I own a copy of this book,
yearold Remy is looking forward to her last summer before college, and intends to spend it dating various different boys, and just having fun.
Remy has strict rules about who she will and willnot date no musicians, no golfers, and rules about how relationships die too, shes seen enough of her mothers failed relationships to know that they all end eventually, and even her own father let her down.
When Remy meets Dexter she has no intention of speaking to him, never mind starting a relationship with him, but Dexter has a way of turning up in places where Remy goes, and after a while they start dating.
Theres something different about Remys relationship with Dexter though, She hasnt slept with him, she bought him cutlery, and she hasnt had the this isnt serious talk with him.
Her friends are starting to talk, and Remy is a little unsure what she is doing herself,
Is Dexter different though Can Remy and Dexters relationship survive Remys rules And is everything that Remy thinks she knows about love really true of all relationships
I really liked this book, it was a great contemporary YA, and I felt like Remy really learned something along the way.
Remy was a great lead character in this book, She was so sure of herself, and so organised, and knew exactly what she wanted to do with her last summer before collage.
It was actually really nice to see her begin to doubt what she thought she knew about love, and to be unsure about Dexter.
I liked that Remy based her opinions on love on her mothers failed marriages, and had a reason for her cynicism, but I also liked how much faith and hope her mother continued to have despite her numerous failures, which I found quite inspiring.
I liked how Remy continued to help her mother plan her weddings etc, even when she herself believed that they would all end the same way,
I liked Dexter, and even though I wasnt sure that he was right for Remy, it was nice to see the way that he slowly won her over, even if it took a long time for her to accept how she felt about him.
I loved how optimistic and uplifting this book was, and I was pleased that I actually liked the ending!
The thing I liked most about this book was how funny it was! I loved some of the things that Dexter came out with, and the bands songs were also quite funny at times the potato song was so ridiculous it was amusing.
I liked how this book left me with a smile on my face!
The lullaby reference was a song that Remys father wrote for her when she was born.
A song that told her that he would let her down, which he did considering that he never even met her.
It was nice how this song and idea was woven into the book, and how the song stayed with Remy right the way through, even when her opinion of it changed.
I really liked the storyline in this book and how Remy grows during that one summer, There were moments in this book that were so sweet, and moments that made me laugh, and moments that just made me feel happy.
I will definitely be reading more from this author,
Overall a great YA contemporary novel that will leave you with a smile on your face,
out of.
Edit May: Still one of the best contemporary books I've ever read,
MY ALLTIME FAVORITE SARAH DESSEN BOOK!
Love is needing someone, Love is putting up with someone's bad qualities because they somehow complete you,
I totally love love love this story! If you haven't read sitelinkThis Lullaby yet, stop what you're doing right now and freaking read it!! It's that good!
I first read this probably like a year ago and have reread it a few times since.
It's one of those books I pick up when I need a story that makes me laugh or when I just feel the urge to meet Remy again! She's one of my favorite heroines ever.
Especially since she isn't at all like Dessen's other heroines, Most of them are shy, insecure, troubled girls with huge family issues, Well, the latter applies to Remy, but she's definitely not shy, She knows exactly what she wants, is independent, has a temper and always says what's on her mind, Oh, and she doesn't believe in love, At all. Based on the model of her mother who is busy with husband number five in the beginning of the book, Remy has a lot of boyfriends.
In fact, she's sort of a slut, She has tight dating rules and dumps the boyfriend when things get too hard or too serious,
Despite her issues I totally loved her sassy, confident self, Remy is just awesome.
“Love is an excuse to put up with the shit that you shouldn't, That's how it gets you, It throws off the scales so that things that should weigh heavily don't seem to, It's a crock. A trap. ” Yep, that's Remy!
The other main character is as awesome as Remy, I completely adored and swooned over Dexter, There was none of the usual annoying talk about how hot, handsome and perfect the hero is because Dexter appeared in fact real.
