This Lullaby (2002)

This Lullaby was the very first one I read by Sarah Dessen and I was so pleased I went out and bought all of her other books. When I have a free moment I will review her other novels, but for now let me start with my favorite.

The main character is Remy Starr and she's not your typical young adult romance heroine She smokes, drinks, cusses and she has sex. With a strict "no musicians" rule, she knows what she wants and how to get it. Her mother is a romance writer working on her fifth marriage. I can relate to Remy because my mom is a serial dater as well. Remy however, doesn't believe in love because well, she's never seen it up close and personal.

The story starts with Dexter physically crashing into her. As soon as he crosses the page I fell in love with him. He's deeply flawed, clumsy, and passionate. Add to the fact that he loves his dog and, in one scene with the dog almost at me in tears it was so heart warming, you've got a guy that rivals Mr. Darcy for me. While Dexter and his gang are in a band, the story doesn't revolve around Remy being a groupie. As someone who's been friend with indie bands, I can't tell you how annoying it is to read books based on groupies.

The supporting cast were well rounded and complimented the growth of the main characters. Besides Dexter my heart lies with John Miller, because who doesn't live a red headed drummer? One of the things that bugged me was Remy's friends. While they were suited to be supporting characters, I don't feel as though they were fleshed out enough to be relatable.

As the story unfolds despite trying to avoid Dexter, Remy finally gives in. With a time limit on her relationship she doesn't expect much from it. While the ending was predictable, I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. I felt like Remy stayed true to herself and sometimes you need just a little "push" in the right direction.

“But holding people away from you, and denying yourself love, that doesn't make you strong. If anything it makes you weaker, because you're doing it out of fear.” - This Lullaby

Remy lives her life by a very particular set of rules. If her mother's five marriages have taught her anything, it's that you don't make yourself vulnerable when it comes to realtionships. Then she meets Dexter, who seems to break all her rules, and she has to decide whether to stay with him or not.

It's the details that got this book to three stars: The entire houseful of musicians that only own one fork between them. The fact that Dexter takes it as a declaration of love when Remy buys them plastic silverware, and that really pisses her off so she chases him around threatening him. ( )

This book is a solid three...but I gave it the extra star for Dexter;-) ( )

This Lullaby is a beautiful book. The characters are all wonderful, and the storyline is captivating. Dessen's writing is gorgeous in this, and the words seem to just flow so well. I adored this one. ( )