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A review by katsbooks
This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen
emotional
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
“Love is needing someone. Love is putting up with someone's bad qualities because they somehow complete you.”
“I am coming to terms with the fact that loving someone requires a leap of faith, and that a soft landing is never guaranteed.”
“Love is so unpredictable. That's what makes it so great.”
I was going to rate this 2 stars and then I was reading through some other reviews and was reminded of something I apparently blocked out during my reread and I couldn't help but lower it a star. I would also like to start off by saying that I rarely dislike a book. I've only DNFed one book all year for context.
So let's start with the okay stuff. All of Dessen's novels feature a coming-of-age, usually over the summer. When I first read her stuff, as a kid, I saw myself in these characters and it made me feel less alone. That nostalgia is still there and I still think Dessen does a decent job of developing characters. There are always some cliched, quotable lines that somehow still get me and that happened a few times with this novel, too.
Now the stuff I struggled with. First things first, Dexter was WAY too much. In the first three chapters alone, Remy, the main character, told him to get lost in as many ways as humanly possible yet he STILL pursued her. He saw her as a "challenge." That's the word used in the novel but the idea of women being conquests who don't get a say in their own life is incredibly antiquated and, quite frankly, disgusting. Dexter had some redeeming qualities but I couldn't get past how he couldn't even respect basic boundaries.
Secondly, (and this is the thing another reviewer reminded me of) Remy lost her virginity in a very tramautic way and it is NEVER discussed. Based on the description, it sounded like borderline rape and we just move right past it and never came back to it. Like, excuse me, what? Young girls are supposed to be reading this? And what are they supposed to glean from that? That being blackout drunk and scared is normal for your first time? I get that this book came out damn near 20 years ago but it wasn't the Stone Age!
And lastly, there was just little nuggets of fatphobia sprinkled all over the place in this story. Every character who is described even slightly overweight is some kind of stereotype with very little characterization. The shitty stepdad is a giant, chubby man baby. The bigger-but-not-in-a-bad-way friend never has a romantic interest and is the constant caregiver of the group. The salon owner is over-the-top, a bit trashy and basically comic relief.
Read at your own risk, I know some people still love it, but it just wasn't for me. Trigger warnings for fatphobia, alcohol use and potential rape.
“I am coming to terms with the fact that loving someone requires a leap of faith, and that a soft landing is never guaranteed.”
“Love is so unpredictable. That's what makes it so great.”
I was going to rate this 2 stars and then I was reading through some other reviews and was reminded of something I apparently blocked out during my reread and I couldn't help but lower it a star. I would also like to start off by saying that I rarely dislike a book. I've only DNFed one book all year for context.
So let's start with the okay stuff. All of Dessen's novels feature a coming-of-age, usually over the summer. When I first read her stuff, as a kid, I saw myself in these characters and it made me feel less alone. That nostalgia is still there and I still think Dessen does a decent job of developing characters. There are always some cliched, quotable lines that somehow still get me and that happened a few times with this novel, too.
Now the stuff I struggled with. First things first, Dexter was WAY too much. In the first three chapters alone, Remy, the main character, told him to get lost in as many ways as humanly possible yet he STILL pursued her. He saw her as a "challenge." That's the word used in the novel but the idea of women being conquests who don't get a say in their own life is incredibly antiquated and, quite frankly, disgusting. Dexter had some redeeming qualities but I couldn't get past how he couldn't even respect basic boundaries.
Secondly, (and this is the thing another reviewer reminded me of) Remy lost her virginity in a very tramautic way and it is NEVER discussed. Based on the description, it sounded like borderline rape and we just move right past it and never came back to it. Like, excuse me, what? Young girls are supposed to be reading this? And what are they supposed to glean from that? That being blackout drunk and scared is normal for your first time? I get that this book came out damn near 20 years ago but it wasn't the Stone Age!
And lastly, there was just little nuggets of fatphobia sprinkled all over the place in this story. Every character who is described even slightly overweight is some kind of stereotype with very little characterization. The shitty stepdad is a giant, chubby man baby. The bigger-but-not-in-a-bad-way friend never has a romantic interest and is the constant caregiver of the group. The salon owner is over-the-top, a bit trashy and basically comic relief.
Read at your own risk, I know some people still love it, but it just wasn't for me. Trigger warnings for fatphobia, alcohol use and potential rape.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol, Body shaming, Cursing, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Grief, and Sexual assault
Minor: Addiction and Infidelity