Showing posts with label sarah dessen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sarah dessen. Show all posts

Friday, April 17, 2026

On Your Radar: Change of Plans

 


It's been EONS since I've done one of these.

Title: Change of Plans
Author: Sarah Dessen
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Date Published: May 5, 20206

Why It Should be On Your Radar:
Summer romance
getting to know your family
mother/daughter relationship
restaurant chaos
off the grid
blended family
Friendship
Trust
Secrets


It's been 7 years since the last Sarah Dessen novel and it was everything I wanted it to be!

Verdict: 5 stars. Don't sleep on this one. And if you haven't read her before, go back and read her. Start with The Truth about Forever (it's my favorite)

* Source: ARC from PLA

Tuesday, February 10, 2026

Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite YA Romance Books

 This week is a romance Freebie. This list is hard for me, because I love YA romances. I'm going to showcase 5 older favorite titles and 5 new favorite titles:


Old Favorites:
This series will always have my heart

Also this series - which made me laugh so much

Review

No review

Review

New Favorites:

Review coming soon


Reviewed for SLJ

Apparently, I didn't review this one, which seems strange to me because I loved it. 

Review

Bonus:
Review

Do you have a favorite YA Romance?

Also did you know that I created a YA Romance Book Trope Database? It's still in the works.
More info can be found here.

Friday, May 20, 2022

Movie Review: Along for the Ride


I'm a Huge fan of Sarah Dessen's books, so I was so happy when another one of her books was being turned into a movie. It's been a long time since I've read the book - but I loved it.


The movie captured the feeling of the book. 

I loved seeing Colby come to life. I wish there were a few Easter Eggs from other books though. Maybe there were and I missed them. I thought there was one.

I loved Sarah's cameo. But I would have missed it had they not said her name. 

I enjoyed the friendships - after that awkward meeting. Especially singing in the car.

The food fight was funny. 

Have you seen this one yet? What did you think? If this one does well, maybe they would film The Truth About Forever next! That's my favorite Dessen novel

Friday, June 11, 2021

Book List: Help Wanted



Yesterday I wrote about It's a Cheesy Kind of Love Story and it made me think about all the YA books featuring characters with jobs. 

So many teens work for spending money or college tuition.

These are just a few of these novels:

Book List:
pizza joint
Made in Korea by Sarah Suk
Small Business Owners
Tweet Cute by Emma Lord
Food industry social media managers

Truth about Forever by Sarah Dessen
Caterer
Recommended for You by Laura Silverman
Bookstore Worker
Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigidar,
Small Business Owners

Not Pictured:
Retail
When Summer Ends by Jessica Pennington 
Outdoor adventure company 
Nantucket Blue by Leila Howland
Hotel Cleaner 
What I Thought was True by Huntley Fitzpatrick
Companion 
various jobs (52 of them)
Serious Moonlight by Jenn Bennett
Hotel Worker


Monday, May 1, 2017

Read A Dessen: The Truth About Forever


I adore Sarah Dessen's books so I'm happy to be part of the #ReadADessen blog tour from Penguin. Tons of blogs will be talking about her books, leading up to her newest book which I can't wait to read: Once and For All coming out June 6th.  It's So far away, but there's still time to re-read her backlist if you seriously can not wait any longer! 

If you're stuck on where to start, I wrote up this blog post last year. Take a look.

About the Book:

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.

About the Author:
Sarah Dessen is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of over a dozen novels for teens, which have received numerous awards and rave reviews. Her books have been published in over thirty countries and have sold millions of copies worldwide. She is the recipient of the 2017 Margaret A. Edwards Award from the American Library Association for outstanding contribution to young adult literature for her novels: Keeping the Moon, Dreamland, This Lullaby, The Truth about Forever, Just Listen, Along for the Ride, and What Happened to Goodbye. Her newest novel, Once and for All, will be released in June 2017. An NC native, she currently lives in Chapel Hill with her family.

It's always hard to pick a favorite book by an author you love. But as soon as I read The Truth About Forever, I knew it was a different kind of love. So I happily re-read it to remember all the reasons I fell in love with it the first time.

Of course, it didn't disappoint me. 

10 Reasons I adore this book:
The Truth Game
The Chaos in the Kitchen
Macy learning not to be perfect
Wes
Wes's sculptures
 Gotcha Game
Kristy's outlook on life
Monica's word count
Healing from Grief
The horrible library girls

There are so many reasons to love this book. The words just washed over me as I read it. I felt a connection to the chaos and finding yourself free in your choices.

It's the type of book I want to hug after reading it.
I tried thinking of a sentence or two to pull out from it to share as my favorite quote, but there are simply too many.

