Remy Starr is a cynical eighteen-year-old who manages her romantic life through a strict set of rules designed to avoid emotional attachment. Having watched her mother marry five different men, she prefers short-term flings that end before things become complicated. This pragmatic outlook is challenged when she meets Dexter, a messy and impulsive musician in a local band. While Remy prepares to leave for college, Dexter persists in breaking through her defensive barriers. The story follows their summer relationship as Remy navigates her mother’s latest wedding preparations and reconciles her feelings about her late father’s hit song, a lullaby he wrote for her.
Young adult readers who enjoy contemporary realism and music-centric settings will find this book a detailed look at the tension between cynicism and vulnerability. It appeals to those interested in how family history shapes romantic expectations and the difficulty of letting go of control. A reader finishes the book with a perspective on why emotional safety often requires the risk of being hurt. It provides a grounded look at transitions after high school and the realization that a person cannot plan for every romantic outcome.
Practical, inward-looking, clear-cut and escapist; an easy read.
Best for readers like The Escapist Adventurer. Which reader are you?
Insights from This Lullaby
“I had it down to a science.”
Every summer has to end. Remy tries to beat the clock by ending things first. It is a lonely way to live.
“I wasn't used to anyone looking at me that way.”
Remy thinks she is safe because she has a checklist for every breakup. Watching her realize she is just hiding from being hurt is a gut punch.
“I am a guy who has a car with no floorboards.”
Dexter is such a mess with his band and his old car. He proves that being a disaster is better than being perfectly controlled and lonely.
“My mother was a romantic. She believed in the happy ending.”
Watching Remy's mom get married for the fifth time is exhausting. It makes you realize why some people treat love like a temporary contract.
- Published
- 2002
- Publisher
- Speak
- ISBN
- 9780142501559
- Language
- EN
