Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen (2008-04-22)

So before Lock and Key I was completely unfamiliar with Sarah Dessen's work, oblivious to the existence of her novels. After reading this novel though, I don't think I'll ever pass up another of her novels, like ever. Lock and Key is a captivating, moving, heartfelt story of a girl trying to find her way after all the detrimental experiences she's had to endure and learn to move forward.

I have to say that I've never been a fan of novels that don't primarily focus on romance, love, and relationships, but while this aspect was secondary, it didn't take a way from the novel at all or made me want to cease reading it. Lock and Key primarily focuses on self-discovery and identity, the essence of family, and forgiveness, concepts that not only successfully held my attention but also managed to dazzle me and touch my heart in a few sensitive places.

Even though I have never gone through half of the crap Ruby went through, I still related to her somehow, which added to the book's appeal and value for me. That spectrum of feeling ranging from the loneliness and emptiness caught up inside her to the abandonment and loss she suffered through to her vivid fear to hope for a better beginning, a new and improved Ruby consistently moved me to tears throughout the novel. I didn't just feel bad for her, and I most certainly didn't pity her because she's strong, but I was heartbroken for her because no one should have to deal with all she's had to.

Dessen created a wonderful, real, genuine cast of characters that I truly fell for. Cora, Ruby's sister, is one of those characters; the quiet, assessing type with a scarred but generous heart, always willing to help when aid is asked for, to be the caretaker of those in need, to be the friend that some are missing. She made a strong and effective guardian for Ruby...as did her husband Jamie, who's just the epitome of life, affection, energy, and sweetness. I couldn't help but love Jamie...he's so good, for lack of a better word, annoying and yet endearing in his optimism and caring personality.

And the thing is, never once did I find myself annoyed by Jamie. He wasn't perfect and not once while reading did I think that he oozed perfection; Jamie's just naturally that way, a loving person who just wants to make everyone happy... I also loved Harriet, Ruby's boss, is an obsessive control freak who never has time for anything but her business... she provided the novel with a ton of humor that I couldn't help but enjoy her. Another excellent addition to this novel was Ruby's new friend, the blunt, honest, and kind Olivia who told it like it was and made a great friend.

And while I did say that the romance in this novel was secondary compared to everything else, Ruby's relationship with Nate was crucial to her development. He was a "friend to [her] before [she] even knew what a friend was. Who picked [her] up, literally, over and over again, and never asked for anything in return..." (401). Even though Nate didn't have to endure what Ruby did, the sparkling parallelism between these two--having a tortured home life being one of the similarities--was unmistakable. However, unlike Ruby, he moves on and remains a happy guy, making him a person to treasure.

I don't think I ever realized how significant it is to have a support system, a family, that while we bicker and get angry with each other, still gets along and loves one another. I don't think I truly took the time to appreciate my family before reading Lock and Key, but after reading the diverse definitions of family Dessen incorporated in this novel, I began to think differently, which is huge, I might add, for an author's work to affect me personally. I mean after all, what is family, really?

Summary in the words of Deena: Alright, so basically Ruby, (the MC) is raised in a harsh sheltered environment. One day her mom up and leaves, leaving her in the care of the sister that got away and her sister's husband. Jamie and Cora (brother-in-law and sister) take her in with open arms. Ruby, with her I-can-do-me-all-by-myself attitude, tries to run away. She packs a bag and hops the fence -or tries to anyways. She's stopped by a dog and a boy on the other side of the fence. Talk about awkward.
Nate, (the neighbor boy who's fence she tried to jump) turns out to be her polar opposite. He's open, kind, friendly, Father Theresa, and (obviously) hot and popular.
Basically Nate has a secret too - one he doesn't want Ruby to know. The tables turn about halfway through the book. Instead of Ruby holding people at a distance and Nate trying to talk her closer, now Ruby is trying to get Nate to open up. That's when she sees the side of Nate no one in the world of Lock and Key would guess.

WHO: The main character (MC) is Ruby Cooper. She's the kind of girl you find yourself feeling connected to. She's raw and she's also got an apparent guard up that most teenagers could relate to.
Nate Cross: super-mega-ultra-popular-hot guy. The boy is stereotypical in every sense of the word. The only thing that doesn't make him cliche is the secret he's hiding (and very well) from the world.
Cora & Jamie: Ruby's sister and brother-in-law. They are seriously awesome and I kinda want to go be friends with them.
The other supporting characters were all well placed and all had purpose in Ruby's life, leading her to the unofficial (but more accurate than Webster's) definition of family.

WHAT: Basically the book is about Ruby's struggle to find meaning in life and what it really means to lean on someone other than yourself.

WHEN: I'm going to assume it was set in 2008-2010 ish. Whatever time period she was writing it in.

WHERE: I wanna say something like New York, but I really have no clue. If the book mentioned a city I must have missed it. There were schools mentioned though, Jackson High School and Perkins Day, both where Ruby attended during her senior year.

WHY: The moral of the story, I would assume, is that crap happens to everyone. No matter how perfect someone's life seems, they probably have just as many problems as the next guy.

Negative points: I wasn't too impressed with the first hundred pages. It seemed like too much backstory to me. Another thing that bothered me were the flashbacks. They happened in the middle of someone talking and usually took up a page, leaving you confused for a second when you get back to the present and someone is finishing a sentence.
My personal pet peeve: typos. Sarah's editor must have been really slacking in this book because I stopped counting mistakes after 4. And while 4 or 5 may not seem like much for a 422 page book, let me be the first to tell you - IT IS.
I also felt like Nate was way too stereotypical for his own good, but that's just a personal opinion there. Another thing was the foreshadowing. People tell me I figure out things they never in a million years would have, so maybe I'm just really good at picking up on it, but I figured out Nate's secret in the scene where Roscoe (the dog) got into the Cross' trash can. I also knew Ruby's assigned word for her English definition project was going to be 'family' or something very, very similar.
The descriptions went overboard in some places (like the classroom) and lacked in others (character descriptions) I pictured people pretty well in my mind, but when it came to hair and eye colors I left them black and white. I could never remember who looked like what.

Positive points: It's definitely a story that sticks in your mind every time you set the book down. You find yourself wondering what's going to happen. You feel what the characters feel too. I actually cried a little bit in the scene where Jamie was yelling at Ruby. Because by that time, I knew enough about her to feel what she was feeling -to feel hurt and betrayed.
I liked the contrast between her old and new life.
It was cool that Harriet both reflected and complimented Ruby's personality a lot. I also liked that there were no characters that I felt were unnecessary or anything.
At first it was hard to get into, but by the end I was loving every minute.
It was clever and I found myself laughing a lot.

It's a great read.

Ruby has a hard family life. After her mom abandons her, Ruby is sent to live with her older sister, Cora, who she hasn't seen in ten years, and her husband, Jamie, in their expensive house. She starts going to a private school and wearing fancy clothes but just doesn't feel like she fits in. Ruby decides to stay independent and not befriend anyone - that is until she meets her neighbor Nate. As they become closer, she realizes that not everything is as it seems on the surface. Nate's life may not be as perfect as she first thought.

