Review: Once and for All by Sarah Dessen

 Summary from Goodreads:

As bubbly as champagne and delectable as wedding cake, Once and for All, Sarah Dessen's thirteenth novel, is set in the world of wedding planning, where crises are routine.

Louna, daughter of famed wedding planner Natalie Barrett, has seen every sort of wedding: on the beach, at historic mansions, in fancy hotels and clubs. Perhaps that's why she's cynical about happily-ever-after endings, especially since her own first love ended tragically. When Louna meets charming, happy-go-lucky serial dater Ambrose, she holds him at arm's length. But Ambrose isn't about to be discouraged, now that he's met the one girl he really wants.

Sarah Dessen’s many, many fans will adore her latest, a richly satisfying, enormously entertaining story that has everything—humor, romance, and an ending both happy and imperfect, just like life itself.

My Review:



What I Liked:

Setting/Characters. Sarah Dessen always does an amazing job with the worlds she creates. The look into the world of wedding planning was so interesting and the perfect way to bring everything together. I enjoyed the reading from the point of view of Louna and seeing how she interacts with all of the unique side characters. 

Writing. Dessen is one of my all time favorite young adult authors, I enjoy her writing style, her characters, and her ability to evoke the readers emotions. As always she crafted a interesting world and her detailed writing kept me reading until the end. 

Side Plots. Dessen always does an amazing job crafting great detailed side plots. I enjoyed the sections that took place in the past of the main characters because it explained her attitude and beliefs in the present. And I loved the focus on family and friends that Dessen always does extremely well. I would have liked more of those plot lines instead of the romance. 

What I Liked:

Romance. I believe I would have adored this novel if the whole romance was completely cut from it. The love interest grew to be a great character but I just did not feel a spark between the two of them. I think friendship would have been the right direction while focusing more on the other aspects of the plot, like family/friends.

I recommend checking out this cute contemporary novel if you love Dessen's writing and characters as much as I do. 

My Rating:

4 Stars Out of 5 Stars