This Lullaby
"I had no illusions about love... It came, it went, it left casualties  or it didn't. People weren't meant to be together forever, regardless of what  the songs say." Remy doesn't believe in love. And why should she? Her romance  novelist mother is working on her fifth marriage, and her father, a '70s hippie  singer, left her with only a one-hit wonder song to remember him by. Every time  Remy hears "This Lullaby," it feels like "a bruise that never quite healed  right." "Wherever you may go / I will let you down / But this lullaby plays  on..." Never without a boyfriend, Remy is a compulsive dater, but before a guy  can go all "Ken" on her (as in "ultra boyfriend behavior") she cuts him off,  without ever getting close or getting hurt. That's why she's stunned when  klutzy, quirky, alterna-band boy Dexter inserts himself into her life and  refuses to leave. Remy's been accepted to Stanford, and she plans on having her  usual summer fling before tying up the loose ends of her pre-college life and  heading for the coast. Except Dexter's not following Remy's tried-and-true rules  of break-up protocol. And for the first time, Remy's questioning whether or not  she wants him to.Author Sarah Dessen's ability to write novels that are both crowd pleasers and  literary masterpieces of YA fiction is showcased beautifully inThis  Lullaby. Subtle yet completely absorbing,Lullabyis peopled with  breathtakingly believable, three-dimensional characters, the very best of which  is the bitter, broken Remy herself. An original love story about learning to  love yourself first. (Ages 12 and older)--Jennifer Hubert--This text refers to theHardcoveredition.