Book Review: What Happened to Goodbye

Sarah Dessen is a brilliant novelist. She is, undoutably, one of the best young adult novelist out there, but beyond that, she is a masterful story teller. Unlike many authors in her genre, she develops more than just a basic plot and character. Her books are so full, coming to life with theme and symbolism and a thoroughly developed world where all these things interact. Sarah Dessen is a genius, a master of her genre, and she will always be one of my favourite authors.

That's the spiel I give every time the topic of Sarah comes up. I am forever singing her praises, and forever recommending her books to my friends. I have loved her for so long that I now purchase her books without hesitation. I read about them months beforehand, hearing about them on her blog, and hunting down early reviews everyday until the release date. But even if I didn't do that, I would pick them up without a second thought, without even reading the back cover. As I have said time and time again, it's Sarah freaking Dessen. She can do no wrong.

Until now. Until now, I've loved every one of her books. But this weekend, I had my first little bit of free time, and I ran out to buy her newest novel, What Happened to Goodbye. And... I didn't love it. Not even close. Which is very hard for me. I feel such a loyalty, such a love for the Dessen name. I really, really wanted to love the book. But, the truth is, I don't know if I would have finished it if it didn't have the Dessen name on the cover.

I think my criticisms can be best illustrated by the exchange I had with my dad last night:

Dad: So, how's the book?

Me: Good, but it's boring me to tears. 

One of the biggest overarching problems I had was character. I just didn't care that much about Mclean. I was so bored. She kept talking about how she was tired of reinventing herself, and how she didn't know who she was. That's fine. Realistic, even, for a teenager. But she has to have something. Something I can love about her. I spent so much of the book trying to find that thing, but I couldn't. Mclean was perfectly nice, but also terribly bland. After four hundred pages, she was still finding herself, and I was still looking for a character I could invest in. That's a challenge, which really limited my enjoyment of the rest of the book.

I had to push to get through the first hundred pages, I was so bored. I wasn't buying into Mclean, I didn't care about Dave or her dad or her issues with her mother. The book was unstable from there, with a few moments where I thought it had taken a turn for the better, but, in the end, it didn't change course all that much. I was bored, frustrated, disappointed. I expected so much more.

It's not like it was badly written. Of course not. This is still Sarah freaking Dessen. The writing has to be good. But the rest of it was less enchanting. I think for a first time Dessen reader, the following issues wouldn't even register. But for this seasoned fan, it was all I could think about.

It felt like someone had pulled back the curtain, revealing all the mechanics of what goes into a good Dessen novel. It felt so laboured, so paint-by-the-numbers Dessen.

If you read young adult romance like I do, you come to accept some basic issues. For instance, you will always be aware of the male lead, because his physical attributes will be described in multiple paragraphs, rather than the one liners afforded to lesser characters. Also, you know that the guy and the girl will get together at the end, no matter what. But, you accept that there's no way to avoid such traps, no way to sidestep such pitfalls. You accept those predictable problems. You don't let them annoy you too much.

But you don't accept this much predictability. I would literally be reading along, and think "wow, this is just like _____________ Sarah Dessen book". This sexual tension scene is just like in the The Truth About Forever. This basketball metaphor is just like the bike symbolism in Along for the Ride. This character arc is just like Ruby's from Lock and Key. So many of the major moments in the book felt formulaic like that--cheap knock offs of previous Dessen novels.

That's the thing. It was the Sarah Dessen formula, and it wasn't even done all that well! Dave was not a true Dessen boy. He does not belong among the ranks of Wes or Owen or Dexter. The model motif was so forced. And the ending was lack luster. Nothing special. Usually, Sarah's novels are full of great lines. This time, so many of those lines rang false. Even the integration of character's from previous novels, a Dessen trademark, was less exciting than usual. I've had enough of Jason. Yeah, we got Heidi, Colby, Lakeview. I wanted more.

In all, the book was nothing special. Certainly not up to the super special standards I have for Sarah Dessen. Of course, I'll still pick up her next book without hesitation. But if that one is weak as well, I may have to start reading the back covers.

