Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Book Review of Lock and Key

Lock and Key
Lock and Key
Author: Sarah Dessen
Genre: Teen & Young Adult
Book Type: Hardcover
notdonebaking avatar reviewed on + 4 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1


I've really of Sarah Dessen's book. And I've loved most of them, actually, I've loved all but two of them (That Summer and Someone Like You). While Lock and Key isn't going to fall into the favorite category (Just Listen and This Lullaby and The Truth About Forever) it will fall into the love category (Dreamland and Keeping the Moon).

Ever since I heard about SD coming out with a new book I was eagerly awaiting the release date. I devoured all of SD's book within a month and it had been awhile since then. While I can't say I was disappointed by Lock and key, I will say that the book was a bit of a let down.

The main reason I disliked the book was that I felt like SD was losing her touch. We've heard all of this before. The abused boyfriend (Rogerson is hit by his Dad in Dreamland), the distant mother (uh, take your pic), the new town/new friends motif (Keeping the Moon comes to mind). And while, yeah, these are typical things to write about, I felt that it was just too familiar because with SD's writing it's all intertwined. Rogerson has a fair sized part in the book, Kristy and Wes's brother show up, Annabel and Owen are both mentioned, Barbara Starr shows up.(Dreamland, The Truth About Forever, Just Listen, This Lullaby, respectively.) SD's books would make for a very short game of 6 degrees and while I'm not saying all their plot lines are original, I think that it's important to keep every different in order to, well differentiate the books.

While I thought with the story lines SD was losing her touch, she still shines through with being able to weave multiple story lines together. Not a lot of authors manage the many subplots of life and hit it on target. I wish the story line with Ruby's dad had been closed up, rather than the story line with her mother. To me, it should have ended with her running away. For me, that was enough. But, I felt like her Dad might have actually wanted a relationship with her or some sort.

Ultimately, I liked the book, I just wish it hadn't felt so familiar.