Someone Like You Review.

Halley has always followed in the wake of her best friend, Scarlett. But when Scarlett learns that her boyfriend has been killed in a motorcycle accident, and that she’s carrying his baby, she’s devastated. For the first time ever, Scarlett really needs Halley. Their friendship may bend under the weight, but it’ll never break–because a true friendship is a promise you keep forever.

I am surprised that it took me so long to read this book. I loved the movie (How to Deal, based of Someone Like You and That Summer) so I am surprised that I didn’t pick this book up sooner. Someone Like You is Sarah Dessen’s second book and I have read most of the others that came after it, I guess I just  assumed that since I am older now, I would enjoy it less because I wouldn’t be able to relate as much to two teenage best friends. It turns out that in some ways, I was right, but in a lot of ways I was totally wrong. Someone Like You is the beautiful story of two best friends trying to make it in life when they feel that they only have each other and I think to some extent, everyone can relate to that.

I’m not gonna lie, a lot of the time during this book, I wanted to slap Halley across her face. She just seemed like such a spoiled brat. Yes, her mother could be overbearing at times, but instead of trying to speak with her mom like a the grown ass girl she was, she pouted and threw tantrums like a big ass baby. Sure, her mother was hard headed, but whining and crying only made things worse. On top of that, rather than trying to prove her mother wrong, it was like she was trying to prove her right by behaving irresponsibly and getting herself into some dangerous situations. Sometimes, people have to experience things on their own to get the picture, but sometimes, you need to take people’s word for it but, of course, Halley had to do things the hard way. All that being said, I did quite admire Halley. She was brave and her stubbornness was not just a curse, it was also a blessing. Halley was also an amazing friend, there is no doubting that. The love and devotion she showed for Scarlett was amazing completely inspiring. So many people would have dropped Scarlett like a bad habit, but not Halley. She was clear from day one that it was her and Scarlett against the world and she proved it everyday. Luckily Scarlett gave it right back.

Scarlett Thomas is something else, and I mean that in the best way possible. A lot of friends would have been jealous of their best friend falling in love especially when they have just lost the love of their lives. Scarlett was so supportive of Halley and was always looking out for her. She loved Halley and wanted the best for her at all times. Now, while most people would assume that Scarlett was an irresponsible child, she was actually wise beyond her years. Her mother treated her more like a friend than a daughter and spent most of her time in search for her perfect man. Looking back at it, rather than a daughter or a friend, she acted like Scarlett was her mother… up until she got pregnant, that is. Of course, any parent would have been taken by surprise and probably upset, but I did not appreciate the way she took immediate ownership over Scarlett’s body, acting as if were obvious that Scarlett would have an abortion and when she didn’t,  just give up the baby. But of course, Scarlett, being Scarlett, did not back down no matter how much pressure her mother put in her. In fact, she did quite the opposite, she rose to the occasion. She started working more hours, to provide for her child, all while continuing her education. That is something you have to respect.

When I watched the movie, I completely feel in love with Macon, he was just so sweet and such an awesome person that you couldn’t help to root for him despite his mistakes. (I must admit that Trent Ford did add that extra charm but that’s another story). Once I read the book, I realized that they did some major tweaking to the character, because the Macon on paper was not the Macon on my TV screen, he was a total dick. I was so disappointed, I didn’t know what to think. Who was this guy? An impostor of the boy I loved? I mean, obviously he is not as bad, but he was treading in serious Rogerson territory for me. He was such an awful guy. He treated Halley horribly most of their relationship and expected that she would always forgive him or understand. Yes, losing his best friend had to be tough, but that is no excuse to treat anyone, especially the girl you allegedly love like dirt. Get it together, dude!

I have a love hate relationship with Halley’s parents. Well, I have a love hate relationship with her mother, her father was a total tool. He was way too immature for my taste and I could not believe how big of an ass he was. He wasn’t rude or anything, he just had no respect for Halley’s privacy! He had no business going on his radio show telling the entire town about her private life. Not cool, dad. On top of that, he was spineless and never had her back. Instead of interjecting or at least showing some sort of support for her when her mom was telling her about herself, he made a damn ice cream shake. Really?! What is this, Leave It to Beaver?  Anyway, back to Halley’s mother. I actually agreed with some of the things she did and said, she is a mother and it is her job to look out for and protect her daughter. But at the same time, she was way over the top. She assumed things about Halley that were completely ridiculous, she never listened to anything Halley had to say (which I must admit was partly Halley’s fault) and instead of letting Halley tell her who she was, she was busy telling Halley who she was. She even tried to force her to get back with her ex-boyfriend (if you could even call him that), which is the last thing Halley wanted to do. Luckily by the end, she pulled it together and was actively working on listening to Halley more, so we have to give her credit.

All that being said, throughout the book, I knew that I liked the book and that I would probably give it a decent rating. After all, it was good but only good isn’t really enough for Sarah Dessen. It wasn’t until the end, when baby Grace was born, that the story came together, I was literally in tears. The last chapter made the entire book to me worth it. We knew from the beginning just how much Halley and Scarlett loved each other, but the ending, after everything they had been through that entire year, showed that as much as they both grew up and had their separate experiences, they definitely grew together. To me, this was a story about true love, that wasn’t about finding it in a boy. Both Halley and Scarlett found true love inside themselves and in each other and you all know how much I love that. As I do with every Sarah Dessen book, I recommend it to anyone. It is a light read and I promise, you will not be sorry.