Dreamland

Reader reviewed by jamie

this is a good book that delve into the dangerous world of abuse in a relationship. Caitlin's family is turned upside-down when her perfect sister leaves town with her boyfriend. Caitlin tries to be good, but not fall into the place of her sister, who was an over achiever. in her struggle, her friend convinces her to become a cheerleader because 'it's one of the only things her sister didn't do'. on her way to an after game party, she meets the person who changes her drastically. Rogerson. her friends think he is a druggie and later she finds out that her friends are right. he abuses her and she covers it up, until.....

not the best, but a good book from Sarah. i liked it.

Reader reviewed by Stephanie

This book should definitely be required reading for health classes teaching about dating abuse. With her signature spot-on teenage voice, Sarah Dessen once again crafts a masterpiece. Her novels are not merely novels; they are works of art that I hope will last forever.

Caitlins perfect older sister, Cass, ran away from home on Caitlins sixteenth birthday. Brilliant, proactive, and beautiful, Cass was everywhere in high school. On the soccer field, leading her team to state victories. On the high honor roll. On the Homecoming Court. On TV to lead student protests. Caitlin is used to playing second fiddle to Cass, and maybe now that Cass has run away, she will be able to be noticed by her parents.

But Caitlins mom is still obsessed over Cass running away. To have something of her own, Caitlin joins the cheerleading squad at the insistence of her best friend Rina. Then she meets Rogerson. He isnt like the other bland football players that all the cheerleaders date. Rogerson is sexy, dangerous, and secretive...and best of all, he is all Caitlins.

Caitlins relationship with Rogerson seems like the perfect way for her to break away from Cass shadow. However, she never anticipates all of the harm that Rogerson does to her, emotionally and physically. Can she not escape this abusive relationship because she is weaker than her sister?

While not everyone has gone through an abusive relationship, Sarah Dessen describes Caitlins thoughts and fears so genuinely that readers will feel as if they ARE Caitlin themselves. They will feel all of Caitlins pain and confusion, wrapped up in a world so well written that its easy to forget youre reading a book.

Reader reviewed by becca

OMG! I absolutley loved this book. It is such a good story about ten dating violence, drugs and the everyday struggles of fitting in in high school and trying to break the mold and be yourself at the same time. Dating abuse is such an untalked about subject in YA fiction, it was refreshing and really informative to read this story about the physical and emotional pain of being in an abusive relationship. Many girls wil be able to relate to this book....EVERYONE SHOULD READ THIS BOOK!

Reader reviewed by Shana

Dreamland was the third book that i read of sarah dessen. one of the things i love about her writing is that even though the books are separate novels the bools also combine together into a series. they do that because dessen sneeks in facts about previous books and you find out things about other charaters in other books.dreamland was a deep book for me it was one of the first where there was true contoversy. robertson is a name i will never for get. even though he was a character i look out for him every day. the way dessen writes about him makes him seem so real and his hits as well. as he hit the main character i felt it and the shame and the anxiety. i want to help her so bad but new she was only a character. but the best part was the end where she gets the note from her friend and it talks about how she needed to be free. my other favorite part is when she sees her sister at the end as well.

Reader reviewed by Alexandra

Caitlin has always been in her sister's perfect, over-achieving shadow. When her sister runs away, Caitlin feels completely confused about who she is, now that she's back in the light. When she meets Rogerson Biscoe, she knows he's the perfect escape from her old life. Even when he doesn't fit in with her friends, Caitlin writes it off. She likes who she is when she's around him, someone completely different from who she was before. All too quickly, she falls completely in love with him. She starts to blow her friends off, and soon Robinson is her entire world. But when her world becomes painful -- physically so -- she has nowhere to turn. She feels too distanced from her friends, and her parents are too preoccupied with her sister's disappearance, to know how to escape the cycle of abuse. This haunting, deeply moving novel has a deep, dark undertone, and will touch anyone and everyone who reads it.

Reader reviewed by mh

Dreamland is about a girl who falls in love with a bad boy. Everything seems to be going fine until he starts hitting her. Not just once but all the time. Caitlin is too scared to talk to anyone about it so she says nothing and it continues. You can really feel for this character and feel with her. It's like you are in the story yourself. This book is really good and it's about stuff that happens nowadays too.
You should definetely read it if you like books where people have to deal with all kinds of problems.

Reader reviewed by kayla

this book was amazing!!!! it kept my interest and it was just easy to read!
so i incourage anyone and everyone to read it!!!...it is pretty amazing!!!

Reader reviewed by Grace

When Caitlin's sister runs away, her parents are devasted and keep hoping for her to return. Caitlin tries to fill in Cass's gap by not following in her footsteps. When she meets Rogerson, she becomes hynotized by his mysteriousness. He smokes pot and knows the answer to any trivia question Caitlin asks him. But when Rogerson starts to hit her, and no one notices, Caitlin doesn't tell anyone and doesn't leave him. She never knows if he will be in a bad mood. Will anyone notice before it's too late?

Dreamland is a haunting story about a girl who is abused. I don't really understand why Caitlin didn't leave Rogerson. How could someone love a person who abused them? This is a sad but good book that everyone can learn from.

Reader reviewed by breana curtis



I read this book the first day i got it, and it just touched me. Sarah dessen is my favorite author, always putting so much heart into her novels. Dreamland had a theme that taught teenage girls a life of love, consequences, and dicipline. I learned a great deal from this book, and now look at things differently. I would just like to say thank you to sarah dessen, whom i would love to meet someday in my life, only to shake her hand.

Reader reviewed by Chelsea

This book is about Caitlin who tries to handle her sister running away and having a dangerous boyfriend. But can the sarrow of her mother, abuse of a boyfriend, and help of a friend make everything alright?

Dessen did something PERFECT again!!