Sarah Dessen’s This Lullaby is one of the best teen books I’ve ever read. It’s the story of Remy, a girl who has no faith in love. Part of this is because her own father never even saw her, only wrote a now-famous song, called “This Lullaby,” about her before he died. It certainly doesn’t help that her mother has been married four times, and, at the beginning of the novel, is about to have her fifth wedding. Remy says about her mother’s marriages, “She takes on husbands the way other people change their hair color: out of boredom, listlessness, or just feeling that this next one will fix everything, once and for all.”
Remy likes to feel in control of things when she’s got a boyfriend. She knows all about getting into relationships, the first romantic rush, and ending them before there’s any emotional attachment. She’s almost always the one to dump guys, not the other way around. She’s got plenty of pratice at it, too.
One day, at the car dealership owned by her mother’s next husband, she meets a guy named Dexter. He’s very determined to get to know Remy, and, at first, she thinks he’s ridiculous and ignores him. Dexter, however, is persistent. When the two finally get together, everyone is shocked that Remy’s staying in the relationship. Dexter is so many things Remy could never put up with. He’s messy and impulsive, but, most of all, he’s a musician. Until Dexter came along, Remy and a no musician rule, and now she’s broken it.
Signs point to Remy ending this relationship and not looking back. Everyone thinks that’s what will happen. Everyone except Dexter, who wants it to be more than a summer thing, who has faith in their relationship. How will it all end?
This is an amazing young adult book by a brilliant author. Sarah Dessen, author of several other books including That Summer and Someone Like You, does an awesome job of keeping the reader’s attention throughout This Lullaby. She does it with her original story, told in Remy’s unique voice. It doesn’t hurt that Sarah Dessen is great at creating fresh, original, believable characters. Thoughtful and powerful, this book also has its moments that will make readers laugh, which is a nice change of pace in the story. Every aspect of this novel surpasses expectations.
Rating: 10/10
**This review is also posted on TeensReadToo.com**
October 8, 2006 at 9:23 am
This was an amazing book! I had started to lose faith in Sarah Dessen, because your books had slowly started to lose some originality and passion that her younger books had… this one completly changed my mind. She did an amazing job with the characterization in this one, and in my opinion, thats what brought it all together. =)
November 8, 2006 at 10:28 pm
well i just strated reading ure book and i think its amazing … i love the book. my friend Gen is currently reading ure other book called “someone like u”. she said it is awesome. well this book is so good i cant wait to finished this!!!! ….. u should wirte more books
April 23, 2013 at 4:19 pm
*your, *your, *you, *can’t, *you, *write
January 6, 2007 at 10:26 pm
i read the book and i thought it was awful…boring and dragged on forever. I didn’t fall in love with Dexter, i thought he was boring..there was nothing to him. The whole book was a big bore
September 28, 2010 at 1:42 pm
HUH? How could you? I’m about to read this book, and you’ve just spoilt it for me! :(
December 29, 2010 at 12:28 pm
Are you a guy? because i have to admit it’s kind of a girl book.
June 10, 2012 at 1:29 pm
no i am a girl… thats a weird question ….. why would you care who reads what….. it’s a good book, for a girl or guy !
May 14, 2007 at 5:23 pm
I thought the book was amazing! i read it once fast because it was so good and now I’m reading it again slowly because i thought it was that good. I think the author did a good job of describing the characters and the lives of a teenager
May 17, 2007 at 10:18 pm
This is the first book by Sarah Dessen that I’ve read, and I’m very glad I read it. At first I was sceptical when my freind recomended it but after I read it I thought it was the best book I’ve ever read! Sarah Dessen really captured how teens really are.
May 20, 2007 at 1:35 pm
i loved this book. sarah dessen is a great author. if you are to read this book, be sure to read “Just Listen” afterwards. if you look closely enough into “This Lullaby” you can see some resemblances that have also were transferred into “Just Listen”. It’s pretty cool.