He was just as mess, Literally. Untied shoelaces and clumsy that pretty much describes Dexter, But also cheerful and really funny, Anyway, I loved him. It was so cute how he was so persistent and determined that he and Remy should be together, Even though she turned him down for a while and was usually icy and sort of mean towards him, I thought they were awesome together,
“I just thought to my self, all of a sudden, that we had something in common, A natural chemistry, if you will, And I had a feeling that something big was going to happen, To both of us. That we were, in fact, meant to be together, ” Dexter
So yeah, that's Dexter when he first meets Remy and literally bumps into her, I loved how he was always cheerful and in a good mood while Remy was the total opposite, I felt they completed each other perfectly,
“Plastic ware," he said slowly, "like knives and forks and spoons"
I brushed a bit of dirt off the back of my carwas that a scratchand said casually,
"Yeah, I guess.
Just the basics, you know, "
"Did you need plastic ware" he asked,
I shrugged.
"Because," he went on, and I fought the urge to squirm, "it's so funny,
because I need
plastic ware.
Badly. "
"Can we go inside, please" I asked, slamming the trunk shut, "It's hot out here. "
He looked at the bag again, then at me, And then, slowly, the smile I knew and
dreaded crept across his
face, "You bought me plastic ware," he said, "Didn't you'
"No," I growled, picking at my license plate,
"You did!" he hooted, laughing out loud, "You bought me some forks, And knives.
And spoons.
Because"
"No," I said loudly,
"you love me!" He grinned, as if he'd solved the puzzler for all time, as I felt a flush
creep across my
face.
Stupid Lissa. I could have killed her,
"It was on sale," I told him again, as if this was some kind of an excuse,
"You love me," he said simply, taking the bag and adding it to the others,
"Only seven bucks," I added, but he was already walking away, so sure of himself, "It
was on clearance,
for God's sake, "
"Love me," he called out over his shoulder, in a singsong voice, "You. Love. Me. ”
aaand that was Remy breaking one of her dating rules! 'Never buy your boyfriend something that lasts', Like plastic ware!! :D
"This Lullaby is only a few words, a simple run of chords, quiet here in this spare room, but you can hear it, hear it, wherever you may go, even if I let you down, this lullaby plays on.
. . ”
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Note: Just this once, I'm trying a different way of reviewing.
This may get a bit personal, but I hope you'll ride it out with me I just really need to try this out.
: A short, yet proper review will be at the end of the post,
Dear Future Tina,
I'm not sure when you'll read this again, or if you'll even be able to ever read this again in a few years or decades from now.
I don't know if this blog will still exist, or if this entry will exist because you can always delete and rewrite this sometime in the future.
But let's assume that you won't do any of the two things I said above and you will eventually read this again, with a surprised smile on your face.
sitelinkYour brother got married exactly a week ago, and that was the very reason why you picked up This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen once again.
This was a soso book during your first read, probably because you read it during the New Year and you weren't really feeling the characters nor the situation back then.
If you need a reminder on why you picked this up, it's because all the mushiness in the wedding put you in the mood to read something that had a little of romance in it, and not the paranormal kind.
You are not like Remy, You are not like her at all, Okay, maybe in some ways you are, particularly in the way you are both so obssessivecompulsive with everything but she is more OC than you are.
. . but in other aspects, you are not, Let's state the most obvious: Remy is a dating machine, You are definitely not.
I think that's one of the reasons why you didn't relate to her when you first read it.
You can't understand how someone can do what Remy does: date a guy for a while, be sweet and all, sleep with him and then when the relationship heads for some semblance of seriousness, break it off.
I don't really understand it either, but I know we know some people who are like that, And I know both of us wonder: how could they do that How could they jump from one guy to another and not feel exhausted at all the emotional trauma How could they even attract so many guys when you can't seem to attract some
But Remy has her own reasons, of course.
I guess when you see your mother get divorced and married for more than five times, you'd think the same thing: love is a joke.
It's not real, and if you fall for it, you lose, Remy said it very well: "The fate of your heart is your choice, and no one else gets a vote.
. . I just think that you have to protect yourself, . . you can't just give yourself away, " p.
You know what's strange, though As different as we are to Remy with regards to how you date or not date, we're pretty much the same with how you handle your heart.
True, Remy has much more experience than us, but we both handle our hearts in the same way: closely guarded, and walls up, and no one could get in close enough to really hurt us.
Not that we have been really hurt before of course I'm not sure about when you read this, but as of this writing, we're both single since birth and there's still no one on the horizon but only God knows what's in store for the future, but we've definitely seen enough people get hurt so much that we don't want to experience that, ever.
