THE TRUTH ABOUT FOREVER: Sixteen-year-old Macy Queen is looking forward to a long, boring summer. Her boyfriend is going away. Shes stuck with a dull-asdishwater job at the library. And shell spend all of her free time studying for the SATs or grieving silently with her mother over her fathers recent unexpected death. But everything changes when Macy is corralled into helping out at one of her mothers open house events, and she meets the chaotic Wish Catering crew. Before long, Macy joins the Wish team. She loves everything about the work and the people. But the best thing about Wish is Wes artistic, insightful, and understanding Wes who gets Macy to look at life in a whole new way, and really start living it.
THIS LULLABY: When it comes to relationships, Remy doesnt mess around. After all, shes learned all there is to know from her mother, whos currently working on husband number five. But theres something about Dexter that seems to defy all of Remys rules. He certainly doesnt seem like Mr. Right. For some reason, however, Remy just cant seem to shake him. Could it be that Remys starting to understand what those love songs are all about? From acclaimed author Sarah Dessen, this is a captivating novel about a tough-as-nails girl and the unexpectedly charming boy whos determined to soften her up. (from paperbackswap.com)
basically this book is about a girl named macy who has a boyfriends named jason and he goes away for the summer. so when she takes a new job he gets mad that she isnt focusing on her internship at the local library that she took over for him. so he tells her that he thinks they should "take a break" because he needs to "get his priorities in order" so shes pretty much devastated and she is sad about her relationship with jason but she ends up getting a job catering in a family buisness and the owners son works there too. so they "fall in love" or whatever and then they have a cute story.
Firstly i love sarah dessen as an author. I'm in tenth grade and have been reading her books since i was in seventh grade when i started becoming an avid book eater and exploring all kinds of teen books.
The truth about forever i recommend for girls 14 and older because it does discuss everything to do with sex and she describes it well. (understatement) Although i've never experienced any of the things it talks about in the book it relates a lot to ppl around me too it did change my perspective on sex in a good way. Its sad only because it shows the reality of your first real love and how it can fall apart and get serious quick. I definately recommend this book because i love her descriptions and i absolutely love the grandmother in this book and how she so casually discusses her grand-daughters sex life hahaha. i dont remember too much of it since i read it awhile ago but when i loaned it to my friend we both talked about how we couldnt put it down! i love books like that and it doesnt leave you hanging or pissed off or completely shocked, it leaves you with a peaceful feeling kinda like you wish u new exactly what she'd do but that you know she'll be fine.
This lullaby is also veryyyy good. As are all of sarah dessen's books. i read this book awhile ago also so again i dont remember everything. maybe i should reread it and get back to you later yup i'll do that.
This lullaby by Sarah Dessen I really really loved this book, i found the main character Remy Starr and myself a lot alike, building my own small bubble where I'd never let anybody to come across even if I wanted and if they did it's real difficult. Remy, witnessing her mother's several failed marriage after her father who never met her, he was a musician but before he died he wrote a lullaby for her - now listened by people all around. She has kept everyone at a arm's length, no musician rule until she meets Dexter - everything she's not, implusive, clumsy, disorganized and now suddenly she can't follow her own rules?
I really liked this one, its a light read and it's actually fun to read how Remy perceives things, she's a really sweet girl but with just a small issue -- she doesn't know how to trust people with her feelings, especially what considers 'love'. I find it's really common these days for us to know who to trust and it's somewhere upon us for what kind of people we have become (materialistic and social media influenced..), the type where one has to think thrice before trusting someone. But otherwise she finds it hard to trust that you can find a perfect partner considering her mother's failed marriages. I honestly loved Dexter's character funny, cute and clumsy. A lot of times you find yourself smiling at how cute both of them are together, book gives you a great laugh too. Particularly loved this scene : "Raise a glass and huffah!" "Huffah!" Dexter said again. "That's it." Ted started back to the van. "I'm gone. You guys can huffah all you want--" "HUFFAH!" They yelled in unison.
