What Happened to Goodbye

It was a pure delight to read this novel. I know now that some writers can touch your soul no matter what they write, or how they age. Susan Dessen is one of those writers.

“I mean, it's not surprising, really. Once you love something, you always love it in some way. You have to. It's, like, part of you for good”
“Like a blinking cursor on an empty page, it was just the first thing. The beginning of the beginning. But at least it was done.” “It was kind of soothing, these sounds of lives being lived all around me, for better or for worse. And there I was, in the middle of them all, newly reborn and still waiting for mine to begin”

Such an amazing book, loved it, each and every bit of it.

“There's something nice about the silence of a car ride in the dark, going home. When you were tired of the radio and conversation, and it was okay to just be alone with your thoughts and the road ahead. If you're that comfortable with someone, you don't have to talk.”

Not quite a favorite, but still enjoyable nonetheless.

This review is also featured on Behind the Pages: What Happened to Goodbye

Divorce is never easy. When the divorce centers around a high-profile affair, it's even worse. McLean lives with her father, traveling from town to town as he fixes restaurants for his consulting firm. Each new town is a chance to remake herself and figure out who she wants to be. And another chance to avoid her mother. But when she ends up in Lakeview, everything starts to change. McLean starts to wonder if she even knows who she is anymore.

What Happened to Goodbye takes you through a teen's perspective of divorce. It shows the struggles kids go through trying to balance between two homes and the resentment that can grow for one or the other parent. It also delves into the misconceptions that can arise when people fail to communicate or fail to listen to one another.

McLean will go through a range of emotions as she tries to come to terms with her parents' divorce. At first, the constant moves seem perfect. It's like a new adventure every time she starts a new school where she can play whatever role she chooses. But McLean slowly loses her identity. Not only does she not have a place to call home, but the long-known routines are gone as well. As she thinks back to the times when her family was whole, she starts to realize how much she misses it all. You can only hide from the truth for so long.

This an even-paced book, taking the reader through McLean's growing understanding of her new family dynamic. There isn't a lot of tension and the plot is straight forward. If you're looking for a simple young adult read, then this is your book. I also think it would be a great book to offer children whose parents are divorced. And yes, it is age appropriate for young teens.