But remember your brother's wedding Remember the feeling you had as you watched your brother tear up and how your sisterinlaw looked so happy and beautiful Remember all the love in the air as everyone celebrated their blessed union I know you know in your heart that you wanted the same thing.
I know that despite all the fear of getting hurt, despite everything that you've seen, heard and read, that you still want to experience the kind of love that would make you see the reason for all those love songs.
I hope that we both find an ending similar to Remy's in This Lullaby, There are no guarantees, really, but there is an assurance that everything will be okay, Yeah, it's fiction, but hey, there's nothing wrong with hoping, right If in case you haven't found our Dexter yet when you read this letter sometime in the future, I hope that we will find him sometime soon.
Or he'll find us, just as he found Remy in the book, :
Don't lose hope, my future self, sitelinkRemember what Dexter said: When it works, love is pretty amazing, :
Yours well, you are me, anyway,
Tina
The proper review:
Suffice to say, I liked this book more the second time around.
Perhaps it's because I understood it a little bit better, and related to it more despite my differences with Remy.
Dessen is very good with writing stories that resonate well with the target audience, and as always, I like her strong characters, especially the minor ones who still manage to leave a big mark in the story.
This isn't my favorite Dessen, but I see why people love it so much, This book left me witha goofy grin on my face after, and a hopeful feeling that someday, my own Dexter would come.
:"gt
Although personally, sitelinkI still prefer a Wes Sawoon!,
This lullaby is only a few words
A simple run of chords
Quiet here in this spare room
But you can hear it, hear it
Wherever you may go
I will let you down
But this lullaby plays
Remy doesnt believe in love.
Her mothers fifth marriage only encourages her to stop believing in the nonsense, To her, love means having fun with guys, making sure that they know the relationship wont last long, and leaving before things get complicated.
No worries. No entanglements. The nostringsattached rule has worked well for Remy, until her encounter with Dexter, Dexter is the only exception from the long list of Remys perfect exes, Hes messy, hyperactive, and a musician with seemingly no future, Remy has vowed to herself to think of Dexter only as a summer boyfriend, but what if Dexter wants more What if their relationship means something more than just summer fling
This is official: Sarah Dessen is the best when it comes to contemporary YA.
Her books may follow similar path, but each of it remains unique and special, Some people may find the slow pacing in her stories boring, but I think thats what makes her books amazing.
The progress in the relationship between the main characters is very subtle, There are so much deeper meanings in the sweet little things they do, I really like it that what starts the relationship is always offer of kindness and friendship,
In the last part of the book, its always the heroine who takes the important action to alter their story.
I think thats very crucial, because then it means there is no magical salvation or something like that, Dexter may help Remy to believe in love, but he cant fix Remys problem with her mother or her sarcastic attitude toward people around her.
Remy has to be the one who takes the last step if she wants to change herself,
I think my most favorite part of this book is the time when Remy thinking to buy plastic ware for Dexter.
Dexter is living with his band mates in a house where the only dishware consists of one ceramic plate, a few mismatched forks and knives, gasstation freebie coffee mugs, and some paper goods.
Remy, being a neat freak and perfectionist girl, wants to buy plastic ware for Dexter but she is afraid that the gesture means so much more.
This is her first time she is tempted to buy something more permanent than a Zip Coke for his boyfriend.
It is very cute to watch her struggling whether or not to buy Dexter plastic ware, I have no idea that something as simple as forks and spoons can be a really romantic thing in a book.
Remy is one wonderful character I warmed throughout the story, I really like her rational thinking and how she is very protective of people she loves, Dexter might not be my favorite Sarah Dessen hero, but he is certainly very funny and sweet! The songs he writes, like The Potato Song, are simply ridiculous but somehow, it makes him even more adorable.
I would recommend you to read This Lullaby during summer time because then you can also experience the humid, hot summer nights when Remy and Dexter fall with each other.
And so, while the rest of the world went on unaware, drinking their coffee, reading the sports page, and picking up their dry cleaning, I leaned forward and kissed Dexter, making a choice that would change everything.
Maybe somewhere there was a ripple, a bit of a jump, some small shift in the universe, barely noticeable,
I didn't feel it then, I felt only him kissing me back, easing me into the sunlight as I lost myself in the taste of him and felt the world go on, just as it always had, all around us.
Read other reviews in my blog! :
sitelinkCatch the Lune,