Once and for All

A summer of weddings, a girl with a damaged heart, an annoying guy, and a bet - what could go wrong? Once and For All is a delightful new novel with Sarah Dessen's trademark mix of romance, summer, and starting over.

Louna works for her mother's wedding planning business. Every week she witnesses the pinnacle of true love. Or at least that's what it should be. But Louna herself knows how badly love can end, leaving her cynical and sure that romance doesn't come around all that often. Then she meets Ambrose, a serial dater who enjoys the first few perfect moments of a relationship but never commits to more than a day or two. Ambrose drives Louna nuts with his eternally cheerful and haphazard ways. So she is shocked when her mother employs him to help with the summer weddings. But Louna finds herself enjoying spending time with Ambrose (sometimes, when he isn't making her crazy) and, even stranger, finds herself making a bet with him - she will agree to start dating again and he will try to commit to a relationship that lasts for seven weeks.

This book was described as sugar and effervescent champagne. But I didn't get that feeling at all. Yes, there are weddings, flirting, and summer days, but it was far more somber than I was expecting. And yet it perfectly fit the Sarah Dessen mould - sweet romance and a light story, tempered with sad tragedy or hard circumstances with which the character must wrestle. I found Louna's story to be far sadder than I expected. When it says that her last relationship, her first taste of a true and epic love, ended badly, they mean badly. The reader slowly pieces together what happened and how it changed Louna. Meanwhile, we get to know Ambrose. At first, Louna can't stand him. But as they work together they build a sweet friendship.

As always with a Sarah Dessen novel, there is a fantastic cast of secondary characters. I particularly liked Louna's mother and her mother's business partner, William. Both are vibrant characters. I also liked Louna's best friend, Jilly and the endless parade of siblings she was always carting around.

While I didn't like Once and For All as much as some of Dessen's previous titles, it is a sweet book and touches on some very important and timely themes.

The publishers provided an advanced readers copy of this book for reviewing purposes. All opinions are my own.

I have to admit, reading the blurb I immediately thought "okay, the guy's an arrogant ass who just wants to get what he wants" but I was so wrong! And that's something you need to know since I realize it's a characteristic that could make you not want to read a book.

Louna and Ambrose are both portrayed nicely - a girl who has clearly been hurt in some way and a guy who initially just doesn't know how to behave properly.
Even though you know that they'll end up falling in love at some point, I did feel it kind of lacked that spark I like feeling when reading a book like this. I don't know; it just felt like it was missing... Something?

I also got a bit lost at the beginning of the book. Chapters switch between "then" and "now" without any clear indication which sometimes makes you wonder what the hell is happening at that moment. Including mixing up the names of some characters - and I hate when that happens because then I have to reread and find out who he / she is to begin with.

Apart from those two minor things, I really did enjoy the story, the fun and cute take on all the wedding preparations, the weddings themselves and of course seeing and feeling the way Louna is slowly letting herself heal.

All in all it was a light, fun read with a touch of romance that made my evening a little less bland - I hate being home alone sometimes, haha.

For this I'm giving Once And For All a solid 4 / 5!

Kathy

I paid full-price for this book. All opinions are fully my own and I am not being compensated for this review in any way.

Soon-to-be-high-school graduate Louna would consider herself anything but a romantic. After all, being the daughter of divorced hippie parents, her father deceased and her mother, a full-time wedding planner with her equally jaded business partner William, she has witnessed countless wedding ceremonies - including seconds and thirds. Working as an assistant for her summer job, Louna sees all the behind-the-scenes issues that occur before a seemingly perfect ceremony but feels that she has things under control work-wise. So when her mother agrees to hire on a second assistant, an annoyingly cocky rich boy named Ambrose - mostly to keep him out of his sister's hair, Louna isn't thrilled, particularly as Ambrose rubs her the wrong way from the get go. (You can see where this is going.) Since her last (and first) relationship with a boy ended unhappily, Louna also isn't keen on taking her best friend, Jilly's, advice on getting back into the dating game. While Jilly believes that it's necessary to kiss a few frogs before finding a prince, Louna remains convinced that you only get one great love affair per lifetime, and she's spent hers. But when she and Ambrose decide on a bet regarding their love lives, she finds herself reconsidering. As the summer passes, Louna finds herself becoming attracted to Ambrose, but with the memory of her last relationship painfully fresh, isn't sure whether she should risk engaging on a long-term affair once again.

