Lock and Key

Reader reviewed by Rin

Lock and Key (coming out on April 22) is the latest book from Sarah Dessen. I've been a Sarah Dessen fan for years, Just Listen's one of my favorite books so I was really excited to read this one.

Ruby and her mother move around. Alot. And there are times when Ruby's mother just randomly takes off and disappears. But she always comes home to Ruby. Until the day thats he leaves and doesn't come back, leaving (an underage) Ruby alone for months.

Of course Ruby can't hide the fact that she's living by herself forever. Eventually her landlord finds out and Ruby is forced, by the state, to live with her older sister, Cora, who abandonned her when she left for college...years ago.

When Ruby goes to live with her sister, she finds Cora has altered her life, transformed it into a dream. Cora and her husband live in a great neighborhood, have great jobs and basically the opposite of what Ruby and her mother shared.

At the beginning, Ruby worries that she'll be a burden on her sister, who she thinks never wanted her. Also, Ruby doesn't want to live in Cora's world. She was perfectly content on her own. However, after one unsuccessful escape attempt, Ruby finds herself actually living with her sister, and realizes that Cora's abandonnment wasn't all that it seemed to be.

Slowly, Ruby becomes accustomed to her life with Cora. She gets a job and even starts to become friends with her good-looking neighbor Nate.

I adored this book. The characters were realistic, and relatable. Throughout the book Ruby growed and changed and each step of the way you were with her. Pick this one up ASAP!! (reposted from readerrabbit.blogspot.com)

Reader reviewed by jocelyn

Lock and Key is a fantastic book from Sarah Dessen, goddess of YA literature. Im a little embarrassed to admit that I havent read everything shes written, but what I have read, Ive really loved. This Lullaby is one of my very favorite books! Anyway, knowing how awesome Sarah Dessen is, readers would be disappointed at anything short of marvelous with her name on it, but her latest effort will not let them down.

In Lock and Key, Ruby and her mother move around a lot, and their life is rather unpredictable. Its not unusual for her mother to disappear for days at a time, but Ruby knows something is different when her mother doesnt come back for months, leaving Ruby on her own. She tries to hide the fact that shes underage and living by herself, but, eventually, her landlords find out, and the state sends Ruby to live with her older sister, Cora. Ruby and Cora havent seen each other since Cora left for college, years ago, escaping their mother and abandoning her younger sister (or so Ruby thinks).

Now, though Cora has built a life for herself: a successful career, a big house, a great husband. Shes living the American dream. Ruby has never lived a life anything like that, and she certainly doesnt want to start now, being tied down like that and being a burden on a sister who doesnt want her. Somehow, though she keeps meaning to escape, she ends up going to a fancy private school, staying with her sister and her husband, Jamie, finding a job, finding friends, maybe even something more in her neighbor, Nate.

Lock and Key is an amazing novel. Sarah Dessen tells a captivating story, demonstrating her considerable talent at really understanding people and their relationships. Shes a brilliant writer, and this story will draw in readers and leave them unable to put the book down until the very last page! This is a fresh, moving, honest book that will impress both fans of Sarah Dessens work and those new to reading it. The summary calls it funny, perceptive, and touching, which is exactly right and completely true.

Reposted from http://teenbookreview.wordpress.com