
What Happened to Goodbye
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
3 months free
Buy for $22.50
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Meredith Hagner
-
By:
-
Sarah Dessen
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.
Combining Sarah Dessen's trademark graceful writing, great characters, and compelling storytelling, What Happened to Goodbye is irresistible listening.
©2011 Sarah Dessen (P)2011 Penguin AudioListeners also enjoyed...




















Editorial reviews
Sarah Dessen is young adult author royalty with numerous awards and a best-selling streak. She is known for creating authentic characters in various family predicaments and on journeys of self-discovery. What Happened to Goodbye follows this formula while managing to be fresh and moving.
Dessen’s newest teen protagonist, Mclean, is ready to start over yet again. After her parents’ messy divorce, she chose to live with her father who has a consulting job for failing restaurants. For two years, she’s moved every few months, becoming a new person in every new town. When she arrives in Lakeview (a familiar town for Dessen fans), she must decide who she wants to be and how she’s going to handle her estranged mother.
New narrator Meredith Hagner, a former soap opera star, performs the book like a conversation and nails the dialogue with convincing teen inflections and fast pace. While Hagner’s rapid fire dialogue works well, her fast performance of the expository narration makes it hard to follow and enjoy Dessen’s sharp writing. In the latter half of the novel, she settles into a better rhythm and gives a strong performance.
Sarah Dessen consistently captures the angst of high school and family dynamics. Usually there’s a romance angle, and What Happens to Goodbye has Mclean dancing around a perceptive and smart boy next door, Dave Wade. Some Dessen devotees might be disappointed that there’s less of a love story in this book than some of her previous novels. There is more emphasis on other secondary characters though, an interesting assortment of teens with their own challenges.
What Happened to Goodbye is a great choice for female young adult readers, both avid and reluctant. It’s an engaging and satisfying listen, perfect for road trips and book groups. Meredith Hagner has a promising start as a narrator and Dessen adds to her excellent body of work. Julie MacDonald
Critic reviews
"Dessen’s talent is creating just that comfortable space for young adults struggling with identity, relationships, and all that messy family stuff. Her quirky characters reach out to one another to forge genuine friendships and gentle first loves." (The Horn Book)
"Dessen’s fans will be happy to devour this latest offering." (SLJ)
"Readers can count on Dessen; she's a pro at creating characters caught at a nexus of change, who have broken relationships and who need to make decisions." (Kirkus Reviews)
People who viewed this also viewed...













Mclean is probably one of my favorite characters though. She is a girl whose parents are divorced, and she is living with her traveling father, staying in each city, and school, just a few months at a time. Each time they land somewhere new she changes her name and reinvents herself. I love the idea of the 'fresh start' she does with each move.
Love, love love!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Not my fav Sarah Dessen
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
love the book ( wanted whisper)
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
It is about a girl whose family went through a public divorce. - She moves around with her dad and at each place she changes her name and her personality. But this time she is herself.
Read it -- it is worth a credit
great book
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Terrible Narrator
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Love love love Sarahs book but it doesn’t have a ton of romantic pay off
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
One of her best!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Enjoyable Read ..
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Ideal beach read!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
And Meredith Hagner is a pretty good narrator, she just needs to put more personality into her characters. Give them more life! And if she decides to narrate another book, I will most definitely consider buying the audio; if the story line is good, of course!
-Mel-
Be Prepared for a Great Book!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.