Once and for All

by Sarah Dessen

[Joséphine]

Initial thoughts: Once and for All was a touching book; I'll give you that. The presentation however, didn't gel with me. Even though the focus was on Louna's experiences, it felt like reading two separate stories that accidentally had their chapters mixed up with each other. Yes, there were some references in the more recent timeline to the past but that still didn't anchor me enough as a reader. Chapters that were basically flashbacks weren't marked as such — not even with chapter titles.

I thought that might've been a limitation of the audiobook but I cross-referenced with the hardcover edition and came up short. It felt too jarring. Considering the individual timelines, I did care for Louna and her mother. I loved the connection they had and the wedding business shenanigans were fun to read about. The guys and her friends, though? I don't know. They were part of the story, sure, but despite their roles, I didn't feel invested in them.