Sarah Dessen

This Lullaby

Mel 

It pains me to give this book 2 stars because so far I have loved all the Sarah Dessen books I have read so far. I just couldn’t bring myself to finish this book. The main problem with this book was Remy. I just couldn’t bring myself to care about her/like her which made it difficult to read this book. None of the side characters particularly appealed to me.

Jeannette Ordas

After reading the fun & heartbreaking "Along for the Ride", I was bummed that this novel didn't measure up. While the characters and story were there, I didn't feel it where it counts.

Talia Dominguez 

Remy is an eighteen-year-old girl who is about to leave for college. Her father, a musician, had died before she was born. Before he died, he left a short song called "This Lullaby," which is now extremely popular. Remy's mother is getting married for the fifth time, with a car salesman. Consequently, love is something that Remy doesn't believe exists. In the past, she's been in many relationships with people she doesn't really care about, and they never last long.

One day, she randomly meets Dexter. He claims to feel a connection with her the second he saw her. He is messy and a musician, two of her least favorite traits. But he is persistent. She slowly finds herself falling for him. She doesn't want to care about him, but somehow she just can't bring herself to get rid of him. Eventually they start dating and she is surprised by how open and honest and caring he is. When Dexter overhears Remy saying that she only wants him to be a summer fling, they break up. Remy begins to date another guy, but she finds herself always thinking about Dexter. Meanwhile, her brother is getting engaged, her mother's new husband is cheating, and her friends are all having problems of their own. But in the end, Remy realizes that she truly does love Dexter, and they get back together. Remy still leaves for college, but in "Just Listen" it is revealed that Remy and Dexter are together because Remy is on spring break from college.

Love is a sham. At least that's what Remy thinks. Let down by her absent musician dad and witness to her mother's four failed marriages, she doesn't ever intend on letting anyone get that close. Then Dexter comes crashing into her life and he's everything she hates. But can he change her mind?

This is the second book of Sarah Dessen that Ive read so far. She's one of my favorites because her book are deep & intimate, and you pick up a lot of good advice from her. Her books aren't all about the kind of young love where the protagonist is a shallow teenager, because Dessen Girls are always special. The pace is slow and unhurried, and the stories are usually nice and sweet. This is the kind of books we need these days.

Remy's life is fairly uncommon. I admire her for the brave way she handles things, and for playing the responsible kid at such a young age. She's a girl who's seen too much, and lost all faith in love. I admire how she's planned her life out so when she makes mistakes, they're big and beautiful. And, WOW, Dexter is one adorable guy. This is, like, the turning point of Remy's life. I love every inch of him, flaws and all. It helps that he sings too.

So, to cut it short, really good book but not Dessen's best.

Gisela Ayala 

CUTE! In a good way. I read a book by Sarah Dessen a long time ago and hated it. But this one actually gave me hope that not all her books will be bad. I adore Remy and her attitude (probably because I'm kind of like her) and I couldn't get over her and Dexter's chemistry. He was such a goofball. Nothing major life-changing happened, but the overall message of the story was so sweet and was definitely needed after all the heavy reading I've been doing lately. Sarah Dessen's characters were fun and playful (except Don and maybe Ted, gosh, grrrrrr). The ending was great too, and it actually left me wanting to read more about Remy and Dexter!

Tameka Young

Why did it take me SO long to read Sarah Dessen? Holy cow...I LOVED this book so much!

Jessica Guht

It's crazy's that this was my first Sarah Dessen book, read for the first time so many years ago, and it's still my favorite. Maybe it's the nostalgia, or maybe it's the similarities I see between myself and Remy. Someone who has a hard time believing in love, hoping that someone cares enough about me to not give up when I push them away in order to protect myself. Whatever the reason, this book holds such a dear place in my heart and I love it more with each reread.

Jimena Vázquez Oliver

Is it cliché? Absolutely. Did I love it? Absolutely.

Katie

1.5? Maybe???

Sarah Dessen kind of has a reputation for having flat main characters. They're a stand-in for the reader, which is okay, but MAN was Remy boring. She's obstinately against love just for the sake of being against love. At first, given her past (planning 5 failed marriages for her mother), it kind of makes sense, but once she and Dexter have been together for a while, it's pretty obvious that their relationship is different.

