Although at times the main character Cait frustrated me because I couldn't understand why she would stay in this abusivie relationship, it truely was a great book. A true tear jerker for me :]

The topic of Dreamland breaks off from the rest of Sarah Dessen's novels in dramatic fashion, focusing on what would happen if Sarah's usual soul searching female lead fell for an abusive boy instead of the likable types we all know and love. What would happen then? How would the story change?

Abusive relationships are difficult for most who haven't been through them to process clearly, and in this regard I think Sarah Dessen does a good job of situating the characters and plot that lead to how such a relationship blossoms under the extreme stress placed upon Caitlin. Caitlin goes through the story bumping into things, becoming involved in things she doesn't necessarily like (Cheer leading, for instance) and insisting that they "just happened," as if she had no say in the matter. The same is true for her relationship to Rogerson, which "just happens" one day and manages to evolve because Rogerson is very intriguing. He seems to know the answer to any trivia question ever conceived, which Caitlin finds impressive, along with his wild hair and successful private school life. He's smart as a whip and definitely mysterious, a recipe for being a heart breaker. Caitlin is swept away quickly and shoved under before she knows it. Rogerson may be intriguing, but he's an obsessive type that leads quickly to his placing non-existent blame on Caitlin, and she suffers physically as a result.

Despite this, she can't break away. She's under water, drowning in Rogerson's abuse and unable to help herself or reach out for help. Instead she covers up the bruises and delves deeper into the relationship, seeing no other option for what to do. She becomes increasingly stressed, anxious, and pushes away her friends, doing anything she can to keep Rogerson happy as the cycle continues to spin out of control.

The cycle is an old one, but Dreamland makes it fresh and disturbing. Some readers have complained that Rogerson's voice is drowned out in the last half of the book, when the abuse starts, but I find this natural in abusive relationships. It's very much a lonely experience, even when it has very much to do with another person. Rogerson's voice is blacked out when the abuse starts, mainly because Caitlin, as the victim, is focusing on her pain, her love, her path and wondering how on earth she can finally wake up and surface from a relationship that has her head shoved underneath the water.

It's a must read for teenage girls, although I'd suggest a parent read it along with them and discuss its contents.

I began reading this two days ago, and I couldn't put it down. The storyline was good. It was a real view of what girls do in abusive relationships. It could help people understand a little more why women stay with abusive guys.
A realistic point of view about mothers with their daughters.

I read somewhere that Dessen didn't want people to just call this a problem book...though it does have a problem book plot but I would NEVER consider it a problem book because it's very good. This was my very first Dessen book and I am a fan of her work so this one is pretty good. Not good at summarizing so I'm not but please read this if you're into girly books because it's good...also if you're into books like Perfect by Natasha Friend I think you'll like it!

Dreamland is a very realistic book that shows what its like to be in an abusive relationship. It is about a girl named Caitlin and how she is constantly in her older, seemingly perfect sister's shadow. Cass, her sister, suddenly runs away on Caitlin's 16th birthday. Her mom basically flips out and can tell she is deeply concerned. She feels like she should have seen it coming. Her dad, on the other hand, becomes more quiet.
Caitlin always felt like she was under Cass in everyone's eyes. She turns down a football player in order to choose a different path than Cass. She ends up with Rogerson, this dark dreadlocked mysterious boy. He goes to a private school and everyone sees him as dangerous but Caitlin holds on because of how interesting he is.
At first, she is very excited about how the relationship is going- completely away from anything her sister would do. She likes how interesting and different Rogerson is. After a fight, ending in Rogerson hitting her, she is stunned. Although, she stays with him because she can see the hurt in his eyes after he has done wrong and she almost feels sorry for him since she knows he goes through the same thing at home. I never understood why people would stay with eachother in an abusive relationship but Dessen does a good job of getting the reader to understand. The book does have a good ending, though i wont give it away.
Not only was the story line intriguing, but the book was just very well written. You saw many different sides of each character and it really brought you into the story. I felt like i was watching a movie and when i had to stop reading i wanted to go back home and press play and let the story unfold.
I highly recommend this book to girls probably above the age of 14/15. It can be disturbing at some points, but given the plot line, its acceptable.
I really enjoyed getting to understand different reasonings from this book, and i thought it was written very well.

i didn't really like this book because it was written a little amaturish... she didn't really add a lot of details so there weren't many places where scenes were vivid. I thought i would love this book because i am usually a fan of her books, but i just don't think it was her best work. it had a good story, but just not enough details to back it so it didn't hold my interest very well.

