The countdown to Sarah Dessen's new book Once and For All is ON!! To celebrate, Penguin Teen is running the #ReadaDessen tour featuring the complete backlist of Ms. Dessen's awesome books!! Today I'm talking about THIS LULLABY-- which is a book I reread for the first time since probably 2005.
Note: I was provided a copy of This Lullaby by Penguin Teen as a #PRHPartner to read and spotlight this book.
Goodreads Synopsis:
When it comes to relationships, Remy doesn't mess around. After all, she's learned all there is to know from her mother, who's currently working on husband number five. But there's something about Dexter that seems to defy all of Remy's rules. He certainly doesn't seem like Mr. Right. For some reason, however, Remy just can't seem to shake him. Could it be that Remy's starting to understand what those love songs are all about?
2 weeks ago I reread Someone Like You and it made me feel SO HAPPY. It had been a while since I read a Sarah Dessen book (probably at least 5 years), and I didn't realize how much I missed her until I started that book.
This Lullaby is my 2nd reread of her stack and UGHHH so much the same feeling-- and so much different at the same time. The difference is, Remy is NOT Halley. Like AT ALL. For some reason I had it in my head that it was basically the same type of main girl over and over just put in different situations with different home lives. But this book blew that theory out of the water.
Remy drinks and smokes. She doesn't take people's shit. She's NOT a wet blanket. She doesn't like her situation so SHE'S going to change it. She relies on herself, not other people. And LOVE isn't part of her future plans.
I loved that she wasn't the "good" girl. She reminded me more of me and my friends than the average YA character. I couldn't help but compare myself to Remy when it came to her guarded attitude. Not to get super personal, but I've always had WALLS up and never easily put myself out there to get emotionally hurt. I can't really pin-point when I started being like this, but anyone who has tried to get too close to me knows that it's not easy for me let them in. So yeah, I enjoyed reading about a character that felt so much like me (although I am NOT a clean freak or orderly in any way, haha).
Dexter was.... too good to be true. Silly, cute, dependable, in a band, and he's the guy who doesn't give up. He's not going to just let you say you're "fine" when you're clearly not. He's one of those mythological males that probably only exist in YA books, but that's okay with me. I love reading about guys like Dexter-- I'll take a Dexter any day over a possessive, obsessive type.
Friends and Family- aka the other 2 best things about this book. Remy's friend group includes Lissa, Jess, and Chloe, and I LOVED how real it was. Friends in a group often don't all gel perfectly, and I loved that we got to see all those different aspects of the friendships. Also, like in most Sarah Dessen books, the mother plays a major role in the drama. Remy's mom has been married 4 times, so yeah-- on top of that, the mom and child roles are kind of flipped, with Remy being the one to take charge of situations and having to clean up her mom's messes instead of the the other way around. I always enjoy these parts of Dessen's books.
OVERALL: Another older Sarah Dessen book that totally holds up today!! I liked that Remy felt more like a girl I would know or hang out with than the typical YA-er. I loved the way the family and friend dynamics were shown. We get to know a lot of developed characters in this book and that's what I love about this author's books-- it all comes together.
Add it to your To-Read List!!
My Rating: 5/5
THIS LULLABY
THE TRUTH ABOUT FOREVER
- Enter for a chance to win one (1) set of Sarah Dessen’s books in paperback (ARV: $132.00).
- NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Enter between 12:00 AM Eastern Time on April 17, 2017 and 12:00 AM on May 29, 2017. Open to residents of the fifty United States and the District of Columbia who are 13 and older. Winners will be selected at random on or about June 1, 2017. Odds of winning depend on number of eligible entries received. Void where prohibited or restricted by law.
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This is such a good book! All of her books are my favorite, honestly, but this one is up there.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to reading Sarah's books! Thank you
ReplyDeleteI haven't read this one in ages but it's definitely a good read. I might have to start reading more Sarah Dessen in general. I still have yet to read all her books but I am working on it.
ReplyDeletenever read this author
ReplyDeleteI've never read a novel by Sarah Dessen. But with all of the excitement for her new book, it makes me wonder why I haven't. :)
ReplyDeleteLove Sarah Dessen books!
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