You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.51 AVERAGE
3.51 AVERAGE
Not her best and very predictable. I got a little angry with all of the characters. That is all.
I was late jumping on the Sarah Dessen Wagon - there are still a few of her earlier books I want to read; but I was so excited about this new book coming out. The Moon and More sounded like a cross between a typical Dessen summer-read, but with a slightly different twist. And that's what it turned out to be...different.
I loved that we were back in Colby for this book. I always imagine the little beach town as being smaller than it actually is, but The Moon and More made it appear a lot bigger. There are so many facets to the town, so many aspects waiting to be explored. But I take comfort in that slightly familiar setting. This time around we get to see the touristy stuff again, but from a local perspective. Main character Emaline is in her final summer before going off to college, spending the time working at her family's realty business, that caters to the holiday crowd through rental beach properties. We get to see Emaline's connection to the town as well as her small desire to move out of it; if only to see the life outside town limits.
Like all Dessen novels there is a strong sense of family, or family issues floating around the pages. What I love most about the family side of things, is that Dessen creates a mixed up image of families in every new book, but they all come out feeling incredibly real. There are no perfect families, in any sense of the word; and while the main characters, or maybe even the parents are comfortable, happy, and well adjusted in their family life; there'll be little things to make you know they're not just 2D characters (like constantly entering someone's room without their knowledge, or a nervous habit of chewing gum). Emaline's life is no different. She has her mum, step-sisters, and her step-dad - but they're anything but "step". They are the family she's always known and will always be her main family. But then there's her biological father and his new family, ie. her half-brother. The acceptance of her role in her father's life comes out a lot in this book, and I think she handled it well for someone who had never been given much of a role in that side of the family.
I cannot get enough of the past characters and references that shine through in Dessen novels. It becomes a sort of game, spotting the bits and pieces from other books - this one was slightly easier if you'd read Along for the Ride (my favourite Dessen novel ever!) but there were a few other references I picked up along the way. I adored seeing more of Clyde. I loved him in AftR and I loved him even more this time around. I had hoped we'd get a glimpse of Eli in the Washroom, after all we did see Maggie, Auden and Heidi at Clementine's; but I think I can live with the missing bike-boy.
The part that made this story different was the romance, and unfortunately it was my least favourite part of the book. I struggled with it so much, and I think it made me reluctant to read as fast as I have in the past. I hate love triangles in realistic books, and while this one was sort of less triangly, in which it had definite cuts in the relationships to make them one-on-one, it was still a love triangle in a way and the guys - I wanted to hit them both, multiple times. It's not the first time Sarah Dessen has written a story where two guys come into focus for the main girl, the ones that come to mind both involve poor old Jason, and didn't end well for him. But this one was very different, and I think I'd take original Jason over Theo any day. Emaline starts off the novel in a long-term relationship with her year 9 boyfriend Luke. I instantly fell for him, I thought he was sweet and caring and relaxed: no drama. But the blurb already had me on the lookout for Theo, the new guy in town who was readjusting Emaline's thinking. After a couple of very bad mistakes that had me thinking Luke wasn't who I originally wanted him to be, I started wandering whether I should be switching sides to Theo. I could not like Theo...ever!
This is where the novel lost some points for me. I loved the way it was written, I loved the setting, I loved watching Emaline change and adjust her way of thinking about the Big F's: family, friends, and her future. And while I think we're all meant to be wary of Theo, I really didn't like how much the novel focused on him and them together (I kept hoping for more Luke, even while I wasn't sure I wanted to like Luke either) It also made me question my rule of hating cheaters. I was nervous in a way I've never been with a Dessen novel before, because it's always been obvious where the relationship is going to go, even if there are hiccups. I like watching the main couple do little things to get to know each other, and I've always liked that Dessen romances are not over the top: they're just there and real. The Moon and More was a bit too unsteady on the romance side of things. The way it ended left me feeling better, but there was still a lot of uncertainty.
I did like the ending a lot though. I could get back on board with all the loving Dessen because of the strength shown in Emaline. The moving up and out of Colby while still keeping ties to her roots and loving her home life. And I can't wait for more Sarah Dessen books in the future. I love this little world she's created her for stories. They really are incredible.
4/5 stars
I loved that we were back in Colby for this book. I always imagine the little beach town as being smaller than it actually is, but The Moon and More made it appear a lot bigger. There are so many facets to the town, so many aspects waiting to be explored. But I take comfort in that slightly familiar setting. This time around we get to see the touristy stuff again, but from a local perspective. Main character Emaline is in her final summer before going off to college, spending the time working at her family's realty business, that caters to the holiday crowd through rental beach properties. We get to see Emaline's connection to the town as well as her small desire to move out of it; if only to see the life outside town limits.
Like all Dessen novels there is a strong sense of family, or family issues floating around the pages. What I love most about the family side of things, is that Dessen creates a mixed up image of families in every new book, but they all come out feeling incredibly real. There are no perfect families, in any sense of the word; and while the main characters, or maybe even the parents are comfortable, happy, and well adjusted in their family life; there'll be little things to make you know they're not just 2D characters (like constantly entering someone's room without their knowledge, or a nervous habit of chewing gum). Emaline's life is no different. She has her mum, step-sisters, and her step-dad - but they're anything but "step". They are the family she's always known and will always be her main family. But then there's her biological father and his new family, ie. her half-brother. The acceptance of her role in her father's life comes out a lot in this book, and I think she handled it well for someone who had never been given much of a role in that side of the family.