This is the sort of book that could go in many sorts of ways. It could be considered dull and cliched by people bored with the subject. It could be said to be encouraging bad, dangerous behavior. And it could also be said to be one of the most incredible books a reader will stumble upon.

Sarah Dessan's other books are pretty much of the same material. The girl and the problem. But while "Dreamland" fits snugly in this template, unlike Dessan's others, it stands out as a book that members of both genders can enjoy, understand, and treasure, mostly because this book is about so much more than main character Caitlin and her "problem".

For some readers, this book appears to be dumb and pointless. Why? Because it tackles serious issues, and handles them well. Caitlin's story is TOO real. Her problems EXIST. They are relevant and important aspects of our society, ones we tend to ignore. "Dreamland" brings us into a character who falls into traps, who slowly begins to disappear from herself through pain and drugs.

"Dreamland" is so complete, so well formed. It is an important story of the girl and the problem where the problem is the most important person in her life and she refuses to give it away. Caitlin's dependence, need, and ultimate pain from this need is all so real and well done. The writing is clear and well-done. The characters are drawn out in such ways that they are all extremely real, though not always too three-dimensional.

For its incredible way of handling important issues alone, "Dreamland" is highly recommended. On the whole, an excellent, important book.

Caitlin's older sister Cass was always the star of the family. She was the varsity athlete, the good student, the member of several different clubs, and the one their mother focused on. Cass' schedule was always taped to the refrigerator, and their mother made sure to be at every sporting event, every fundraiser, everything Cass was involved in. Caitlin was much more average than her older sister, and she was a little bit jealous, although she loved Cass.



Then, on Caitlin's sixteenth birthday, just a few days before Cass was set to leave for Yale, Cass is gone. She leaves a note announcing she is running away, and the family guesses she ran away to be with a new boyfriend she started going out with over the summer. Everyone is stunned and no one knows quite what to do. Caitlin's father becomes quiet and sad, but never gives up hope that they will find Cass and convince her to come home. Caitlin's mother at first throws herself into Caitlin's cheerleading, but then gradually drifts away.



Caitlin is determined to finally step out of Cass' shadow and follow her own path. Instead of dating a boring football player, she beings to date Rogerson, a dark and mysterious prep-school student who everyone thinks is dangerous. At first their relationship is exciting and Caitlin is caught up in how interesting it is. But then, after the first time Rogerson hits her, things start going downhill fast. Caitlin is embarrassed that she would let herself go in such a different direction from Cass, but she isn't quite sure what she can do to reverse things.



I really liked Boo and Stewart; they were the exact opposite of Caitlin's family, but that made them even more comforting and a good balance to their neighbors. I thought the ways Caitlin's family fell apart were realitic, and I liked how Caitlin eventually began to see how Cass' life wasn't as perfect as she had thought it was.



It was horrible, though, to read a book about this girl in an abusive relationship. It seemed like Caitlin ought to have been smart enough to get away from Rogerson when he started to hit her, and I found it frustrating that nobody saw what was going on.

Caitlin's older sister Cass was always the star of the family. She was the varsity athlete, the good student, the member of several different clubs, and the one their mother focused on. Cass' schedule was always taped to the refrigerator, and their mother made sure to be at every sporting event, every fundraiser, everything Cass was involved in. Caitlin was much more average than her older sister, and she was a little bit jealous, although she loved Cass.

Then, on Caitlin's sixteenth birthday, just a few days before Cass was set to leave for Yale, Cass is gone. She leaves a note announcing she is running away, and the family guesses she ran away to be with a new boyfriend she started going out with over the summer. Everyone is stunned and no one knows quite what to do. Caitlin's father becomes quiet and sad, but never gives up hope that they will find Cass and convince her to come home. Caitlin's mother at first throws herself into Caitlin's cheerleading, but then gradually drifts away.