I am a HUGE Sarah Dessen fan, and was ecstatic to start reading this book of hers. In the past, her feel-good books have been written so beautifully, she hits emotions spot on, is known for her amazing characters, and creates truly realistic storylines. However, I didn't find all of those things in this book which was a big let down. It seemed to me that all of the previous books she wrote were just combined into this one: an abused boyfriend (Dreamland), moving to a new house/school (Keeping the Moon), messed up mothers (almost all her books), etc. Even though you can run wild with these topics, I wanted something brand new from Sarah Dessen. One thing that I absolutely loved though was all of the hidden connections in this book to her other books. So many characters and places from her previous novels made small appearances in this one and I was always running back and forth between all of my Sarah Dessen books whenever I got the subtle feeling of deja vu. It was really creative and interesting how she did that.

Ruby's characters was very...complex. I liked that she was unpredictable and hard to read. She's sweet and lonely in the inside, but on the outside is independent and doesn't like getting help from people. I'm glad she wasn't just a two-dimensional character, but instead had layers that were revealed as the book progressed. Nate: Ruby's carpool and preppy, cute, and popular guy at school. At first he seemed too good to be true. He was friendly to anyone he came in contact with and always thought positively. But later on in the story, you find out he's not too perfect. Dessen is known for her amazing, romantic, almost flawless boyfriends that are in the majority of her books. Even though I sort of doubt there are high school guys that great out there, it's still fun to read about.

I was disappointed at how SLOW this book moved along. It took me weeks to finish because I was just never in the mood. The more and more pages I read, the more bland the book was getting. It seemed like nothing worth interest was happening, until halfway through the book when Ruby and Nate finally hit it off. If the book wasn't so boring I would have enjoyed it a lot more. There were some great moments in the novel and characters that I will definitely remember. One of my favorites being Gervais, the nerdy, annoying twelve year old who's a senior. There was something about him that really got my attention and left an impression on me.

Unlike many reviews for this book I've read referring to the bad ending, I actually loved it. I think Dessen wrapped it up perfectly with a bow on top. It for sure wasn't a happily-ever-after ending (thankfully), but did put everything in its place just as it should be. This book definitely is not close to one of my favorites of Dessen's work, but still made the cut.

After finishing Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen, of all things, a Grey's Anatomy quote came to mine.
"There's an old proverb that says you can't choose your family. You take what the fates hand you. And like them or not, love them or not, understand them or not, you cope. Then there's the school of thought that says the family you're born into is simply a starting point. They feed you, and clothe you, and take care of you, until you're ready to go out into the world and find your tribe."

Indeed, the book is about family - what it means, and who can be part of it. Does it refer to blood relatives, or something more? That's the question Dessen brings in her eighth young adult novel.

Lock and Key is, essentially, just like Dessen's other novels (spoilery for those who've never read her books): girl has a problem; girl is taken out of her elements and meets a boy with problems; girl and boy (after much back and forth) fall for one another; quickly after, girl and boy break up and don't speak; girl learns to confront her problem; with a handful of pages remaining, girl is better and gets back with boy.

It's very formulaic, and yet, I still love it. In this story, the girl is Ruby Cooper and she has a disagreeable past. Her dad left when she was very young, and her sister raised her as their mother spiraled downward. At 18, her sister, Cora, left for college and was never heard from again. After, Ruby and her mother moved from place to place, always living in horrible conditions. After settling into a small, yellow house, Ruby's mother disappears for good.

The story starts with Ruby, 17, being picked up by child services, despite her protest to live alone until she's of age. She's forced to live with the now-found sister and husband, Jaime. The couple live on the swanky side of town, in a large house with a nervous dog. Ruby has to adjust to this new life, her new upscale school, the disappearance of her mother, and her new relationship with her sister.

At first, I must say, I wasn't very impressed. I didn't like Ruby; I found her annoying and ungrateful of anything Cora gave her. Then, I remembered Ruby was a teenager. Then I remembered her past. And, okay, she was still annoying, but I understood.

By about halfway in, any negative thoughts about Ruby vanished. The character's subtle change was beautiful, and I find that Dessen's greatest skill. Not only can she weave an addictive plot, she can have a character completely change by the end of a book without any obvious "aha!" moments. Just like in life, her characters slowly come to truths and realizations.

Dessen's writing is rich with description and introspective looks at each character. I love her for this because although the story is simple, it discusses serious issues and uses analogies more suited for adult novels. Dessen doesn't write down for young adults; she writes a good story, knowing her readers will understand.

While Ruby was a good leading character, I found Lock and Key's background characters much more interesting. Cora, with her desire to make her life the opposite of the one she lived as a child; Jaime, who constantly tries to give Cora everything she never had (with an amazing amount of patience and understanding). I adored the shaky relationship between all of them - the new family. It grew and changed and felt real.

Other characters include Olivia, Ruby's new somewhat friend who might seem completely heartless on the outside, but will do anything for friends and family. And Nate, the boy next door (literally) who has a dark problem of his own. I found him most interesting, as he and Ruby dealt with their problems in complete opposite ways. Him, an eternal optimist, her always negative. The duality was interesting, and their relationship endearing. Their situation taught Ruby to help someone else, as well as herself.

Overall, Lock and Key was a great read that left me wanting more. I'm still thinking of the characters, and hope they'll re-appear (as some of her characters are want to do) in later novels. And I think that's what makes a great novel, isn't it?

Ruby Cooper is a 18 year old teenager who shoulders more burden than she should at such a young age. Her mother is an irresponsible women who cares more about herself than Ruby. Ruby has grown up taking care of herself and moving homes and schools according to the shim and fancies of her mother. One day, her mother disappears and she is left alone at the run down yellow house. Ruby manages on her own while she can for about 2 months until her landlords find her living alone in the house and turn her over to the social services.

Thats when her elder sister, who had left home and never come back, takes her in. She is now married to a guy called Jamie and has a huge house and a good life. Everything she had always wanted. But for Ruby, she is a stranger. After not knowing anything about her sisters whereabouts, now being in her house at her mercy was something that was overwhelming for Ruby. As she decides what to do next and as her life is being turned upside down, she meets a guy called Nate, a neighbor.

Having heard so much about Sarah Dessen I had very high expectations. I started Lock and Key, read a 100 pages, thought the pace was very slow and was still wondering what is so great about Sarah Dessen when `Baam', I was hit by her writing powers. There is no other way to describe it. She explores a lot of themes that many YA novels do, relationships, family, responsibilities, grief but she does it so well. I cried so much at one point that I had to lock myself in the bathroom so that nobody sees me crying over a book.

Sarah Dessen writes characters that grow on you, be it Ruby, Jamie, her sister Cora and even the pet dog Roscoe. Initially I was disappointed in Nate as he seemed like any other YA novel hero. But as the story progressed, and the layers peel off, we get to know things that make him different.

Lock and Key is about many things-finding the meaning of family, of grief, of being there for someone you love even when all you can do is just be there, of accepting help when needed, and of believing in yourself and the power of changing your destiny.

