This Lullaby (2002)

JUST STARTING
After reading [b:second chance summer|11071466|Second Chance Summer|Morgan Matson|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1337189920s/11071466.jpg|15992791] this makes me feel like I was dipped into a vat of angst. Not a nice feeling.
Hey, maybe it's just me. This does contribute heavily into deductions from the score.

Thick angst. But real interesting too. Life from the other side of the glass.
There's a serious drinking problem going on.
And lots and lots of denial too.

POST_READ
The angst comments stand. Mostly.
It's well-written and interesting. And makes a good YA book.
An enjoyable ride.

And I'm glad for Lissa ( )

Okay I still hold everything I previously said. Dexter is lovely and Remy is extremely annoying, whatever Dexter finds "adorable" in her is a mystery to me, and the whole thing is just confusing in that sense. That said, I really liked one of the Remy/Dex scenes specifically, the one in the grocery store.
Overall, I liked it, but the main character made the read kind of annoying as a whole at times -but only at times. I also laughed a lot whenever the whole band was on the scene. Forgettable, but nice. ( )

I think this may have been the first Dessen novel I read; it remains one of my favourites. ( )

3.5 stars

Remy doesn't believe in love, and if she's learned anything from her mother's past five marriages, she's better off without it. It never works out, right? She even has a method for dating, which is to not keep a boyfriend for too long, and just so she doesn't string them along, she gives it to them straight that she's not looking for a permanent thing.

Then Dexter crashes into her life.

Literally. The boy slams into her to get her attention at her soon-to-be stepfather's car dealership claiming that he felt they have a natural chemistry and were meant to be together. Remy only gets annoyed by him and goes on her way, thinking that he's off his rocker and that she'll never see this weirdo again. Only she does - he's the singer of the band that was booked for her mother's wedding. Then she runs into him again after that. What she cannot deny is that yes, he is cute, but he breaks her number one rule which is not to date musicians. But will she be willing to give Dexter a chance?

Remy was a good character to follow the story of because you can see that there are some things she's willing to change about herself. While she's adamant about her cynical feelings about love, she does find that there's something different about her relationship with Dexter, and it scares her. She learns a good lesson over the summer which is that good things are worth waiting for, and even if a good thing doesn't last forever, you need to make the most out of it.

Dexter on the other hand, stole the show! I missed him when he wasn't around because he is just a character you love to love. He's hilarious and adorable, kind of like an excitable puppy, so you just want to hug and cuddle him. His banter between not only Remy, but his band mates as well, is fun to read and I just enjoy the camaraderie he has with everyone, even Ted (who's kind of a downer).

While I enjoyed the book, I can already feel it's one that's kind of slipping through the cracks of my mind. The only parts that kind of stick are most of the scenes with Dexter. It is a good book though, so if you're looking for something easy to read with some fun summer romance, I'd say to pick up this one. ( )

Thoroughly enjoyable.

With Remy’s background, she has every reason to be cynical about love, to want no part of it, but the moment she meets Dexter, this clumsy, goofy musician throws everything off balance, he has her feeling things she most definitely doesn’t want to feel.

I really appreciated that Remy’s family is so much a part of the narrative, the way the father she never met continues to affect her, the damage her mother’s multiple marriages have done, the way she looks after her mom while simultaneously resenting it, and her brother, who was supposed to be as down on love as Remy in a relationship with Jennifer Anne (such a great character). Giving so many layers to Remy’s home-life not only gives the reader a greater understanding of who she is, it adds a sense of realism that I don’t tend to feel in YA books when the focus is pretty much just on friends and love interests. This feels more like a full life being explored.

Typically in a romance, it’s the guy who’s reluctant to be all in and the girl who’s much more willing to put her heart on the line, I loved that this flipped that. I loved how guarded Remy is and how Dexter’s heart is right there on his sleeve, and how that dynamic is demonstrated time again throughout the story in vastly different ways, for instance, cute with the flatware and emotionally gutting at the mini-mart. Their relationship is sweet and hurtful and had me hoping to the very end. ( )