"Dreamland" by Sarah Dessen (Victoria)

I read the book, "Dreamland", and for once, it turned out better than I thought it would. Usually, when you pick a book off the shelf, you think to yourself, do I really want to read this, or am I just reading it because Mrs. Foster is making us pick a book? Funny, really, I was leaning towards both ways. Even though I read it because I had too, it was still good. After doing a math assignment from Ms. Shuette, reading the book put me somewhere else, as corny as that may sound.
Speaking of which, the author made a good job of putting you in the place that you were reading. It seemed as though the book took really long to even get through the chapter, but, hey, at least it was a kept-you-going type book. The characters didn’t really seem "down to earth", as some people would call it. The main character, Caitlin, goes through both emotional and a physical crisis. Her sister runs away, which would put anyone through stress, as well as getting a new boyfriend.
Teenagers today think that it’s a right of passage when you have a "boyfriend or girlfriend", and Caitlin felt for it. Her new boyfriend, Rogerson, may seem all peaches and cream at first with his blond hair and L.A.Looks gel with the best of Abercrombie. However, he beats her on her back, legs, arms, stomach, practically everywhere...., and that's where the story really gets started.
Some of the connections I made with the book were the hobby for photography, and the main character develops that as more time goes on. Also, she as a sister, but in this connection, my sister doesn’t run away. I guess you could say that the plot and the book itself seemed realistic however, there were a few parts where it’s just like "whatever" or "come on, like that would really happen". The sad thing is, it can happen, just like how anything can happen. Other than those boring parts, the majority of it was great. I have a connection that could relate to the world, when it comes to the difficulties and complexities of adolescence, where almost any teen can relate too. For me, I can't say that I relate to the characters fully, for various reasons. First, they make bad decisions, not that I never make mistakes, but they make decisions like smoking, violence, drinking and basically, the stuff you see on TV. I would definately recommend this book to others because its not too boring, or plain, or just blah...its just right. :-)
Overall, the story wasn't good, it was great!

Written and published by the fabulous Victoria