This Lullaby

Reader reviewed by Alexandra

This Lullaby is about eighteen-year-old Remy, who's a romance cynic. Well, wouldn't you be if your mother was on her fifth husband? Remy has a pattern and a schedule with each of her boyfriends: when to go out, when to kiss, when to break up. Then she meets Dexter, who challenges that pattern. Frightened of being attached, Remy ends it. But when she's trying to get back into her regular rhythm, she falters, and decides that maybe love isn't something to be scared of. Sarah Dessen is an excellent author, with believeable heroines, and this book is no exception.

Reader reviewed by Leah



I stumbled across this book at my school library and it looked like a good read, but i was so wrong, it was an awesome read. Remy is a girl afraid of love and comitment, mostly because she doesnt' want to end up like her mother, a five time divorcee and a crazed writer. Her mother is about to get married again when she meets Dexter, a corky fun guy that turns out to be the most loving, awesome boyfriend she's ever had. But she decides to break up with him because things are getting too serious. This book is really great because you can really relate to the characters.

Reader reviewed by Lisa

I loved this book. This is a one-of-a-kind love story, not sappy or anything. The characters Dessen crafts are the kind you learn to love from Remy, the strong girl who doesn't open up to Dexter, the boy who's the opposite. While reading it, it's almost impossible to put it down. The characters are the kind you can relate to, the ones you could see as being your best friends. I love every one of Sarah Dessen's book, but this is by far the best one I've ever read. No matter how many times you read it, it never gets old. Whether you're watching Remy change over time or hoping that Dexter and Remy do end up together, the book is just incredible. It's my favorite.

Reader reviewed by Brandi

This is my favorite book out of all the books written by Sarah Dessen, Remy this badgirl an non-believer in love was raised my her mother and ex-husbands, when dexter the extact oppsite of everything she wants in a guy trip into her life, little did she know she cant just throw him out.

Reader reviewed by Ashley

this book starts with a only girl named Rezzmey. She was simply sitting in a car dealer waiting for her futer step-father to come out of a meeting, when all of a sudden, BOOM, she is bumped into a wall by someone who she instantly becomes annoyed with. as the story goes on an amazing love blossoms between the two. this is a great romance and a hillarious comedy. i would recomend this book to anyone who is sinterested in any romance whatsoever

Reader reviewed by mh

This lullaby is about a girl who doesn't believe in love because her mother has been married many times and it all ended in divorce. She thinks that love always ends up burning you and that there is no such thing as a happy ending. The writing style of Sarah Dessen is really good and fresh and not like other writers. It's a book that you just can't put down and really gets to you. I think that all of her books are that way and I love to read them. This is also a must-read.

Reader reviewed by Jocelyn

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 pratice 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 and 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 YA 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 any expectations of YA books or books in general that any reader might have.

Reader reviewed by Stephanie

After organizing her romance writer mother's fourth remarriage, recent high school graduate Remy Starr knows there is no such thing as love. She sees nothing wrong in drinking and hitting the bars with her three close friends, and having a string of boyfriends whom she lusted after but had no real attachment for. After all, she's the queen of dumping.

Then Remy meets the quirky musician Dexter. Or rather, Dexter bumps into her, literally. Dexter thinks that they have a connection. He's messy, unplanned, and, worst of all, a musician. But maybe he will be the one who thaws Remy's cold, cold heart and shows her the meaning of love. Or maybe, as Remy believes, he is just a blip in her list of past boyfriends. Whatever the answer is, that's what the summer is for.

As usual, Sarah Dessen's characterizations are brilliant and accurate. Readers will empathize for Remy despite her cynical view on love. And Dexter is a gem, a gentleman, sweetheart, and comedian rolled into one. THIS LULLABY will touch your heart and never let go.

Reader reviewed by linda

Remy knows the rules about dating, she knows that you can't go out with a guy for too long, and she knows many reasons to break up with someone. Her mother is also quite familiar with these rules, she is on her fifth marriage and Remy is now quite acquainted with all the floral shops and limo services in town. While visiting her soon-to-be new father, she meets Dexter, a strange guy who has a whole lot of confidence and weird qualities that draw Remy to him. No matter how hard she tries, she can't dump him and despite her jaded views on love, she just might be falling for him. This was a beautiful story and I recommend it to all girls, it was touching and quite sad but it illustrates how strange and wonderful true love can be.

Reader reviewed by blair

This book was truly wonderful. It was one of the cutest romance books I have ever read. It is the books like this that put me in a good mood for a week and make me dream about romance. I really enjoyed reading about how Remy grew from being stubborn and unwelcoming toward dexter but soon grew to like him, even though he was not even close to the type of guy she would normally go for. I would recommend this book to all girls, even if you don't normally like romance novels.