What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen

Goodreads Summery:
Who is the real McLean?

Since her parents' bitter divorce, McLean and her dad, a restaurant consultant, have been on the move-four towns in two years. Estranged from her mother and her mother's new family, McLean has followed her dad in leaving the unhappy past behind. And each new place gives her a chance to try out a new persona: from cheerleader to drama diva. But now, for the first time, McLean discovers a desire to stay in one place and just be herself, whoever that is. Perhaps Dave, the guy next door, can help her find out.

Combining Sarah Dessen's trademark graceful writing, great characters, and compelling storytelling, What Happened to Goodbye is irresistible reading.


My Review:

    I can very well relate to a book like this since I have been moving all my life. Another thing I can relate this book to is her other book lock and key. Sarah Dessen is an amazing and compelling author but what I noticed while reading this book is that, it is a lot like her other one. The stories are two very different ones but the main character is so similar that you can tell whats going to happen next in there life of one if you have read the other book.


   Main character McLean doesn't get to close to anyone. She has her walls up and a guarded personality, like Ruby in lock and key and from what I have come to hear from friends, like some of the other characters in her other books. If the main character in her books have the same personality it makes it too predictable, too boring. I can understand why it can be hard to write about real life situations that can happen to common everyday people but as an author she can make how the situations are dealt with a lot more interesting then she actually did. I felt as it the book was going too slow, half the books were flashbacks, and some of the flashbacks were pointless to the plot of the book. I have to admit, some of them were amazingly written, and truly showed how the divorce between her parents effected her, and how much love she received from them, but in others it was just a waste of paper.

   Sarah Dessen in a great author who can captivate young audiences by writing beautiful stories that they can relate to...if its there first time reading a novel from her. After that, her stories somewhat combine and while some people find it intriguing, I think that when she writing about the lives of different girls ,there personalities shouldn't be so similar. I personally wouldn't recommend someone to read this if they have read lock and key by her because it feels like the same book, just written in a different way. My rating for this book cant be more the 3/5