I'll always love Sarah for what she's given me, and I'll probably read every book she ever publishes. I just hope they're better than this one was.

Rules of Attraction

What makes the perfect male lead? This is a controversial topic, particularly in the young adult blogosphere. Some guys are not desirable enough. Some are too desirable, too perfect, too idealized. What, exactly, are the rules of attraction?

Everyone will have a different answer to this question, because everyone is attracted to different things. I can only attempt to explain my rules of attraction, by analyzing my favourite couples, and discovering what it is I like most in male characters. 

The first thing that comes to mind is vulnerability. I love, love, love vulnerable guys. For example, I don't watch The Vampire Diaries, but I always check in on it just to see Jeremy and Bonnie's relationship. I love Jeremy because he is so nervous, so unsure, so vulnerable. When he finally kisses Bonnie, he waits to see her reaction. When she smiles at him, he looks so shocked and relieved. I eat that right up. Just like the next week, when he asked Bonnie if she liked the kiss. So cute. Melts me to the ground. 

I wrote a post a while back about how I didn't like "bad boy" characters, and I think this why. Bad boys are always so confident. They make the protagonist come to them, not the other way around. Jess made Rory practically beg him. He wasn't vulnerable, most of the time. I'm not attracted to confidence like that. So, for me, vulnerability is the first ingredient. 

I also like boys who are unique. I cannot stand generic guys. To me, there is almost nothing worse than a male lead that has blond hair and blue eyes. He's just too perfect. In that way, I agree with the people who complain about idealized guys. They're boring. Too easy. Too bland. 

In Hellcats, I barely pay attention to Dan. He's just so stock, so stereotypical. Like Evan on Greek. Or Carter on Make It or Break It. Or Nate from Gossip Girl. Or Finn from Glee. They are too generic, too easy to like. They're not memorable. I like a guy who is unique, who has faults. I would much rather have an interesting guy that a perfect one. 

Chuck, for instance, isn't perfect. My god, he can be an awful, awful person, selling Blair for a hotel. But, at least, he's different. He doesn't look like everyone else, and he doesn't act like them either. He's his own character. Or, of course, Cappie. He's immature and irresponsible, but he's also hilarious, and loyal, and passionate. He's always Cappie, always unique. He doesn't always do the right thing, but at least he's not afraid to break the mould. 

In terms of stereotypical guys, I have already rejected the bad boy and the perfect guy. I also detest the jock, no matter how nice they try to make him, and the male slut, no matter how many times he may pledge to love the main character. The biggest stereotype I buy into is the geeky/nerdy guy. I always fall for him. First, because they are usually very vulnerable characters. They aren't very popular, and they usually don't get the girl. And I love them for that. 

I also love them for their intelligence and their awkwardness, two things I can relate to. I love Michael for his brilliance, but also for how long he waits for Mia. I love the end of the second book, when he has such a hard time telling Mia he likes her dress. Just like I love Dexter in This Lullaby because he's always so clumsy, with so much nervous energy. I'm always pulling for the nerd, because I can understand him, relate to him. I think we all can, at some point or another. 

Another quality I always fall for is earnestness. I adore a guy who can love his girl full forced, not caring about showing too much emotion or revealing too much. Not crying, by any means (though a guy can cry anytime he wants, with no judgement from me), but real, genuine love. 

The best example I can think of is Damon from Make It or Break It, specifically, the end of the first season, when he sings the song for Emily and does the radio interview. He admits to the whole world that he loves her. And he's not ashamed, not embarrassed. He's truthful, earnest. No wonder I am salivating waiting for the new season of MIOBI to come on!

I'm usually not into huge romantic gestures. I like the last scene of Anna and the French Kiss, rather than the get together scene. It's less dramatic sure, but it's also so much more real. 

I guess that's all I'm really looking for. A vulnerable guy, with faults and self-doubts, just like everyone else. A unique guy, who'd actually be interesting to talk to, fun to be around. A smart, awkward guy, who I can relate to. An earnest, truly romantic man I can fall for. In short, someone who's real, for better or for worse.

