Sarah Dessen Book Club #4| Lock & Key

Author: Sarah Dessen
Publisher: Penguin Books
Publishing date: 2009
Pages: 448


Ruby is used to being on her own all the time. Her mother neglets her from her early childhood, which is why Ruby builds figurative walls around herself and is carefull not to let anybody in. And she is doing just fine, but then her mother disappears and Ruby is supposed to live with her sister, whom she hasn't seen in years. It's when Ruby finds herself in a completely different environment, when she starts to open herself up to new possibilities. Will she be able to forgive her mother and give herself a chance to love people again...?

"We can't expect everybody to be there for us, all at once.
So it's a lucky thing that really, all you need is someone."

What I usually seek in Sarah Dessen's books is simply comfort. Her stories, more than anything, produce the welcoming feeling of not being alone, which a fittingly chosen book can provide you with. I absolutely adore her writing style, which I could recognize anywhere now, even though every single book of hers is different in its own atmosphere. I am a reader who likes to dwell on blue moods and every now and then I like to read something imbedded with a little bit of melancholy. Though it must be a perfectly balanced with an good amount of optimism, so that way I can almost have tears in my eyes but feel happy in my heart. It's kind of hard to explain and it's even harder to find in books. But Sarah Dessen surely knows how to attain this kind of feeling in her stories, which is why I like her so much.

"Look, the point is there's no way to be a hundred percent sure about anyone or anything. So you're left with a choice. Either hope for the best or just expect the worst."

During reading Lock & Key I felt exactly that way, like I was happy and sad at the same time. I love when I have a chance to ponder about life while reading a book that gives me the subjects to think about. I found lots of things I had in common with Ruby and it was really inspiring to see her change so much throughout the book. From taciturn person expecting the worst at any rate she became confident and loving girl, able to hope for better in people around her and especially in herself. Although I would say that this book was kind of slow going compared to the other Sarah Dessen's novels, I would highly recommend it. The story centered around family and friendship and also finding your own place in the world, which is something we all deal with every day...

Rating: 4/5

Comments

  1. Hello Veronika,

    I found your blog online while searching for book clubs. I really love your blog and your photographs are beautiful! I've enjoyed reading your reviews so far and have added a lot of the books to my list of to-reads. I too am a fan of Sarah Dessen's books and loved Lock & Key. I agree with you that there is a unique style to her writing that I can definitely recognize. I am looking forward to catching up/following along with the book club!

    -Carolyn

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Carolyn,

    thank you so much for your lovely comment. I'm so glad you found my blog via the Sarah Dessen Book Club. It's amazing! And I'm happy that we do have in common the love for Sarah Dessen's books. I'm definitely planning on writing more posts about her, so I hope you'll stay around. :-)
    Do you have any blog/tumblr/instagram/goodreads where I could find you. That'd be great. :-)

    Thank you very much once again.

    All best,

    Veronika

    ReplyDelete
  3. You're welcome! So glad to have our love of Sarah Dessen books in common as well. I will definitely stick around and will be frequently reading your posts. :) I currently am working on a new site with some short stories I'm writing and hope to get a blog started with more about the books I'm reading, but here's my current website: www.carolynemilyphotography.com and my goodreads is: https://www.goodreads.com/carolynehommes.

    Looking forward to chatting and getting to know you more!

    -Carolyn

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much for the contacts. I've already added you on Good Reads. And I'll soon check out your blog. I adore your photography work. Your pictures are simply beautiful. And I'm sure I'll find a lot of inspiration on your website...

      I look forward to get you know more, too.

      Have a lovely day. :-)

      Delete

Post a Comment