Thoughts: This is my first Sarah Dressen novel (although I've seen the Mandy Moore movie her first two are based on), and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Louna's plight is one I could easily be sympathetic to (without spoilering it). The wedding planning parts added a nice dose of humor to balance out the more serious subplot about Louna's last relationship. I hope to see it come to a local theater in a couple of years, as well, it's that good.

Dessen’s latest YA novel easily maintains the high standards set by its predecessors. The protagonist in each of her books is usually part of an unusual setting, which adds interest for the reader in addition to her romantic adventures. At seventeen, Louna Barrett has been deeply immersed in the wedding business for nearly a decade, thanks to her mother’s busy schedule. “A Natalie Barrett Wedding” is always a big deal and usually pretty expensive, so the pressure is always on. Luckily, Louna has a talent for organization and for herding clients, so she’s a key part of things. And staying busy almost keeps her from thinking about Evan, her first boyfriend, who died the previous year under extremely stressful and tragic circumstances. Then her mother hires Ambrose Little as a favor to his mother, a favored client herself, and Louna has her hands full with the most annoying (but frequently charming) employee imaginable. You know where this is going, right? Even though you know there’s going to be at least a realistically happy ending, how Louna gets there makes for a very well-told and highly engaging story. Don’t worry about the targeted marketing, just read and enjoy.

Okay, this book is good: the main character is likable, the main guy is interesting, and the plot twist is relevant. Okay, here's what you need to know so you can make your decision. The main character is a cynic, which is supposed to be ironic since she is in the Wedding Planning business with her mom and godfather BUT I personally felt that it was a bit too obvious. Sarah Dessen is well known for these hidden character plot twists that reveal why the main character has a certain character trait or outlook on life. This book fell short in that area. The beginning was slow and the fact that a cynic works in a wedding planning business was unoriginal.

But here's what I liked. I felt that that main character was definitely someone you wanted to root for and she was mature for her age. Ambrose, the main guy, was interesting and funny.

If you're a Sarah Dessen fan or just have some time on your hand, it's worth the read.

I was expecting and anticipating a story in the vein of a summer romantic comedy, but there was some surprising substance to ONCE AND FOR ALL that I really appreciated. Thanks to her work in the wedding industry as a member of her mom's wedding planning team, Louna is already pretty cynical about true love and the idea of forever. But once you learn that her first love ended in tragedy, her closed off, sometimes cranky approach to romance makes sense. Louna's journey toward letting go of her grief and learning to live with uncertainty in both life and love is almost more rewarding than her journey toward falling in love with someone new.

It's entirely possible that I enjoyed this so much because I'm in the process of planning my own wedding, or because I was desperate for a lighter, less serious read. However, ONCE AND FOR ALL is also the kind of quiet, character-driven contemporary YA that caused me to fall in love with Sarah Dessen's work in the first place, so there's that option too. :)

Spoiler Alert***
I am a long time Sarah Dessen fan, but this book is not worth the time. I liked Ambrose (at least what I read until abandoning the book halfway through). The topic of a school shooting is current and would be interesting if the story were better. To be honest, I expected there to be a real relationship between Louna and Ethan (she calls him her boyfriend) but it turns out to be a hook up. And frankly, I can't see what was so amazing about him that would have rated her giving away her virginity after only knowing him a few hours. Maybe it's because they spend time doing the same things other Dessen characters have done in the past. I don't know. The pie shop was a repeat. This book just made me want to get out my Georgette Heyer and Eva Ibbotson books and reread them. I mean, not every writer can develop characters like Gaskell or Austin, but they could have had a few dates before.