April 27, 2011 at 3:43 pm
Ya it does and it has some of the same characters but with different names!! AWESOME BOOKS!!
October 27, 2007 at 2:26 pm
this book is awesome! i have read every single book that sara dessen has wrote about teens and the only one that has no meaning is “That summer” but the rest are extraordinary!i especially loved someone like you, this lullaby, the truth about forever and keeping the moon, the truth about forever made me cry like crazy! sara dessen, YOU ROCK, KEEP WRITING TEEN RELATED BOOKS PLEASE!MAKE THEM HAVE ROMANCE, BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT THE TEEN WORLD IS ALL ABOUT, CRUSHES AND A LOT MORE!
October 29, 2007 at 8:12 pm
can you please have sequels to all your teen novels?
November 6, 2007 at 4:22 pm
Bought it! The first book I read written by Sarah Dessen and it got me hooked on her. Now I have read quite a few of her books and seen her How to Deal movie and enjoy it all. I definitely recommend her books to the young lady bookworms
November 19, 2007 at 7:57 pm
This book is one of my all time favorites. In fact im reading it right now for the upteenth time!
November 25, 2007 at 4:09 pm
i thought it seemed good
i didnt finish it but
it was okay
i had trouble getting interested,
October 3, 2011 at 1:24 pm
U DID NOT EVEN GIVE IT A CHANCE! you LITERALLY should NOT judge this book by its cover. dick.
December 13, 2007 at 2:46 pm
i can’t explain my expression. But i love your books the first book i grabed off my teacher’s book shelf was :keeping the moon i loved it! coile and me are so much alike. i am almost done with this lullaby so far it’s the best book i have ever layed my eyes on. next i’m going to read the truth about forever. your books Inspire me i can’t wait to read them all!!!!
January 16, 2008 at 11:23 pm
LOVE THE BOOK LOVE DEXTER HATE SPINNERBAIT!
1st book I have read throughly in a LONG TIME!
February 25, 2014 at 4:57 pm
Hahaha I know hate spinnerbait too,! This was such a good bookLa
March 16, 2008 at 8:45 pm
so, basically..this book was incredible.
i just read it for a book report book for school, but it turned out to be such an amazing book. to be honest, i only picked it for it’s cover :] which by the way, is very very cute. but seriously, i read it in two days and it kept me soooo intrested in it. her and dexter are sooooo cute together, and i was so invested in it.
the last page was superrrrr. read it again, seriously. suchhh good writing. ahhh i’m hooked. i need to read the rest of her books now.
September 28, 2008 at 11:00 am
I had to read this novel for a book report and it was ok i guess but the book was not that interesting. after a few pages i wanted to put hte book down and do something different. Now my report is due tomorrow and im not even done with half the book!
April 27, 2011 at 3:46 pm
The best parts are towards the middle and end just keep reading!! :-)
October 1, 2008 at 11:01 pm
I have a book report to finish to and I have not done it because I was not very interested in it so now I don’t know what to do!But over all it was a so so book. And I not much of a reader
October 12, 2008 at 2:28 pm
hey i thought the someone like you book was the best book i ever read and i think you should write a sequal to it because i would read them a lot!
May 12, 2009 at 4:49 pm
This book was good but i’ve read better. i read “someone like you” and though it was really good. I though she was gonna wright good books like Kate Brian. But im starthing Lock and Key and im really hopping it’s gonna be better. also really recommend :”Megan Meade’s Guide to the McGowan Boys”.
April 23, 2013 at 4:24 pm
*thought, *starting, and seriously? This book is captures reality. It is so close to what teenagers are today that it’s impossible to not like it.
December 13, 2009 at 6:11 am
This book was awful. I heard people talking about how Sarah Dessen books were “amazing” so I read ‘Along for the Ride’. Hated it, but decided to give it another try so I read ‘This Lullaby’. It seemed like i was read the exact same book twice. It was boring, I didn’t fall in love with the characters, and not very descriptive in my opinion. I know now that I should just stay away from Sarah Dessen books cause I know I’ll just read the same thing over and over again: She doesn’t get the boy until the very last page.
