#CBR10Bingo: White Whale (on my TBR-list for more years than I can count)
Macy used to love running and was very good at it, until one morning, her father (and coach) had a heart attack, and now, Macy doesn’t do that anymore. Instead, she keeps her life strictly regimented and works very hard at her school work, so as to not have to think too hard about her feelings. This summer, her boyfriend Jason is going away to “brain camp” and she will fill in for him at the library helpdesk. She will study for her SATs and help her realtor mother with open houses.
After Macy sends Jason an e-mail where she tells him that she loves and misses him, he responds by saying that maybe they should take a break. Jason’s two friends at the library help desk pretty much treat her like a halfwit, if they even vaguely acknowledge her, so Macy pretty much hates her job there. On impulse, she takes a second summer job with Wish Catering, where chaos pretty much seems to reign during every job, but the staff have fun together and everything always seems to work out, no matter how disastrous things seem along the way. She makes a friend, the outspoken Kristy, and starts developing a crush on the quiet and mysterious Wes, who understands her grief after losing his mother to cancer.
Macy’s summer turns out rather differently than she was expecting and her mother is not very happy once she discovers just how much time Macy is spending with the crew at Wish. When she tries to forbid Macy from working there, the cracks in their already strained relationships start showing.
On pretty much any list of YA recommendations there will be one or several books by Sarah Dessen. This book will probably feature, which is why it’s been on my TBR list for so long. I bought a copy in an e-book sale over three years ago, but still didn’t actually sit down and read this (or Just Listen, which I also got). So this is my first Sarah Dessen book, and I can absolutely see why she comes so highly recommended.
Full review on my blog.
I’m pretty sure I’ve read all of Dessen’s books and really enjoyed most of them (the last two…were not great and actually horrible). My favorite thing about them is that they all take place in the same little world, so favorite characters from other books will pop up from time to time. I find it comforting to know that these young women are all doing ok!
This is one of my all-time favorites. I managed to make it to a signing with Sarah Dessen a few years ago, and she was just lovely and hilarious, which was a huge relief to me.