This story flashes back and forth between “before Ethan” and “after Ethan.” How can Ambrose Little compete with a perfect man? He is content with living in the moment. Louna is caught in a perfect dream. She turns away from the present while she is stuck in the past. “How could I allow myself back into that place of sunset walks and once and for all without expecting what had already followed?” She learns to treasure her memories but not let them stop her from enjoying the life she has now. “The world goes on, even when your own part of it stops.” This story deals with “real life, this life.” There are funny moments, shocking moments and clear, vibrant characters. The beginning—the end and the “long, messy middle stretching ahead.”
*Note: Recommend for 14+. Strong language and one fade-away sex scene.

3 Stars
This book was...interesting. While it was a classic Sarah Dessen (girl has broken heart, girl meets new boy, girl denies liking new boy, boy acts angsty and ignores girl, girl gets jealous and runs back to boy), it was somewhat original in the way that Dessen killed off the past lover: school shooting.
I found this scenario somewhat inappropriate. It seemed slightly disrespectful to the victims and families of school gun violence. These types of events are extremely tragic and not meant to be used as a plot line for a teen romance novel. It's hard to describe--Dessen's novels usually give me a warm glow, as they are predictable and comfortable in their nature. But this novel made me rather uncomfortable. Dessen did a nice job writing the book, as it follows the basic outline of her fairly prolific line of novels. But next time, if you want to spice up something overdone, don't capitalize on the anguish of others.

With this latest Dessen novel, before you even open it, I recommend that you take a moment to appreciate the gorgeous simplicity of the cover. The cover reminds me of the classic covers of her older novels, such as This Lullaby and The Truth About Forever. Not that the newer style is bad, exactly, but in my opinion, pastels and soft lines better complement Dessen’s writing.

But let’s move on to the book’s content, which I loved every bit as much as its cover.

Like the cover, the book itself reminded me of This Lullaby, which, I’m sure you’ll be shocked to learn, immediately endeared me to it. Both books begin with a wedding, and, less superficially, both books feature a) a somewhat childish, hyperactive love interest who pals around with his dog and initially annoys the female protagonist and b) a female protagonist who has a stubbornly cynical view of love, imparted to her by her mother but also informed by her own romantic disappointments. However, Dessen gives all of these elements a refreshing tweak, so that the novel can be interpreted as a homage to, but not a copy of, its predecessor.

I’d be doing a disservice to this fabulous book if I didn’t praise it based on its own merits though. Louna’s character and her romance with Ambrose develop flawlessly. Appropriate pacing and an established chemistry between characters are the keys to writing a believable fictional romance, and Dessen succeeds beautifully in both regards. It also helps if the characters have appeal beyond their status as one-half of a couple: as individuals, Louna and Ambrose are distinct and memorable, as are the supporting characters. I’ve never met a Dessen character I didn’t like, but this time around, I especially liked Louna’s unconventional family, comprised of her mom and her mom’s gay business partner slash best friend. Her interactions with both “parents” were uncomplicatedly sweet and tender. The whole setup, with Ambrose as the unruly son and brother, respectively, of two clients, whom Louna is forced to work with to prevent him from causing his sister undue stress before her wedding, is brilliant. I could read another hundred books with Louna and Ambrose as assistant wedding planners. Their bet undoubtedly draws on a romantic cliché, but one that I never mind seeing, and my only complaint is that more attention wasn’t given to it.

And oh my gosh, the twist with Phone Lady? Not only did I not see it coming, but it depressed me more than I think it should’ve, considering what a minor character she was, which testifies to Dessen’s superior character-rendering abilities.