December 15, 2009 at 11:59 am
i haven’t read it yet but just wondering if this book has any sexual content in it ?
December 15, 2009 at 12:01 pm
i haven’t read it yet but deos this book have any sexual content in it?
June 5, 2010 at 7:42 pm
I just can’t seem to get interested!
June 19, 2010 at 8:59 am
The book is kind of boring for me, why?? There were no twist at all….. Like its over then tadah everythngs normal again.
July 30, 2010 at 8:04 am
I thought that This Lulaby was an amazing book and would love to read more books by Sarah Dessen :D !!!!
October 19, 2010 at 3:57 am
[…] reviews Teen Book Review BookNAround WordBird Hope’s Bookshelf […]
January 24, 2011 at 9:13 am
it’s not very good actually. I didn’t like the story. it’s very ordinary and no such twist made me interested but it’s okay.. i guess
October 2, 2011 at 1:07 pm
everyone who likes this book should read “Perfect Chemistry” by Simone Elkeles.
December 22, 2011 at 9:29 pm
You have encouraged me to read this book and after reading it I love it!!!!
February 23, 2012 at 12:35 pm
i hate dis buk!!!
April 23, 2013 at 4:25 pm
*this, *book. Maybe you hated it because, judging by your grammar, you probably can’t read
February 27, 2012 at 1:43 am
Ive only read two books dreamland and this lullaby.. i love them, however, in this lullaby i have to make notes because of some typos and it really bugs me.. other people had to catch on i had to keep rereading it because it mad no sense.. like when remy says did we not say 7:30 but she meant 6:30.. and how she talks past when she mean now..
April 2, 2012 at 7:19 am
bodum french press…
[…]Review: This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen « Teen Book Review[…]…
June 7, 2012 at 11:05 pm
Money was made, not to command our will, But all our lawful pleasures to fulfill. Shame and woe to us, if we our wealth obey; The horse doth with the horseman away….
Hope! of all ills that men endure, The only cheap and universal cure….
October 26, 2012 at 11:04 am
I think This Lullaby is a great book.
January 16, 2013 at 10:29 am
Hi there this is somewhat of off topic but I was wanting to know
if blogs use WYSIWYG editors or if you have to
manually code with HTML. I’m starting a blog soon but have no coding skills so I wanted to get guidance from someone with experience. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
January 17, 2013 at 3:27 am
Nice respond in return of this question with solid arguments
and explaining all concerning that.
June 5, 2013 at 7:21 pm
can someone pease tell me what college Remy was planning on going?
May 11, 2014 at 7:43 pm
Is it a happy ending? I know it’s kinda stupid question but really I can’t stand seeing the couple being apart from each other lol
August 19, 2014 at 12:21 pm
My 6th grade middle schooler brought this home. She is delayed in everything due to being born a premie and having medical set backs. God bless her soul she wants to be like everyone else. On the third day of her middle school she brings home “this lullaby”. She pretended to read it on the bus so my son tells me. So before bed I told her I would read it to her. I haven’t even made it to the end of the first chapter and I’m concerned. This Remy girl cusses more than the men I have encountered. Are our middle schoolers allowed to talk this way? Should we be feeding them these words? Where is this book going? The characters have no ethics at this point at all. They seem selfish and self-centered. Trying to decide if I should continue to see where this book goes and wether or not I need to report this book to the librarian. I feel like this book should come with a WARNING about language. This definately seems more of a high school, college subject matter than middle school. She is 11 yrs old for gooness sakes!
May 18, 2015 at 9:59 am
Fav Author
December 4, 2016 at 10:30 pm
Every book bun sarah is very boring in the beginning but this one was more interesting. However it is very hard to relate to this book because of the amazing circumstances. Her mom being married 5 times, a lot of the encounters with Dexter seemed so exaggerated that you realize it doesn’t take you somewhere else as other books do. However ending was great and it has some life lessons a high school teenager can take.