Once and for All

by Sarah Dessen

Overview

Beloved author Sarah Dessen's latest novel set in the exciting and romantic world of wedding planning is now in paperback. A #1 New York Times bestseller.

Is it really better to have loved and lost?  Louna's summer job is to help brides plan their perfect day, even though she stopped believing in happily-ever-after when her first love ended tragically.  But charming girl-magnet Ambrose isn't about to be discouraged now that he's met the one he really  wants.  Maybe Louna's second chance is standing right in front of her.

 Sarah Dessen’s many fans will adore this latest novel, a richly satisfying, enormously entertaining story with humor, romance, and an ending that is so much more than happily-ever-after.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780425290354
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	05/22/2018
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	384
Sales rank:	96,129
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.10(d)
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

Sarah Dessen is the author of twelve previous novels, which include the New York Times bestsellers Saint Anything, The Moon and More, What Happened to Goodbye, Along for the Ride, Lock and Key, Just Listen, The Truth About Forever, and This Lullaby. Her first two books, That Summer and Someone Like You, were made into the movie How to Deal.
 
Dessen’s books are frequently chosen for the Teens’ Top Ten list and the list of Best Fiction for Young Adults. They have been translated into twenty-five languages. Sarah Dessen is the recipient of the 2017 Margaret A. Edwards Award from the Young Adult division of the American Library Association, recognizing her significant contribution to young adult literature.
  
Sarah Dessen graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with highest honors in creative writing. She lives in North Carolina with her family.

Visit Sarah at sarahdessen.com. 

Hometown:

Chapel Hill, NC

Date of Birth:

June 6, 1970

Place of Birth:

Evanston, Illinois

Education:

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, degree in English.

Read an Excerpt

CHAPTER 1
(Continues…)

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Excerpted from "Once and for All"
by .
Copyright © 2018 Sarah Dessen.
Excerpted by permission of Penguin Young Readers Group.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Editorial Reviews

04/24/2017
Seventeen-year-old Louna was in love once, but it ended in tragedy when her long-distance boyfriend, Ethan, was killed in a school shooting. Louna has since stopped believing she will find love again, though she is surrounded by constant reminders of it: she works for her mother’s successful, high-end wedding-planning business. When Louna’s mother temporarily hires Ambrose, the gorgeous but unpredictable son of a client, Louna is charged with making sure that Ambrose doesn’t make their summer weddings any more difficult. Dessen’s fans will revel in the familiarity of her steady, empathic writing, as well as her attention to detail—particularly the painstaking care Louna and her mother devote to every aspect of a wedding, including their nervous and tightly wound clients—and the emotionally layered characters that populate her story. Dessen (Saint Anything) include a hint of romance between Louna and Ambrose, but this novel is more about grief and recovery. Flashbacks of Louna’s relationship with Ethan, interspersed among the present-day chapters, movingly juxtapose her loss with her tentative efforts to move forward from it. Ages 12–up. Agent: Leigh Feldman, Leigh Feldman Literary. (June)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for Once and For All:

"Dessen’s expertise at creating a character faced with change is once again on display in this book that reminds readers that love is measured ‘not in minutes but in moments.’” —VOYA 

"Romance, humor, kindhearted characters, and a touch of painful reality make this another sure bet for Dessen fans." —Kirkus Review

"There is no question that this title will be popular with Dessen fans and romance lovers." —School Library Journal

"Dessen delivers a contemplative and satisfyingpleasure-read that speaks to the power of opening oneself up to love, perfector otherwise." —The Horn Book

Praise for Sarah Dessen's writing:

"Is there anyone who can write about what matters most to teens as well as Dessen can?  I sincerely doubt it." —Jodi Picoult, New York Times bestselling novelist of Leaving Time and My Sister’s Keeper 

"Sarah Dessen is something of a rock star in young adult fiction. Her bestselling coming-of-age novels are warmly written explorations of teens in transition that are, by turns, questioning, humorous and hopeful." —Los Angeles Times

★ "Dessen is as skilled as ever at turning out steady, satisfying stories about teens that are easy to fall for." —Publishers Weekly, starred review for The Moon and More

"Readers can count of Dessen; she's a pro at creating characters caught at a nexus of change, who have broken relationships and who need to make decisions . . . Readers will enjoy every minute they spend with her." —Kirkus Reviews on What Happened to Goodbye

"Realistic teen dialogue, authentic girl friendships, and a complex underlying question: Can people really change?" —Kirkus Reviews on Along for the Ride

"Good story, real characters, happy ending . . . another must-read." —VOYA on Lock and Key

"The romance which forms the core of the story is everything a romance should be." —Horn Book on Just Listen

From the Publisher

05/01/2017
Gr 9 Up—Louna's broken heart and her mother's cynical views on love and marriage have soured her on the idea of everlasting love. While working at her mother's wedding planning business, she meets Ambrose, whom she had to drag away from a girl so that he could escort his mother down the aisle. Louna is not thrilled when her mother hires Ambrose for the summer, but he is charming and spices up her usual summer routine. Louna prefers to date only when forced to by her best friend Jilly, while Ambrose plays the field nightly. Louna's disdain for Ambrose's escapades leads to a friendly wager—for the next seven weeks she will date around and he will commit to one person; the winner will choose the loser's next date. As the story unfolds, the truth of Louna's heartbreak is revealed one piece at a time, just as she admits her real feelings for Ambrose. Can she open her heart to love again? The answer is obvious, but nevertheless it is an enjoyable journey getting there. Secondary characters, such as Louna's mother, Jilly, and William, her mother's best friend and business partner, are well developed and add depth to the protagonist's past and present. However, an attempt at racial diversity falls flat with three separate descriptions of peripheral characters as black, while there is no other mention of race or ethnicity for any other character. VERDICT There is no question that this title will be popular with Dessen fans and romance lovers.—Kefira Phillipe, Nichols Middle School, Evanston, IL

School Library Journal

2017-03-29
Louna finds her cynicism about romance challenged when her family's wedding business hires Ambrose.After years facing brides with cold feet and badly behaved wedding guests, Louna has become skeptical about romance and plans on remaining single during her last summer before college. Luckily, the busy wedding schedule provides plenty of legitimate excuses for Louna to avoid opportunities to meet potential dates. That changes when satisfying a particularly fussy bridal party requires hiring the bride's brother, Ambrose. He's a lady's man who typically charms more than one potential date during every social gathering. But he professes honesty about his dating motivations, expresses genuine interest in his dates, and displays a sort of oddly enchanting "aw, shucks" dismissal of his ability to reel in girls. Louna's outwardly dismayed by his antics, but his clichéd (but adorable) gestures, such as impulsively adopting a rescue dog, begin to win her over. However, Louna's still tormented by the unexpected death of her first love. Flashbacks to their relationship combined with the way she reluctantly accepts the need to move forward too provide a bittersweet counterpoint to the traditional rom-com storyline. Louna's lovingly depicted gay godfather provides a bit of diversity in the otherwise apparently straight, white cast. Romance, humor, kindhearted characters, and a touch of painful reality make this another sure bet for Dessen fans. (Romance. 12-16)

Kirkus Reviews