Now come my two small nit-picks, which contain *SPOILERS* (so be warned if you haven’t read the book), and which I hope Sarah Dessen will not hold against me if she ever happens across this review. Although I appreciated Dessen’s authentic portrayal of how it feels to be in a long-distance relationship, in particular because most media gets it wrong (Going the Distance (2010), I’m throwing my hands in the air in response to your wasted potential), I kind of wish that Louna’s failed relationship had been with someone she was in a long-term relationship with rather than with someone she spent one night with and a few months texting and calling. Less original though it would’ve been, I would’ve preferred it if Ambrose’s assumption that Louna had gone through a bad breakup had been correct, both because I personally would’ve found it more relatable and because I think her cynicism would’ve made more sense in that instance. To be clear, I’m not arguing that a first boyfriend being killed in a school shooting wouldn’t be traumatic for a teenager, but rather, that I don’t know if it would instill in her a fervent disbelief in true love and happy endings when it was life, not love, that took Ethan from Louna. Feelings don’t have to be rational, of course, and Louna’s feelings about Ethan’s death were well-explained, but again, that would’ve been my personal preference.

I will say, though, that I’m impressed with how Dessen handled the school shooting, managing to relegate it to Louna’s memories, where it belonged, without it losing its emotional resonance. Not once did I feel like I was reading an “issue” book. I was also pleasantly surprised that Ethan and Louna had sex on their first date, but that neither the narrative nor Jilly, Louna’s best friend and the only other character who likely knew about it, made a big deal of it. Rather, the sex was presented as just another detail about the start of Louna’s normal, healthy relationship with Ethan. For the record, it was safe sex, too, and kudos to Dessen for writing teenagers who are both comfortable with their sexuality and have the intelligence and presence of mind to use condoms.

Coincidentally, my other minor issue with the book involves Ambrose, Ethan’s successor as male lead, in a sense. Yes, I have a problem with Ambrose, my favorite love interest in a Sarah Dessen novel since Dexter and Wes (and okay, I guess we can throw Owen and Eli in there, too). The problem is that Louna emphasizes how kind Ambrose is, even citing his kindness as the reason he appeals to her and to girls in general, yet his habit of leading girls on directly contradicts this assessment of his character. Furthermore, why does Louna all of a sudden have faith in Ambrose’s ability to commit to her, when she previously doubted his ability to commit to anyone? Her observations about his relationship patterns were, after all, the catalyst for their bet. Believe me, I adore Ambrose, especially considering how lackluster some of the more recent Dessen love interests have been, but I still think that Louna should’ve called him out on his crap at least once more before putting on those rose-tinted glasses. One conversation mid-way through the novel was not enough.

However, note that the ending was perfect in every other respect, so I feel silly even complaining.

Long-time Sarah Dessen fans, rejoice: Once and for All is all (ha!) that you’ve come to expect from her and more.

For my part, lame-o that I am, I’m already looking forward to these characters making cameos in future books.

After suffering a loss, Louna's not sure she believes in true love lasting forever. Working for her mother, a wedding planner, and witnessing loving couples unite in matrimony isn't even giving her hope.

I hoped to enjoy this Sarah Dessen novel. Good writing, but, like Just Listen and Someone Like You, the story didn't hold my attention until more than half way through. The transition into the first flashback was jarring. The author lost me for a while, but once I got my bearings, I could see the importance of the back story. There was a violent act that, although tragic, lacked intensity and ultimately left me unmoved. However, there were some meaningful, thought-provoking lines.

This novel contains:
Profanity (Not nearly as much as other YA Fiction I've read)
Sex (Not too graphic)

This was my first Sarah Dessen book, and I concede that I may not be her target audience. Still, I thought I'd give this a try. Big points for Dessen's writing, which is strong, but I couldn't stomach the story, and gladly abandoned it about halfway through. I didn't like any of the characters, and could not make myself care about what happened to them. In real life, I wouldn't have given a boy like Ambrose two seconds of my time - so giving him 1/2 the book was a real challenge. And the transition into each of Louna's backstory flashbacks felt very melodramatic. As in...I could almost hear soundtrack music. I read someone else compare Dessen's stories to those of Nicholas Sparks, and I can see that. So honestly, it's the story I take issue with - just really not my style.

