Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
With her sixth novel, award-winning author Sarah Dessen offers up another generous helping of finely crafted storytelling about real teens dealing with real life. In The Truth About Forever, when asked how she is coping with her father's death, invariably seventeen year old Macy Queen's answer is "fine," when nothing could be further from the truth. In actuality, she is drowning in grief while maintaining a flawless façade of good grades and unblemished behavior. Though she feels lost when her boyfriend heads to "Brain Camp" for the summer, she finds herself a job with the quirky Wish Catering crew, and meets "sa-woon"-worthy Wes, whose chaotic lifestyle is in direct opposition to her own. As the two share their stories over the summer, Macy realizes she can no longer keep her feelings on ice. Though it feels like her future endedwith her dad's death, Macy's learns that forever is all about beginnings. Dessen charts Macy's navigation of grief in such an honest way it will touch every reader who meets her. All of the Dessen trademarks are here: a girl in transition, a wonderfully fleshed out cast of secondary characters, and of course, the luminous, powerful writing itself. The Truth About Forever will more than satisfy Dessen's legion of fans, and will win her countless more as well. Highly recommended. (Ages 12 and up) --Jennifer Hubert |
Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
 A YA Novel Perfect for All Ages, Sep 16, 2023
Although the heroine of this novel, Macy, is only seventeen, it's a wonderful read for anyone who has ever experienced the lost of a love one; for anyone who's strived to be the "perfect" person that everyone can know and love; and for every mother, daughter, sister, aunt, friend who has only wanted one thing from life--to be happy, loved, and accepted for who we really are.
The last year and a half has been hard on Macy. After witnessing her father's death after a Christmastime morning run, she's strived to be the "fine just fine" girl--a perfect helper for her mother, a perfect balance to her older sister Caroline's wild days, and a perfect girlfriend to her genius boyfriend.
But when Jason heads off to Brain Camp for the summer and unexpectedly asks for a "break" in their relationship, Macy's world is thrown even more off-kilter. She'd already committed to taking Jason's place at the Library Information Desk for the summer, and she hates the job, and the Miss Perfection girls she gets snubbed by on a daily basis. Her evenings are spent dutifully studying for her SATs the following year, and even her weekends are filled with helping her mother with her business and ironing her clothes for the week.
Then, during a party her mother throws for prospective clients, Macy meets the staff members of Wish, a chaotic catering business. Delia, the very pregnant owner; Kristy, the scarred girl in the outrageous outfits; Monica, the Queen of the One Word Answer; Bert, who's convinced the end of the world is near; and Wes, a boy who spent time in reform school after his parent's divorce and then lost his mother to cancer.
During this particular summer, Macy comes to realize that being the perfect daughter, sister, and girlfriend doesn't stop the world from being a crazy place. It doesn't insulate you from hurt. In fact, being spontaneous, creating new friends, looking outside the shell of a perfect existence, is the only way to realize the truth about forever--it can be two seconds long, or a hundred years. The moment you're living now is your forever, and Macy finally learns how to reach out and grab the moment.
I really loved this book! Although touted as a YA read, I think any woman would enjoy it. It's sad, humorous, and compelling, a definitely wonderful read.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Great Book for Teenagers!, Aug 16, 2023
This book was the cutest book ever, i seriously couldnt put it down. If your wondering whether or not to order this book because you dont know how great it really is, TRUST ME its worth it!
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
 Good enough to be worth buying but expected more from Dessen, Aug 15, 2023
Sarah Dessen has many times over surprised me with how good her books are. So naturally I was excited to read The Truth About Forever.Macy stops living life (not literally) when she witnesses her father splayed out on the ground, a heart attack getting the better of him. Then she meets the crew of Wish, a catering crew that also includes in the bargain, "Monotone" Monica who can indeed compose a full sentence you found out near the end, bubbly Kristy and her outrageous maybe even obscene outfits, indignant self-righteous Bert and his older brother Wes. Oh, it was good enough. The pages passed fast enough. But I wasn't totally buying it. Call me stereotypical and maybe just a person with low expectations for humanity, but it didn't seem believable that Wes would welcome flaws with open arms and seem devoid of any emotion except perhaps compassion and sadness. To me he didn't seem human at all. It was extremely predictable, partly because of the book jacket I'll admit but you just KNEW the turn-out of who Macy would end up with. Kristy is an interesting character and Sarah spent lots of lines describing her outfits. This might be seen upon as a bad thing but I found it rather interesting to read about outfits, probably because when I write stories I can't help but describe the character's outfits. I also was slightly annoyed that Macy didn't notice that Wes liked her. I mean, it was totally obvious. But then, it is fiction and I suppose some of the parts you're not supposed to believe.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
 The Truth about Forever, Jul 24, 2023
The Truth about Forever was a great story about a girl who needed who find herself, and was able to do that through others and her own experiences. It was also interesting to see how a game of "truth" allowed a girl to learn about herself and others, as well as deal with the death of her father. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to read about personal triumphs and young romance. It was overall a great book!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
loved it, Jul 16, 2023
this book is one of my favorites. it has everything, humor, romance, sadness. i loved the whole moral of the story. this is one of those books i would love to single out because it is incredible. Dessen writes with true passion and her words reach out to you. she doesn't create a perfect world like some other author but makes one full of surprises, one's you can explore. she puts down feelings that flow from a teen into words that can relate to me. after i read this book, it made me feel complete, as if i had found what i was looking for, even if it was for a measily 2 hours.
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Based on 75 reviews.