Review: This Lullaby

This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen

Publisher: Penguin
Publication Date: March 8th 2004
Pages: 352
Source: Library
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
Goodreads

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.

I read Just Listen last month, and I really enjoyed it. I was excited to jump into more of Sarah Dessen's books this year,  but I was a little disappointed after reading This Lullaby. Unlike Just Listed, I really didn't like many of the characters and the story really just didn't hit the spot for me.

My biggest problem with this book was how the main character, Remy, treats boys. Remy's family is somewhat dysfunctional. She never met her father before, and her mother is on her fourth marriage. Due to all of the failed marriages her mother has gone through, Remy had trouble believing in love, as well as maintaining a relationship. I understand why she might have trouble understanding love in her family situation. I think I would too, but she has a lot of boy problems. She seems to think boys are temporary, and that there is no point in staying with them for very long. She seems to treat dating like a game, and she always quits whenever she feels like it. It's almost as if she doesn't think that the boys might have feelings. This really bugged me this entire book, and it really didn't get better at anytime either.

One character I did like was Dexter. Dexter seemed like a real, human boy. He was not overly beautiful, or clean, and in no way was he perfect. But he was human. He really liked Remy, and he treated her fairly. He had some pretty cute quirks (like being slightly clumsy) and he was always very positive. I really liked Dexter because he wasn't fake.

As you can probably tell, there was a relationship between Remy and Dexter. I thought the relationship was cute. I think Dexter was good for Remy, but I don't feel like the two of them did much together. Most of the time when they were hanging out it was with one group of friends, or the other, and it was like they never really got to know each other unless they were in a group. I would have really liked them to have had more time by themselves. 

Other things in the story:
Dexter is in a band. I thought that was cool, but it really didn't have much to do with the story.
There is a lot about Remy's family in this story. I liked how that progressed, and how it changed. I think it might have been nice, however, if there had been some more in the book where Remy just talked to her family. I think that could have fixed a lot of things.
The ending was kind of....? I don't really know exactly. I think it was a little more open that I liked.