The last few years since her parent’s divorce, McClain’s tried on different personas in every city she and her father move to, and even though as the novel starts she decides to be herself again, her personality somewhat eluded me throughout, not that I disliked her or was bored just that I never felt like I knew her all that well, not her aspirations, what she liked to do in her spare time, etc. Despite being the novel’s heroine, she seemed the least fully formed of the characters, although maybe that was on purpose to underscore that she doesn’t really know herself anymore after hiding behind those other personas?

Regardless of her personality, I still found McClain’s story engaging, the conflict with her mom and the sense of responsibility she feels towards her father were believable, particularly the confrontational moments with both parents, those were also the moments where I did feel like I had a stronger understanding of her.

I loved the side characters as I often do with Dessen’s work. She has a particular gift for crafting super interesting characters who don’t need a ton of page time to come across so vividly, the standout for me here was Deb, one of those onion characters, where every scene she appeared in peeled back another fascinating layer and I just really wanted more of her. Is it too late to ask for Deb to star in her very own book? I’d even be game for one set in the present day with an adult Deb. She was just fantastically original. I’m holding out hope that I’ll at least see Deb pop up in some fun way in one of the author’s later books, those cameos/Easter eggs (a The Truth About Forever character appears in surprising circumstances here) are one of the many joys I’m finding in reading Sarah Dessen’s novels in chronological order. ( )

Another Sarah Dessen allstar, no surprise there ( )

Wonderful. Splendid.
A terrific book.
Identity crisis at its finest. And a long hard climb towards Yourself.
Taking chances.
Looking forward.
Reaching towards the horizon. ( )

This was a nice read for a day when it was snowing and the schoolwork was unattractive and frightful.
I found Mclean nice, and the kind of person who I'd like to be friends with. Most of the characters were good, but you could see the seams where Dessen tried to make them pop out of the stereotype boxes. Most of them were ordinary except for a strange or lucky trait or skill. My favorite character was Deb, who was completely unexpected after the beginning. She's also not socially like any of the others, so I related to that.
Some of the plot was entirely predictable, however. I knew who Opal would end up with almost as soon as she was introduced, and Dave and Mclean's romance seemed to be rather predictable after their characters were revealed. ( )

Dessen is an outstanding young adult author. Highly recommended.

FROM PUBLISHER: 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 her neighbor Dave, an academic superstar trying to be just a regular guy, can help her find out. ( )