Caitlin is determined to finally step out of Cass' shadow and follow her own path. Instead of dating a boring football player, she beings to date Rogerson, a dark and mysterious prep-school student who everyone thinks is dangerous. At first their relationship is exciting and Caitlin is caught up in how interesting it is. But then, after the first time Rogerson hits her, things start going downhill fast. Caitlin is embarrassed that she would let herself go in such a different direction from Cass, but she isn't quite sure what she can do to reverse things.

I really liked Boo and Stewart; they were the exact opposite of Caitlin's family, but that made them even more comforting and a good balance to their neighbors. I thought the ways Caitlin's family fell apart were realitic, and I liked how Caitlin eventually began to see how Cass' life wasn't as perfect as she had thought it was.

It was horrible, though, to read a book about this girl in an abusive relationship. It seemed like Caitlin ought to have been smart enough to get away from Rogerson when he started to hit her, and I found it frustrating that nobody saw what was going on.

Sarah Dessen has done it again. As a loyal reader, I find this book one of her best. She has managed to bring her characters to life, again. It is some of her best writing. In this novel, Caitlin O'Koren is a seventeen year-old girl in high school. She has always been compared to her sister Cassandra who was, as everyone else saw her, the perfect kid until she runs off, weeks before heading to Yale, with her boyfriend of three months. Afterwards, her parents are busy worrying of Cass, and Caitlin meets Rogerson Biscoe. It all seems to be perfect for Cass, even though Rogerson is a pot dealer, and secretive. She goes along with it, only to sink to a new low for herself. This realism of characters is something Sarah Dessen works so well. She made these characters come to life, and this story almost becomes a real life movie in your head. I think we can all relate to holding onto something we have control over, even if it isn't right for us, or the time. This book would be a good read for anyone. My recommendation is high for this book, although I do think teenage girls would enjoy it most.

it was a good book. Well written. I thought it was especially good because it wasn't predictable. I'm going to read more Sarah Dessen books.

This was one of the best books that I have read recently. It is a great read for teenagers and definantly relateable. The way that author, Sarah Dessen, pulls in the reader makes you want to read more and more. There are tons of twists and turns from the beginning to end. The events are so unexpected from each turn of a page which makes the reader want to read more and more! I would definantly recommend this book and I look forward to reading many many more Sarah Dessen books after Dreamland!

This was one of the best books that I have read recently. It is a great read for teenagers and definantly relateable. The way that author, Sarah Dessen, pulls in the reader makes you want to read more and more. There are tons of twists and turns from the beginning to end. The events are so unexpected from each turn of a page which makes the reader want to read more and more! I would definantly recommend this book and I look forward to reading many many more Sarah Dessen books after Dreamland!

When Cass leaves after being accepted to Yale and living what is described as a perfect life, Caitlin is left to pick up the pieces. Her mother has always fawned over Cass and now it's Caitlin's turn. She's encouraged to join the cheerleading squad she has no interest in and soon meets up with Rogerson, an abusive drug addict who soon has her flunking out, drinking and drugging and getting knocked around. I don't think the author did a good job making the reader understand why Caitlin stayed in the relationship as long as she did. And, though I understand the mother had to be portrayed as someone who would needle until someone would want to run away, the mother irritated the snot out of me. When Caitlin did think her mom had finally figured out her secret and was going to confront her, the mother was simply confronting Caitlin on the lack of color she had been wearing in her wardrobe. Not much of a plot here. Can't say as I enjoyed the book at all.

Dreamland is about Caitlin and her sister Cass runs away and Caitlin was always in her shadow. Cass runs away and Caitlin becomes a cheerleader which she doesn't want to be one. She falls in love with Rogerson and he ends up beating her up. I loved this story. I could see a little of my past relationship in Caitlin and Rogerson, (my ex never beat me) and I know how she felt. It is a wonderful story.

