Title: The Moon and More
Author: Sarah Dessen
Series: None
Publisher: Viking Juvenile
Publication Date: June 4, 2013
Genre: Contemporary; Romance; Realistic Fiction; Young Adult
Pages: 435
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?
Sarah Dessen's devoted fans will welcome this story of romance, yearning, and, finally, empowerment. It could only happen in the summer.
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?
Sarah Dessen's devoted fans will welcome this story of romance, yearning, and, finally, empowerment. It could only happen in the summer.
“Life is long. Just because you don't get your chance right when you want or expect it doesn't mean it won't come. Fate doesn't punch a time clock or consult a schedule.”
Continuing the summer reading theme, I finally picked up Sarah Dessen’s latest novel–an entertaining read about a girl who wants more than her tiny beach town of Colby can offer. The Moon and More was obviously of the Dessen persuasion, and it had everything I expected it to have: unusual relationships, imperfect romance, and unique situations.
Emaline has the perfect boyfriend. Luke is kind, fun, and (most importantly) attractive. He and Emaline have been together since highschool–just another thing in her life that seems to have gone exactly as it was supposed to. And now, with the rest of her life all lined up in even rows, she should be happy right? Good college, good boyfriend, good future. Nothing else left to want. Nothing else she should want. Enter Theo, someone new and ambitious that makes Emaline think that there could be more. Even as Emaline searches for the moon and more, she must first figure out what exactly she wants for herself and her future.
Compared to other Dessen books that I have read, this one seemed considerably more light and fun. I liked the distinct questions it raised on family and relationships. I also like how the romance was all but perfect and cheesy. It gave the story line a sense of reality than many summer romance novels never seem to grasp.
The beginning was interesting, but the further I read, the more uninterested I was. The book lost some of its appeal, and at the very end, I was bordering pure boredom. The characters weren’t very relatable. The story wasn’t very complex. In short, I loved and hated this book.
This was not my favorite Dessen book, but it is good for a not-so-short read in the summer. Definitely not the moon and more for me, but an okay book nonetheless.
“The truth was, there was no way everything could be the Best. Sometimes, when it came to events and people, it had to be okay to just be.”