After suffering a loss, Louna's not sure she believes in true love lasting forever. Working for her mother, a wedding planner, and witnessing loving couples unite in matrimony isn't even giving her hope.

I hoped to enjoy this Sarah Dessen novel. Good writing, but, like Just Listen and Someone Like You, the story didn't hold my attention until more than half way through. The transition into the first flashback was jarring. The author lost me for a while, but once I got my bearings, I could see the importance of the back story. There was a violent act that, although tragic, lacked intensity and ultimately left me unmoved. However, there were some meaningful, thought-provoking lines.

This novel contains:
Profanity (Not nearly as much as other YA Fiction I've read)
Sex (Not too graphic)

This was my first Sarah Dessen book, and I concede that I may not be her target audience. Still, I thought I'd give this a try. Big points for Dessen's writing, which is strong, but I couldn't stomach the story, and gladly abandoned it about halfway through. I didn't like any of the characters, and could not make myself care about what happened to them. In real life, I wouldn't have given a boy like Ambrose two seconds of my time - so giving him 1/2 the book was a real challenge. And the transition into each of Louna's backstory flashbacks felt very melodramatic. As in...I could almost hear soundtrack music. I read someone else compare Dessen's stories to those of Nicholas Sparks, and I can see that. So honestly, it's the story I take issue with - just really not my style.

I honestly love Sarah Dessen, but her past 3 novels have demonstrated to me that's she's lost the spark that made what could be generic YA fiction such great, reflective, insightful works of literature. Her past 3 novels, this one, Saint Anything, and the Moon and More, even What Happened to Goodbye are so incredibly superficial that the point just gets muddled into a love story and you feel like the girls don't leave off any better than they were at the beginning. These are not memorable stories and nothing in the writing stands out any more. The Truth About Forever? Along for the Ride? Just Listen, Lock and Key? Those girls and their struggles and the way the novels are structured are MEMORABLE and INTERESTING. I haven't seen this in Dessen's writing since 2010.

I Was Provided A ARC Through NetGalley
(Possible Spoilers)

Once And For All is a beautiful book about second chances, the many forms of love, and life. Louna Barrett & Ambrose Little are characters that I instantly want to revisit.

Louna Barrett is looking forward to a easy summer. She's preparing for college in the fall, and spending the last summer working for her mother and godfather at where they run a sucessful wedding planing bussiness. But the summer might not be so easy when she has her best friend, pushing her to make it a epic one, before they head to college. Her best friend, Jilly, wants her to embrace the dating life and get back out there. But Louna isn't so sure she's ready for that. She's still dealing with a past relationship, one she finds hard to talk about.

One thing that is sure making her summer interesting, and she can't decided if its in a good or bad way yet, is the tall, handsome, a little unique, and just a lot to take in, Ambrose Little. He's a loud, says what he wants, pain in her side. And now he'll be working next to her all summer. But Louna finds her self fascinated, with the way Ambrose lives. He just lives his life, does not care what anyone thinks, and does everything with a smile. Maybe the epic summer of memories isn't such a far off idea for Louna. If only the past, didn't make her so nervous of the future.

Amazing characters. Silly, loving, strong and real. While reading Louna & Ambrose's story, I felt like I've know them forever. Louna is a sweet and simple, girl. She grew, healed, and found something special in her epic summer before college. Ambrose was a very different, but total lovable, goofy, sweet character. I couldn't get enough of him. Not only did I love Louna and Ambrose, like with all Sarah Dessen's Novels, I was fascinated by each one of the side characters in this book. Each one brings something special to this fantastic story.

Each time I open the pages to a new Sarah Dessen novel, I find myself instantly hooked. Captivated by the flawless storytelling, each unique and lovable character, and a story that is sure to stay with me. Sarah Dessen's writing has held my attention for years. I have been reading her work since I was fourteen, and twelve years later, I still get so excited to dive into her books. I am drawn into her stories and I don't want to leave. I fall in love with each book. Every time.

