by Sarah Dessen
ages: 13+
First sentence: “It’s funny how one summer can change everything.”

I figured the best way to tackle the Sarah Dessen Challenge is to start at the beginning and work my way through to her most current one (Lock and Key excepted, of course.) And since this was her first book, I figured it was the best place to start.

There has been a lot of change in 15-year-old Haven’s life in the last couple of years. First, her dad — sportscaster Mac MacPheil — cheated on her mom with the weather woman — in one of those horrid name instances, Lorna Queen — and then they got divorced. Her older sister Ashley, who has spent her life bouncing from one boyfriend to another, and her have had a strained relationship for years. And the fact that Ashley has settled on boring Lucas (at least I think that’s his name), and is getting married in 29 days doesn’t help. On top of that, her mother is talking about going to Europe with a group of friends for an extended trip, and thinking about selling the house.

The only thing real in Haven’s life, it seems, is the past. And she remembers one of Ashely’s boyfriends — Sumner — best. He was the light in their life. He was what brought their family togehter. And it was after Ashley uncerimoniously dumped him on Halloween that Haven’s life started falling apart around her.

So, when Sumner shows back up in Haven’s life (right before Ashely’s wedding), she knows its Fate, a Sign.

The book follows Haven as she comes to terms with the changes in her life. And while it’s enjoyable, it’s not as fun or as engrossing as the other Dessen book I read. I wonder if she’s the type of author where the first book you read is your favorite… At any rate, it’s not a bad story, and at times I felt like Dessen captured a 15-year-old absolutely perfectly. It’s a difficult, awkward age, and to throw so many changes at the poor character… lets just say I was rooting for it all to come out okay. And I wasn’t disappointed.
Buy it at Amazon, Powell’s or your local independent bookstore.