This was my favorite Sarah Dessen novel when I was a teenager, and it still holds up as a favorite today. The reason this one hits me harder than most of the others is because of how much I relate to Macy's family situation. I don't often read books about families who feel like mine where they're actually a big part of the story. Macy and her mother get along fine, but don't really talk. They're polite but distant. Macy instinctively hides things from her mother that are small and insignificant just because she doesn't want to make life more difficult. It feels so real to me, that normalized distance in a parent/child relationship, and as a teenager I adored feeling like I wasn't alone in that way.

I also enjoy the relationship of Macy and Wes more than in many romance novels. They're given so much time to get to know each other and build the relationship that by the end, it feels so natural and right. There's instant attraction (Wes is described as gorgeous early on), but the feelings don't go deeper until they start getting closer. I adored the buildup and how much time went into the two of them before they took any romantic steps.

Much like Sarah Dessen's other novels, this is more about Macy's growth as a person than just the romance. Her grief over her father's death and her ability to let go of the idea of perfection. She learns to be happy, and I think as a teenager that was a book I needed. It really pushes the idea that you should strive for what makes you happy instead of what you perceive as the right or perfect thing.

The only thing I was a little meh about was the ending. It felt too perfect, wrapped up a little too neatly. I expect everything to be happy at the end of books like this (in fact, I'd be kind of disappointed if it wasn't), but this book seemed to go a little too far. It was the tiniest bit of a meh ending, but I love the book as a whole so it didn't affect my rating.

I love this book so much. I highly recommending picking this up if you like YA contemporary romance. It's one of my absolute favorites and will always have a special place in my heart.