This Lullaby

THIS LULLABY by Sarah Dessen
Category: Contemporary
Age Recommendation: Grades 9+
Release Date: 3/8/04
Publisher: Puffin
Reviewed by: Jocelyn Pearce
Rating: 5 Stars

Sarah Dessen's THIS LULLABY is one of the best teen books I've ever read. It's the story of Remy, a girl who has no
faith in love. Part of this is because her own father never even saw her, only wrote a now-famous song, called "This
Lullaby," about her before he died. It certainly doesn't help that her mother has been married four times, and, at the
beginning of the novel, is about to have her fifth wedding. Remy says about her mother's marriages, "She takes on
husbands the way other people change their hair color: out of boredom, listlessness, or just feeling that this next
one will fix everything, once and for all."

Remy likes to feel in control of things when she's got a boyfriend. She knows all about getting into relationships, the first
romantic rush, and ending them before there's any emotional attachment. She's almost always the one to dump guys, not the
other way around. She's got plenty of practice at it, too.

One day, at the car dealership owned by her mother's next husband, she meets a guy named Dexter. He's very determined
to get to know Remy, and, at first, she thinks he's ridiculous and ignores him. Dexter, however, is persistent. When the two
finally get together, everyone is shocked that Remy's staying in the relationship. Dexter is so many things Remy could never
put up with. He's messy and impulsive, but, most of all, he's a musician. Until Dexter came along, Remy had a "no musician"
rule, and now she's broken it.

Signs point to Remy ending this relationship and not looking back. Everyone thinks that's what will happen. Everyone
except Dexter, who wants it to be more than a summer thing, who has faith in their relationship. How will it all end?

This is an amazing young adult book by a brilliant author. Sarah Dessen, author of several other books including THAT
SUMMER and SOMEONE LIKE YOU, does an awesome job of keeping the reader's attention throughout THIS
LULLABY. She does it with her original story, told in Remy's unique voice. It doesn't hurt that Sarah Dessen is great at
creating fresh, original, believable characters. Thoughtful and powerful, this book also has its moments that will make
readers laugh, which is a nice change of pace in the story. Every aspect of this novel surpasses expectations.