This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen

      So, when we got a request for chick-lit, our first thought was Sarah Dessen. We went ahead and review "This Lullaby." It's about a girl named Remy. She has a cynical view about love, because her mother is constantly getting divorced and remarried. In her words, she has "made a career out of it." Even her father, a man she never met, left her behind, writing her a song called "This Lullaby" to explain it. Then Remy meets Dexter, who's a musician and has had even more stepfathers than she had, and he slowly starts to change her mind about love.

Cover: Well. I actually liked this cover. It wasn't spectacular, but it was original. Applause. I like how the heart isn't perfect and is slightly damaged. The cover actually relates to the story. I know! *GASP!*  

This book was beautiful. It was a simple story, but Sarah Dessen made it amazing. Remy is a believable character, and although she had a lot of faults, it was really easy to like her. She finds herself breaking all her rules for Dexter (no musicians, no food in the car, don't share anything real) and she has no idea why. Dexter, on the other hand, is easy-going and persistent, jokingly telling her she loves him. It's easy to see why Remy likes him. The characters around Remy were good, too. Her brother, Chris, who used to share her view on love but now looks down on her for them; her friends, Lissa and Jess, with different views on love that are equally believable; and her mother, who is the reason Remy lacks any faith in love.

The only problem - and it wasn't even a problem, just a slight curiosity - is why Chloe shares the same views as Remy. What happened to make her just as cynical? While the other characters had depth, we found ourselves wondering about Chloe. This didn't detract from the story, however, and it is easy to overlook.

So, 3.5 stars for this one. Sarah Dessen is an incredibly talented writer, and this is a beautiful story.