Here are some of the sentences from the book:

But wasn't that always the way. It's never something huge that changes everything, but instead the tiniest of details, irrevocably tweaking the balance of the universe while you're busy focusing on the big picture

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.

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.

Family isn't something that's supposed to be static, or set. People marry in, divorce out. They're born, they die. It's always evolving, turning into something else.

This is exactly what I wanted, as commitments had never really been my thing. And it wasn't like it was hard, either. The only trick was never giving more than you were willing to lose.

If you didn't always have to choose between turning away for good or rushing in deeper. In the moments that it really counts, maybe it's enough - more than enough, even - just to be there.

What can I say? I'm a new fan. I have `Just Listen' by Sarah Dessen so I have one more book to look forward to. If you love YA and haven't read Sarah Dessen, you seriously don't know what you're missing.

COnfessions of a Book-a-holic
[...]

(SPOILERS)BEFORE YOU READ...know SARAH DESSEN is my FAVORITE AUTHOR

Ruby has been living on her own since her mother abandoned her. She has been fending for herself, depending on no one in false hopes that maybe her mom would come back--unlike her sister. Something happens which has social services finding out her living situation so they send her off with her sister. (Hanging around her neck is a chain with a key to her old life in it). Ruby is forced to live with her sister and her sisters PERFECT husband Jamie.

Ruby figures as soon as she turns 18, shell leave them. Hating her sister for when she left her with her mom. She tries her best to not make friends or anything. Only, you know that doesn't sit well. So Ruby ends up caring for Jamie, and learning the truth about her mother, and her sisters departure. Even in the present that her sister and Jamie are trying to have a child, and having issues conceiving. She starts to like her new life, by admitting her old one was hell. After having some of the bonds from the past crushed.
Ruby slowly becomes close with Nate and Olivia. Nate who is having issues at home, and at the end of the book she finds herself helping him get away from his father, and start a new life just like she did.

Um, so this was what I had waited for all this time? This is nothing like the other Sarah Dessen books. I mean, I feel like I just read a whole lot of nothing. I really didn't care about Ruby at all! Nope. I mean I was expecting some heart clenching love story. I mean the book is entitled lock and key--I didn't think it was literal. It had its good points. But the whole plot and thing were just dragged out so horribly, I waned to stop reading.

I had to push my self to go forward with it. Nate and Ruby's relationship wasn't the best match up. Nothing like in the book This Lullaby. Nothing. Every character besides Ruby was just too perfect. And the little backstory with Nate--well just her luck to find someone who needs to get out of a situation, and she is the one that can help him do it. Seeing herself in him. I just don't know...it just didn't work for me.

I still love Sarah Dessen though. I'm just going to hold off on reading Along For the Ride, because Lock and Key was such a disappointment for me.

This book is like any other from Sarah Dessen, absolutely amazing. Maybe I am just bias since I love all of her other books, but this book just has it all, all in perfect balance...deception, hate, sadness, love, scandal, friendship and a wonderful story. Not to mention an ending that doesn't get me worked up.

Sarah Dessen has a way of connecting with the reader. Whether its because the story is close to your own personal one, or because her words just fill you with such emotion you don't know whether to break down in tears or jump up and dance. The way she writes makes you feel you are in the story and experiencing what the main character is experiencing. When I read, I make "mini-movies" in my head based on the story, and with Dessen's style of writing it is so easy to do that, and you almost wish the movie would never end.

The main character, Ruby, has had a tough life ever since she was young. Her parents got a divorce when she was only five and after that, she rarely saw her father. Her mother became distant from Ruby and her sister, and she started to drink more and more. The only positive thing left in Ruby's life was her older sister, Cora. Cora is ten years older than Ruby and has always been there for her, Cora was her `mother' after her actual mother stopped caring for her. But ever since Cora went off to college, she hasn't been around much either. But that changes when Ruby is forced to live with Cora and her husband, Jamie. Ruby had been spending the past couple months living on her own ever since her mother left without notice, but now Ruby is reunited with her older sister who hasn't been in her life for the past ten years.

Their relationship isn't what is used to be and Ruby isn't quite certain she ever wants it that way again. But when it turns out Ruby isn't as put together as she once thought, their worlds collide and they both find once again that they depend on one another, and their sisterhood is challenged with Ruby's independent attitude and Cora's knack to repay Ruby for not being there.

Not only is this a great story about a troubled teen fighting for freedom, but it is a beautiful story of two sisters trying to make it work between them after so many years being apart. And oh yeah, I forgot to mention...the hot, popular guy at Ruby's new high school, Perkins Day. His name is Nate, and not only is he charming, gorgeous, a great guy and loved by all that know him; he also has a past that he is hiding.

Ruby's story is a captivating one and definitely something you should read.

I've always thought that Sarah Dessen writes books that are somewhat miscategorized as Teen novels. While they are usually about teenagers, her books have a depth and wisdom to them that appeal to any age group, and Lock and Key is no exception.

The main theme that underlies this book is family - who are they and what do they mean? Dessen introduces this in a less than subtle way - it becomes Ruby's thesis project on her first day at her new school. Throughout the book, Ruby asks people for their definition of family. As she consolidates this information into a coherent answer, she begins to realize for herself what family means. Slowly, she begins to let others in and begins to trust that they will not let her down. She realizes that her old life with her mother was not all that it may have seemed - her mother had her own agenda that she did not share with Ruby. Ruby grows as a person because she has a family to love her - but more importantly, she has people around her that she learns to love.

One of my favorite aspects of this book was Ruby's character growth. In a book such as this, that development usually comes in a spurt at the very end; the character realizes the error of his or her ways and decides to change. And then the book is over. This is not the case with Lock and Key. Ruby's character changes become evident by the middle of the book. The rest of the book is watching her experience and deal with those changes. It is nice to see a character dealing with the consequences of learning to love and let others in, rather than hearing them say they are going to do it and then never being able to follow up.

The situation with Ruby's mother was difficult. Though we never really saw her as a character, except through Ruby's eyes, her reasoning and decisions didn't really make sense to me. I didn't feel like the excuses given for her behavior (for example, why she kept her agenda hidden from Ruby) really made much sense. They seemed a bit extreme for the situation, but then again, she was obviously an alcoholic and may have had some mental issues to go along with that. It was simply never made clear.

Admittedly, Ruby is a difficult character to sympathize with. Her character experienced horrors beyond most of what the rest of us have seen - therefore, her decisions aren't always easy to understand. She can be frustrating at times, but at the same time, Dessen makes it clear that she could not be any other way. All of the characters in this novel are well written and easy to picture. While I was reading, it was almost as if I had a movie running through my head simultaneously. I couldn't help but cast Ruby as Amy Smart, who played the character Ruby in the show Felicity. I think it was the name that got me, mostly.

Lock and Key is a great addition to the Dessen collection. While I have only read a few of her other books, this one makes me want to devour the rest of them!

Sarah Dessen is a talented author. The more books of hers I read, the more I find myself enjoying her writing style. Lock and Key is another reason why Ms. Dessen is a popular author.

