Review: This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen

This Lullaby

by Sarah Dessen

From School Library Journal:

"Remy's parents split up before she was born, her boyfriend is cheating on her, and her ever-hopeful mother is about to tie the knot for the fifth time. The teen's wry, humorous voice is the best part of this heartfelt novel, which takes her through the summer before she starts college and, she hopes, a brand-new life; her spirited commentary will keep readers entertained. Remy's father, a musician who died shortly after her birth, left behind a popular song with lyrics that include the line, "I will let you down." It's no surprise, then, that her rules for relationships aim to keep the boys in her life at arm's length. Then she meets Dexter, a scruffy but lovable musician who seems capable of knocking down her carefully constructed defenses as their rocky romance progresses. Remy's relationships with her friends and family are realistic and believable."

I've read quite a few of Dessen's books. I like them because I can relate to a lot of the characters. This book was one of the first I found that I couldn't relate to the heroine at all, but that didn't stop it from being good. You could really understand her point of view even if you couldn't empathize with her exactly. I agree with the second part of the above review which I didn't post because it had minor spoilers, which says that some of her past life which plays an important role in her perspective wasn't as "fleshed out". I really wanted to know more about the old her and what had changed her if anything.

But all in all, I really enjoyed this. It took a little while for me to get into it, just because the beginning situation wasn't all that interesting [until Dexter comes in which yes is in the first few pages but just getting past the first couple of paragraphs took some encouragment from my friends who had read it before]. It was well worth time it took to read it. Dexter has to be my favorite of Dessen's litereary love interests, though most of my friends favor Wes from The Truth About Forever.

I would recomend it to high schoolers and up because there are some discussions on sex, drugs, and the like. But it is all essential to the plot which is a nice change from all the needless mention of it in other books I've read. After a couple of not-so-great books I've read recently, this was a most refreashing change. Check it out!