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Relationships are important in a person’s life because they assure an individual that they don’t have to face any struggles alone. It doesn’t matter if it is with a pet, a family member, a friend, a stranger, or even with the love of your life they all make an individual special in their own way. Relationships start to get difficult in high school because nothing with teens is ever easy. In Sarah Dessen’s The Truth About Forever Macy’s relationships are all a giant mess and she has to go through a lot of tough decisions to fix them. In the end it seems as if Macy has a new better life, because she found out from a special friend that in life you need to balance what you want and what others want from you. If you like teenage girl books with romance and over coming struggles then you will love this book. Teen girls who love romance will like this book because Macy starts off the summer with her intellectual boyfriend Jason, but then she meets Wes a boy from the catering company Wish and he shows her that she has to start making decisions for her to be happy. Wes and Macy’s relationship starts off as strangers, but blossoms into something so magical they never see it coming. Teen girls who like books with overcoming struggles will like this book because Macy has to go through a lot of difficult times in her life to get to her final destination of pure happiness. I can relate to this book because I am in high school like Macy and I know what it’s like to always try to make everyone else around you happy. It’s exhausting and challenging because you don’t want to disappoint others by just saying ‘no’, or not doing what they expected of you. Just like Macy I found a really amazing friend that has shown me that I need to do whatever makes me happy, and then everything else will just work itself out. This is where many teens, including myself have to figure out this important life lesson. Everyone goes through challenges like this, and having another person by your side makes it not seem so difficult to over come. Putting the story in a high school summer setting makes it more believable for teens. Also it’s from a teenage girl perspective which makes it relatable to any high school girl that has the same issue that Macy had. I hope that like Macy any other girls with this problem find a friend to help them through their struggles. If the setting was different the message wouldn’t be the same, or as convincing to the audience. High school boys can relate to how Jason treats his girlfriend to show them that girls don’t appreciate being treated like that. Also they can relate to how Wes has a hard time expressing how he feels t o show them not to hide what they are feeling because otherwise their problem will never be solved. By reading this book teens get a better understanding of why its important to have good relationships with others, because when you need them then they will always be there for you. In high school most teens don’t realize the value of the relationships they make with others. This aspect of The Truth About Forever stresses that through the toughest of times those quality relationships will always be there when everyone else leaves you alone. Dessen’s style is young adult romance with family or friend problems. These are all things every teens deals with in their lives. Teens respond to these issues in different ways.” Life can be long or short, it all depends on how you choose to live it. It's like forever, always changing. For any of us our forever could end in an hour, or a hundred years from now. You can never know for sure, so you'd better make every second count. What you have to decide is how you want your life to be. If your forever was ending tomorrow, is this how you'd want to have spent it?” This shows the audience no matter how bad your life may seem just change it to make it what you want it to be. Every second contains the potential of being great it all depends how it is used by an individual. Everyone is given an equal chance to get the best out of life, but it’s up to them how they spend it. “Some people, they can't just move on, you know, mourn and cry and be done with it. Or at least seem to be. But for me... I don't know. I didn't want to fix it, to forget. It wasn't something that was broken. It's just...something that happened. And like that hole, I'm just finding ways, every day, of working around it. Respecting and remembering and getting on at the same time. ” Dessen shows the seriousness of losing someone you love. This isn’t something every teen goes through, but if they do experience this tragic event they will need someone to help them through a difficult time like this. I have sadly experienced this and without my friends and family to lean on I don’t think I could have carried on in life the way I am. “I don't know. Just because someone's pretty doesn't mean she's decent. Or vice versa. I'm not into appearances. I like flaws, I think they make things interesting.” I don’t think this represents Dessen’s style very well because it is a very judgmental statement which doesn’t give off the vibe that her style portrays. Although this does show the audience that everyone has flaws which makes everyone equal. Teens forget this in high school because high school is about image. Learning to make decisions for yourself is an important challenge that everyone has to overcome. Growing up we are always being told what to do, but at one point in out lives we need to step up and do what makes us happy. Just like Macy as teens we figure out that when we do start doing things for ourselves we end up much happier. Through this process we find where our true relationships are and they will help us do what is best. No one can do anything completely alone no matter who you are.
