Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


Breaking up is hard to do

Change of Plans by Sarah Dessen

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Thank you to Simon and Schuster and Netgalley for this ARC. My opinions are my own. This book is out on May 5th, 2026. Finley is graduating from high school, and is worried about several weeks away from her charismatic boyfriend, Colin, their friend group and her entire social circle. Most of all, she would have wanted to join Colin and his family on a Disney cruise, but her distant mother, Catherine (her father has custody and she only sees her Mum a few times […]

“Don’t think or judge, just listen”

Just Listen by Sarah Dessen

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While Annabel Greene may star in the local department store’s back to school commercial as “The girl who has everything”, she returns to school utterly ostracised, after a summer spent alone, after a disastrous party late last term where everything changed for her. When she runs into her former best friend Sophie, undisputed Queen Bee at their school, she is met with insults and sharp comments. When she thinks back to that one night when Sophie turned against her, she throws up. The only one […]

Time to break up with Sarah Dessen. Or at least see other people.

The Rest of the Story by Sarah Dessen

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For a long while, I was happily riding along on the Sarah Dessen bandwagon, waving my flag and cheering her on. I recommended her books to my daughter and her friends, and enjoyed reading them myself. And now, I think I’m ready to get off the bandwagon. I’m going to ask the driver to pull over. I’m confused about why our relationship has cooled. Maybe its that I’ve just gotten older and can’t relate to her characters anymore. Maybe I’m annoyed with her about the […]

Five Stars, but Still Some Issues Which is Why It’s Not a Favorite

The Rest of the Story by Sarah Dessen

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Wow. What a great book by Dessen. I do enjoy her Young Adult books though the last couple I have read have been misses with me. This one is expertly written, but some things as the time line shifting back and forth and the mess with Saylor’s father prevented me from giving it five stars. I really enjoyed this one and hope that we see more from characters that she introduced to us in this one. “The Rest of the Story” follows 17 year old […]

#CBR10Bingo: White Whale – The Truth About Forever

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#CBR10Bingo: White Whale (on my TBR-list for more years than I can count) Macy used to love running and was very good at it, until one morning, her father (and coach) had a heart attack, and now, Macy doesn’t do that anymore. Instead, she keeps her life strictly regimented and works very hard at her school work, so as to not have to think too hard about her feelings. This summer, her boyfriend Jason is going away to “brain camp” and she will fill in for […]

It literally pains me to have to write this review. I love you, Sarah Dessen. But no.

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There’s nothing better than hearing that one of your favorite authors has a new book coming out. But what if that book doesn’t live up to your expectations? And even worse, what if you actually hate the book? I’ve had a long history with Sarah Dessen. I’ve gobbled up everything she’s written about her little Carolina Beachtown universe, and have always anxiously awaited whatever comes next from her. And so it was with Once and for All. I waited and waited on the library list […]



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