Speaking of Dexter, it seems that he's a fan favorite SD love interest. Everyone in these reviews seems to be loving him. But when Remy first meets him, he refuses to take no for an answer. That's not romantic!!! That shows that he doesn't respect boundaries!!!! What happens later on when Remy doesn't want to do something more serious than going on a date, but Dexter decides he wants to? He's already proven he doesn't care about her limits and boundaries.

This book was published in 2002, which means it's the same age as my baby sister. These conversations about consent were rudimentary at the time, if they existed at all. But that doesn't mean that these issues don't bother me and that I can't judge the book based on them. This book just doesn't stand the test of time. I still like Sarah Dessen, but I guess there had to be a bummer in her massive body of work.

Erin Pitstra

This is the last sarah dessen book I hadn't read yet :( I kind of liked having them always there as an option, I'll just have to wait for a new book!

Megan Leprich

This was the first book I read by Sarah Dessen and it's definitely my favorite book by her. I love the story line and all of the characters. Remy cracked me up the entire time I was reading and I love the relationship she has with Dexter. This is a fantastic book that I have probably read about 20 times by now and I could read over and over again. Sarah Dessen has always been one of my favorite authors and I don't think she has written a book I haven't enjoyed. Great great book!

FINALLY. i'm finally done with all the sarah dessen books i own. and i couldn't be more disappointed. honestly. none of them stuck out to me. i couldn't care less for any of the characters. there was legit nothing significant about them. which sucks, bc now i'm stuck with five sarah dessen books i don't really like.

Cortnie

/sighs This book gets me every time I read it. <333

Elad Schulman

Actual rating: 4.5

I was in desperate need of a cutesy contemporary novel, and I got what I was looking for. Sarah Dessen never fails to give me what I want from a book. However, the only reason this book isn't a 5 is because the main character, Remy, was slightly annoying. But I loved Dexter. I need a Dexter in my life. This was the perfect summer read.

Lisa ✩ @lifeinlit

Sarah Dessen has written some of my very favorite contemporary stories. When I open one of her books, I already know that I will be immersed into an adorable world filled with very real characters, all broken, yet working toward a better self. Although a bit predictable at times, I know that I will never be disappointed with her stories. This Lullaby was no exception. I'm not sure why I hadn't read it yet, but I'm so happy I was able to read it now.

Remy is in the process of planning her mother's fifth wedding. As you can imagine, Remy is a bit skeptical about love. After seeing so many of her mother's relationships come and go, she's starting to think that love is really a joke. Real, true, endless love is pretty much impossible and a complete waste of time. Remy never had the pleasure of meeting her musician father. He passed away before she was born, and left only a song in his wake, entitled "This Lullaby." Without a father, and with her mother's tortured love life, Remy spends her life meticulously planned around NOT falling in love.

In walks Dexter. Adorable, musician Dexter. At first glance, Remy has zero interest. But as Dexter proceeds to be a constant in Remy's life, running into her whenever possible (and refusing to take no for an answer), Remy is slowly forced to break her own rules and get to know Dexter better. 

I wasn't a huge fan of Remy's at first. I can understand why she's cynical about love, but it was hard for me to grasp until further into the story. After a while though, I really grew to like her and appreciate her views. One of my favorite aspects of Sarah Dessen's writing is that she always shows the protagonist improving themselves. There's never a boy that has to save the girl or heal her wounds. Watching Remy come around in her own time was perfect.

"Some things don't last forever, but some things do."

This book had it all... an MC who I didn't love at first, but definitely grew to love throughout her journey, a fun cast of characters that bring the term "friendship" to a whole new level, an adorable romance that starts off rocky, yet comes around and fills the story with all the swoons, and a story that's entertaining and fun from beginning to end. Sarah Dessen knows how to write adorable, fun and entertaining YA contemporary stories. The perfect stories for laying on the beach in the gorgeous sunshine. I've never met a Sarah Dessen book that I haven't loved, and I'm so excited for her newest releasing June 6th, 
  Once and For All
!

 
A HUGE thank you to Penguin Teen for providing me a finished copy of This Lullaby as part of this #ReadADessen Campaign!

 

  


Find this review and others like it at Lost in Literature!

Sara 

I liked it, but it could have been better.

Erin 

I feel like it is well known that all of Sarah Dessen's books have the same plotline. I have said before that I cannot actually remember which of her books I have read and which I haven't, because they all seem to be about the same story and I cannot differentiate. I do remember this one though, if only because when I was reading it, a girl in my theatre production told me she loved Sarah Dessen and that This Lullaby was her favorite.

This Lullaby

Reviews