You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
lunelis 's review for:
The Moon and More
by Sarah Dessen
I'm sure anyone who's read a good few of my reviews at this point knows this: I generally hate contemporary literature; it's just not something I feel is often done well. But one thing I've not often spoke of was the soft spot I have for Sarah Dessen, who oddly has always wrote teen books that played the right balance between being appealing to a YA audience but still having a strong focus on some life lesson. She's not exactly the perfect author, for example, her books are pretty formulaic and she writes her books in a clear shared universe, but I generally find a general sort of comfort and appeal in the stories she crafts because she shows that every girl has a story worth telling and everyone's experiences and circumstances and wants can make a similar situation unravel and unfold very differently.
Though I will say, I was kind of shocked at the way things turned out in this book. Almost all of Dessen's other novels end on a very "and I found my true love and all is well" note, but this one kind of says that the people you love and date can be important milestones to understanding who you are and what you want and that change isn't inherently awful or wrong.. It's kind of refreshing that Dessen had a story where the focus is definitely much less on the romance and more on a summer of experiences that help a young woman understand herself and what she wants, and that the ending isn't absorbed with the romantic aspect as much. Emeline chooses herself in this story; not Luke or Theo.
Although outside of just general Dessen nostalgia, I wasn't floored by this book or anything. In fact, I probably should have read it when I bought it in 2013 (whoops) because I was 18 and the things Emeline deals with were a little more relateable, but I overall found the writing nice and the story more character driven than anything else. Dessen's books don't usually have a very clear goal, but just sort of allow a character's life to blossom; we learn about their wants and dreams, their love, their family, how they handle growing up and changing. They're very much coming-of-age tales.
This definietly hasn't knocked my favorite Dessen novels from their place (which I should reread and review; it's been like 6 years since I last read one I believe. Maybe longer.) but it was a good addition overall. Outside of a few little nitpicks, I don't have any real complaints. 3.5 stars overall.
Though I will say, I was kind of shocked at the way things turned out in this book. Almost all of Dessen's other novels end on a very "and I found my true love and all is well" note, but this one kind of says that the people you love and date can be important milestones to understanding who you are and what you want and that change isn't inherently awful or wrong.. It's kind of refreshing that Dessen had a story where the focus is definitely much less on the romance and more on a summer of experiences that help a young woman understand herself and what she wants, and that the ending isn't absorbed with the romantic aspect as much. Emeline chooses herself in this story; not Luke or Theo.
Although outside of just general Dessen nostalgia, I wasn't floored by this book or anything. In fact, I probably should have read it when I bought it in 2013 (whoops) because I was 18 and the things Emeline deals with were a little more relateable, but I overall found the writing nice and the story more character driven than anything else. Dessen's books don't usually have a very clear goal, but just sort of allow a character's life to blossom; we learn about their wants and dreams, their love, their family, how they handle growing up and changing. They're very much coming-of-age tales.
This definietly hasn't knocked my favorite Dessen novels from their place (which I should reread and review; it's been like 6 years since I last read one I believe. Maybe longer.) but it was a good addition overall. Outside of a few little nitpicks, I don't have any real complaints. 3.5 stars overall.