Book 8 - There's a Puppy Named Ira and I'm Into It

Title: Once and for All

Author: Sarah Dessen

Genre: Girl Meets Boi YA

Sarah, Sarah, Sarah. Hello again, dear old friend.

From the second I cracked this baby open, I was transported back to high school, with my hair once again hairsprayed to oblivion and a stud through my bottom lip. Dessen's books are comfortably familiar, following a fairly predictable format:

girl meets boy + pre/post romantical relationship struggles ensue + girl learns some life lesson

This novel is no exception - which is part of draw with her books, in my opinion, because they're safe and well-written and just fun to dive into. This one wasn't my fave. The thing is, I have my Dessen favourites (This Lullaby, Truth About Forever, and Dreamland) and stacking up to those is a tall order. Actually, the boy-girl combo reminds me of This Lullaby - uptight female protag with rigid beliefs about "the way things are" when it comes to relationships, and wacky, lanky dude who both drives her crazy and teaches her things about life/herself. Sorry to say, Remy and Dexter (This Lullaby) are wayyy more salient characters than Louna and Ambrose (Once and for All), so even while I tried not to compare the two, obviously that's exactly what I was doing the whole time. I felt as though the same applies to all the characters, though. They just weren't as BAM, as real, as I've seen her write.

So, really, this is a review of This Lullaby.

WOOPS.

What I did really like about this book was the backdrop of wedding chaos. The protag works for her mom, a wedding planning, and the madness of an industry I have little voluntary exposure to was fascinating. I could NOT get enough of show-stealing bridesmaids and meltdowns about centrepieces! I liked being behind the scenes, rolling my eyes along with the characters as these couples stipulated crazy and often tacky demands.

Rating: 🐕 🐕 🐕/5

Wouldn't recommend and wouldn't re-read. Glad I read it for sure, but not my fave.