Sarah Dessen is defined by her array of insightful and coming of age novels that share similar themes and characters. They generally follow the style of a typical teen fiction novel starting with some sort of individual or family issue and circles back at the end of the novel solving the problem usually with the help of a love interest. Dreamland is vastly different from the typical Dessen novel. It is centered around a teenage girl and involves a love interest, but the characters are notably more complex than the typical character she writes.

     The book is centered around a girl named Caitlin.The novel begins with her sister, Cassandra, who was just accepted into Yale, leaving to New York unexpectedly without a trace. Her sister  was a charismatic extrovert whose brilliant mind was headed towards great things. As the little sister of someone who demands much praise, she suffered with her own self doubts. After joining the cheer team for everyone’s enjoyment exempt from her own, she was in the middle of trying to stabilize her life when she met Rogerson. At first, he was everything she had been looking for, but every time they were together a darker side of him would show.

     The depth of their relationship is one thing that makes the book more intriguing. He is manipulative, misunderstood, and at first seems like the victim of the story–the one in need of her help. As the novel continues they grow considerably attached to each other when he starts to become emotionally–then physically–abusive.

     The story is written very well from a stylistic point of view. The chapters seem to blur together and the repetition creates the feeling that nothing is changing. It does an extremely well job of portraying Caitlin’s emotions through the style rather than spelling it out for you.

     The whole book itself is catered to teenage girls as they are always her protagonists, but I wouldn’t let that fact deter others from reading it. Anyone could gain a lot from the elaborate relationships, characters, and plot that this novel has to offer. The writing isn’t hard to read, but anyone not in high school shouldn’t read it considering the content. This book is a solid 8/10.