Book Review- This Lullaby
“People weren’t meant to be together forever”(15). Remy, a just graduated high school senior doesn’t believe there is such an emotion as love. She has no reason too. “[Her mother] 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” (3-4). Remy’s mother is a romantic novelist who is working on marriage for “…her fourth time, fifth if you include [Remy’s] father”(3). Remy’s father, a singer, left her with a one-hit wonder song to remember him by. Even though Remy didn’t believe in love she never failed to be without a boyfriend. She would end the relationship before getting to close so as to avoid getting hurt. One day this would all change. When Dexter, a lead singer in a band, wouldn’t take no for an answer, Remy was forced to go on a date with him. He crashed into her life and was prepared never to leave it. On top of this, Remy was accepted to Stanford. She envisioned Dexter as “just a summer fling” that would be gone by the time she headed for school. But why couldn’t Remy dump Dexter? For the first time she questions whether or not she wants to let him go. Remy is forced to deal with her feelings for Dexter.
To me, this book was a typical story of how teens balance school, friends, family, and emotions. It showed me that sometimes one has to settle down and think about what is really best for one’s self. This book also revealed to me that people must love themselves first. I would recommend This Lullaby to teen girls who can’t seem to take a break and figure out what is best for them.
Sarah Dessen, the author, used this story to inform the reader of the importance of learning to love yourself before loving other things. She exemplified this by showing how Remy, in the beginning, never really loved anyone else and was embarrassed by her family. This turned around as she began to except herself and figure out who she was and what she wanted. As the book unfolded, she started to bond with her family and accept them. After she learned to love herself and her family she was able to love others. This brought her to wonder if she truly still wanted to let Dexter go. This is one theme Sarah Dessen tried to get across to the reader.
In conclusion, Sarah Dessen’s romantic, heart warming book, This Lullaby, showed how learning to love yourself can help you accept others around you. This is an original love story with a twist that involved realistic characters. This will definitely keep people up all night wondering whether or not Remy will dump Dexter or not.
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