Ruby is a young girl who has to grow up fast. Her dad left the family when she was young and now it's just Ruby and her mother. When her mother abandons Ruby, she didn't think anything was wrong. Her mother is known for leaving for days at a time and returns as though she never left. But her latest absence is different. Ruby is discovered living alone and is sent to live with her sister Cora and brother-in-law Jamie.

Lock and Key is about the influence relationships have on us. Ruby's dysfunctional relationship with her mother caused her to have an inability to accept others' help. She's very self-sufficient and questions others' motives for wanting to assist her. When she first moves in with her estranged sister, Ruby immediately plans her exit. She's guarded with Cora and Jamie believes she will never fit into their world.

As she begins her new school, she meets Olivia and Nate. Olivia is also a former student at her previous school, although the two never talked while there, and appears to be aloof. As the story unfolds, Olivia and Ruby form a friendship and realize they have a lot in common.

I enjoyed reading Ruby's friendship with Nate. Although I immediately guessed his secret, it didn't take away from the depth of their relationship. Ruby sees a lot of herself in Nate. When he begs her not to disclose his secret, she struggles with what to do. She's knows what it is like to pretend everything is fine. But for the first time, she realizes that these false pretenses will have severe consequences if the truth is not told upfront.

Through her relationship with Jamie, Ruby discovers herself. He encourages her to move out of her comfort zone which leads to Ruby feeling more confident. Their relationship is the catalyst for her to rebuild her relationship with Cora.

Lock and Key is a good read. I'm looking forward to reading more of Ms. Dessen's novels.

Ask twenty people to define "family," and you'll get twenty different definitions. Ruby's definition of family is about to change, and she's not quite sure what that means.

For years, Ruby and her mother moved from apartment to apartment. They lived in random places and cramped spaces above other people's garages. Finally, they find a little yellow house to rent. Ruby's mother, preferring to drown her sorrows in alcohol than deal with them head-on, made her daughter give her excuses to visitors, landlords, and bosses.

The older Ruby got, the more her mother depended on her - and on substances. Ruby became used to her mom disappearing for a few days now and then. When a week turned into two, then three, then a month, Ruby knew her mom wasn't coming back. She went to work and school and lived alone for months before her landlords realized what was going on.

With Ruby seven months away from her eighteenth birthday, child services stepped in. She is sent to live with her older sister, who hasn't seen her in ten years. Cora left for college and, according to their mother, never looked back. Now Cora has a successful career, a husband who is equally successful, and a gorgeous home, with a spunky little dog to boot. How can Ruby fit into this household, let alone into a new school that's posh and private? She's so sure that this could never be her home, her life, that she prepares to run away that very first night and go back to the little yellow house. Fate has other plans for her, and so does Nate, the boy next door.

Though Ruby consents to stay put for the time being, she keeps the key to the little yellow house on a chain around her neck. At first, the key is the only thing she permits to fall close to her heart, interpreting her sister's clipped responses as lack of interest. She is unsure how to take her perpetually upbeat brother-in-law, Jamie. How can this complete stranger welcome her with open arms?

Nate also reaches out to her. Whether she likes the attention or not, he means well. He's genuine, and she's not used to that. Carpooling with him to and from school gives her insight into this grinning, popular boy. There's more there than meets the eye. Though he's friendly, not flirtatious, she's hesitant to open up to him. She'd rather keep her heart under lock and key than risk getting hurt again.

Ruby is a strong girl, but she's not a saint. She has done plenty of things she's not proud of, and she has a stubborn streak a mile wide. She is determined to do things on her own and her refuses to let others assist her because she doesn't want to "owe" them anything.

Ruby's constantly tempted to leave, to make things easier for everyone, herself included. The easy way out is never as easy as it seems. It just leads her back to bad things, bad people. The road back to her sister's house is promising, but there are bumps along the way. Ruby's new school is far ahead of her previous school, and she struggles to keep up her grades. She has to write a report about "family" for class, and she doesn't know where to begin. Jamie tries to be helpful while Cora remains distant. Nate keeps reaching out, and Ruby repeatedly deflects his concern until she realizes that he may need some help too.

There are plenty of supporting characters in Ruby's new world. Roscoe, the dog, provides comic relief as well as unconditional love right from the start. Gervais, a kid who skipped multiple grades in school, rides in her carpool with Nate. There's Harriet, the high-strung jewelry designer with a mall kiosk who gets inspiration from an unexpected place, and Olivia, her talkative classmate who isn't afraid to tell it like it is. Nate's father seems pleasant and polished, but a scratch on that surface lets his true colors shine through. Ruby's old friends factor in as well, clashing loudly with her new life.

With Lock and Key, Sarah Dessen has created something extremely poignant - which is not to say that she hasn't before. All of Dessen's novels are extremely readable and enjoyable, and each is distinctive. The narrative of Lock and Key, which is told in first person from Ruby's point of view, infuses past events with the present day. Things that occurred a year ago, three months ago, or even earlier the same day are revealed when they relate to happenings in the current time frame. This storytelling method fits the feel of the story, allowing it to move forward as Ruby lives day by day but still clings to her past.

Ruby doesn't think of herself as lost, but she is - and she deserves to be found. Pick up Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen and give it a home on your bookshelf.

"And the rest is history," I said.

"Nah." He shook his head. "The rest is now."

Ruby and her mother always had a dysfunctional relationship. Her mother was an alcoholic and they spent much of their time moving from place to place, one crummy apartment after the other. Suddenly, though, Ruby's mother is gone.

Ruby is seventeen and certain she can take care of herself, but the landlords who realize she is by herself and the social worker who puts her into the state's care think differently.

Almost before she knows it, Ruby is living in a gorgeous mansion, attending a pricey private school, and trying to deal with her new guardians--her sister Cora, ten years older than Ruby, whom Ruby hasn't seen or heard from since she left for college ten years earlier, and Jamie, Cora's friendly and easygoing husband.

Things are strained, and Ruby considers taking off, but then thinks she might be able to tough out the year, instead. Soon enough she finds herself with connections she never wanted--obligations to her sister and brother-in-law, a couple of friends at school, and a neighbor who refuses to be chased away by her unpleasantness.

Can Ruby adjust to a life where she is not on her own, where she must depend on other people and have them depend on her as well?

I liked Ruby's character and the backstory that made her character seem plausible. Her transition from her old life to her new life was an intriguing one, and I was hopeful she would adjust to it. However, it seemed unrealistic that Cora's big revelation about their mother would have taken so long to come out, or that Cora would be unaware of the level of their mother's manipulation. The ending of this story was also rather abrupt, with a few paragraphs tacked on to tell what everyone was up to after the story ended. This ending seemed a bit forced.

I read a few reviews before picking up this book. There seemed to have been quite a few mixed ones out there. Some didn't like it, it didn't hold the same Dessen story that people were used to. But I have to disagree with this. From what I have read so far from this amazing writer is that she takes real issues and writes about them. Not so much sunshine, rainbows and rubber duckies as writing about hard issues.

