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Summary
Summary
A New York Times bestseller
Expect the unexpected.
Macy's got her whole summer carefully planned.
But her plans didn't include a job at Wish Catering. And they certainly didn't include Wes.
But Macy soon discovers that the things you expect least are sometimes the things you need most.
"Dessen gracefully balances comedy with tragedy and introduces a complex heroine worth getting to know." -- Publishers Weekly
Also by Sarah Dessen:
Along for the Ride
Dreamland
Just Listen
Keeping the Moon
Lock and Key
The Moon and More
Someone Like You
That Summer
This Lullaby
What Happened to Goodbye
Author Notes
Sarah Dessen was born in Evanston, Illinois on June 6, 1970. She graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1993 with a degree in English with an emphasis in creative writing. Her first book, That Summer, was published in 1996. She mainly writes for young adults. Her books include Someone Like You, Just Listen, Along for the Ride, Keeping the Moon, Dreamland, What Happened to Goodbye, Saint Anything, and The Moon and More. She also teaches creative writing at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 7 Up-Sarah Dessen's first person story (Viking, 2004) unfolds through the eyes of 16-year-old Macy, a high school student who was with her father when he died of a heart attack 18 months ago. She and her mother have developed a strained routine by convincing each other that they are "fine, just fine" when Macy knows deep down that they are far from okay. They've never properly grieved or allowed themselves to integrate this awful experience and grow from it. Through a summer of chaotic catering experiences, an acquaintance with a young artist who lost his mother to cancer, and a friendship with a girl who carries her scars openly and deals with them in a like manner, Macy learns what she needs to do to mend herself and hopefully help her mother. This winning novel features convincing parent-child interactions and a growing romance. Stina Nielsen does a great job with Dessen's realistic dialogue, varying pitch, pacing, and tone to differentiate between characters. She delivers the "Fine, just fine" mantra that is repeated throughout the novel with perfect pitch every time, varied according to speaker and occasion but always on target. Teenagers in middle school and above will relate to Macy's emotional growth and discovery of the importance of communication in this sometimes humorous but always poignant novel.-Jane P. Fenn, Corning-Painted Post West High School, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
When her boyfriend goes away for the summer, Macy, still grieving for her recently deceased father, must make it on her own. "Dessen gracefully balances comedy with tragedy and introduces a complex heroine worth getting to know," according to PW. Ages 12-up. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
After her father's death, runner Macy Queen tries to conform to the expectations of her distant mother and perfectionist boyfriend. A summer catering job introduces Macy to some well-drawn peripheral characters, while providing the impetus for self-exploration and eventual communication with her family. This meandering tale explores different approaches to grief but is marred by a predictable ending. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
Macy declined Dad's early-morning invitation to jog, changed her mind, and ran out to catch him, only to see him die of a heart attack before her eyes. Overwhelmed by grief and guilt, she sets about guaranteeing that every aspect of her life is controlled, perfect, safe--from her academically ambitious but unaffectionate boyfriend, to her tidiness, to her boring summer job at the library information desk. When Macy's cautious self-discipline collides with Wish Catering, its offbeat staff, and its wacky crisis management, readers can pretty much predict the outcome. Macy will be teased out of her cocoon and grief by a new job with the caterer and new friends (including romantic hunk Wes) into their messy, lively, creative world. The plot is too conventional, some secondary characters are stock, the storm that brings everyone together at the end is too handy, but the Wish team is lovable, the romance clicks, and readers will be entertained. (Fiction. 12-14) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Gr. 9-12. Dessen returns to a familiar theme and recognizable characters: the perfect girl at odds with a controlling mother and keeping boys at arm's length because of father issues. Here the girl is Macy Queen. Her father has died, her mother can't grieve, and every time Macy tries to break out of the automaton state in which she is trapped, Mrs. Queen reels her back. Macy gets a job with a catering company, whose employees mirror and mask similar emotions to her own--among them, a girl who is scarred on the outside, but not on the inside, and two motherless brothers, the older of whom, Wes, helps Macy break through. As is often the case with Dessen, the novel is a mixed bag. Much of it is wonderful. At its purest, the writing reaches directly into the hearts of teenage girls: Macy's games of truth with Wes are unerringly conceived, sharply focused on both characters and issues. Yet a subplot about Macy's job at the library features cardboard characters and unbelievable situations. This seesawing between spot-on observations and superfluous scenes slows the pace and makes readers wait too long for the book's best moments. --Ilene Cooper Copyright 2004 Booklist