This book started out with a good beginning, with Caitlin's missing sister and her joining the cheerleading squad. However, I found that as the book continued, I was enjoying it less and less, and couldn't wait for it to end. First of all, it seems unreal that Caitlin would talk to someone she didn't even know (Rogerson) on her way to the game after party with her friends. Caitlin didn't even know whether he went to her school or not, yet agreed to go out with him. Also, he seems much older than her, which makes it dangerous for her to go out with him. Second, I hated that she kept getting beaten by Rogerson. I understand that that is one of the main points of Dreamland, but it never seemed to end. A good portion of the book was about her getting beaten and her taking drugs, which wasn't enjoyable to read. Finally, I hated that Caitlin became a drug addict and became seperated from her friends and school work. She got kicked off the squad due to her lack of enthusiasm and attendance to the practices, and spent too much time with Rogerson and none with her friends. The only part I liked about the book, besides the beginning, was the ending, but I won't give anything away about it. Overall, this book was a disappointing read and found it much different compared to other novels by Sarah Dessen. I would not recommend it to anyone under 13 due to the topics the book contains, and I did not enjoy it.

She's quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. I loved this book and actually gasped outloud at some of the twists and turns that it took. I found similarities to my own life which made it even more interesting. Definitely a great read!

Dreamland by Sarah Dessen is a book about a seventeen-year-old girl by the name of Caitlin who is going trough some hard times. Every year since this year she has been the one who always looks up to her sister and is expected to be more like her sister. Then one day her older sister decides to leave early one morning and go live with her boyfriend in New York. She is then faced with new conflicts such as boys, drinking, and smoking.
Dreamland mostly is about what Caitlin goes through after her sister leaves. She comes face to face and falls in love with a boy by the name of Rogerson. For many months she and Rogerson always treat each other with respect until one day, Caitlin was seen walking with a boy and when he got into Rogerson's car he abused her, and he continued on doing this rancorous act for many weeks. However, one day he is seen by Caitlin's neighbor, hitting Caitlin outside the car and is reported. Caitlin's mother rushes over to find Caitlin on the ground all bruised up and crying. For many months she is put in mental institution, but never has to deal with the harmful acts for Rogerson again.
Out if the many books I have read I would have to say that Dreamland was one of the best. I always wanted to know what was going to happen next, so it got me to continue on reading the book. Even though at times during the book were upsetting all I wanted to do is to continue on reading. I would recommend this book to people who really enjoy reading, because at times I didn't want to continue but I did because I knew something good was bound to happen. All in all if you enjoy dramatic, sad, yet very good books you should most definitely read Dreamland.

Dessen's "Dreamland" is probably one of the most accurate portrayals of dating violence that I've read in fiction. People often wonder why victims don't leave their abusers, and how they could continue to love the person who hurts them. Dessen vividly portrays how Caitlin understands that what Rodgerson is doing is wrong, but she is afraid to leave. Her self-esteem is so fragile that she assumes everyone will blame her for getting into such a dangerous situation.

One of the strengths of this book is Dessen's shaping of Rodgerson. We find that he has led an affluent life and has a brilliant mind, but he has been a victim of his father's abuse. Dessen makes him human and allows us to have sympathy for him before he begins abusing Caitlin. Unfortunately, once he turns on Caitlin, Rodgerson's voice in the story becomes almost absent. He has very little dialogue, and we hear about most of his and Caitlin's interactions (positive and negative) only through Caitlin's recollections. I would have loved to have seen more dialogue from Rodgerson throughout the book.

Nevertheless, I highly recommend this book for young adults and even adults. I'm 37 and found I couldn't put this book down.

This is the most fantastic book i have ever read. I couldn't stop reading it and finished it within 2 days. I couldn't have said it better myself. It was as if the author was writing a story about when i was younger. She captured everything perfectly. I would recommend this story to anyone. And if all of Sarah Dessen books are this good i am going to be busy over the next few days lol.

