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Lock and Key
by Sarah Dessen (Goodreads Author)
by Sarah Dessen (Goodreads Author)
** spoiler alert **
That was a shock. Definitely nowhere near as good as I expected it to be. I mean, maybe Just Listen heightened my expectations, but hey, this was not even comparable to her earlier books. *sigh* Where to begin... -Ruby gets absolutely no resolution, IMO. It's great that she and Cora get along, but what about the potential Dad search? And her mother's not any better. What happens to the yellow house? -The key. You don't do that. That's not how you tie loose ends up. She needed to have kept that key forever, that's just...no. Dumping the key is in no way symbolic nor is it realistic. -Nate is too perfect to be flawed. This isn't to say that you know, popular kids aren't abused or something. It's just...there would be hints all the way, and there weren't, not any decipherable ones. He doesn't act right, it's just not realistic! -Ruby knows better than to sit back and wait instead of getting up and helping. -Parts of the book were highly predictable in a bad way. I mean, Just Listen, you knew it was going to be Annabel and Owen, but when it happened, you were still super over the stars excited. Here...stuff happened. Reggie and Harriet, Cora being pregnant, Nate and Ruby, and it's all just...oh yeah. knew that was going to happen. oh well. -LOVED the tie-ins. Yay, Annabel and Owen cameos <3 (is Rogerson the same Rogerson?) It just...didn't function well. Plotlines didn't mesh, things didn't get resolved well or realistically...it was just...blah. (And you KNOW how much I hate to say that, because I absolutely LOVE Sarah. *sigh*)
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I mean, okay, so Sarah WAS pregnant and in a hurry to get the book out, but yeah, they could have dedicated more time to editing. We'd have been fine with waiting, I'm sure :)
Aimee wrote: "I didn't think it was too bad.. but certainly nothing compared to some of her other books. I do agree there was a lot more which could have been used.It was the same Rogerson, but post-Caitlin he..."
Hey just wanted to answer that about the key. She gives Nate the key to Cora's house, not the yellow house. That's why she says "in case you change your mind", as in you can come back. Then at the end she tosses the yellow house key into the pond. :)
& to add onto what Alma wrote about the yellow key being put into the pond, i think it symbolizes that, the yellow house was her home [if that's what you would call it:], but now that she's with Cora, she truly feels at peace. so she throws the key into the pond, so that some of the past can stay with her future. i mean just because it's not on her doesnt mean she's not going to remember it. she'll always remember that pond, her white koi, & the key to her yellow house :) so, i think she did the right thing, but that's just how I look at things.
*************SPOILER**************What frustrated me the most was Nate. I needed more character depth with this guy. I wasn't even excited with the Ruby-Nate relationship(ugh). Their lives didn't even improve when they started dating. Nothing but hormones took over. He basically relies on sex to get away from the horrors he was experiencing with his father. Next thing you know, Ruby finally puts a stop to it and sends him flying to Arizona...????
Too bad this was the first Sarah Dessen book I picked up -- maybe I'll give her another chance... maybe
Jenna wrote: "*************SPOILER**************What frustrated me the most was Nate. I needed more character depth with this guy. I wasn't even excited with the Ruby-Nate relationship(ugh). Their lives didn't ..."
Give her another chance! Lock and Key was a very weak point for her. I strongly suggest Just Listen.
This is exactly how I felt about this book. Especially what you said about Nate. I mean, at first he seemed like Mr. Perfect who could come in and save Ruby and give her a good life and stuff and then all of a sudden he's going through almost the same thing she was. At that point, I started thinking they weren't even right for each other. I don't know–I just didn't like it. And also the thing about the pond. I thought that was a stupid way of getting closure.
It was the same Rogerson, but post-Caitlin hence the "assault" remark.
Did anyone notice that she gives the key to Nate and he has it when he leaves... but suddenly at the end it's on her bureau and being thrown into the pond??
A little sketchy in editing I would say.