I Walked With You Once Upon a Dream • Dreamland

Dreamland by Sarah Dessen
Publisher: Speak
Publication Date: May 11, 2004
Source/Format: Gifted by Katelyn || Paperback

Ever since she started going out with Rogerson Biscoe, Caitlin seems to have fallen into a semiconscious dreamland where nothing is quite real. Rogerson is different from anyone Caitlin has ever known. He's magnetic. He's compelling. He's dangerous. Being with him makes Caitlin forget about everything else - her missing sister, her withdrawn mother, her lackluster life. But what happens when being with Rogerson becomes a larger problem than being without him?

I'm a major Sarah Dessen fan. Ever since I first picked up The Truth About Forever, I've read just about every single one of her novels. It was only recently I discovered that I hadn't read Dreamland - and my friend Katelyn was wonderful enough to send me a copy of this novel!

Dreamland is different from Sarah Dessen's other novels, if only because I felt like it was a little darker and well, told in a very "dreamy" manner. Though I may sound a little negative, trust me, I actually really liked this novel! It may not necessarily be my favorite, but it did make an impact on me after I'd read it.

Sarah Dessen has again proven to me that she is the master of taking tough issues and not being afraid to expose them for what they really are. Dreamland is many parts sad, yet ends brimming with honesty and hope.

The Character

I think it has a lot to do with what I was experiencing at the time I read Dreamland, but I really felt like I could relate to Caitlyn. Yes, the issues we face(d) are different. Yes, our responses to them are also different. But her crazy mix of emotions, her feeling of general invisibility to the world around her and the need to forge a path that was uniquely hers - these things I definitely could understand. Reading about her experience was heartbreaking - but it also raised my awareness and my level of understanding.

The Story

My heart broke quite a few times reading Caitlyn's story. Sure, there were definitely moments when I felt extremely glad and really hopeful for her and I felt like it reached a realistic, just right conclusion at the end - but a lot of this novel was just really, really sad to me. It often felt like I was submerged in "dreamland" with Caitlyn, with the struggles and feelings keeping me prisoner alongside her.

It took a bit of time for the novel to pick up in terms of story for me though. I honestly struggled a bit with the beginning (starting at chapter one, not the very first bit), but it was definitely worth it in the end.

Personally, I say you should...

Read this book if you're a fan of compelling, honest, contemporary YA novels. Sarah Dessen is definitely an author I would recommend to all readers interested in this genre, as she does it so well. Dreamland is a gripping novel that will tug at your emotional heartstrings.

This review was posted as part of Rewind & Review.

Rewind & Review is a great monthly feature started by Ginger of GReads! and Lisa of Lisa is Busy Nerding. Each month, participants will set aside some "older" titles to read and review on their blogs. This feature is the perfect opportunity to get around to reading that title you've been eyeing for years or that book that's been in your TBR for what feels like forever. For more information, you can visit this post.