I cannot get enough of the past characters and references that shine through in Dessen novels. It becomes a sort of game, spotting the bits and pieces from other books - this one was slightly easier if you'd read Along for the Ride (my favourite Dessen novel ever!) but there were a few other references I picked up along the way. I adored seeing more of Clyde. I loved him in AftR and I loved him even more this time around. I had hoped we'd get a glimpse of Eli in the Washroom, after all we did see Maggie, Auden and Heidi at Clementine's; but I think I can live with the missing bike-boy.
The part that made this story different was the romance, and unfortunately it was my least favourite part of the book. I struggled with it so much, and I think it made me reluctant to read as fast as I have in the past. I hate love triangles in realistic books, and while this one was sort of less triangly, in which it had definite cuts in the relationships to make them one-on-one, it was still a love triangle in a way and the guys - I wanted to hit them both, multiple times. It's not the first time Sarah Dessen has written a story where two guys come into focus for the main girl, the ones that come to mind both involve poor old Jason, and didn't end well for him. But this one was very different, and I think I'd take original Jason over Theo any day. Emaline starts off the novel in a long-term relationship with her year 9 boyfriend Luke. I instantly fell for him, I thought he was sweet and caring and relaxed: no drama. But the blurb already had me on the lookout for Theo, the new guy in town who was readjusting Emaline's thinking. After a couple of very bad mistakes that had me thinking Luke wasn't who I originally wanted him to be, I started wandering whether I should be switching sides to Theo. I could not like Theo...ever!
This is where the novel lost some points for me. I loved the way it was written, I loved the setting, I loved watching Emaline change and adjust her way of thinking about the Big F's: family, friends, and her future. And while I think we're all meant to be wary of Theo, I really didn't like how much the novel focused on him and them together (I kept hoping for more Luke, even while I wasn't sure I wanted to like Luke either) It also made me question my rule of hating cheaters. I was nervous in a way I've never been with a Dessen novel before, because it's always been obvious where the relationship is going to go, even if there are hiccups. I like watching the main couple do little things to get to know each other, and I've always liked that Dessen romances are not over the top: they're just there and real. The Moon and More was a bit too unsteady on the romance side of things. The way it ended left me feeling better, but there was still a lot of uncertainty.
I did like the ending a lot though. I could get back on board with all the loving Dessen because of the strength shown in Emaline. The moving up and out of Colby while still keeping ties to her roots and loving her home life. And I can't wait for more Sarah Dessen books in the future. I love this little world she's created her for stories. They really are incredible.
4/5 stars
I picked this up as a light-hearted read while I read I'll Be Gone in the Dark. It was all right. Not the best Sarah Dessen I've ever read. I didn't particularly like any of the characters. They all felt like they were only defined by one characteristic and that characteristic was brought up every. single. time. the character was in a scene.
medium-paced
Not my typical style of book but it was a nice light read! Didn’t 100% end like I really wanted it to but was still good!
-borrowed from Libby library read on kindle
-borrowed from Libby library read on kindle
It was not as good as the other Sarah Dessen books I've read but I'm not giving up on her as I still think she's a wonderful author. This was just too boring and I couldn't connect.
I didn't like the moon and more as much as Sarah's other books. Like along for the ride, there's something in the story that feels off to me. Like, I had loved Remy's spunk, my heart broke over Caitlin, I wanted to both wrap Annabel in cotton wool and slap some sense into her. I love all of Sarah's girls. But Emaline, like Auden ... They almost feel like background characters, or the narrators around the real characters. I didn't feel the same as I did over say, Ruby or Macy, when Emaline was going through her epiphany.
And some amazing characters - like Morris and Daisy, who almost reminded me of Bert and Wes (coincidentally, they're Morris' cousins ...) just didn't get enough "screen time" as irritating characters like Theo. It's a shame, because the friendships that Sarah writes are realistic and humorous to me and it feels like she forewent that for father angst (which I guess is different to her usual mum angst).
And going back to theo .... I don't know why he was included except to drive Emaline to her epiphany. I liked that Emaline started the story with a boyfriend, and I thought Emaline and Luke were cute together. If Sarah had kept them together and had the angst of going to college without the destraction of Theo it still could have worked.
Don't get me wrong, I still liked it, and towards the end Emaline was almost like Remy in the way she handled her half-brother, but it didn't capture me as much as her earlier work. Which sucks, but I still think Sarah is one of the best YA writers around.
And some amazing characters - like Morris and Daisy, who almost reminded me of Bert and Wes (coincidentally, they're Morris' cousins ...) just didn't get enough "screen time" as irritating characters like Theo. It's a shame, because the friendships that Sarah writes are realistic and humorous to me and it feels like she forewent that for father angst (which I guess is different to her usual mum angst).
And going back to theo .... I don't know why he was included except to drive Emaline to her epiphany. I liked that Emaline started the story with a boyfriend, and I thought Emaline and Luke were cute together. If Sarah had kept them together and had the angst of going to college without the destraction of Theo it still could have worked.
Don't get me wrong, I still liked it, and towards the end Emaline was almost like Remy in the way she handled her half-brother, but it didn't capture me as much as her earlier work. Which sucks, but I still think Sarah is one of the best YA writers around.
Really liked this book. I needed something light and this was just the perfect book for it.
There isn't a lot of action but I really enjoyed how the story developed.
There isn't a lot of action but I really enjoyed how the story developed.