen struggles. a teen finding her true self. all of her books are wonderful and they pull the reader in, not letting them go until the last word is read. this one is definitely on my 'must read' list, all the way. ^_^

Reader reviewed by Brenna

The truth about forever was the most incredible book I have ever read. I found myself lost in it's pages. Instantly I fell in love with Wes Macy's new found friend. He represents the kind of guy I think every girl is looking for, the kind who embraces her flaws. I was almost deppressed when it ended! Then I found Sarah's latest novel Just Listen, Awesome so far, but will it even compare to The truth about forever? I'll have to wait and see. To sum it all up this book is overflowing with depth and intelligence, and that's coming from a 13 year old.

Reader reviewed by Amanda

The Truth About Forever holds so many wonderful lessons in it's pages, but I think perhaps the most important is in the conversation between Macy and Kristy, where Macy says that being alive and being afraid are the same thing, and Kristy emphatically says that it isn't.

I think one of the most stressed things in the book is that we don't know when forever will really end, and that right now is our forever. We just have to do what our heart tells us is right, and always keep our hearts in line with our actions. (Hence, the heart in hands)

Sarah Dessen did an amazing job.

Reader reviewed by erica

Although the heroine of this novel, Macy, is only seventeen, it's a wonderful read for anyone who has ever experienced the lost of a love one; for anyone who's strived to be the "perfect" person that everyone can know and love; and for every mother, daughter, sister, aunt, friend who has only wanted one thing from life--to be happy, loved, and accepted for who we really are.

The last year and a half has been hard on Macy. After witnessing her father's death after a Christmastime morning run, she's strived to be the "fine just fine" girl--a perfect helper for her mother, a perfect balance to her older sister Caroline's wild days, and a perfect girlfriend to her genius boyfriend.

But when Jason heads off to Brain Camp for the summer and unexpectedly asks for a "break" in their relationship, Macy's world is thrown even more off-kilter. She'd already committed to taking Jason's place at the Library Information Desk for the summer, and she hates the job, and the Miss Perfection girls she gets snubbed by on a daily basis. Her evenings are spent dutifully studying for her SATs the following year, and even her weekends are filled with helping her mother with her business and ironing her clothes for the week.

Then, during a party her mother throws for prospective clients, Macy meets the staff members of Wish, a chaotic catering business. Delia, the very pregnant owner; Kristy, the scarred girl in the outrageous outfits; Monica, the Queen of the One Word Answer; Bert, who's convinced the end of the world is near; and Wes, a boy who spent time in reform school after his parent's divorce and then lost his mother to cancer.

I really loved this book! Although touted as a YA read, I think any woman would enjoy it. It's sad, humorous, and compelling, a definitely wonderful read.

Reader reviewed by Aimee

This is THE book for teens everywhere. Sarah Dessen is one of my favorite authors because of this book. She finds every day situations and an every day character and writes a best seller. If you're a teenager looking for a quiet evening, this is perfect simply because it is.

-Aimee

Reader reviewed by Dee

This book was absolutely amazing!!!!!!!!!!!! I stayed home from school one day just to read it. Sarah Dessen is an amazing writer, and I just couldnt keep my eyes off of the pages. This story is about death,love, and just living life. It teaches a lesson not only to the main character, but also to the reader. Kudos to Sarah Dessen!

Reader reviewed by Stephanie

Perfectionist Macy's summer doesn't seem promising. With her genius boyfriend, Jason, off at smart kids' camp, all she has to "look forward to" is taking over Jason's job at the library's info job. What's more, Macy's mother refuses to talk with her about Macy's father's sudden death, instead throwing all her energy into running her thriving real estate business.

Then Macy meets the Wish Catering crew: the hassled, very pregnant Delia; Monica, who nickname is Monotone (which accurately describes her languid movements and thoughts); Kristy, an outgoing let-loose girl, Macy's exact opposite; Bert, who loves to give rides in his ambulance-turned-Bertmobile; and Wes. Like Macy, the handsome, creative Wes also has a troubled childhood, when his mother died and he was sent to jail. However, the two end up becoming friends thanks to a game of Truth.

Meanwhile, Macy's relationship with her mother deteriorates. Just when Macy wants to break out of her silent, perfect exterior she's been putting on ever since her father died, her mother is scared of losing her daughter and pulls her back. And will Macy ever acknowledge the truth about her and Wes' friendship... that maybe it is more than that?

Sarah Dessen delivers another well-written winner. It is easy to get caught up in Macy's world. Any book that has me screaming at the characters out of frustration or empathy is worth it, and this book has done it.

Reader reviewed by ladeedah!

Macy is a perfectionist. Besides for the fact that her father's death is still really painful for her, she tries to keep the rest of her life under her control. She has a smart boyfriend, a summer job that will look great on her resume and she plans to spend her summer prepping for the SAT. But after she happens upon a bunch of new friends and a guy named Wes who at first glance seems completely not her type (an artist, former imprisoned), she learns that her life is not as perfect as it seems...and it's okay that way.

Okay! I love Sarah Dessen!! I never want to put down her books, but at the same time I want them to last as long as possible! Her writing draws you in and you really feel what the character feels and can relate. Plus, the reader inevitably falls in love with the guy too! Also, there are always lessons in her books (for example in The Truth About Forever, you learn that perfection is not life's goal), but you learn it with the character in a gentle way i.e. not slapping the reader in the face with a moral.