Writing about a girl with a flaky mom who spends her time moving around so much and trying to take care of her flighty mom. And then having to deal with the fact that her mom just up and left. No word, no goodbye. Just left. The story of Cora and Ruby was another fantastic show of writing. It seems they were both affected by the actions of their mother. Both learn to overcome it and it is beautiful.

Dessen has a way of throwing her characters into a situation totally opposite of where they come from. In this instance, she throws Ruby in with Jamie, Cora's husband. Who had a great childhood, a large family and where people didn't run away but instead talked through what was bothering them.

I'm convinced that Sarah Dessen is a true master of the pen. Or keyboard. However you want to think about it.

So I think every bibliophile has one or two authors that can do no wrong. Sarah Dessen is one of my two, and Lock & Key didn't disappoint. Ruby is a typical Dessen character. She thinks she can handle everything on her own. She doesn't need her mother. It's not like her Mom has ever been all that reliable anyway. She just needs to remain cool until she turns 18 and is legally an adult. Of course, Ruby doesn't count on the pipes bursting at the kitchen sink or the dryer breaking, forcing her to hang a clothesline in the kitchen where her nosy landlords, the Honeycutts, can see it. The Honeycutts turn her in and big sister Cora is suddenly back in her life after 10 years. A lot has changed for Cora in 10 years. She's graduated from college, is a public defender, and is married to a wealthy internet entrepreneur named Jamie. Ruby can't believe this is Cora's life, and she wants no part of it. But then she meets Nate, the friendly, dependable boy next door, and her brother-in-law is just so nice. Her new private school isn't as bad as she thought, and she even manages to find a job at the mall that she likes. Soon Ruby learns that it's nice to be needed, and it's okay for her to need someone every once in a while too. Now if only we could all be so wise at 17 and learn those most important life lessons. I think that's what I love about Dessen's characters. They're not perfect. They don't all wear designer clothes, have great popularity, have the best boyfriends or even the best grades, but they are certainly all smart. As teenagers they somehow manage to learn lessons that a lot of adults never comprehend, and by extension, all of Dessen's young readers learn the lessons too.

For additional reviews and reading suggestions, see my site.

Ruby has always lived with her mother and while it wasn't the happiest or easiest life, Ruby could deal with it. Until her mother leaves. Ruby expects her to come back but when she doesn't, she finds herself pretending that her mother is still there, working her job, and doing everything she can to keep the landlords from finding out. But they do find out and soon the social workers have contacted Ruby's sister Cora, whom she hasn't seen in years, and is forcing Ruby to go live with her. Cora now lives in a fancy house in a fancy town with her rich husband that Ruby has never met. As Ruby struggles with everyone's decision to force her there, even though she'll be eighteen in just a few short months, she finds herself trying to escape the first night and meeting Nate, her hot neighbor. Nate, while he seems to have everything, may be exactly what Ruby need to be happy with her new life.

Out of all of Sarah Dessen's books, Lock and Key ranks in my Top Three. The characters, Ruby and Nate in particular, are so real and they have so many sides to them, that you can always relate to one of them. The plot is so believable that you feel as if you're right there in Lakeview, going to Perkins Day, and facing the same struggles as Ruby. Though all of Sarah's books are remarkable, Lock and Key seems to be the most mature and creative. It definitely showcases Sarah's true talent well and I recommend it to everyone, whether you've read any of Sarah's previous work or not.

When Ruby's depressed and alcoholic mother abandons her, Ruby thinks that she can do just fine on her own. But when things start breaking down she finds herself living with the older sister she hasn't seen in ten years. Cora is a perfectionist and left Ruby and their mother behind when she left for college. Now Ruby is living with Cora and Cora's husband, Jamie, in their big house and their neighbor, Nate, is trying to be her friend. But Ruby isn't planning on staying.

I've read quite a few Dessen books but this is one of my favorites. The emphasis is on Ruby and how she learns to let people in and not on finding a boy to fall in love with. Ruby's relationship with her sister is so real and honest that some parts made me cry on the train while I was reading. Jamie, the cool, slightly nerdy husband is one of my favorite characters. He is so honest and friendly and I live that he tries to give Cora (and Ruby) the family experience they never had while growing up. And his fascination with that pond just makes me laugh.

I think what I like best about the book is that all of the characters are fully fleshed out and three dimensional. Even the secondary characters like Reggie, Harriet, and the dog, Roscoe, have personalities, problems, and learn to grow.

Nate is the perfect guy but he also has things in his life that aren't so perfect.

If you wan't a book that isn't heavy on romance and that has some amazing characters then I suggest you pick up LOCK AND KEY.

Ruby is abandoned by her mother. She thinks she can sail on through living alone until her 18th birthday until she is discovered by her landlords and is sent to live with her sister who she hasn't seen in 10 years.

This is my first book by Sarah Dessen and I rather enjoyed it. I saw the movie that two of her books was based on, How to Deal, and didn't exactly like it so I never tried out her books until now. But I'm glad I did. Lock and Key had a really nice theme of family, more specifically sisters. It also speaks about losing the hard shell that a lot of us walk around wearing from day to day.

I felt there were enough secondary characters to keep the story interesting but not so many that I started forgetting who was who. I especially liked Ruby's friend Olivia and her cousin Laney. The book is rather long but I read it pretty fast because the story was so great. Nothing too shocking happens, it's a quiet sort of story but none the less very worth the read. It's sort of a snippet of life sort of story.

Title- Lock and Key

Author- Sarah Dessen

Rating- 4/5

Good-

I've been waiting forever for this book. I am a huge fan of Sarah Dessen, have been for many years. When I got it, I could not wait to read it... Now, onto the book. This was a very very deep book. The characters had many layers that made them unique and interesting. None of the major characters fit any typical stereotypes. Lock and Key had a very different plot line that intrigued me from the very first moment I read about it.

Bad-

I find myself running out of good things to say... That doesn't make it a bad book though. It's just that I don't think I'd be able to honestly say that the book wowed me. I wasn't amazed, I didn't feel the need to stay up late in the night to finish it. There's nothing truly awful about the book... but I didn't feel the same connection with it like I did with This Lullaby or Dreamland, my two favorites of hers.

Dessen's books are young adult novels, I guess, but my daughter is always asking me to read them. I've found that for a young adult author she is far superior to almost anything else geared for that age group. There is always some major parental conflict issue--parents are usually poor, abusive, single or some combination and the main character has to work to overcome their context. In this novel, the main character, Ruby, has been abandoned by her alcholic single mom when she's 17. Life up to that point hasn't been a picnic and Ruby has developed some nice defensive distancing skills so she doesn't have to get close to anyone.

She attempts to go it alone until social services gets involved and Ruby is placed with her 10 year older sister who she had thought had abandoned her years ago when in fact her mother had worked hard to ensure the sister had no contact for fear that she would take Ruby away.

It doesn't take long for Ruby to adjust to living with her very wealthy sister whose husband happened to start a .com (this is a bit unrealistic, but I guess it moves the plot forward). Ruby also meets the most popular guy, Nate, who, surprise surprise, is being abused by his own father.

Ruby of course learns lots of important growing up lessons and learns them quite effectively (another unrealistic thing about the book). And everything turns out good.

