Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen

Sarah Dessen is an author who makes her stories really relatable to young adult women. Her realistic fiction takes you into her own made up world with many different stories to tell.

 In her novel, Lock and Key, Dessen tells the story of Ruby. She had a tough upbringing with her unstable mother and is left without a father. Ruby tells the reader the patterns of her mother’s absences. After one of her mom’s longest trips, she does not return. Ruby continues to live in the house her mom rented for a few more weeks until the landlord realizes she is living alone. Since Ruby is a minor, the landlord calls child services. Cora, Ruby’s older sister, is contacted and Ruby is sent to live with her. 

Cora lives a vastly different life than Ruby does. Cora lives in a giant house and is married to the CEO of Ume.com, the hit social network everyone uses. Ruby has to switch from a huge public school to a small, private college preparatory school. She finds it hard to connect with many of the people at the school and only makes a few friends. It takes Ruby a long time to adjust to this new lavish lifestyle because she was accustomed to making all the money for her and her mom. There are clear signs of tension between the two sisters and eventually the truth comes out regarding why that tension is there. 

This book is about Ruby discovering who she is and it is an exciting journey to take. There are ups and downs and I had trouble putting this book down. It is a great read and I was never bored reading it!

Veronica K.