This Lullaby

May 3, 2004
According to PW
's starred review, "This modern-day romance narrated by a cynical heroine offers a balance of wickedly funny moments and universal teen traumas." Ages 12-up.

Starred review from May 20, 2002
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.

March 2, 2009
Remy has two relationship rules: get out before you get attached, and never fall in love with a musician. She has good reason to lock her heart-she never knew her dad, though he wrote a famous song about her, and she's supposed to be planning her mother's fourth wedding. Then comes Dexter, who embodies everything she hates, so he's the only boy who can thaw her icy facade. For fans of Say Anything (starring John Cusack and Ione Skye, 1989). Why It Is for Us: Legions of teen girls have made Dessen a serial best-selling author with her stories of troubled girls and the boys who love them. Reading them is like watching a Saturday afternoon teen movie marathon. This is my personal favorite. [The hardcover was published in 2002.]

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