Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen

Lock and Key

Author: Sarah Dessen
Series: N/A
Release Date: April 22, 2008
Pages: 422
Review by: Max

"Ruby, where is your Mother?"

Ruby has dreaded these words for as long as she can remember. Okay, not really. But ever since her mom left her, she's been on her own and as long as no one finds out she'll be fine.
She'll turn eighteen, live in the rented yellow house, and everything will be okay.

Unless she hears those words.

Guess what? She does.



When the landlord discovers seventeen year-old Ruby living alone in the house she used to share with her mother, Ruby is sent to live with her older sister Cora. Her older sister that abandoned her years before.

I'll tell you one thing; Ruby's not happy about it.

Ruby has to adjust to things; living with her pregnant sister, life at a new school, and the next door neighbor that she might just have a crush on. But in the end, she realizes that things might not be all that terrible, as long as you have family.

Some memorable quotes:

“It's a lot easier to be lost than found. It's the reason we're always searching and rarely discovered--so many locks not enough keys.”

“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.”  

In case you didn't know, we here at Crazy for YA are big Sarah Dessen fans. Along for the Ride, Just Listen, and The Truth About Forever are just about some of my favorite books. Ever.

Which is why I was really disappointed reading this.

Don't get me wrong; I'm sure some people would really like this. I'm just not one of them. It just didn't live up to my Sarah Dessen standards.

The plot was likeable enough. It wasn't anything special, though, and it didn't grab out at me. I was indifferent to Ruby, and, if anything, I thought she was kind of whiny. Her determination was admirable, but she was just so very negative. I guess that's sort of understandable, but I'd rather read from the POV of someone optimistic. Sorry.

Ruby's love interest, Nate, was one of those characters that didn't have any flaws. At all. It was completely unrealistic! Ruby not liking him doesn't count as a flaw! Ruby's sister Cora was the only character I felt bad for, along with her husband.

While this book does have it's redeemable qualities, like the plot and the warm fuzzy feeling you'll probably get from the we're-a-big-happy-family ending, if you haven't read any Sarah Dessen books before, I suggest you start out with something else and then maybe come back to this one.

By the way, I'm sure some people wouldn't agree with me. To someone else, it might just seem like any other Sarah Dessen book: Amazing! But I viewed this book as mediocre. Sorry!

Fly on,
Max