By Luciana Mendes
Staff Writer
Truth be told, I hadn’t found a book I had thoroughly enjoyed in a long time. I began to flip through the pages of my old favorite novels. However, as much as I love them, re-reading a book does not provide me with that same spark of curiousness and anxiousness to see what happens next, because far in the back of my head I already know.
I decided to head to Barnes & Nobles last Thursday night to check out new books. After searching aimlessly, nothing caught my attention. Out of the millions of books available there, I could not find one that I had any desire to read or had not already read. So, I returned home upset and unsatisfied. I was sitting up in my bed lawlessly checking my newsfeed on Facebook when an old friend’s status popped up with a quote that caught my attention.
“You know, when it works, love is pretty amazing. It’s not overrated. There’s a reason for all those songs.”
Yeah, yeah… a little cheesy, but I was strangely intrigued. I clicked on her status to view the comments that several girls had left.
“OMG! I love that book! Sarah Dessen is awesome…”
“This Lullaby is the best book ever”
Great. Another crummy romance novel that girls just go gaga over I thought to myself, but I was desperate for a good read. Looking at my clock, I figured it was early enough to go back to Barnes & Nobles to pick This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen if I hurried.
This time I came back from Barnes & Nobles with a book and my hands and I was happy. Who cares if it wasn’t the world’s greatest read. And so I began reading that very night. Needless to say, I didn’t get much sleep.
In the first few pages, I was introduced to the main character Remy. I couldn’t help but like her. She was so easy to relate to and I felt myself becoming consumed in the book and in the building relationships. The story takes place in the few months prior to Remy leaving for college. Being at this same stage in my life, it was very enjoyable for me to read about a girl my age going through the same emotions. Meanwhile, Remy’s mother is getting married for the fifth time. Remy is reluctant about giving her heart away and even cynical about relationships. She has taught herself to never get too attached to anyone she could not leave in 30 seconds time. That is, before Dexter comes into her life.
It was 1:30 a.m. when I put This Lullaby down so I could rest my heavy eyelids. But I couldn’t sleep. I tossed and turned crazy to know what was going to happen next. I knew it would be better for me to sleep, but I couldn’t. Not like this. I was too involved in the story to stop.
There was not a point in the book where I was bored with the story. Actually, I went through a rollercoaster of emotions. Somehow, I felt as if I was Remy, and this book was my summer. Although, it is not the typical genre of book I read, I couldn’t help but enjoy it. It was exactly what I needed and what I least expected. I would recommend this to any female- especially those graduating high school.
Popular novels also written by Sarah Dessen include That Summer, The Truth About Forever and Someone Like You.
