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dandelionwine1928's review against another edition
1.0
*SPOILERS*
Man. I really wanted to enjoy this one, as Sarah Dessen was one of the authors that was essential to me growing up. But maybe she's lost her touch. Or maybe I've just outgrown her.
Sarah Dessen has long been criticized for her lack of diversity in the books, and in this one, it was like she was throwing token diverse characters in there without fully developing them or integrating them in the story much. They were still very much background characters, of complete unimportance, and the main character, Louna, was her typical, tired protagonist. Additionally, Louna fell in love with her first boyfriend in literally like three hours and then this was the basis for a large part of the plot. Also, I felt like having a school shooting solely for the purpose of providing tragedy to the main character and making her closed off so the charming (or unbelievably annoying and predictable) Ambrose could save her from her cynical self was pretty messed up, in my opinion.
I was so disappointed in this book and I probably won't be picking up the next one from Dessen. You would think that after a longer absence in between novels, she would have created something a bit more unique, but it just felt like a watered-down version of her other novels.
Man. I really wanted to enjoy this one, as Sarah Dessen was one of the authors that was essential to me growing up. But maybe she's lost her touch. Or maybe I've just outgrown her.
Sarah Dessen has long been criticized for her lack of diversity in the books, and in this one, it was like she was throwing token diverse characters in there without fully developing them or integrating them in the story much. They were still very much background characters, of complete unimportance, and the main character, Louna, was her typical, tired protagonist. Additionally, Louna fell in love with her first boyfriend in literally like three hours and then this was the basis for a large part of the plot. Also, I felt like having a school shooting solely for the purpose of providing tragedy to the main character and making her closed off so the charming (or unbelievably annoying and predictable) Ambrose could save her from her cynical self was pretty messed up, in my opinion.
I was so disappointed in this book and I probably won't be picking up the next one from Dessen. You would think that after a longer absence in between novels, she would have created something a bit more unique, but it just felt like a watered-down version of her other novels.
infinite_kay's review against another edition
3.0
I’ve liked or loved every Sarah Dessen book I read so far, and while I wasn’t head over heels for Once and for All, I liked it.
I liked Louna and the setting, I thought it was a lot of fun and she was a great character. However, I couldn’t connect to Ambrose at all. Maybe it’s an age thing, but I didn’t think the way he was acting was cute or charming, just annoying (and to be honest, I thought the same of similar characters when I was his age too).
I also didn’t like the back and forth between past and present. It’s a device I usually enjoy, but here I felt it was taking away from the current story. I thought it would have been better if set entirely in the present, with Louna sharing her story through the narration.
I liked Louna and the setting, I thought it was a lot of fun and she was a great character. However, I couldn’t connect to Ambrose at all. Maybe it’s an age thing, but I didn’t think the way he was acting was cute or charming, just annoying (and to be honest, I thought the same of similar characters when I was his age too).
I also didn’t like the back and forth between past and present. It’s a device I usually enjoy, but here I felt it was taking away from the current story. I thought it would have been better if set entirely in the present, with Louna sharing her story through the narration.
bookishgirlmama's review against another edition
5.0
Sarah Dessen writes wonderful books. I've loved every story, every character is real. I anxiously await her next book
madelynmurphy's review against another edition
4.0
While Louna had her flaws, I loved Ambrose, overall I thought it was a good book
sunwhoohoo's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.0
I'm eating up everything Sarah Dessen has ever written. once again the romance in her books don't really get me but I love how she constructs her main characters. I was even less invested in the romance in this one though mostly because Ambrose is a type of guy that would just annoy me in real life. also there were too little romantic moments between the two of them for it to lead up to the confession. I was really invested with her relationship with Ethan. I felt such a loss whenever she talked about him.
jurassicreads's review against another edition
3.0
I grew up with friends who were OBSESSED with Sarah Dessen novels, but I just never found any of their descriptions interesting enough to pick up. Not to mention the moniker of 'teen romance' is usually enough to turn me off to any book, regardless of content. I've always been one to turn my nose up at books revolving around a romantic relationship. One specific piece of this one brought me to take a chance: weddings. As someone in my late-twenties, I find myself a little more curious about weddings, and sometimes that brings me to fiction books involving weddings. 'Once and for All' follows Louna, the daughter of a well-known wedding planner. Louna works summers for her mother's wedding business and has become really good at it, until one summer they take on an unexpected nuisance: a boy name Ambrose. Ambrose is flighty, a little bit of a womanizer, and rebels against literally anything organized. I think the interactions between Louna and Ambrose were ultimately not what kept me in this one for the long haul. This book chronicles a few very stupidly complicated wedding scenes that really made me laugh and cringe, but they were pretty much the only thing keeping me around until the end. I did feel connected to Louna because of her stubborn inability to stray from the rules (which I can relate to on TOO MANY levels). I was almost nauseated by how all over the place Ambrose was written, as if he was supposed to be the polar opposite of Louna.