Synopsis:

On the outside, Macy Queen is cool and calm. On the inside, she’s breaking. Silently struggling with her Dad’s death, and spending the summer apart from her oh-so-perfect boyfriend, Macy is smiling her way through – she’s ‘fine’. It’s only when she meets a group of new friends – and artistic, sexy Wes catches her eye – she realizes she can wear her heart on her sleeve sometimes. Because life doesn’t stop when someone disappears – and even though she’s lost so much, can Macy see what she has to gain? Hugely engaging and with great emotional depth, Sarah Dessen’s rich, warm, atmospheric writing makes this the perfect summer read for teenage girls.

I loved this book! Dessen has become one of my favourite authors and I already have another of her novels lined up to read. She writes books for young adults that are engaging, lively, full of description and full of depth. In The Truth About Forever Dessen focuses on death. Macy has lost her Dad – not only that but she saw his last moments. She copes by shutting out how she feels and just getting on with life, but it is never the same again. That is, until she meets Wes. He took has had problems he has needed to deal with and he has found a way to express himself, and he helps Macy recover, and build relationships again with her Mum and sister.

This is a great story. I believed it and I was involved. I was sucked in from the first page and felt like I was there too, experiencing the same things as Macy. Dessen writes real life events, which range from catering parties to heart attacks, and she writes convincing characters and story lines. I could easily believe how Macy and Wes met, the friendship they formed and how they helped each other

I loved all the characters. Macy was so easy to like. She volunteered at the library to help her distant boyfriend, she helped out her Mum, she tried to find a way to heal and she was a lovely friend. Wes was a gorgeous character. He used art to help himself and he was sensitive and truthful. What I really liked was that even though they were the two main characters, we did learn about others in the book too. Adding in them and their personalities helped make the book real and even more enjoyable.

What I really like about Dessen is how she uses creativity to help on find themselves. In Just Listen she uses music and in this novel she uses art. The main male characters introduce the idea and the girls go on a route of discovery. This adds depth and an idea of how one can find themselves or heal.

There are many reasons why I like Sarah Dessen. She writes amazing stories, great characters and is engaging and realistic. This might be aimed at teenagers but I think adults will enjoy this book too. I read over 300 pages in one go, I was hooked and I was sad when the book ended. And I just have to say, I love the cover too. It jumps out and makes me want to pick up the book. Top marks from me.