For other Dessen fans, there are some really nice throw-backs to other characters in this book too. The clothing boutique, Clementine's, makes an appearance, and of course the Last Chance café. If this is your first Dessen novel, I would be incredibly surprised if it doesn’t make you want to go out and buy her other titles. This is a great summer read, with a lovely summer setting, but most importantly it illustrates just how difficult it is to negotiate growing up. How much does growing up mean growing away or growing different? Well, Dessen answers this.
Some of the characters mentioned as asides in this novel feature in [[Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen|Along for the Ride]] and [[The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen|The Truth About Forever]] both also by Dessen. But for a slightly grittier teen book, [[Drowning Instinct by Isla Ilsa J Bick]] had me more absorbed than this particular Dessen title.
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