Reviewed by Me for TeensReadToo.com

Although the heroine of this novel, Macy, is only seventeen, it's a wonderful read for anyone who has ever experienced the lost of a love one; for anyone who's strived to be the "perfect" person that everyone can know and love; and for every mother, daughter, sister, aunt, friend who has only wanted one thing from life--to be happy, loved, and accepted for who we really are.

The last year and a half has been hard on Macy. After witnessing her father's death after a Christmastime morning run, she's strived to be the "fine just fine" girl--a perfect helper for her mother, a perfect balance to her older sister Caroline's wild days, and a perfect girlfriend to her genius boyfriend.

But when Jason heads off to Brain Camp for the summer and unexpectedly asks for a "break" in their relationship, Macy's world is thrown even more off-kilter. She'd already committed to taking Jason's place at the Library Information Desk for the summer, and she hates the job, and the Miss Perfection girls she gets snubbed by on a daily basis. Her evenings are spent dutifully studying for her SATs the following year, and even her weekends are filled with helping her mother with her business and ironing her clothes for the week.

Then, during a party her mother throws for prospective clients, Macy meets the staff members of Wish, a chaotic catering business. Delia, the very pregnant owner; Kristy, the scarred girl in the outrageous outfits; Monica, the Queen of the One Word Answer; Bert, who's convinced the end of the world is near; and Wes, a boy who spent time in reform school after his parent's divorce and then lost his mother to cancer.

During this particular summer, Macy comes to realize that being the perfect daughter, sister, and girlfriend doesn't stop the world from being a crazy place. It doesn't insulate you from hurt. In fact, being spontaneous, creating new friends, looking outside the shell of a perfect existence, is the only way to realize the truth about forever--it can be two seconds long, or a hundred years. The moment you're living now is your forever, and Macy finally learns how to reach out and grab the moment.

I really loved this book! Although touted as a YA read, I think any woman would enjoy it. It's sad, humorous, and compelling, a definitely wonderful read. ( )

I love this book. I wish parts of it would happen to me. It's just one of those books for younger girls that just makes you feel good. I would love to go back and play an endless game of truth with someone.

This book is moving to many. From teenagers who lost a dear friend, or young adults who need reassurance. This book is sure to get everyone hooked onto Sarah Dessen's books! In the story, I could really relate to the main character Macy and how she is able to cope with the loss of her dad. By the time I finished the book I felt I could take on any challenge with the help of close friends! I am considering reading the book once more. ( )

I at first didn’t like the book the truth about forever by Sarah Dessen because of the way it was written. It is structured like a typical teenaged story; a girl or guy has a problem, they meet up with someone of the opposite sex that makes them change, their parents hate it, and eventually the guy and girl fall in love. I’m getting annoyed of those stories, but this one was written differently which made me like it. This book was a refreshing change and I couldn’t put it down; I love to read so that basically means that the books has caught my complete and total attention and I wouldn’t do anything else until I finished it.
Sarah Dessen is described by New York Times as a Best-Selling Author, and I agree with them. Although this story follows a basic teenaged story structure, it caught my attention. The main character is a female named Macy and she annoyed me because of the way she (at first) dealt with her problems with her boyfriend. I’ve always hated it when all people did was complain about their relationship. Anyway, Macy eventually grows as a character because she is able to accept new friends in the after math of her broken relationship. Unlike most teenagers in books where they are depressed are described as locking themselves in their bedrooms or think only about their partner, she is able to live normally during a challenging like a break up. This made me like her character because I like teenagers in books who are able to continue to move on after some as heart wrenching as a break up can be.
The main theme of this book is family. Macy’s family is described as what a family in a teenage book would be; broken and messed up. Usually the mother in books or movies has passed away but this time it’s the father. Of course a death would affect a teenager to act differently; they might start to rebel or become very quiet. Strangely enough, Macy doesn’t change much after his death but I’ll leave it at that. Her family is consisted of her married older sister Caroline and her workaholic mother. There were many ways that Dessen could have taken this family but I liked the way she took it. It was a refreshing change and it turned out a lot better than I thought it was going to be.
This book is told in 1st person narrative, in the eyes of Macy. I prefer to read books in third person because you can see how the character changes/ grows and how they interact with other people their age. You can get a clear view of their personality judging by the thoughts that run through their minds in everyday situations. This helps in your decision of whether or not you will ultimately like/dislike the character or even the book itself. The character’s actions describe the book and affect the reader.

Perhaps it’s stubborn of me, but when too many people tell me I’ll like something, I tend to rebel. Maybe that’s why it took me so long to read something by Sarah Dessen. To all of you who recommended the author, I’m sorry. You were right, and I was obstinate. The Truth About Forever is fantastic. It’s funny and sweet and romantic and touching and all those good things rolled into one.

There is definitely a strong romance component to the story, but for me, the biggest part of the book was watching Macy come alive again after her father’s death, and seeing her family start to heal. Macy and her mother have basically come to an implicit agreement not to have any feelings or problems, to the point where they don’t even have a real relationship. Macy has essentially lost both her parents with her father’s death, and it broke my heart.

I don’t really have too much to say about this book, other than I really enjoyed it. If you enjoy a light, feel-good romance with more going on than just smouldering eyes and heaving bosoms (there are actually none of those here) this might be the book for you. ( )