This Lullaby | Book Review

Title: This Lullaby
Author: Sarah Dessen

Series: Standalone

Publisher: Speak

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, 

Pages: 345 (Paperback)

Average Goodreads Rating: 4.05/5

My Rating: 3.5/5

From Goodreads: "She's got it all figured out. Or does she? When it comes to relationships, Remy's got a whole set of rules. Never get too serious. Never let him break your heart. And never, ever date a musician. But then Remy meets Dexter, and the rules don't seem to apply anymore. Could it be that she's starting to understand what all those love songs are about?"


This Lullaby is definitely one of the better Dessen novels. It was a quick read and I read it in one sitting. I really enjoyed the characters, especially Dexter. He was a fun, unique love interest and I wish we got to learn more about him. Remy, while not the most interesting or relatable character, was a great strong and independent female character. The whole cast was so unique and interesting, I just would have liked to learn more about them. Both Dexter and Remy have  intriguing and atypical friends but the reader doesn't get to learn too much about them, which makes sense as the book isn't about them but it would have been nice. 

I liked how Dessen portrayed Remy's broken family and the contrast between her brother and her sister was really well done. Remy's family is a big part of her life and her beliefs and it was interesting to learn about it. 

As with all Dessen novels, however, it had its fair share of problems. Ruby wasn't the most interesting character. Her view on love at first was interesting but it just became irritating. Some of the choices she made frustrated me and she didn't have much of a personality aside from being an anti-love control freak. 

The plot was weak as well. It lacked depth. The novel is essentially about Remy overcoming her fear of loving someone. It focused too much on the "love" aspect and I felt there could have been more beyond the plot. The climax was anti-climactic and the issue with Remy's mom just felt out of place and thrown in there to create drama and move forward the plot.

Again, an interesting read but not without its problems.

Lock and Key | Book Review

Title: Lock and Key
Author: Sarah Dessen

Series: Standalone

Publisher: Speak

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Realistic Fiction

Pages: 422 (Paperback)

Average Goodreads Rating: 4.02/5

My Rating: 3.5/5

From Goodreads: Unlock your heart and the rest will follow. Ruby is used to taking care of herself. But now that she's living with her sister, she's got her own room, she's going to a good school, and her future looks bright. Plus there's an adorable boy next door. Can Ruby learn to open her heart and let him in?


This wasn't my favorite Dessen novel but it was enjoyable nevertheless. I really enjoyed how it focused on familial relationship rather than the romance. A lot of YA novels tend to ignore the family but Lock and Key successfully made the family an important part of the plot. I loved the amount of growth Ruby went through as a person. She overcame her flaws and changed so much from the start of the book.

While I did enjoy the book, I did have a few problems. Nate, the love interest, was a very two-dimensional, "perfect" person. I didn't feel anything for him when, considering his situation, I should have. Nate and Ruby's relationship didn't seem right either. I didn't understand why they became a couple. They didn't have much of a connection. On the topic of characters, I couldn't connect with Ruby. She was a boring protagonist. In the novel there were a lot of stereotypes played out including the "I'm not like other girls" trope. Throughout the book Ruby kept on stating how she's "different" and "not like other girls" which irritated me. There's nothing wrong with being similar to the "other girls". Being different shouldn't be a big deal and is overplayed.

Another problem I had was that the themes were pushed too far and over the top. The theme of family was taken too far as Ruby had a literal school project about the meaning of family. This theme is explored throughout the novel but was overdone. 

I liked the book but the climax was too short and easily resolved. There wasn't much conflict and it was very unsatisfying. 

Lock and Key was an enjoyable read but it definitely wasn't perfect.

Just Listen Book Review

Hello!

Recently I've been on a contemporary romance kick and wanted to share my thoughts on a book I just read.

Just Listen follows Annabel Green, the "perfect" girl. She struggles to keep her life intact with modeling, a fallout with her best friend, and her sister's eating disorder. She retreats into herself and becomes isolated, that is, until she meet Owen. She learns to be honest and speak up for herself as she fights to be more confident.

This was such a fun and interesting read! I love how Sarah Dessen isn't afraid to address heavier issues such as rape/sexual assault, eating disorders, bullying, etc. I was definitely not expecting the book to be something like this. My favorite part about this book was the honesty. Dessen didn't skimp out on the character development and no one just suddenly become "fixed". She took a lot of time to make sure the growth was reasonable and made sense. The characters were so complex and wonderful. No one was just a stereotype, they all had their own specific personalities and character growth. Overall, this was a great read and I highly recommend it.

Until Next Time,
Hana

The Truth About Forever Book Review

Hey!

This morning I finished The Truth About Forever, a romance novel by Sarah Dessen.

This novel is about a girl named Macy whose summer consists of a boring job at the library and studying for the SATs while her boyfriend, Jason, is away at Brain Camp as she grieves the loss of her father. An unexpected series of events happen, leading to Macy getting a catering job at Wish with its chaotic crew. A member of said crew is Wes, a boy with an amazing artistic talent and she turns Macy's world around. Throughout the book she ventures out of her shell and begins actually enjoying herself.

I really enjoyed this book. I haven't read something so girly in a while and it was definitely what I was looking for. The characters were great. They all had their own unique personalities and defied stereotypes. Macy was a great protagonist. She was three-dimensional, interesting, and not annoying (for the most part). However, I felt like all her problems could have been solved easily if she just opened her freaking mouth and confronted her mother. The only character I didn't really like was Monica. I felt her lack of personality was just overdone to the point where it's not even funny anymore. But Wes...sa-woon! He was such an interesting character, I just loved Macy and Wes's interactions and I really wish there was more.

The writing was also wonderful. It was simple but still well written. Sarah Dessen definitely has a distinct style but it's great all the same.

The plot was pretty good too. Although it seem's Dessen's novels each follow the same structure, it was still fun to read and lighthearted. While it was enjoyable, it definitely wasn't anything special. There were some parts that dragged on, and there was the very typical teen drama which annoyed me. I also felt Dessen could have gone more in-depth into some things, such as Becky. She seemed to be a character just added to add more conflict.  Overall, however, it was a good read and I definitely recommend checking this out.

Until next time!

Hana