This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen

From the Publisher

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? From acclaimed author Sarah Dessen, this is a captivating novel about a tough-as-nails girl and the unexpectedly charming boy who's determined to soften her up.

Publishers Weekly

This modern-day romance narrated by a cynical heroine offers a balance of wickedly funny moments and universal teen traumas. High school graduate Remy has some biting commentary about love, including her romance-writer mother's betrothal to a car dealer ("He put one hand on my shoulder, Dad-style, and I tried not to remember all the stepfathers before him that had done the same thing.... They all thought they were permanent, too") and her brother's infatuation with self-improvement guru Jennifer Anne. But when rocker Dexter "crashes" into her life, her resolve to remain unattached starts to crack. Readers will need to hold on to their hats as they accompany Remy on her whirlwind ride, avoiding, circling and finally surrendering to Cupid's arrows. Almost as memorable as her summer romance with a heartwarmingly flawed suitor is the cast of idiosyncratic characters who watch from the sidelines. There's the trio of Remy's faithful girlfriends, all addicted to "Xtra Large Zip" Diet Cokes practical-minded Jess, weepy Lissa, and Chloe, who shares Remy's dark sense of humor as well as Dexter's entourage of fellow band members, as incompetent at managing money as they are at keeping their rental house clean. Those expecting a Cinderella finale for Remy will find a twist consistent with the plot's development. Contrary to any such implication in the title, this one will keep teens up reading. Ages 12-up. (May) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Claire Rosser - KLIATT

It's Remy's last summer at home, where she and her brother have always been close to their mother, a successful writer of romance novels, who is now in her fourth marriage. Because of the endless failures of love Remy has witnessed, including her own first sexual encounters in high school, she feels she has no illusions about love. The lullaby of the title is a song written by her father, who never was able to love his children, but a song that Remy returns to again and again. Lines in the song say, "even if I let you down/this lullaby plays on." So this is the story of how Remy comes to understand that love, even flawed love, is worth experiencing; that she would rather open herself to life and love than to be so self-protective as to deny herself the experience. Oddly enough, it is her mother, even in the midst of a failing new marriage, who helps her to understand this truth. She also learns about loving from meeting Dexter, a musician who makes her laugh and loosen up a bit. Their relationship defies all the rules Remy usually follows to maintain control of her feelings. And she doesn't sleep with him either, even though that is usually her pattern. Their stumbling, bumbling love affair hardly gets going in the first weeks of summer, as both of them are working hard, busy with friends, planning on futures—Remy at Stanford; Dexter dreaming of his band signing a contract with a music company. Remy knows on some level that her feelings for Dexter are different and that she is in danger of falling in love with him. So she tries to keep the relationship contained to avoid hurt, even breaking up with him to pursue a "safer" situation with another guy—safer in the sense she can enjoy hiscompany and know it won't hurt when they leave each other. With Dexter, she isn't so sure, which is why readers will appreciate the final chapter that takes place in November when Remy is at Stanford and Dexter sends her a package that reveals where their relationship is heading. What is good about this book is the humor mixed with reality, with the honest portrayal of smart, articulate teenagers struggling to make sense of a world of nonsensical expectations. Remy, Dexter and their friends and "families" are exasperating, funny, smart, and quite interesting. KLIATT Codes: JS*—Exceptional book, recommended for junior and senior high school students. 2002, Penguin Putnam, Viking, 330p.,

School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up-Remy's parents split up before she was born, her boyfriend is cheating on her, and her ever-hopeful mother is about to tie the knot for the fifth time. The teen's wry, humorous voice is the best part of this heartfelt novel, which takes her through the summer before she starts college and, she hopes, a brand-new life; her spirited commentary will keep readers entertained. Remy's father, a musician who died shortly after her birth, left behind a popular song with lyrics that include the line, "I will let you down." It's no surprise, then, that her rules for relationships aim to keep the boys in her life at arm's length. Then she meets Dexter, a scruffy but lovable musician who seems capable of knocking down her carefully constructed defenses as their rocky romance progresses. Remy's relationships with her friends and family are realistic and believable. However, aspects of her past life-a rape followed by a period of promiscuity, drinking, and drug use-are not fleshed out and don't quite ring true. The Remy readers encounter is for the most part mature, organized, and responsible, more so than the adults in her life, and it is not clear when and why she abandoned her self-destructive behavior. On the whole, though, this is a winning story about coming to terms with the fact that loving someone requires a leap of faith, and that a soft landing is never guaranteed.-Miranda Doyle, San Francisco Public Library Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Not every high-school senior gets to plan her mother's fifth wedding the week after graduation, but then, not everybody has a mother who is a famous romance novelist either. Remy is not the average grad heading off to college at Stanford; she's perfectly organized, neat, tidy, on time, and boy-smart, having learned from her mother's experiences that commitments are too risky to take. This summer will be her usual: a receptionist job at Jolie Salon, nightly gatherings with her three girlfriends at the Quik Zip and music clubs, and a temp boyfriend, no strings attached. Mom's #5 is the owner of Don Davis Motors whom she met when she went to buy a new car. Ironically, it was in Don's showroom that Remy met Dexter, the antithesis of her usual guy: clumsy, messy, impetuous, and persistent, but, worst of all, a musician. Despite her own rules about boys, Remy finds herself drawn to Dexter, but her feelings and trust in him crumble when his band, Truth Squad, plays "This Lullaby"-her song, emotional crutch, and the only gift from the father she never knew. Written for her by her hippie, songwriter father, Husband #1, when he disappeared from her life, the now-famous song echoes the sentiment that he-and men-will always let you down. As her mom's latest marriage dissolves in a puddle of deceit, bad cliches, and cans of Ensure, Remy caves in to her own subverted emotions. Remy's voice rings true with realistic dialogue and emotional traumas. Insightful writing, distinctive characters, and a contemporary scene where sex and music rule, compose a melody worth reading. (Fiction. YA)

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