Lock And Key

Sarah Dessen’s newest novel, Lock and Key, is definitely one of my favorites. The story centers on seventeen-year-old Ruby Cooper, who’s been living with her mother in a series of not-so-nice lodgings. They’ve been at the yellow house for nearly a year now, and all Ruby can think about is finally turning eighteen in a couple of months and getting to be on her own - which is what she’s always wanted. When Ruby’s mother vanishes, she’s convinced that she can evade the nosy neighbors and the educational system until her birthday. But doing so doesn’t prove to be so easy.

"Ruby, where is your mother?" Once that question is in the air, Ruby knows she can’t lie anymore. The social worker removes Ruby from her home and places her under the care of her sister, Cora, whom she hasn’t seen in ten years. Cora is married to wealthy entrepreneur Jamie, and the two of them live in a luxurious house in an exclusive neighborhood. They’re offering Ruby a total life transformation - private school, new clothes, and the opportunity of a future Ruby never would have dreamed of. So why is Ruby wary of it all, unable to let anyone get too close?

Her old life has been wiped away and replaced by a new one - one consisting of Perkins Day, carpools with Nate, the jock boy from next door, and Olivia, who uses her cell phone as if it were a vital organ. Nobody seems to understand why Ruby can’t just be comfortable with everything - except for Nate, that is. But maybe that’s because he’s withholding some secrets of his own.

Lock and Key was one of those books I just couldn’t put down. It tugs on your heartstrings, flicks playfully at the very depth of emotion, and, of course, makes you laugh. It’s not necessary to be a Sarah Dessen fan to enjoy this book - but if you are, it won’t disappoint, and it will surely earn some new fans as well.