I don't think I ever found a character that meets all those requirements. Seely Booth is close. Michael Moscovitz is close. 

But the real question is: Will I ever find a man like them in real life? 

C to the R to the A to the P!

The Summer I Turned Pretty

By Jenny Han

Let's be frank here: This book was crap. Garbage, junk, crap, crap, crap. Barely finished it, barely cared about it crap. Sorry to Jenny Han, but your book sucked.

Let's start with the characters. The protagonist, Belly (stupid name. Stop trying too hard to be unique) was fine. Stupid and annoying, but fine. I had one problem: I didn't understand her at all. Not like I couldn't connect to her--no like, I couldn't freaking understand what she was saying! First, she says that she waits all year to go to the summer house, that it was the highlight of her year. But then she spent the whole book complaining about the summer house. She complained about how mean and distant Conrad was. She complained about her mother. She complained about how Conrad, Steven, and Jeremiah always left her out. If this is the highlight of her year, I feel pretty bad for this girl.

Conrad himself was awful. I couldn't understand why anyone would love him, even for a minute, let alone the years and years and years that Belly was obsessed with him. He was cranky and withdrawn. He was right out mean to Belly again and again and again. I just hated him.

Jeremiah was okay. Better than the other two, but still pretty generic. He was funny and sweet, but he was also a player. I almost wanted him and Belly together, but then he'd go and hit on some girl, and I would just hate him. I liked the bond he had with Belly. But overall he was just a mildly interesting character that would be utterly forgettable in any good book.

Cam was fine. Barely worth mentioning. Steven needs to die, along with Taylor. I loved Susannah, but her supposed secret was so freaking obvious from the first page. Susannah said Belly had a great mom, but I never saw why.

With crap characters like that, it didn't take much make this book crack.

Let me just say, I'm not categorically opposed to summer books. That wasn't the issue. Summer is a cliche, sure, a tried but true plot device. I can see why authors like it so much. They don't have to deal with the daily details of school. They don't have to deal with responsibilities or rules. There is a freeness to summer, a ubiquity to it. YA authors in particular love summer, because they think it is some grand coming of age thing, like one summer can change your whole life. If your Sarah Dessen you can do this. If you're Jenny Han, apparently, you cannot.

So, the whole summer thing sucked. Then there was the stupid freaking love triangle/square. When I read the blurb on the back of the book, I assumed she'd end up with Jeremiah. But then the book didn't seem to be going that way. I was very confused. Who was I supposed to be rooting for?

It bothers me when books do that. I read a book last summer called Loathing Lola, by William Kostakis. The main character had a male best friend, Tom. You know what that means.

Female Protagonist + Straight Male Best Friend = LOVE

So for the whole freaking book I kept pulling for them, even when it seemed less and less likely they would end up together. Then, she ended up with some other guy I had largely been ignoring because I was so focused on the male best friend. I was very frustrated with that book. And I was very frustrated with this book. When a girl has been in love with a guy forever, and you say from practically the first page that he is a complete JERK, they don't end up together. I assumed that much was true. I thought she'd up the alternative guy who was there all along, who she didn't notice until she gave up on dream boy. Jeremiah seemed like a perfect candidate for that role. But then we went on a total detour to Cam-land, which produced nothing of any use. And then she didn't really end up with anyone in the end! There was a hell of a lot of discussion of love, but now actual lovin'. And there was not heat. No chemistry. Zip. Zada. Zilch. Nothing but crap.

So, to summarize, this book was crap. Crappy characters. Crappy plot. Crappy title (what kind of title is that--The Summer I Turned Pretty??? Superficial much???). Harsh I know. No offence to Ms. Han. I'm sure you're a lovely person. And I've read good reviews of your book (which is why I bought it in the first place!). But I'm done with this crap.

P.S. That last part there was just me feeling bad for writing such a mean review

P.P.S. Sorry for all the crass language. I get kind of carried away...

February 3: Marcus Flutie and Jessica Darling

For our third day I have selected couple I just love--Marcus Flutie and Jessica Darling, from the Jessica Darling Series by Megan McCafferty. 

