Why I bought it? For those of you who have been following my book reviews you know that Sarah Dessen is one of my favorite YA authors. There's just something about her storytelling that sucks me in and won't let go, so I've been eagerly awaiting this book. It just came out in June, and I ran by the Barnes and Noble and picked it up.
Synopsis: Auden has grown up as a mini-adult. Always responsible. Always studious. When her parents divorced she started having trouble going to sleep. As a result she stays up into the wee hours of the morning. In the summer after her senior year she goes to stay with her father and step-mother in the small beach town where they live before going off to college. She finds a guy there who also can't sleep. He helps her start a quest to experience some of the things she missed in her childhood.
What I thought? As always it was well written. Dessen is a master of literary commercial YA. She makes the story fun and tells it in such a way that it is hard to put down, but there is a depth to what she tells that reaches in and grabs you--makes you think and feel. This one did not disappoint. I wouldn't say it was my favorite, but it was still very good. Also it was fun to revisit a few old friends and places. If you're not familiar with Dessen's writing she always has some sort of cameo of characters and places from earlier novels. It's not necessary to have read those novels to enjoy this book.
My Rating: ****1/2
Cleanness Score: 4 out of 10. There was a little language, but not much. I've found that her books have gotten cleaner as they've gone. Her earlier novels seems to have more language, etc. than the later ones. There is fighting/arguing/family discord and references to hooking up (you don't really have the descriptions of what specifically happens).
