A Reader's Ramble- What Happened to Goobye

For this Reader's Ramble, I will be reviewing What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen. 

"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 her neighbor Dave, an academic superstar trying to be just a regular guy, can help her find out."

Plot- This is a really unique story line that Sarah Dessen has created here. Mclean is a different kind of character who I haven't seen before. I could never imagine what she is going through. Moving around her whole life? That would be tough. And every new place came a new girl with a new personality and name. It was really interesting. The only thing was, it was kind of slow in the beginning, I kept waiting for something to happen. But, it all came in due time. The ending was amazing. I got really mad at it at first, then it changed on me all a sudden and turned into a happy ending. 

Setting- A small, cozy little town in North Carolina. I felt like even though Mclean just moved there, it was her home. It seemed like one of those towns where everyone knew each other and all the neighbors were friends. I'd love to live there. It fit well for the story.

Theme- I think being yourself is a big theme here. Mclean was always so afraid of her past, and never let any of it show. She never really made true friends and then forgot about them when she moved.  Family issues is another big theme. Her parents have a horrible divorce that many people could relate to. 

Characters- Sarah Dessen has amazing characters. I loved them in Just Listen, and I loved them here. Her characters are so relate-able to teens everywhere. They are so real and genuine. I loved them all. I have nothing negative or any mixed views on the characters. They're all great.

The entire time I wanted Mclean and Dave to be together, I was so happy when it finally happened. Same with Opal and Gus, that was just waiting to happen as well. I wasn't shocked when it finally did.

Overall- I loved it, Sarah Dessen is amazing. She just writes such relate-able novels. She is good at combining romance and other things together, it was just the right amount to satisfy me. Even though plenty of other things were happening in the story, I longed for romance, and she gave it to me.

Even though I really liked this book, it won't be going on my favorites shelf. I wasn't as involved in it as I thought I would be. Not like The Book Thief anyway. Some parts were slow.

I loved all the family and divorce drama though, that was good. The ending was perfect. It was a great novel, and I'm glad I read it. I will probably be reading more Dessen books in the future.

With that being said... it gets 5/5 stars. This was an amazing read and I recommend it to everyone. I'd give this book 4.5/5 if I could, but I don't have the image for that..

My new system for stars is keys, so Five Keys to What Happened to Goodbye!