After reading and falling in love with this book, and shedding a few tears, I will hands down recommend everyone read this book. All Sarah Dessen books. She is a great voice for all generations. She makes you reminisce about first crush's and love. See the dynamics of all kinds of families, friendships and relationships. Touches on real, scary and sad things that happen in our world. And shows the hope everyone has, for love, life, happiness and second chances.

I adore Sarah Dessen books and this one was amazingly good. I love few easter eggs I saw and I'm sure there are more that I missed. I liked the banter between Ambrose and Louna. I loved William and the dog. Both of them added humor to the story. I liked learning more about Louna's first great love and how that changed her. I loved the terrible first dates. I loved the writing, there were many spots where I went back to re-read the sentences because they packed a punch both in sentiment and in craft. Another winner from Sarah Dessen.

This is a sweet romance with well developed characters. I like the gentle story and the way the characters develop, the back story that arrives throughout the story and of course the ending. I would have loved an epilogue of a few years in the future but it isn't there but I am OK with that. I will go and carry on. This is a good contemporary romance without anything graphic. I would recommend this as a good read. The main character is about to graduate high school and it surrounds her life as she works for her mother as a wedding planner and the beginnings of relationships.

This was fine, but largely forgettable.

Also, I did not like Ambrose much at all or find him that compelling (at one point, a character says that Louna and Ambrose have a ton of chemistry, and I couldn't think of a single scene that showcased that). In fact, I honestly hoped that Louna was going to end up with the dude (view spoiler), but nope.

On the plus side, now I know how Sarah Dessen would write about a school shooting (which is not a thing I ever wondered about, but still).

I enjoyed this story of Louna and her "friend" Ambrose. She's cynical about love because of a tragedy that I didn't see coming when I started this novel. Ambrose seems like the biggest player Louna's ever met, but he has a lot more going on once she gets to know him. While the ending felt a little rushed, I liked how the story was written and how the relationship developed between the characters.

Sarah Dessen has a gift for writing characters with whom you can connect and enjoy watching grow throughout the story. I keep coming back to her books because I know that I can count on her for an enjoyable read with a happy ending. Her characters always have something difficult and realistic that they are going through and must overcome. I stumbled upon this one last night and couldn't put it down all day.
It was well written, funny, and sweet. I loved all the main and side characters and can definitely see myself returning to this book.

Thank you!

*there's some cursing

When I first started book blogging and reviewing books I fell in love with Sarah Dessen's book's rather quickly so I was excited to see a new release when this one came out.

However I found that my love for contemporary wasn't really there like it use to be... I still dived into this book hoping to fall in love with it like I did all the previous ones of hers I read.

I'm gonna start this off by saving this was a DNF for me, I tried really hard to get into it but something about it just wasn't working out. I don't know if I was just not in the mood for a contemporary or what but at the time I read it I just didn't get pulled in like I did with the other books Sarah had written.

That's definitely not say that this isn't a good book just because I marked it at DNF (Did Not Finish) and that's not to say I won't go back at some point and revisit it when I'm more in the mood for contemporary, I'm just saying that since I'm an the store Vine Reviewer I still have to produce a review despite not really loving this book like I had hoped to.

This is a charming book about second chances and love. Sarah Dessen once again delivers a fantastic novel for the young Adult readers. It's a sweet book and it was well written. She writes about characters that you care about and wonder what happened to them long after the book is over. Perfect summer romance

I could barely get through this book. The Ethan story was the only interesting part. I liked reading that substory. I have read almost every other dessen book and loved them all. This was not on par with her other books.

AMAZING. No other way to describe it! Sarah Dessen brought into light real-life experiences that most of us have never been a part of, all the while keeping us engrossed in the fine details of what it means to have a second chance and going after what you want, even if you don't know what it is yet.