Caitlin has always been in her sister's perfect, over-achieving shadow. When her sister runs away, Caitlin feels completely confused about who she is, now that she's back in the light. When she meets Rogerson Biscoe, she knows he's the perfect escape from her old life. Even when he doesn't fit in with her friends, Caitlin writes it off. She likes who she is when she's around him, someone completely different from who she was before. All too quickly, she falls completely in love with him. She starts to blow her friends off, and soon Robinson is her entire world. But when her world becomes painful -- physically so -- she has nowhere to turn. She feels too distanced from her friends, and her parents are too preoccupied with her sister's disappearance, to know how to escape the cycle of abuse. This haunting, deeply moving novel has a deep, dark undertone, and will touch anyone and everyone who reads it. This is darker than all Dessen's other novels, but she carries it off well.

I absolutly love this book!!! This book is so amazing and so easily written. This book takes you through the life of a teenage girl named Caitlin who has to deal with her sister (Cass)who ran away, her abusive boyfriend and her drug problem. All of this and try to stay on the cheerleading squad that she never wanted to be on in the first place. You will absolutly love this book just like I did.

Turning 16 year old Caitlin O'Koren wakes up on her 16th birthday to discover that her sister has run away with her boyfriend Adam. Caitlin isn't as sad as her mother who is sobbing in the kitchen reading Cass's note. Cass is 18 so she is not a minor anymore. She can go to China if she wants but Caitlin finds her gift which is a Dream Journal that her sister ,Cass, left. Caitlin writes in it.

Caitlin meets Rogerson for the first time at an "abandoned" Car wash and bumps into him. She is moved and quikly finds herself ditching her stupid cheerleading roll at school and getting into it with Rogerson. She starts to smoke pot (which Rogerson sells and is literally falling in love with him. With all this she finds a love for photography. She also spends so much time with Rogerson her grades drop and her sister missing just becomes a blur as caitlin gets bruised and beaten by him but she sticks through because she loves him. She feels shes invisivle and she can't talk to anyone in fear of "Full Contact". She feels she is sinking into the ocean, drowning. She wants to hit the bottom and become invisible so Rogerson doesn't hit her. When the police find out about all this Rogerson goes to Jail but Caitlin doesn't want anything except him. She screams his name and sobs for him. She wants him but can never have him again. She goes to Evergreen ,a recovery center. She lives there for the rest of the school year and soon her love for Rogerson fades. But everytime she thinks of him a huge hole in her heart is formed and she wants him all over again.

I ,personally, LOVED this book. I started crying when they took Rogerson away and I felt as if I was right there with Caitlin screaming his name wanting him to come back. If I could actually meet him, I would love him as Caitlin did. You really get into Caitlin's story and she is happy that she finally has one. Instead of always following her sisters roll being the second-place, also-ran, did-too. She did something her sister never did and is proud, not of being beaten or punched but because she loved Rogerson more than anything in the world at times and (so did I a little).

Like some of Dessen's other novels, Dreamland finds struggle in the suburbs. This story involves a destructive relationship and I thought captures excellently the many dimensions of women, young or old, who are abused.

Despite a meandering beginning, the story gripped me. Of books I've read recently, I would say only Kerry Cohen Hoffman's new release, Easy, pulled me in more quickly. (You just can't match Hoffmann.) Dreamland is on my shortlist of great teen-relationship reads.

Dreamland was a pretty good book. Sarah Dessen wrote it in a way that let me connect to Catlin. It was easy to see how her life was great until a boy came along and changed it all. I'm glad that someone can write about how girls don't mean for someone to become a part of them but then they just do. I would reccomend all girls thinking about having a relationship to read this.

I thought that Sarah Dessen's "Dreamland" was an okay I thought it wasn't one of her best. "Dreamland" was about Caitlin, a girl who has a ton of things going on in her life. Caitlin's sister runs away on her birthday and they don't see her for a very long time. Caitlin's sister leave her a "dream" journal. While Caitlin's sister is gone she joins the cheerleading squad determined to get out of her sisters path. She also gets involved with a guy named Rogerson and she falls in love with him. As there realtionship grows Rogerson seems to get madder and madder about little things Caitlin does, and starts hitting her, and Caitlin lies to people about whats happening. Eventually though Caitlin's mom sees Rogerson hit her and calls the cops. I think that this is an okay book, but it does teach you to speak up for yourself and to do the right thing and not to lie if somebody is hurtting you.

