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ashgoliath 's review for:
This Lullaby
by Sarah Dessen
See other reviews at my book review blog: http://booksaremybestfriend.wordpress.com
My review:
I fell in love with Sarah Dessen back in 2010, when I was in Grade 8. I read The Truth About Forever, Just Listen, Lock and Key, Along For The Ride and That Summer. They were all British editions that had just came out in South Africa. I adored Dessen’s narration, her headstrong teenage heroines, and her pitch-perfect escapist writing. I was only 14 then, and didn’t know much about the Young Adult Genre. Dessen introduced me to YA books through her unforgettable characters and her beautiful fictional North Carolina towns Lakeview and Colby. She will always be one of my favourite authors.
Even though I thoroughly enjoyed Dessen’s stories , I didn’t know what I was missing until I’d stumbled upon This Lullaby, one of her earlier novels., 2 years after my Dessen obsession phase. I read This Lullaby when I was 16, and was amazed by how wonderful it was.
I normally found Dessen’s novels to generally be slow-burn. Some of her novels more than others, it was hard for me to get through the first 30 pages. This Lullaby was typical in Dessen-fashion where it comes to long explanations about the main character’s background, but it was easy reading. It was written interestingly, and because our main character, Remy, is, and I hate to say it, SUCH a bitch, those first 30 pages were a breeze. Also, Dexter, Remy’s love interest, was introduced right at the start of the book. I loved this, because Dessen doesn’t do this in her other novels.
Remy is not like the other Dessen-novel heroines. You don’t feel sorry for her as much as you do the others, you laugh at her opinions…but sometimes you hate her too. Remy was one of those love-to-hate characters. You hated her attitude, but you still rooted for her happiness, she is likeable. Remy has a lot of flaws, including her sour personality, but I liked the way Remy sees herself. She KNEW she had flaws. She knew things were wrong. She knew everything, she was a realist, but that also caused her to keep herself sheltered in a box away from the world and feelings.
Dexter, oh, Dexter. Dexter might be a musician, but not the OMG-HE’S-A-ROCK-GOD kind of musician. He’s goofy, he’s very relaxed about life, and he’s loving, and you just want everything to work out for him and Remy because of HIM. He and Remy had the BEST conversations.
Every character impacted Remy, and this is typical of Dessen novels. It turns a small plot into a deep one, with lovable characters and twists that could make you cringe, each character and situation with their own lesson that they can teach the reader. Dessen’s rich supporting characters made this such an in-depth story.
This Lullaby is my favourite Sarah Dessen novel to this day. A very close second is Just Listen, which was just as worth the read.
Remy and Dexter’s story is probably Dessen’s only romance-focused story, but in my opinion, it’s definitely the best story she’s written yet.
My review:
I fell in love with Sarah Dessen back in 2010, when I was in Grade 8. I read The Truth About Forever, Just Listen, Lock and Key, Along For The Ride and That Summer. They were all British editions that had just came out in South Africa. I adored Dessen’s narration, her headstrong teenage heroines, and her pitch-perfect escapist writing. I was only 14 then, and didn’t know much about the Young Adult Genre. Dessen introduced me to YA books through her unforgettable characters and her beautiful fictional North Carolina towns Lakeview and Colby. She will always be one of my favourite authors.
Even though I thoroughly enjoyed Dessen’s stories , I didn’t know what I was missing until I’d stumbled upon This Lullaby, one of her earlier novels., 2 years after my Dessen obsession phase. I read This Lullaby when I was 16, and was amazed by how wonderful it was.
I normally found Dessen’s novels to generally be slow-burn. Some of her novels more than others, it was hard for me to get through the first 30 pages. This Lullaby was typical in Dessen-fashion where it comes to long explanations about the main character’s background, but it was easy reading. It was written interestingly, and because our main character, Remy, is, and I hate to say it, SUCH a bitch, those first 30 pages were a breeze. Also, Dexter, Remy’s love interest, was introduced right at the start of the book. I loved this, because Dessen doesn’t do this in her other novels.
Remy is not like the other Dessen-novel heroines. You don’t feel sorry for her as much as you do the others, you laugh at her opinions…but sometimes you hate her too. Remy was one of those love-to-hate characters. You hated her attitude, but you still rooted for her happiness, she is likeable. Remy has a lot of flaws, including her sour personality, but I liked the way Remy sees herself. She KNEW she had flaws. She knew things were wrong. She knew everything, she was a realist, but that also caused her to keep herself sheltered in a box away from the world and feelings.
Dexter, oh, Dexter. Dexter might be a musician, but not the OMG-HE’S-A-ROCK-GOD kind of musician. He’s goofy, he’s very relaxed about life, and he’s loving, and you just want everything to work out for him and Remy because of HIM. He and Remy had the BEST conversations.
Every character impacted Remy, and this is typical of Dessen novels. It turns a small plot into a deep one, with lovable characters and twists that could make you cringe, each character and situation with their own lesson that they can teach the reader. Dessen’s rich supporting characters made this such an in-depth story.
This Lullaby is my favourite Sarah Dessen novel to this day. A very close second is Just Listen, which was just as worth the read.
Remy and Dexter’s story is probably Dessen’s only romance-focused story, but in my opinion, it’s definitely the best story she’s written yet.