Summary Without Spoilers: Jessica and Marcus live in a small town in New Jersey. Jessica is the smart girl, and a track star. She is sarcastic, funny, and oddly insightful. Marcus is the bad boy: brilliant, but rebellious. Over five books they go from friends to soul mates, in one of the sweetest courtships I have ever experienced. 

Summary With Spoilers: In Sloppy Firsts, Jessica and Marcus flirt. She pees in a cup for him. He is mister mysterious. In Second Helpings, Jessica dates Marcus's best friend, Len, but she always has feelings for Marcus. At the end, they get together, when he sings her a song at prom. They date during the third book, Charmed Thirds. She cheats on him, but he gets over it. He proposes to her in the next book, Fourth Comings, and she says no. They part ways until the fifth book, when they run into each other at the airport. Within 24 hours, they are back together, permanently, forever. 

Why I Love Them:

-Because of the kiss in the bathroom in Second Helpings. It is so hot!

-Because of the ending of Second Helpings. The song!!!! Such a good ending!

-Because of how sweet they were in Perfect Fifths. He loved her so much. He was so attracted to her. He had never forgotten her.

-Because of the last entry in Perfect Fifths--so simple, so sweet. I love just seeing them happy, together. 

-Because of all their little rituals, all their silent moments that mean so much. 

Sweet Little Taste of Their Love:

Note: This post runs as part of my month long Romance Celebration featuring all my favourite couples from books, tv shows, and movies. Check in tomorrow for more!

February 1: Michael and Mia

So, of course, I had to start with my first romance, Michael Moscovitz and Mia Thermopolis from The Princess Diaries.

Summary Without Spoilers: Mia is the Princess of Genovia, but she's also a regular teenage girl. She has a best friend Lilly, who has a brother named Michael. Michael and Mia always have feelings for each other, and they explore these feelings over the 10 book series.

Summary With Spoilers (these summaries are so much more fun!): In the first book, we meet Michael and Mia. She's confused, but he loves her anyway. He always loves her. He writes songs about her. He sings to her. She is his Tall Glass of Water, if you know what I mean. In the second book, Mia realizes she's in love with Michael, but she never thinks he'd like her, so she dates geeky Kenny. But Michael loves her still. Then the third book (pictured above) they finally end up together! He writes her a poem and a computer program! The ending is just so good! And then, over the next seven books they grow closer: they go to prom, they discuss sex, they help each other through crises. Then, in my favourite book of all time, they get back together. Love it, just love it.

Why I Love Them:

-Because of the slow dancing at the dance in PD1. It's so cute.

-Because of the "Mia, you look...", "Mia you look really beautiful" comment in PD2

-Because of Michael's jealousy all through PD2 and PD3 (and PD10 for that matter). I love jealous Michael!

-Because of the awesome ending to PD4, when he says that, of course, he's "in love" with her. I love how paranoid Mia was (I know I would be that paranoid!) and I love how sweet and sure he is.

-Because Michael is so committed to her. He really loves her. He knows what he wants. He sees a future for them.

-Because PD10 is just about the most amazing thing ever. I have never enjoyed reading a book more. Other books may have been written better. Other books may have been better stories. But I have never so happy and excited to read a book in my life. I grew up reading about Michael and Mia, and seeing them get together was so amazing. The interview--"What did you miss most?" "You". Awww, Michael. And, of course, the carriage ride. And after the prom. LOVE LOVE LOVE them.

Why They Are Perfect For Each Other:

Because he is so smart. And she is smart too. Because he always loved her, and she always loved him. Because they can stick by each other by the good times and the bad. Because they love each other, and their love conquers all.

Sweet Little Taste of Their Love:

Note: This post runs as part of my month long Romance Celebration featuring all my favourite couples from books, tv shows, and movies. Check in tomorrow for more!