I feel like the romance in this book was very low-key and made overall I feel like I could be so so much better and I feel like I felt the friendship more than I really thought the love and the story really wasn’t my cup of tea either I mean it was OK with a horrible and the plot was OK but It could’ve been executed better
i cried a little bit at the ending [sue me i'm a sap] but i struggled to connect with remy throughout the book not that the characterization was bad! i just don't think i would have liked remy in real life
The chokehold "This Lullaby" had on me during my teen years. My hardcover copy was held together by tape, y'all. TAPE. I will go rot in a hole while I wonder if young readers today fully grasp what a one-hour photo place is.
I absolutely love these two books. So far, out of the Sarah Dessen books I have read, these two are my favorites. I think The Truth About Forever is the best!!
Honestly, I feel like the ending was obvious, unrealistic, and it took forever coming.
I guess what bothered me most was the main character, Remy. She annoyed me, and I respect Sarah Dessen for making the character consistent and everything, but Remy could be so stupid I just wanted to stick her in the corner and tell her to keep all the b.s. about love not being possible to herself. BUT, I couldn't. I've been there a hundred times with a hundred other stubborn characters in a hundred other (hyperbole:) YA novels. And, I don't necessarily mean this as a criticism to the story or the author, its just that I would never want to be in Remy's company much longer than this book took me.
However, Remy was supposed to be that way because of her mom's unsuccessful marriages, and I get it. If her brother had no problem with finding love coming from the same experience, you'd think it would not take her so long to figure it out.
Overall though, I loved Dexter and his bandmates and everything...ahh gosh. Dexter and Remy FOREVS, I guess. IF Remy can possibly commit, which I still doubted in the supposed to be kind of happy end. I was sad, but people just do not completely change that easily.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
THIS LULLABY: Gave 3 stars. Loved the storyline overall. Romance was really sweet and perfect at the end. The only thing I have to complain is Remy's pessimism and cynical-ness about love and the constant cursing through the overall novel. Otherwise, the driving plot toward romance is interesting and I love how Remy is a dynamic character and learns to believe in true love. :)
THE TRUTH ABOUT FOREVER: Gave 5 stars. First Dessen book I read and it is still one of my most favorites by her. Well, the complex plot is interesting. I loved all the characters, especially the main character (Macy) which made me easily enjoy the story. The ending was perfect. This story is pretty much the complete package, fun packed with adventure, romance, and all the other edgy stuff.
This book would receive more stars from me, but I don't like The Truth About Forever. The thing that drew me in the most was the title, and the fact that I apparently read far too many books about mythology. This lullaby is a good, simple story with some likeable characters. However The Truth About Forever, for whatever reason, just didn't do it for me. I didn't feel drawn in or even slightly curious as to what would happen. And of course the story itself was predictable. And I do realise that many people preferred The Truth About Forever to This Lullaby, but I still believe that This Lullaby is better. Obviously personal opinion matters, so I urge everyone to read both novels as opposed to just reading one or the other.
If my forever ends tomorrow, what will I do today? Am I happy with whatever I'm doing now?
The past few months have reminded me that life is fleeting. In the story, Macy, the protagonist, adjusts to life and changes after her father passed away. I think I can relate to that when it comes to having my beliefs and foundation shake. Life slapped me in the face and told me I cannot control everything. It will never be the same, but we have to move on. People have different ways of reacting to and coping with grief.
This book made me realize a lot of things. It's easy to get lost in the everyday routine. Once in a while, something happens that would make me realize that everything is temporary.