For young adults, I like this type of book that does not focus too much on the negative outcomes but is very hopeful. However, it is not very realistic.

Spoiler Alert

Buckle up, Buttercups. Let me start by saying, I returned this book after I finished it. I do not do that.

I repeat, I do not do that.

I had hope for this book as it was the choice of a member of my book club. For the last five months, we’ve been reading the favorites of everyone in the club, and I was hoping that, for her sake, I would at least enjoy it a little bit. Nope. There is so much wrong with this novel, and I really, really wish there wasn’t.

Let’s get a quick summary in here: Ruby, the red-headed (woot for gingers, but I see a lot of them in YA. Why does everyone like to write about us so much?), seventeen-year-old, sorta pretty main character is a self-proclaimed burnout, who is abandoned by her mother and tries to live on her own for two months before she is found out and taken in by her estranged sister, Cora, and Cora’s husband, Jamie (CEO of UMe.com, this world’s equivalent to Facebook). Ruby goes from living in a worn out, tiny house in which she can’t keep up with the bills, to living in her sister’s multi-million dollar house. Rags to riches in an instant. But, she won’t let anyone close. Hot neighbor-boy (Swim-star, blonde, All-American, cliche), Nate Cross, knows and often works for Cora and Jamie, and is conveniently nice enough to carpool with Ruby to the rich school they would both attend. A school in which Ruby is most certainly the oddball. #woeisme

Now, we know from the start that Nate is going to be the love interest. He’s hot, and she’s new, so they have to hook up. Right? Right? But, their relationship is never clearly defined. They’re together, but it’s not, like UMe official or anything; similar to the relationship she has with a casual (understatement) boyfriend (overstatement) she goes into this new situation with. I don’t even remember his name. Michael? Or Marcus? He’s a stoner and doesn’t care about Ruby at all, which is what she wants, but she is still hurt when she finds out that her best friend from her previous school is also sleeping with this dude.

Ruby is incapable of accepting help in the beginning of this book. I get it, her mother left her, she’s thrown into a situation where she was under the impression that her sister left for college and never tried to get into contact with her again, which turned out to be another lie perpetuated by her mother. I understand. Trust issues. However, she does silly things like contesting the fact that she needs to eat breakfast, or thinking it’s stupid to pick out a koi fish for Jamie’s new pond, or generally acting hateful to everyone. Nate is almost as bad as Ruby. We find out closer to the end that Nate’s dad beats him sometimes. But, it’s a “private matter,” and he doesn’t want Ruby trying to fix it because he’s obviously brainwashed by his father. So much so, that Ruby tells him that they can’t be together unless he lets her help him, and he peaces out.

That’s another problem. Ruby is just all of sudden fixed about three months into her move. After a lifetime of mental abuse and two months of solid abandonment, Ruby can try to help fix other people even though she wouldn’t let anyone help her. Great. Where was all that pain? Why was it covered over so quickly once another monster was revealed? I thought this was Ruby’s story, not Nate’s? But fear not, the day will be saved thanks to Cora being a lawyer and dealing with cases like Nate’s all the time. Everything will be wrapped up nice neat, as always.

In the middle of all this change and growth, though, are moments of learning; which are also conveniently laid bare for the reader. Each time Ruby has a revelation, an insight, a thought, or, to borrow from a friend, learns a Life Lesson™ it’s explicit. Ruby tells the reader everything. She doesn’t hold back. We’re not allowed to infer or speculate, we don’t watch her grow and notice the subtle difference, it’s just given to us. This was a huge problem for me because I don’t want to see all of this stuff suddenly. I want to discover it. I want the author to trust that I can figure it out. Dessen doesn’t give us any credit, and that irritates me.

Dessen also perpetuates the he’s-mean-because-he-likes-you misconception, which, at this point, I had hoped we had moved past. I guess we haven’t.

Even with all of the problems this book had, I will say that Dessen is a fairly decent writer. I think she needs to develop her scenes better, but the dialogue felt pretty natural more often than not. However, this one positive does not make up for the negatives.

Overall, I greatly disliked this book. I’m disappointed because I’ve always heard good things about Sarah Dessen novels, but as this is the first book by her that I’ve read I will probably never pick up another one. I recommend that you don’t waste your money on it.

Ruby is living on her own after her unstable mother ran out on her. That doesn’t last long since she’s a teenager and people are wondering about her situation. She ends up living with her well-to-do sister in a good neighborhood, near a nice school, with a good-looking boy next door possibly interested in her. This should mean that things are looking up, yet Ruby has her reservations about who to allow in her life. I always like the characters and settings of Dessen’s stories. Everything about her writing comes to life in a natural way.

Dessen has done it again! I loved this book, never wanting to put it down. It's about Ruby who lived with her mom in a yellow farmhouse when one day Ruby's mom just never comes back. Sort of "runs away". Ruby stays there, not telling anyone that her moms gone, waiting out the months until she turns 18. But then the landlords bust her and she is sent to live with her sister, Cora, who left her and her mother when she went to college. It pretty much centers around Nate, her neighbor and her realtionship with Cora. I loved it! It really was sad seeing how mislead everyone was. I also loved how Rogerson was included in the book and Kiki Sparks! I love how Dessen does that. I haven't read all of Dessen's books but out of the ones I have read this is my favorite!

I really enjoy Sarah Dessen's writing style and this book did not disappoint. She has a gift for expressing on paper how teenagers function and think. I am older than the target audience for these books, but I still enjoy them. This particular story was really refreshing because the main character has not had an easy home life, finds herself in a better situation, and has a hard time accepting that things could actually turn around for her. She tends to think others have better family situations than her, but she learns that things are not what they appear to be on the surface. A well written story of dysfunctional families that can also be "normal" families.

For years, Ruby and her mother moved from apartment to apartment. Ruby and her mother hadn't really settled in a permanent place that they could call 'home'. Ruby's mother is an alcoholic, and she depends on Ruby for almost everything. Ruby's mother suddenly leaves her all alone. Ruby is then forced to live with her older sister, Cora, since she is not yet 18. Ruby is quite stubborn and likes to be left by herself. She is determined to do things on her own and she refuses to let others assist her. She doesn't want to "owe" them anything. Ruby is very upset with things at first, but she adapts and sees how much better things are for her. Her new private school isn't as bad as she thought, and she even manages to find a job at the mall that she likes. She meets new friends who she can trust and depend on, including a friendly boy named Nate. Soon Ruby learns that it's nice to be needed, and it's okay for her to need someone every once in a while, too.

Finding oneself, finding family, understanding the world around us, it was so real and how I wished to have read as a teenager but loved it so much even now way past 60. Can't wait to read her next one.

Independence and freedom are words that any teenage believes they should have. However, when they are living on their own with no parent, it that what they need? In Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen, Ruby is living on her own and wants it to stay that way. Dessen explores how difficult trust is in this tolerable novel.

As most of Dessen's novels go, there is a teenager, Ruby in this case; whose mother left her in their battered home. Her situation is discovered by child services and then she moves in with her sister who is married and lives a very different lifestyle from Ruby's.

