Author: Sarah Dessen
Genre: YA Contemporary/Romance
Length: 435 Pages (Hardcover)
Release: June 2013
My Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
Review
While not my favorite of Dessen's novels, I did really enjoy this one. Emaline was a likable main character, though she made some decisions that had me quite angry with her at times. A lot of her insecurities were understandable. So let me tell you about the things I did and didn't like.
Likes
The family dynamic. Emaline had a strong family with her mother, dad, and two sisters. But she also had her biological father who things were not so great with. This was done so well. It was great to see her strong relationship with the family she grew up with, but also her desire to have some form of connection with the father who was never around. She wasn't trying to downgrade her dad or push away her sisters, she just wanted love from the man that should have taken care of her in the beginning. Her half-brother Benji was also great. There relationship was so sweet.
The friendships. Emaline's best friend Morris was such a great character. And her other best friend Daisy was great too. They were just genuinely good people. And you could see them and their relationship with Emaline growing and morphing as the novel progressed. I just wish this had been more of a focus, these two didn't get the attention they deserved. I also really liked Luke, Emaline's boyfriend in the beginning of the novel.
The ending. The conclusion to this was extremely satisfying. Emaline grew up a lot, made some great connections, made new friends, learned from her mistakes, and the possibility of her working out a relationship in the future was left open and possible, without being forced. It was rather different from a lot of Dessen's endings, but for this one in particular it really worked.
Dislikes
There's really only two main dislikes: Emaline's father and Theo. These two characters were extremely bothersome. Theo seemed sweet enough and cute in the beginning, but the more you got to know him the more you realized how much of a user he was. He was really only out for his own interests and expected everyone else to follow his lead. Particularly Emaline, who he saw as an unrefined country girl. And her father was very similar. He couldn't see what his children (particularly Benji) needed because he was too busy thinking about what he needed and wanted. It was ridiculous.
Overall I really enjoyed this and thought the story arc was satisfying. There are some things I would have liked to see more of or done differently, but it was enjoyable and had some great relationships and life lessons.
Likes
The family dynamic. Emaline had a strong family with her mother, dad, and two sisters. But she also had her biological father who things were not so great with. This was done so well. It was great to see her strong relationship with the family she grew up with, but also her desire to have some form of connection with the father who was never around. She wasn't trying to downgrade her dad or push away her sisters, she just wanted love from the man that should have taken care of her in the beginning. Her half-brother Benji was also great. There relationship was so sweet.
The friendships. Emaline's best friend Morris was such a great character. And her other best friend Daisy was great too. They were just genuinely good people. And you could see them and their relationship with Emaline growing and morphing as the novel progressed. I just wish this had been more of a focus, these two didn't get the attention they deserved. I also really liked Luke, Emaline's boyfriend in the beginning of the novel.
The ending. The conclusion to this was extremely satisfying. Emaline grew up a lot, made some great connections, made new friends, learned from her mistakes, and the possibility of her working out a relationship in the future was left open and possible, without being forced. It was rather different from a lot of Dessen's endings, but for this one in particular it really worked.
Dislikes
There's really only two main dislikes: Emaline's father and Theo. These two characters were extremely bothersome. Theo seemed sweet enough and cute in the beginning, but the more you got to know him the more you realized how much of a user he was. He was really only out for his own interests and expected everyone else to follow his lead. Particularly Emaline, who he saw as an unrefined country girl. And her father was very similar. He couldn't see what his children (particularly Benji) needed because he was too busy thinking about what he needed and wanted. It was ridiculous.
Overall I really enjoyed this and thought the story arc was satisfying. There are some things I would have liked to see more of or done differently, but it was enjoyable and had some great relationships and life lessons.
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