What Happened to Goodbye? by Sarah Dessen
Published on May 11, 2011 by Viking
Source: library
Plot Summary for 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 Dave, the guy next door, can help her find out.
My take: I started blogging the fall this book came out, and am pretty sure I read it that year. To be honest, this wasn't one of my favorite Dessen books. My re-read made me appreciate it a little more, but I still feel like it's a bit flatter and less compelling than some of her other books.Mclean is a child of divorce. I've never experienced divorce personally, so I'm not an expert, but I thought this book did present a good picture of what it's like to grow up in a family where you have to take sides. Mclean lives with her father, a former chef and now a restaurant consultant who moves around a lot, improving one restaurant at a time. As a result, Mclean doesn't make lasting friends, and has even created a temporary, disposable persona for each new school. But for some reason, she isn't able to do that in Colby. She gets attached to the town, her school, her new friends, and the boy next door.
Dessen books are heavily thematic, something I usually like, but the themes in this felt a little strained to me. There's the (obvious) parallel between Mclean's father's work in making over restaurants and Mclean's making over herself. But then there's an odd subplot about a miniature model of Colby that has to be assembled above the restaurant. There's also a sports theme, as Mclean is named after a legendary local basketball coach, a man who was replaced after retirement by Mclean's stepfather. Maybe there's some connection there I'm missing? Teamwork?
I did like the great crossover appearances in this book. My favorite -- and I only caught this because of my complete Dessen re-read -- was the appearance of Macy's brainiac boyfriend Jason in this book as a minor character. In The Truth About Forever, Jason is an overachieving high school student, while by this book, he's dropped out of Harvard and is working as a prep cook at the restaurant that Mclean's father is remaking. Auden's stepmother Heidi also makes a brief appearance as a friend of Mclean's mom.
The last Dessen that I'm covering as part of this series is The Moon and More, which I reviewed a couple years ago. You can read my review here!, which I reviewed a couple years ago. You can read my review here!
Hope you've enjoyed this Dessen-tastic journey with me!
Also, if you're a Sarah Dessen fan, be sure to check out this fun guide to Along for the Ride the new Sarah Dessen movie on Netflix!
I'm super glad you liked this one! I understand that retellings may not be as amazing as the first time around, but I'm still happy you enjoyed this one!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Alice! It was interesting to me that some Dessens (The Truth About Forever) improved on re-reading, but this one stayed the same - not my very favorite.
DeleteThis sounds good on the surface but I have a feeling it doesn't end well? Reeks suspiciously of a long distance relationship when everything is said and done. :/
ReplyDeleteha ha I will not tell...
DeleteWhat???? I totally didn't recognize that it was THAT Jason when I read this book!! I didn't LOVE this book when I read it-- I mean it's probably my least fave Sarah Dessen book, but I still liked it. I did love that town model. It just made me think of Mr. Rogers and Beetlejuice.
ReplyDeleteYES - it totally was and I never would have figured that out if I hadn't read all the boos back to back...
DeleteThis is the only Dressen book I have! And these posts make me want to read it soon! Well, I want to read them ALL.
ReplyDeleteGreat review!