What Happened to Goodbye

Jan 15, 2026 5:41 PM

Author:Sarah Dessen

What Happened to Goodbye is a captivating young adult novel about learning to be true to yourself, from New York Times Number One bestseller Sarah Dessen, author of Just Listen and Lock and Key.

Mclean never lets herself get too attached. . .

After the scandal of her mother's affair, Mclean and her dad chose life on the road. But since losing her family and home Mclean has lost herself too; she's been Eliza, then Lizbet, then Beth - changing her name as often as she changed towns.

Until now. Her neighbour, Dave, is like no one she's met before. It's as if she's always known him, and just like that, she becomes Mclean again. Is it finally time to stop reinventing? Or will Mclean turn her back on the new life she loves, without even saying goodbye...

Acclaim for Sarah Dessen:

'Unputdownable' MIZZ

'A poignant coming-of-age story' Big Issue

'A compelling story and beautifully written' Time Out

Sarah Dessen is the author of six stunning teen novels: Just Listen, The Truth About Forever, Lock and Key, That Summer and Along for the Ride. She lives in the countryside in North Carolina with her daughter, husband, some lizards and two very spoilt dogs - read her once and fall in love.

Reviews

Such is the magic of Sarah Dessen's books; [that] they stay with you long after you've finished them, because it is so easy to fall in love with her characters.

—— amazon.co.uk

(Acclaim for Lock and Key) 'A compelling story and beautifully written'

—— Time Out

Quindlen's extraordinary moving novel is about family responsibilities, compassion, and growing up.

—— Daily Mail

Not a word or an emotion is out of place

—— Sunday Times

...a brave and beautiful book.

—— The Times

Imbued with heartbreak, grace and humour, this novel made me walk taller for days.

—— She

One True Thing is a book about the very nature of love... and insight into the workings of the heart is what Anna Quindlen is so good at

—— Tatler

Witty, profound... exhilarating

—— Margaret Forster

Fiercely compassionate and frank... conveys a world so out of kilter and so like ours that its readers are likely to feel both exhilarated and unnerved by its accuracy.

—— Elle U.S.

Provocative... we leave One True Thing stimulated and challenged, more thoughtful than when we began.

—— Los Angeles Times

Imaginative and transporting, but entirely unfussy and unsentimental, the novel is written with a glint in the eye that gives it that extra bit of wind beneath its wings

—— Nicola Barr , Guardian

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