Posts Tagged ‘sarah dessen’
Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen
Posted on: June 8, 2008
Ruby has always lived with her mother and while it wasn’t the happiest or easiest life, Ruby could deal with it. Until her mother leaves. Ruby expects her to come back but when she doesn’t, she finds herself pretending that her mother is still there, working her job, and doing everything she can to keep the landlords from finding out. But they do find out and soon the social workers have contacted Ruby’s sister Cora, whom she hasn’t seen in years, and is forcing Ruby to go live with her. Cora now lives in a fancy house in a fancy town with her rich husband that Ruby has never met. As Ruby struggles with everyone’s decision to force her there, even though she’ll be eighteen in just a few short months, she finds herself trying to escape the first night and meeting Nate, her hot neighbor. Nate, while he seems to have everything, may be exactly what Ruby need to be happy with her new life.
Out of all of Sarah Dessen’s books, Lock and Key ranks in my Top Three. The characters, Ruby and Nate in particular, are so real and they have so many sides to them, that you can always relate to one of them. The plot is so believable that you feel as if you’re right there in Lakeview, going to Perkins Day, and facing the same struggles as Ruby. Though all of Sarah’s books are remarkable, Lock and Key seems to be the most mature and creative. It definitely showcases Sarah’s true talent well and I recommend it to everyone, whether you’ve read any of Sarah’s previous work or not.
The Truth About Forever
Sixteen-year-old Macy Queen expects to spend her summer working at the library while her boyfriend, Jason, goes away to Brain Cramp. During her free time, she’s either studying for her SATs or grieving over the recent death of her father.
But when Macy is forced to help out in the kitchen at one of her mother’s open house events, she meets the crazy Wish Catering crew. They’re everything Macy isn’t – they live by the moment and though there’s usually chaos in the middle, everything is okay in the end. Before long, she’s hired to help them and ditches her job at the library. She spends all of her time with the Wish crew – quiet Monica; fashion obsessed Kristy; big hearted Delia; and best of all; artistic and understanding Wes. How is it that she can plan her life out in front of her and change her life to fit Jason’s, when there’s a whole different world of people out there?
The Truth About Forever was the first book by Sarah I ever read. I’d heard so much about it that I couldn’t help picking it up at the local K-mart. I had high expectations what I read this book and I wasn’t disapointed.
Sarah Dessen pulls off a worn plot with grace and adds an unexpected twist. The characters are easy to relate to, three dimensional and romance doesn’t rule the plot. There were definitely moments my stomach was aching and other moments I was cheering Macy on. The meaning is great and it had me thinking about what forever really is.
I’d definitely recommend The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen to anyone who enjoys books with three dimensional characters, a touch of romance, and a great plot.
Harmony Book Reviews 