Amy and Roger's EPIC Detour

Seeing as I am only three short weeks away from exams, this weekend was supposed to be all about getting homework done. I had a university letter to write, a gigantic test to study for, a pamphlet to design, and a paper to write.Instead, this weekend was about reading, reading, and more reading, which totally screwed me for school, but totally made me happy at the same time. Funny how that works.

The second book in my pile was Anna and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson. It has a pretty cover. Here, look:

I'm not good at summaries, but I craft a quick one:

Amy's dad died, tearing her family apart. Now her brother is in rehab, and her mother is making them move across the country, from California to Connecticut. It is Amy's job to drive the car across the country, with a nice family friend, who also happens to be a really hot boy, named Roger, who just broke up with his girlfriend, Hadley. Amy's mother planned out the whole route, but they decide to ignore it, taking an EPIC DETOUR instead. High jinks ensue. Romance happens. Lots of sappy moments. Wooo!

It was not my favourite book. Roger and Amy just didn't have it for me. But let me break it down. Let's start with Amy.

She is an actress, which was nice, since she made a million theatre references, which I loved (I laughed so hard at the "There are more awkward silences than in an Harold Pinter play" line. Who in the world would get that reference?). She was nice, and pretty, and, well, pretty generic. I liked how she was referring to "Amy!", but it got old fast. She seemed average, and actually kind of annoying. It's hard to pinpoint something in particular. She just felt kind of blah. 

Roger (which, by the way, is a crap name, since it only made me think of abusive Roger from Sarah Dessen's Dreamland and abusive Roger from Where the Heart Is. Not good associations) was bland as well. I liked his taste in music, even if I didn't recognize many of the songs. But I thought the whole ex girlfriend thing was a little pathetic, in comparison to Amy's guilt over her father's death. Get over it man.  The whole "goodbye" thing was a fun quirk (Roger can't say goodbye to people because he thinks he'll kill them), but there's wasn't much else that made him unique. 

Since neither Roger nor Amy were well drawn characters, it makes sense that the romance wasn't very good either. There just wasn't any sexual chemistry

After we finally (inevitably) got over the whole ex-girlfriend thing, I still wasn't invested in this couple. In fact, for 70% of the novel I wasn't even sure I wanted them together, or even I was supposed to want them together, save for a few places where random characters would ask if they were together and they would awkwardly respond NO. I liked the actual moment, but I had no real investment beyond that. Blah. Blah. Blah. 

The whole "scrapbook" element to novel was cool, mostly. I really liked the pictures and playlists and little notes, and, for the most part, they were well placed. There were a few that were annoying, placed in the middle of sentences, so I would forget what was just said and then have to skip back and then forward, and lose all flow or meaning. In that way, I would have preferred if the placement had been more thoughtful. 

I also had an issue with the drama of it all. I'm not really into "issue books", which deal with dark subjects that allow the protagonist to be angsty, in this case, death (others: anorexia, drugs, self mutilation, suicide, mental health issues, some sort of injury)

I thought I'd be okay with it in this book, much like I could accept in Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler, where death was handled well enough, and the other parts of the plot were engaging enough that it didn't matter. That was not the case. Amy was very, very angsty, which, in my opinion, didn't really fit in with the romance and general lightness of the novel. 

I rarely say this, but it definitely felt like a debut novel. I read the author's bio at the back, which described how she had a BA in children's lit, which made perfect sense to me. It felt like the writer had studied good teen books (a la Sarah Dessen, Deb Caletti, Meg Cabot, Ann Brashares, so-called masters of the genre) and identified what made each of them tick, and then applied them to her own book. Here is where I describe what the male lead looks like, lingering on it a bit, to make sure everyone knows to swoon over him. Here is where the protagonist denies that she has any feelings for said male lead, even though she clearly loves him. Here is where she feels angsty about her life. All very paint by numbers, where all the right things are there, but the without the passion or magic that makes a Dessen or Cabot or Caletti book special. 

I also had a little bit of a Romeo and Juliet problem with this book, where the two leads fell for each other in five days. I said in my last review that Anna and the French Kiss had too much build up. Well, the EPIC DETOUR (I don't know why I like to capitalize that, but I do) had too little build up. It's was too quick, too generic, too predictable. It needed to have a spark. 

