I have loved Sarah Dessen since I was handed a copy of The Truth About Forever. I have slowly been getting all of her books and Dreamland of course was on that list. Up until Stephanie was so kind as to get me a copy I hadn't really read much about the book. So without knowing what I was getting into I sat down to read.
I was surprised that Sarah wrote about a subject that a lot of other authors only gloss over or don't touch on at all. The issue of abuse is one that no matter how much we may dislike it and wish it never happened, does happen; and a lot more than we would like to believe.
I can relate to the main character Caitlin in a way, I don't have the same home life that she did in the book, runaway sister, overbearing but still slightly withdrawn mother, and a father that just hangs out on the edge. But I too was in an abusive relationship. I loved him just as Caitlin loved Rogerson and would do just as Caitlin did to make sure that I kept him as happy as possible.
My heart broke for Caitlin every time Rogerson got that look in his eyes and I cringed along with her when she knew that something was going to upset him.
As much as I loved this book, and all the characters, yes even Rogerson; I do wish that the ending was a little different. I would have like to have known how Caitlin handled the first meeting with Rogerson after the time spent away from him. Really, would he have even acknowledged Caitlin? Would she have been able to stand tall and prove that no matter what she was strong?
I guess we'll never know. Though I like to think that after some time she would have been able to be around him without breaking down. ( )

CW: Controlling abusive boyfriend ( )

This is my first Sarah Dessen book and I think I can understand why she is so popular. This book is good. Dessen tackles a tough subject with sensitivity and understanding. The story is raw and real and totally compelling, and I usually avoid novels that deal with Issues. I also like the way she ended the book, not quickly and neatly tying up the loose ends as many books do, but showing the long and slow recovery process that Caitlin goes through. It seems like her feelings toward Rogerson are not entirely resolved, which is very true to life. My only gripe is that I wish we were given more insight to Rogerson's character. For the male lead, he got very little character development, and the small glimpse into his home life wasn't sufficient enough to explain his behaviour. ( )

What a chore it was to finish this, and to particularly read past the first thirty pages. Eighty percent of this is just a shy high school girl smoking a ton of weed. IRL, fine. But this book was advertised as having a domestic violence plot as well as a runaway sister. I was so swept away by this book when I was a teen. I can't believe I forgot what this book was really about, since it fills nearly every page. The characters are cheap cardboard cutouts, there's hardcore instalove, the mother is a real smother, the dad is distant, and everyone blames themselves for ignoring a girl they've ignored from the start, once it had consequences. I felt no attachment to Corinne and wasn't convinced of the protagonist's and Rina's friendship either. Cass was a really selfish person, even with evidence of parents like that. And--just so much of this book was unrealistic and cliche. "Black and Blue" by Anna Quindlen tells a story of domestic violence, too, but in a very different way. I recommend it, or "Breathing Underwater" by Alex Flinn, although it's from an abusive teenager's perspective, rather than his girlfriend, as it is in this book. ( )

Before i start talking about this book. Let me say i am usually a very big fan of Sarah Dessen. Her books, the one's i have read previously, are usually about a teenager , a girl , dealing with issues and somehow coming out of it stronger. The issues that they deal with seem to be something most of us can relate to. The characters i.e the friends, the main 'hero' all are usually well drawn out characters and you are pulled into their loves.
Dreamland was so so far from that, that it almost seemed as though this wasn't a Sarah Dessen.
First of all this wasn't even remotely about coming out of the issue rather about going deeper and deeper into more issues.
The characters Rogerson and Caitlin are not interesting. They are not engaging.
Fundamentally the way the story proceeded and kept proceeding did not make sense to me. The choices the characters made were so unbelievable that it completely spoiled the reading experience for me.
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