So Read it for yourself and let me know what you think of it.

I hope you love it as much as I do.

Giveaway of Sarah Dessen's paperback books:
Enter for a chance to win one (1) set of Sarah Dessen’s books in paperback (ARV: $132.00).

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Enter between 12:00 AM Eastern Time on April 17, 2017 and 12:00 AM on May 29, 2017.  Open to residents of the fifty United States and the District of Columbia who are 13 and older. Winners will be selected at random on or about June 1, 2017. Odds of winning depend on number of eligible entries received. Void where prohibited or restricted by law.

Wednesday, May 11, 2016

So you want to read Sarah Dessen?

Today I'm over the at YALSA Hub blog talking about the different ways to start reading Sarah Dessen's amazing books.


Wednesday, April 8, 2015

On My Hold List (102)


My Librarian friend Jess from I Read to Relax came up with a great idea.  It's to highlight the books on hold at the library. I usually have 20-40 items checked out at the library and another 20 items on hold. 


The Hunted: Can't wait to see what happens next in this gripping trilogy. 

Saint Anything: the start of summer is always time for a new Sarah Dessen book

City Love: Looking forward to this new trilogy from Susane Colasanti

School for Unusual Girls: Regency England school to reform young girl into marriage material is just a cover for lady spies - how perfect!

What books are you waiting on?

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Books I'm Dying to Read: May Edition

So many good books are coming out in May- here are the ones I can't wait to get my hands on!


Lois Lane: Fallout (Lois Lane, #1)Scarlett Undercover
Lois Lane: Lois Lane, reporter, wants to solve mysteries
Scarlett Undercover: Muslim American Veronica Mars (Enough said)

A School for Unusual Girls (Stranje House, #1)The Huntress of Thornbeck Forest
School for Unusual Girls: Regency England - spies - and romance!
Huntress of Thornbeck Forest: Swan Lake meets Robin Hood in a forbidden love story

The Novice (Summoner, #1)Tracked
Novice: A trilogy with a fight for good vs evil - and the powers of summoning.
Tracked: Fast and the Furious set in the future

The Wrath and the Dawn (The Wrath and the Dawn, #1)Nil Unlocked (Nil, #2)
Wrath and the Dawn: Inspired by One Thousand and One Nights
NIL Unlocked: Back on the island - and back in danger

The Hunted (The Living #2)Hold Me Like a Breath (Once Upon a Crime Family, #1)
The Hunted: Sequel to The Living - can't wait for more of this trilogy.
Hold Me Like a Breath: A mob family that controls the black market for organ donations and a girl who desperately wants her freedom.

Saint AnythingOff the Page
Saint Anything: Anything by Sarah Dessen is a must read for me.
Off the Page: Companion to Between the Lines - fairy tale that comes right from the pages of a book

The Summer After You and MeP.S. I Still Love You (To All the Boys I've Loved Before, #2)The Fill-In Boyfriend
Summer After You and Me: Summer on the boardwalk after superstorm Sandy hits - how will this summer go?
PS. I Still Love You: Pretend boyfriend turned into something more?
Fill In Boyfriend: I've been meaning to read her books because they all look fantastic and perfect for summer.

If I Were YouThe Forget-Me-Not Summer
If I Were You: Freaky Friday scenario for two BFFs
Forget Me Not Summer: 3 Sisters spend the summer on Cape Cod

You're Invited (RSVP #1)Best Friend Next Door
RSVP: 4 BFFs start a party planning business - but nothing goes right
Best Friend Next Door: Tween books about the power of friendship 

Summer on Lovers' Island (Jewell Cove, #3)A Matter of Heart
Summer on Lover's Island: The third book in the Jewel Cove series - Loved the first one, still need to read the 2nd books.
Matter of Heart: A swimmer with dreams of the Olympics - with a heart condition. 

The Heir (The Selection, #4)The Eternal City
Heir: I can't wait to see how American's daughter's own Selection turns out!
Eternal City: Romantic thriller set in Rome.

Sparks in ScotlandKissing in America
Sparks in Scotland: While vacating on Scotland, Ava learns more that just about her heritage - she learns about love.
Kissing in America: A romance reader meets a boy - will it be like the  books she adores?

Tiny Pretty ThingsThe Improbable Theory of Ana and Zak
Tiny Pretty Things: Elite ballet school filled with lots of drama
Improbably Theory of Amy and Zak: An accidental first date could lead to...something

Killer Within (Killer Instinct, #2)
Killer Within: I tore through the first book, excited to see what happens next


I already read and LOVED:
Wild Hearts (If Only . . ., #4)A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #1)