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." (Ruby Cooper)
I wasn't interested in reading this book. I put it off for months, weeks, until finally I forced myself to read it. As soon as I started, I flew through it. It's always the books that you expect the least from that end up surprising you the most. Lock and Key was an amazing read!
The synopsis of Lock and Key is extremely misleading. I thought that this book was going to be about falling for the boy next door (and to an extent - it was), however tough issues are dealt with, mainly abandonment and abuse.
One day, Ruby's mom abandons her and Ruby is left to fend for herself. However, her landlords find out about it. Ruby is sent to live with her sister, Cora, who she hasn't spoken to in years and her brother-in-law, Jamie.
"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. (Ruby Cooper)
The characters in Lock and Key are amazing. Ruby starts off as being a cynical, self-interested scarred character and her growth and development is extremely heartwarming. Nate is the perfect, rich kids and the layers of his perfect life are stripped away to reveal something deeper. Cora, Ruby's sister started off as an unlikable character who I eventually grew to love. Jamie, Cora's husband, was one of those perfect kind of guys and he was such a cool character. The other secondary characters, Olivia, Gervais, Harriet, Reggie and Heather were great and quirky characters. I loved that most of the characters in Lock and Key weren't stereotypical cardboard-cut-outs nor were most of them perfect. The perfect love interest isn't flawless, the queen bee isn't a meanie and the main character doesn't always make the right decisions, but because of ALL of these factors, I grew to love them.
I also loved that Lock and Key focuses on family. What is family? What does it mean to someone whose mother has abandoned her? Along with this is an amazing sister-bonding relationship that I wanted more emphasis to be placed on. However, I found the fact that this book didn't deal with the abuse and abandonment itself, but dealt with the aftereffects from those events, refreshing and an interesting angle to read from. I was also extremely grateful for the lack of romance, even although it was there, because there was more focus on Ruby and her life and the much needed fact that being in a relationship doesn't make everything better.
However, I felt hopeful at the way this book ended, but I didn't believe it. Everything ended way too "happily ever after" like the little ribbon were wrapped up a little too nicely and I just couldn't believe the rainbows and unicorns and sunsets, no matter how hard I tried.
Sarah Dessen is the one of my contemporary queens. Yes, I have only read two books of hers, but she hasn't disappointed me (and she won't disappoint me because she IS queen). Lock and Key not only proved that Dessen is queen, but it dealt with issues of abandonment and abuse, had amazing character growth along with characters that I couldn't help but love.