With all the focus on the negatives, you probably think I hate this book. That's not true. But the parts that I liked are far less interesting than the parts I didn't like. Sorry. 

Anna and the French Kiss and Other Adventures

I had the BEST time on friday night, going out and buying a whole stacks of books at the World's Biggest Bookstore (That is actually the name of the store, not some hyperbollic randomness by me). I had been researching books like crazy ever since I found the BEST website of all time, The YA Book Blog Directory. I have been desperate for a new YA romance for a long time now, and this website provides a seemingly never ending list of review blogs to choose from. Yheeee!

I have only made a small dent on the list, but already, so many rewards. There's a few that aren't my taste at all (science fiction blogs) and there's some that just have a different taste than me, that I'm sure others would love. But I'll link you all a few that fit me really well:

Bookishly Yours

Breaking the Bookshelf

Chick Lit Teens

Chick Loves Lit

In the end, I picked out three well reviewed books to purchase (actually, I picked more, but Canada has the worst book stock, so half of them weren't available. And some of them weren't out yet.). First, Prom & Prejudice, by Elizabeth Euler, who wrote Lonely Hearts Club, which I absolutely loved. I didn't even know she had a new book coming out.

I also bought Amy and Roger's Epic Detour, a book I had never heard of, that I am mightly excited about,

And I purchased Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins, a book that every single blog was RAVING about, but had completely missed my radar somehow. At first I was skeptical because the premise didn't sound GREAT. But seriously, every single blogger was going ape shit crazy about it, so I decided to give it a try

Yeah, so, I bought last night. And then I went out and got dinner and worked on some homework. And then at 8:00ish I picked up Anna, and well, I didn't put it down. Until three in the morning (which, by the way, I'm paying for now, as I am TIREDDDD). But man, it was just so good. Here's a mini review for you.

You didn't come to this blog for this, but I'll say it anyways. It was well written. Thoughtful. Anna was a very nice and cutely quirky (I love banana elephant) and felt really really real. All of the characters had real, interesting personalities, and no one felt like a cliche, which was really awesome. And, of course, Paris sounded so beautiful

Even though I didn't enjoy my time in Paris when I went there a few summers ago, I totally want to go back now and see what Anna saw.

Now, to give what you came for--THE ROMANCE, namingly a American/British/French boy who goes by the name of Etienne St. Clair (a hoitty toitty name, if you ask me). I love him. He's just so nice, to everyone. And he's funny. And unique.

Anna and Etienne have an excellent friendship throughout the entire book. It is full of tension and misunderstanding and jokes and everything a real boy-who-is-a-friend, but-I-kind-of-want-more relationship should be.

All of that made me very happy. I loved the last scene when (predictable ending spoiler alert!) they are just hanging out together. I wish every book had a scene like that. It is just so satisfying.

I love a good Getting Together scene, a la every romance of all time. And the scene where Anna and Etienne get together is really sweet. But it's so full of drama, and it's so expected and cliched. The last scene is so calm and beautifully simple. After all they went through they're just hanging out talking, enjoying each others company. One of the best endings I've read in a long, long time.

Those were all the good things which made up a mostly good book. I have a few complaints about pacing and length though. There was a lot of tension and build up, which was great, but by the end it felt like too much. Too much drama. Too much time. It felt like the author was trying to fill some page count quota, just spinning her wheels and throwing in plot points to waste time. I love some good sexual tension, but it was more than was needed. I wish a good fifty pages had been cut from the middle to end.

All in all, I liked this Anna and the French Kiss. I didn't LOVE it, like a lot of the bloggers out there seem to. But it made for a good friday night. I don't know where it'll rank in all time favourites, or even favourites of the last year. I need more time to figure that out.

Go and pick up a copy and figure it out for yourself (or, if you live in the Greater Toronto Area, borrow it from me, since I'm pretty sure I snapped up the last copy in the city. Sorry!). I'm heading back to homework (and the three others amazing books I bought!). See you later sisters!