Tuesday, June 4, 2013

The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen

The Moon and More
Sarah Dessen
4.5/5


Summary
Luke is the perfect boyfriend: handsome, kind, fun. He and Emaline have been together all through high school in Colby, the beach town where they both grew up. But now, in the summer before college, Emaline wonders if perfect is good enough.

Enter Theo, a super-ambitious outsider, a New Yorker assisting on a documentary film about a reclusive local artist. Theo's sophisticated, exciting, and, best of all, he thinks Emaline is much too smart for Colby.

Emaline's mostly-absentee father, too, thinks Emaline should have a bigger life, and he's convinced that an Ivy League education is the only route to realizing her potential. Emaline is attracted to the bright future that Theo and her father promise. But she also clings to the deep roots of her loving mother, stepfather, and sisters. Can she ignore the pull of the happily familiar world of Colby?

Emaline wants the moon and more, but how can she balance where she comes from with where she's going?

My Review

First off, I have to say, wow. I really enjoyed The Moon and More. I think what caught my attention more than anything (other than your talent for telling a story) was the fact that this isn’t your typical “summer changes everything” book. It’s not so much about this great romance that has a cosmic impact on the MC’s  life, but more of a subtle growing up and Emaline finding out who she is through a couple different summer romances and complicated family dynamics. I loved how there was so much going on in her life, but not in an overwhelming and confusing way. Everything fit together nicely. And even though it wasn’t your classic romance HEA, I was okay with that.

The feel of Colby, the small island beach town when Emaline has lived her entire life, was very real and quaint. And the story was addicting. I’d be reading for a few hours straight, would take a break, and do nothing but think about what was going on while I wasn’t there, and would have to pick the book up again.

Dessen has an amazing knack for telling a story. It’s smooth, effortless, and wholly organic. It’s hard to believe that it’s just a story that’s been written and not experienced by a living, breathing person.

Rating

4.5/5. This book was addicting and so well-written. A great story to lose yourself in

--Me

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