It's quite surprising that this book is actually worth a lot more than the cheesy title and girly cover. Dessen's writing and use of figurative language is so well-crafted you'd decipher the littlest bit of connotation in a paragraph, rather dull for the reader who had to be detached not to realize the metaphorical resonances. More so, the metaphors are so fitting to the message of the story, which, to sum it up, dares young adults to come out of their comfort zones and let go of the fear of changes. This book is a coming of age story that challenges the idea of a perfectly planned out future and plans only to be shattered by the fact that somehow, something unplanned comes along the way, and it's okay to take a detour off of that perfect road and let go of control.
This has to be my favorite Sarah Dessen book. First of all, I adore the question debated throughout the book: is this love real? is love worth risking it all?
Diving into Dessen's insprising real-life fairytale, I experienced the mental debate of love, the sacrifice and The Truth About Forever ;) . The reality check was unquestionable, though too much of everything else in Macy's life was. And the uggly truth is nothing is perfect, and nothing is forever. Sometimes you have to just let go and go with what you got. Love and life are just too complicated to be portraid as such a cookie-cutter subject. The truth is, life is hard, but love might just be worth losing it all.
I hated this book! I got through half and was done. I didn't like ANY of the characters, lest of all the main ones! I was so sick of the bad language and the destructive life style. I just couldn't get through the book, it wasn't worth it. Which is a real bummer because I paid $15 for it, so it was a total waste. I have read some of her stuff before and even though they weren't my favorite books I have never disliked one of her books so much! Maybe it turned out to be one of those character development kind of books but even if that is the case ever single character would have had to be improved! THis was stupid!
The Truth About Forever, by Sarah Dessen, is an incredible romance novel, with the perfect balance between tragedy, love, and comedy. The main character Macy begins the story full of fear, never letting anyone into her life, and sticking to her schoolwork and daily routine. Her father has recently passed away, and with her mother only focusing on work, she only has her studious “boyfriend” Jason to turn to. When Jason breaks up with her over showing her true emotions, Macy decides to make some decisions to change her life around, and hopefully for the better. The Truth about Forever is an incredible book and I recommend it to anyone who loves a good romance story!
The story of a girl who lost her faith in love, and a boy who showed her that true love is possible. Even though her Mum got divorced five times, even though love is a risk, and you will never know what happens and even though it will make you vulnerable, love is worth it. That is the story of the book and the thing Remy has to find out. It is not corny, it is realistic and merciless true. But in a very beautiful way. It shows alos some aspects of growing up and beginning again. A really nice book and a far better love story and uncommon love story than in so many other books. Worth reading!!
This book was so good. This book i feel is like a lot of other books. A girl name Remy learns from boy she dates. I think she is like traumatized because of the fact that her dad left her. Since her dad left her i think she might fell like every guy is the same. Also because of the fact that her mother has been with many guys. I feel like Remy doesn't even believe in love. There are many stories like this were people are frightened to find the wrong person. But at the end of the day every one is happy.
The Truth About Forever - This book was honestly amazing, I was recommended it by a friend who couldn't put it down at lunch one day and decided to drive to barnes and noble after school and buy it. I'm so happy I bought it because it's one of those books you just don't get tired or re-reading. This book made me fall in love with Sarah Dessen and i'm so excited to read the rest of her books. Highly recommended.
Remy has a whole set of rules of what guy not to choose. For example: never getting too serious or letting him break your heart. She always said she'll never date a musician. But along came dexter who changed everything. She finally realized what her friends were talking about and that love has no rules to it. It just comes. It hits you. The rules didn't seem to apply anymore. Remy finally understood what all those love songs were about.
So I think this is the 1000th time I've re-read Truth About Forever...and This Lullaby. Gosh, I just don't understand who would HATE this book, Sarah Dessen being a genius and all. But I guess some people are just prejudice against ANYTHING realistic fiction, ISN'T THAT RIGHT DEANNA. And just because you liked one John Green book does not change anything.
After having finished this book, I have to admit that it was not as predictable as I thought it would be. It is not very tension-filled, though. However, it is a lovely love story and if you are into love novels, like me, it is a beautiful book.