Lock & Key by Sarah Dessen is the first Sarah Dessen Novel I have ever read and yes I am kicking myself profusely for not trying out her work sooner. However I am so glad I bit the bullet and started with Lock & Key.
Lock & Key follows the story of a teenage girl Ruby who for months now has been living on her own in the yellow house, her mother had abandoned her and would probably never return. Now Ruby is going to live with her older sister Cora who she hasn’t seen in 10 years and Cora’s husband Jamie. Lock and Key follows the journey of Ruby as she goes from fending for herself, barley getting by in life with no water or heat to a new private school, a fancy luxurious house, a prospect of a college life and people who are are there for her and want to take care of her.
Lock & Key features real life issues from Ruby’s abandonment by her mother to Abuse. Alongside these meaningful issues we have a romantic element of Ruby and Nate the new next door neighbour, thus begins our boy meets girl story. The question I found myself pondering throughout the novel was will Ruby drop her wary nature and her defenses long enough to let Nate in so a relationship could bloom?
Nate’s life isn’t so far from Ruby’s, Sarah Dessen shows how what we see isn’t always the truth and it could be hiding something behind it, Nate is the kind, smiley boy who everyone loves. But he is hiding his own troubles at home.
Lock & Key was a 4.5/ 5 star read for me, I had no issues with engaging with Sarah Dessen’s writing and a Young Adult Romance novel was just what I needed to further inspire my reading bug. Lock & Key is a light easy read which I would highly recommend to anyone who loves, Romance, Young Adult books and Chick Lit. Although saying Lock & Key is a light easy read doesn’t mean that Sarah Dessen shy’s away from hard hitting subjects, this is one thing she brings forth in a number of ways. Dessen incorporates story lines featuring Abuse as well as the idea of Ruby’s mum being a less than capable parent, one which Ruby actually has to look after due to her mothers drinking habits. Dessen’s novels provide a realistic look at life through Ruby’s eyes.
One part of the my reading experience of Lock & Key that makes this lean towards my 4.5 rating is the ending. This is purely my own selfish reasons as I adored Nate and Ruby’s characters, I don’t want to spoil the ending for potential readers but I hoped for more.
Interested in trying out Lock & Key for yourself? Take a look at the following websites:
Sarah Dessen’s Website. Lock & Key
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