My Lullaby of You is described as a book for fans of Jenny Han and Sarah Dessen. I was sold once I read that. When I saw that it was up for review, I grabbed my chance. Thanks to Xpresso Book Tour and the author for this opportunity.

 For fans of Jenny Han and Sarah Dessen, My Lullaby of You is a Young Adult Contemporary Romance about guarded love, complicated families, and the summer that changes everything.

AMY
It’s the summer after high school. Amy can’t wait to leave her small hometown in North Carolina for the vibrant city of Chicago, where she plans to go to her dream college and hopes to build a stronger relationship with her father.

But as she deals with her mother’s resentment over her leaving and an intriguing yet provoking college student, Amy’s reminded of things she’s tried to forget and forced to face emotions she never expected.

SETH
It’s the summer before the last year of music school. Seth would rather be anywhere else than a small beach town in North Carolina, reopening wounds he thought he’d patched long ago and facing the father he hasn’t seen since his mother’s death.

While on his mission for answers, Seth is drawn to an observant and driven local he can’t seem to figure out.

Cover

This cover is beautiful! It’s so simple, but that’s the beauty of it. The colors mix well. The beach is an important place in this book, so what is better than a cover with that?

Plot

This book was written so beautifully and with a lot of emotion. I honestly didn’t think it was a debut novel. My Lullaby of You was a book filled with emotions, moving on and learning what you really want in life. Amy just graduated college and got into her dream college! She is so happy until her mother makes a big deal out of it and is actually angry. All Amy wants is to follow her dream while trying to build a better relationship with her father. Seth lost his mother a few years ago and recently found out things that were unexpected. He heads to North Carolina to find his father and get the truth one and for all. A summer in North Carolina brings two people together in very unexpected ways. Amy doesn’t really want anything to do with Seth in the beginning, but they just keep running into each other (even if it may be on purpose, haha). Not much happens, but everything happens at the same time. Both of these characters go through so much and grow in so many ways. They both feel things they never though they would. Alia Rose really makes you feel things these characters do and you want them to have a happily ever after. I read this book in one day and was sad when it was over. Getting to read from both Tessa and Seth’s POV helped a lot. This gave me an idea what both were feeling and dealing with. I guess this book kind of shows us you have to grow apart to come back together? Amy and Seth both have to grow up and face things they never have faced before. I love that this book is split into two seasons. The lyrics written in the songs are beautiful and touching and I wish I could actually hear them. The only reason this book didn’t get five stars is that I feel that the ending wasn’t completely the ending. I feel like something is still missing, even though I can’t explain what.

Characters

Amy has been with her mother since her parents got a divorce. Her Dad isn’t around much and her mother feel apart when he left. Amy had to become a parent for awhile while her mother was really depressed. This is still hard for her, because she feels really responsible. So much so, that she doesn’t dare tell her mother where she wants to go to college. Which is a valid feeling, because her mother freaks out when she finds out. Amy is hurt, because he worked so hard! She shouldn’t feel guilty. Seth makes her feel things she never felt before and she’s not sure what to do with it. She will be leaving soon, so does she dare try this? Things don’t go as planned and this hurts Amy, just like being closer to her father wasn’t everything she expected either. Amy grows a lot in this book though. She does learn to choose what is best for her and open up. Two very important things.

Seth lost his mother at 16 and hasn’t been the same since. Especially having a father that stopped talking to him after his mother’s death. He is still really hurt. When he finds out things about his mother and needs answers. Only his father can give him answers. Seth never expected to meet Amy while searching for answers, but this is so unexpected and he is feeling so much. During his time in North Carolina his music becomes important and he really needs to start thinking about what he wants. Even if not everything is resolved, Seth goes after his dreams and learns that things can go his way. This gives him a chance to process everything and dedicate things to his mother and maybe even forgive himself. He is sweet, romantic, sensitive and very talented. Another one to add to the book boyfriend list!

My Lullaby of You is definitely for fans of Jenny Han and Sarah Dessen. This is a beautiful book and a great debut. I really hope Alia Rose gets to write more books!