This is absolutely fabulous. It completely sucks you in till you're ready to cry right along with Caitlyn as she deals with the conflict and pulls of her suddenly altered life. I've never before read anything that dealt with abusive relationships like that and I can totally understand and relate to ever decision she had to make and why she did what she did. Took me like a day to read because I couldn't put it down. If you're a teen, (even a boy), you need to read this.
Spend some time in Dreamland...you won't want to wake up!

I am a HUGE fan of Sarah Dessen's books, so when I picked up this one, I was expecting something along the lines of her other books...something with a happy ending and a good storyline. It turns out this book was COMPLETELY different...about a girl who falls into an abusive relationship. I honestly couldn't put the book down! I loved this book (it's one of my favorites)and I liked how it was so much more real than other books I've read. It was depressing and sad and it showed a darker side of life that most people tend to avoid and hide from. Right now I'm the kinda person who is tired of everything having a happy ending, because then I end up getting my hopes up and I end up thinking that everything is happy, there's always a happy ending, that kinda thing. And then when something bad happens, I'm not prepared for it, because my mind is set on a "HAPPY" mode. After reading this book, I realized that life isn't perfect. This book taught me so much and I loved it! Even though it was depressing, it was REAL...and that's what made this book amazing.

this book was real, gritty. It strayed away from Dessen's trade marked... "everything is going to be okay" happy go lucky plotlines. I loved that Caitlin was so real in my mind that she could be me or you or some other girl going through the same problems. It made me stop and think why people deliver and put up with pain from those they love. And it wasnt a book where you felt Caitlin was stupid or weak.. i actually she felt she was strong.. just a little confused and lost. I felt her pain at the loss of her sister and i understood how she pulled away from her family even if it was towards Rogerson.
i love this book but i would not reccomend it to anyone under 15 because of it's drug content..
a great read and another good job by sarah dessen

To simply say, "DREAMLAND is the story of a girl who has an abusive boyfriend," would be selling the book - and the girl - short.

Though the physical abuse is a large portion of Sarah Dessen's darkest story, that is not all. DREAMLAND is also about the dissolution of a family.

When the older daughter leaves, things start to change for little sis. She survives a forgotten birthday (think the Lifetime movie version of Sixteen Candles) and retreats into herself. When she starts dating the bad boy, who is involved in drugs, she hides the bruises. At the risk of sounding corny, it is a physical manifestion of her inner pain.

This is a heavy story. Due to the subject matter and the descriptions of alcohol, drugs, and abuse, it is not appropriate for the grade school crowd. Those who want to introduce a younger teen to Dessen's novels would be wise to start with a lighter story, like That Summer or Keeping the Moon, and wait for Dreamland until high school. Meanwhile, readers who have been through experiences similar to Caitlin's might find solace in these pages.

Overall, a good book which lends itself well to book discussion groups - and hopefully helps someone out there begin her own healing process.

In Dreamland, Caitlin's sister, Cass, runs away instead of going to her parent's choice of college, Stanford. She then decides that she doesn't want her life like Cass' (well before she ran away): perfect daughter. She begins an abusive relationship with the rebel, Rogers on. He is mysterious, brilliant, and yet dangerous. He starts to get Caitlin in deeper trouble; you will have to find out yourself. She slips away from her priorities, school, family and friends because she spends so much time with her boyfriend, Rogerson. Rogerson was controlling her life, in a negative way. Even though she realizes that there was something wrong, she loved Rogerson too much to do anything about it. One day, after so many things build up inside, something happens to Caitlin that sends her to a hospital.
This book is a very good book, one of Sarah Dessen's better books I have read. It is actually one of my favorite books. It has humor, romance, suspense, and more. Some parts of the book had just the right amount of humor when needed. There was romance throughout the novel with Rogerson and Caitlin. There was suspense because I wanted to know what would become of Caitlin when she was hurt. I wanted to know what would she do to make her relationship better, and at the end, it reveals it all. I also wanted to know if Cass ever comes back to the family and if her family ever becomes "normal" again.