As one can guess she is faced with many frustrations: new school, new friends, and more. Dessen helps the reader to see that trust is one of the hardest values to gain and instantly is lost. What does Ruby loss by moving in with her sister?

Despite that Dessen brings up essential ideals the story is one that is deficient in keeping the reading wanting more. It is hard to keep moving through this over 400 page novel. With the imagery drab and the connection to the characters insubstantial, Lock and Key would not be regarded as a "must read."

The insightful, addicting novel, Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen captured my heart from the very beginning.
It's the story of a girl named Ruby who is abandoned by her mother and determined to make it on her own, even though that's all about to change when she has to go live with Cora, the sister she hasn't seen in ten years, and Cora's husband Jamie, whose down-to-earth demeanor makes it hard for Ruby to believe he founded the most popular networking Web site around.
A luxurious house, fancy private school, a new wardrobe, the promise of college and a future; it's a dream come true but Ruby is reluctant and doesn't want to change her ways, yet she's thinking it might be time. Her struggle to change starts out on the attempt to run away. As she's trying to escape the gorgeous new lifestyle she runs into the boy next-door Nate who has some secrets of his own, and struggles to accept the fact that Ruby wants to help him.
Throughout the story, Ruby has her up and downs but will come out on top in the hopeful and "I don't want to put the book down" story! I think this a great book and recommend it to anyone looking for a good love and romance novel! It definitely deserves all 5 stars!

Lock and Key: A book review by Ashlie Perrine
Lock and key by Sarah Dessen, an excellent author who is New York Times best-selling author, and has written many other books like That summer, keeping the moon and Just listen. She has written at least seven previous books for teens. Including Lock and Key which is a medium skill read at 422 pages. It was published by the Penguin group in 2008.
This book has a lot of characters, but there only a handful of important ones. Like Ruby, Cora, Jamie, Harriett, Olivia and Nate. Ruby lives in a house with her older sister Cora and her husband Jamie. Across the street from her she has a next door neighbor and one of her only friends Nate who lives with his dad. Olivia is also one of Ruby's only friends. Harriet gives Ruby a job as an assistant of her jewelry stand that is in the mall. The setting is all over the place because, Ruby goes from Her house to school, back to her sisters house and then to work. And sometimes she will sneak off with her old friends from where she was from, but the most important places are the mall, the school, and Ruby's sister's house.
Fearlessly Ruby is living in her house all alone because her mom left and basically abandoned her. The people who are rent the house out to them called the police and her sister that she hasn't seen in 10 years arrived and brought her into her home. Ruby feels really uncomfortable because she is only used to being treated awful. When now has her own big room and now goes to a new private school, when she is used to going to an overpopulated school and doing drugs with her unreliable friends all the time. Slowly Ruby begins to warm up to her environment and get a job with a girl she met named Harriet. She gave her a job as an assistant at her jewelry shop. She also makes new friends, like Olivia who used to go to Ruby's old school Jacksonville but got transferred and Nate who she doesn't know if she likes as just friends or more than that. One winter night the weather goes weird and it is 75 degrees outside in the dead of the night. So Ruby Cora and Jamie go into Nate's pool for a little swim. While Cora and Jamie leave Ruby stays behind and swims a little longer, when amused and bright Nate comes outside and sees her. They are both swimming when all of a sudden Nate kisses Ruby and everything changes. Soon a problem occurs. Nate keeps getting all these bruises and scrapes all over his arms and neck and he wont tell Ruby where they came from. She finally figures it out and she says tell someone who is doing this to you and keep me or walk away from this relationship.
The climax is when Nate walks away from Ruby. Saddening as it is, their relationship is over and Ruby, who hasn't seen Nate at school for about two weeks she starts to get really worried that something is happening to him and doesn't know what. She really wants to know where he is but there friendship is over and she doesn't know how to reach him. The theme of this book is Betrayal and home. Why is it betrayal? Since in the very first chapter of this book Ruby's mom leaves just walks out on her and she has to live on her own with no hot water no heat and no washing and drying machine, surprisingly she gets accepted into her older sisters house. At first she feels uncomfortable but then she starts to feel like she is at home and she is like a normal teenager. She has a job a nice house and a sweet boyfriend. Until he betrays her. She says stick up for you or leave me, and he does. She is completely betrayed and doesn't know how to handle herself. She never loved her mom like she loved Nate and she wants him to let her help. Near the end of the book she is going off to collage and there is a part in there where she says she thinks she will feel more at home at collage than she does here. This says a lot.
My opinion of the book was that it was a really good book. There were a lot of twists that I didn't expect to happen. Abandoned, and no one to love her except the boy next door. This is definitely a fictional romance. This has a girl who has a rough life and she finally found love, which is one of my favorites. This book would be good for girls more than guys, because girls tend to like romance more than guys. This book would be a eight on a scale from one to ten because, it had not only a good plot but it also has good sentences structure and it has good cliff hangers. The ending ends in a way you wouldn't expect and it will surprise you. I would recommend this book, it was a really good medium level read.

What is family? That is the question posed to seventeen year old Ruby Cooper on her first day at the exclusive Perkins Day School. Sent to live with her estranged older sister and her husband after it is discovered her mother disappeared two months earlier, Ruby's life is turned upside down. Ruby has lived an almost transient lifestyle with her mother, believing that her older sister, Cora, abandoned her without a second glance ten years earlier. Now that she has been reunited with Cora, Ruby is forced to face some truths about their past and their biological family. Along the way, she also learns that a person can have many families over time.

At the heart of nearly every Sarah Dessen novel is the story of a girl and a boy, and in Lock and Key, that boy is Nate Cross. Nate is the next-door neighbor of Cora and her husband Jamie, and the night that Ruby moves in, Nate hides the fact that Ruby was trying to run away from Jamie. As the novel develops, so does the relationship between Nate and Ruby, though Dessen shares the emotional connection rather than the physical. And while Nate rescues Ruby a few times at the beginning of the novel, his life falls apart while hers begins to come together. In the end, it is Ruby and Cora who must rescue Nate.

It is not plot, but characters, that drive Dessen's novels. Her gift is in creating characters that the reader can identify with. This is certainly true of Ruby, who feels out of place in the perfect life her sister has created, and more at home in the large, anonymous crowds at her previous high school. Teens struggling to find their place in the world will relate to Ruby's desire to control even one aspect of her life. On the whole, I found this to be a satisfying, engaging read, with the quality Dessen fans have come to expect.

Sarah Dessen has 8 books published, and as a true Dessen fan, I've read them all. I sort of separate her books into two categories, though. In one category, there's Keeping the Moon, This Lullaby, The Truth About Forever, and Just Listen. In the other one I place That Summer, Someone Like You, Dreamland, and Lock and Key. What's the difference between these two groups? I'll try to explain...

The first category I mentioned are the feel-good books. The protagonists are messed up in a certain way, certainly, but there is a spark of happiness and fun and really satisfyingly content endings where relationships and situations are tied up in a happily-ever-after knot. These books are kind of a break from reality, in a way, because who ever meets guys as wonderfully unique and vivid as Norman, Dexter, Wes, and Owen? I mean, I wish!

