Once and for All (novel)

Louna, the daughter of famed wedding planner Natalie Barrett, has witnessed countless weddings in unique locations[4] through her mother's wedding-planning business.[5] While working there during her last summer before college, she meets Ambrose, whom she has to drag away from a girl so he can escort his mother down the aisle.

After years of facing brides with cold feet and badly behaved wedding guests, Louna has become skeptical about romance and plans on remaining single. Luckily, the busy wedding schedule provides plenty of legitimate excuses for Louna to avoid meeting potential dates. That changes when satisfying a particularly fussy bridal party requires hiring the bride's brother, Ambrose. He's a lady's man who typically charms more than one potential date during every social gathering. Louna is outwardly dismayed by his antics, but his kind gestures, such as impulsively adopting a rescue dog, begin to win her over. However, Louna was once in love with a boy named Ethan, who she met at a wedding and later spent the night on the beach with him. Ethan was later shot during a school shooting.[6]

The main theme in this novel is grief over the tragic loss of a loved one. Louna's love story unfolds in flashbacks tempered by the knowledge that it didn't last. Throughout the novel Louna struggles with the question of whether losing someone is really worth getting to love them. As she tries to move on after losing her first love, her opinions on weddings and romance change. Dessen said in an interview with Publishers Weekly that, "Long-term love has its ups and downs. Life is the light and the dark. Louna is not just grappling with feeling cynical about love itself, but also with her own heart."[7]

Louna Barrett: The main character. Her boyfriend was killed in a school shooting and throughout the book, she heals from her loss.

Natalie Barrett: Louna's mother. She hires Ambrose as a favor for his mother, and in an attempt to give Louna some time.

William: Natalie's business partner and stand-in father for Louna. He is presented as a bride and wedding whisperer, who can fix any situation. His mother helped fund the wedding planning business that he co-owns and helps support Louna.

Ethan Caruso: Louna's ex-boyfriend who was killed before the novel begins.

Jilly Baker: Louna's best friend who helps run her family's food truck business, and cares for her four younger siblings when her parents are busy.

Ambrose Little: Love interest who is hired by Natalie in order to take the stress off of Louna. Presented as flirty and flighty, his charm puts off Louna and he works to make amends with her.

In May 2019, it was announced that the novel was one of three of Dessen's books that were picked up by Netflix to adapt into a feature film.[8]