Review of This Lullaby

Goodreads Summary: "When it comes to relationships, Remy doesn't mess around. After all, she's learned all there is to know from her mother, who's currently working on husband number five. But there's something about Dexter that seems to defy all of Remy's rules. He certainly doesn't seem like Mr. Right. For some reason, however, Remy just can't seem to shake him. Could it be that Remy's starting to understand what those love songs are all about?"

For those of you that don't already know, Sarah Dessen is without a doubt my absolute favorite author in existence. She's at the top of my list of authors that I wish to someday meet. You're probably wondering in that case why I've never reviewed a single one of her books on Typing Tiara. That was a conscious choice on my part. I was afraid that I would spend the entire post gushing in a fangirling fashion. I even mentioned this on Twitter where my twin, Alli of Magnet 4 Books Blog, reminded me that it wasn't necessarily a problem. I mean, really, I started Typing Tiara because I wanted a place where I could gush about books I loved to like-minded people. So I'm going to break that little vow of mine starting with my absolute favorite Sarah Dessen book, This Lullaby.

And now, now we're going to get a bit personal...like that is any real surprise. I think the reason why This Lullaby has remained my favorite Dessen novel [though, as a girl who lost her father at a young age, The Truth About Forever is a close second...and sometimes ties for first] is because I was Remy for so long. For the time I've been blogging you guys will be aware of my BF, we'll have been together for three surprising years come August. My longest relationship ever. The second longest being a high school romance that I don't usually count. Aside from that I stuck to casual dating, occasionally claiming a boyfriend for under eight months. I was a Remy. I related to her. Despite having parents that actually loved one another, that stayed together until, well, until. I didn't believe in love. That song by Paramore, The Only Exception? Pretty sure it was written about me. Remy was the first YA heroine that I related to and so completely.

Knowing me as well as you guys do by now you'll probably be surprised to hear that Dexter, the klutzy musician, is my top pick for a fictional boyfriend. But Ashley, you like the bad boys. And faeries. Both of which are true. But Dexter was my first real fictional boyfriend and he's never left my heart. There's just something about him; his persistence, the fact that he trips over himself almost as much as me, and the fact that he's in a band...did I ever tell you guys I had a thing for musicians? I just love this boy. [And I totally picture him as Seth Cohen from The OC, yum!]

This Lullaby is the perfect story of the in-between time. An adult but still trapped in your childhood, graduated from high school but waiting out the summer before college. This is Remy's coming of age story, her story of finding herself, of finding and accepting change. It is a story of being afraid to love, terrified of letting someone in and horrified at the idea of giving up control for even a second to somebody else. Its also a story about forgiveness, about learning to love and let go, about accepting people faults and all. And a story about family. This Lullaby, like many of Sarah Dessen's works, combine all of these and more into a single cohesive story that stays with you long after you've closed the book. Its one you'll find yourself going back to time and time again, comforting you like an old friend.

Rating: 5/5