The second category, are the books where Dessen really explores dark places. And even though things end on good notes, the problem resolved... there's not the magical right-ness and the sparkly feeling. It's weird because in these books, the girl is usually with the guy in a relationship, like, mid-way in the book, and there's not the wonderful sealed-with-the-first-kiss ending. Instead, things get sour... Macon, Rogerson.

So GET LOCK AND KEY! Even if it's the darker category, it's still written by SARAH DESSEN. And that means it's awesome, just because she wrote it. But let me tell you right now. It's not The Truth About Forever. It is NOT Just Listen. It's the book that we read because it's by Sarah Dessen and we're fans so we read anything she writes... but we know the real reason we're fans in the first place is because of the happier books.

So some little bits of info as a closer...

Ruby is independant, wary, and determined. She's at her core a sweet person who, over time, has built up many walls.

Surprisingly big cameo by Rogerson... he's still scarier than Hades.

Actually, a WHOLE lot of cameos -- WAY more than in any other of her books. We see Mallory, mention of Owen and Annabel, Remy's mom, Denise and Charlotte, Kristy and Burt... and maybe even more I can't remember!

I truly love Sarah Dessen's work. Though I found I could not connect with many of the characters in her earlier works, her more recent books have been rich, dynamic, and real, at times heart-breaking; I can see how she has really grown as a writer. I'm 22 years old, yet I still find myself sneaking back to the young adult section every time I hear one of her books has come out, and I know I will continue to do so.

I also love the subtle bringing in of past characters, which she used A LOT in this book. I find it amazing how she has created a whole mini fiction world in which all of her characters and their lives are somehow connected. It gives me a warm fuzzy feeling to hear about Annabel, still working at the radio station, and even, to my surprise, Rogerson. He was such a dark and intriguing character in Dreamland, and I found myself wondering what (if anything) happened to him after that book ended. I admire Dessen's ability to make her characters real people, real people who I wonder about after I am finished with a book, real people who I am happy to see resurface, like an old friend, to find out what is going on in their lives.

I won't bother with the plot-synopsis, since I don't want to give anything away. Just expect a novel that is typical of Sarah Dessen: heart-warming, funny, clever, engaging, and above all, real.

Happy reading.

CAUTION: GIVES AWAY A LOT OF THE BOOK!

Ruby Cooper, a 17 year old girl, was taken away by child services after her mother left her. The only family she had left was her older sister Cora, who Ruby was then forced to live with. This meant leaving her friends, family, and independence behind. Ruby was mad because she thought Cora had left her behind for college, but in reality, her mother was the one who cut of all ties. This was because Cora had tried to keep in contact, but their mother had moved herself and Ruby all over the place so Cora couldn't find them. Cora willingly took in Ruby to live with her, Jaime, and their dog. Ruby, who was unwilling to move and was upset that she had to move, wore the key to her old home on a chain as a necklace to remind her of what she was forced to leave behind. She tried to run away and had hoped over the fence into her neighbor's yard, where she met Nate. They automatically connected and had become good friends.

Nate had become a good friend to Ruby and offered her rides. One day when he had asked her if she needed a ride, she asked him to take her to a bus stop, but Nate refused and said he could drive her anywhere. She finally gave in and directed him to her old house so she could get her things.

As Ruby becomes close to Nate, she also becomes close with her sister and Jaime. One of Nate's clients in his dad's business is named Harriet, who gave Ruby a job at her jewelry store. Harriet's business earns a lot of profit making a collection of key necklaces inspired by Ruby's.

Lock and Key talks about Ruby's life, and the craziness and baggage that goes along with it. This book has a great storyline and I definitely recommend this book for teenage girls. It will keep you wanting more.

This is an engaging novel that really shows the inner turmoil of having to move into unfamiliar territory and an unfamiliar lifestyle. As Rose tries to adjust, she finds herself entangled in Nate's life, which shows alot of similarities with her own. The plot is engaging and keeps you in suspense until the very end. Whether you already are familiar with Sahah Dessen's work or are delving in for the first time, I totally suggest this book!!! <3

I loved this story overall. It had really good traits, and aspects, and the main idea behind it was rather enjoyable, as are all of Dessen's plots. I'd definitely recommend this to others.

My only problem with this story, as well as a couple of her other novels, is how sexually promiscuous the main characters always seem to be =/. Or, at the very least...how..well, not 'loose' but ...the manner in which many of the female characters in her novels don't hold any morality (or, for some, dont' really care at all about it) as far as having sex at such a young age goes.

It'd be nice if such were otherwise - considering how quickly morality in today's society is disappearing. Girls, especially 'young adult' females reading novels today, need something to look up to other than a lack of modesty. That's my only issue with this novel.

I'll admit, however, Dessen's ability to present sexual scenes (not kissing or loving scenes, but... scenes with actual sex being hinted at) without being at all graphic is quite relieving. And I commend her for such. That's another reason why her stories are so enjoyable - things like that don't obstruct the reader's path towards the story's main idea. Once more, I liked this story, and think it deserves 4 stars, at the very least.

I have read several Sarah Dessen books and this is one of my favorites. Keeping the Moon and Along for the Ride are my other 2 faves of hers. This is a very real book, about a very real subject. It is not a lighthearted, happy go lucky girls book. I loved it. I couldnt wait to read more, I was very involved with the characters throughout the entire book. Read it

So a lot of people are complaining that this novel is different than many of Sarah Dessen's other works. This statement is true but it doesn't make the book bad, it's just different. Ruby just feels a little different than many of Dessens other main characters. It's funny because if you look at some of Ruby's qualities they are very similar to other main characters, but there is something about her that just feels different from the rest. At first you feel like the other characters in the book towards her, a little cautious, guarded, but hopeful. Luckily in the end the book is satisfying and you get that Sarah Dessen feel. As always she isn't afraid to tackle issues, abuse, neglect, even a little drug use. This always makes for realness to her books. All in all a little different from her previous novels but as always Dessens delivers.

The beginning was fantastic. It could my attention immediantly from the start and did not let me let go of it.
The middle was suspenseful.
The ending was only slightly disappointing, but overall, I was still very impressed with the book
The story was original and fabulously told. Fabulously.
A good book, a definite recommendation of mine.

Sarah Dessen creates such a realistic view on life in this novel. She brings together heart break, drama, and romance into a perfect combination. Once I started reading, I couldn't put it down. This novel addresses real life issues that many girls face each and every day. But the greatest thing is that it shows that those issues can be overcome and have great results. This is the first book I've read by Sarah Dessen, and it definitely won't be my last. I absolutely loved it. I can't wait to get my hands on another book by her! Get this book. It will definitely be worth it!

I have always enjoyed Sarah Dessen's novels and I had been waiting to purchase this particular one for a few months. Once I read it, it took a little bit to really get into the story. But after the first chapter or so, I was hooked. It was a fabulous read with plenty of family problems, romance, and twists-- expected from Dessen. I loved the characters and their relationships and how everything turned out just a little different than I expected. Overall, a GREAT novel. Sarah Dessen has done it again!