Review: What Happened To Goodbye by Sarah Dessen

What happened to Goodbye
Author: Sarah Dessen
Published May 10th 2011 by Penguin Young Readers Group
Click to go to its Goodreads page

I know you don't know me (yet) but I have to say that everyone in real life knows what a HUGE Sarah Dessen fan I am. I even have her name tattooed on my bicep ;)

She's one of the first YA authors I ever read and her books have a place close to my heart. So excuse me if I might have been over-excited when I heard about this book. She didn't published anything in about 2 years so I almost had a heart attack and maybe just maybe I set my expectations HIGH.

WHTG is the story of a girl named McLean. Her parents divorced after her mom cheated on her dad and McLean has been angry at her mom ever since, so she lives with her dad. Problem is that her dad is a chef and he has to travel a lot, checking on his boss' restaurants and McLean, hurt as she is, doesn't want to get involved too much with anyone.

So she lies. She makes up names and personalities for her to have at each town they go to. But this time is different, she didn't choose it, she didn't think about it but she find herself changing this time around.

I looooved how subtle her changes were. I don't think she even realized what was happening and when she started to enjoy life again. A big part of all the growing she did was: Dave Wade. Don't let the simple name fool you. He's a complex guy, but so is McLean. Difference is Dave is trying to change, he assess the problem and goes for it. He was such a sweet boy! one of my Sarah Dessen favorites.

I loved Dave. He was dorky and a big nerd, but also independent and rebellious.

His scenes with McLean were the best! you can tell he didn't plan to fall in love but since he did, he chose to embrace it. The most romantic thing ever was when he finished putting the people on the model (a model of the town that they have been working on to celebrate it's fundation) and McLean realizes that... well you'll have to read to find out, but it was SO ROMANTIC. That boy is genius (literally).

So yeah this book might seem slow at parts and it might not be the most incredible story SD has written, but it was still awesome and the characters were great (I especially loved Deb, the school's freak with no friends; and the ultra handsome: McLean's dad)

I didn't love the epilogue, though. I didn't understand why they didn't take McLean to the road trip with them, and I also didn't like that Dave went to MIT and McLean stayed in town to go to Defriese ): that was sad but I hope their relationship works long distance ;)

4 hearts

(They might not look like the hearts you are used to but believe me, they look like that or worse in real life, you know with the fat and all that stuff)