Sarah Dessen has written many books such as That Summer, Keeping the Moon, This Lullaby, the Truth About Forever, Dreamland and others. All of these books have won an American Library association award for young adults.
My favorite book by Sarah Dessen is Dreamland. Sarah Dessen writes terrific realistic fiction books about teenagers. Dreamland is about a teenager named Caitlin who is going through hard times. I loved the way Sarah Dessen made Caitlin's problems seem so real and sad. Caitlin's sister ran away to be with her boyfriend and when Caitlin finally finds a boy she really likes he turns out to be bad. This is a problem that some teenagers do have. Boyfriends that hit them and make them smoke and do drugs. Sarah Dessen really is a great author especially when it comes to realistic fiction for teens.

Popular author Sarah Dessen has managed to write yet another book on "teenage issues" without sounding like the school's preachy guidance counselor.
This time, our protagonist is sixteen year-old Caitlin, who bares many characteristics of all of Dessen's leading ladies. On the morning of her sixteenth birthday party, she and her parents wake up to find her older sister, Cass, has run away to be with her new found love. All that's left is the present that Cass left for her sister and the note that was under the coffee maker. Caitin's structured family is in a tailspin. Her father is more withdrawn than ever and her mother becomes obsessed with finding her daughter. Caitlin shrinks into the background, living life as normally as she can.
Her attempt at normality leads to cheerleading tryouts, coaxed by her best friend, Rina. Caitlin manages to make the squad even if she is lacking the zest that the other members seen to have a never ending supply of. It's not long until she meets Rogerson, a student from the fancy prep school, Perkins Day. Rogerson takes a liking to Caitlin and it's not long before they're a "couple".
We watch as Caitlin changes from the good, B-average student to the chain smoking victim of an abusive boyfriend. Rogerson wants her to be with him at all times and if she takes a step out of line, she pays the price of a beating. The reader wants to scream, "Do something! Tell someone!" at poor Caitlin, but she can't. Anyone she could tell has their own problems to deal with.
Caitlin has entered a sort of dreamland. Nothing - the cheerleading, her sister's disappearance, her abusive boyfriend- none of it seems real. She lives for the "safe periods" after Rogerson hits her when he's especially nice to her. It's heartbreaking to watch, but so incredibly real. It's the secret story of many real relationships. Dessen's writing is compelling, often humorous, sometimes depressing, but always powerful. Dreamland is an excellent read for anyone seeking the story of a girl that could be any one of us.

In Sarah Dessen's "Dreamland", the life of teenagers and drama comes to life. A young girls sister mysteriously disappears leaving only a note. This changes her entire life. Being the one who is always hidden by her sister's pride, she begins to glow, but not necessarily in a good way. Peer pressure comes into play and changes many things. Mom and dad become so proud but they don't have a clue about what is happening behind the covers and they are wrapped up in themselves. Every page of this suspenseful book makes you want to keep reading. There are also many moods in the story like happy, sad, mad, scared. The last half of this book is so hard to put down with the interactions and troubles of the characters. All of the characters are changing in good ways and bad. It teaches to not take advantage of what you have and who you are. This book would also make a great movie to watch. Anyone recommended to real this fiction book should read it.

This book is very well written. Its about a girl who gets into a dangerous relationship-and keeps her silence. This boy takes her through a rollercoaster of pain, drugs, alcohol, abuse, and more. Sarah Dessen defiantly captured emotion and was able to write it down. I would recommend this book to a teenager. If you read this book, you it will show you how hard it is to leave a relationship that is abusive. In an overall score, I give it a ten.

Sarah Dessen did a great job with this book. It has real consequenses that people might be going through just like Caitlin. it was a moving story. Caitlins sister runs away from home and Caitlin feels that she has to takes things of her mum mind and she feels she needs to live a life like her sister. She becomes a chairleeder even though she hates it and joins clubs with her mum, she is put under stress. until Rogerson comes into her life. A gorgeos olived skin, dreadlocked, green eyed boy. Thats when she starts to change. She takes drugs and doesn't think much of school. Rogersons under stress too and takes it out on Caitlin, but she is to in love to do anything about it. It becomes a regular thing but caitlin doesnt tell anyone. Shes scared and vunreble to love. This book made me cry a number of times and feel alot for Caitlin.