Colie, a fifteen-year-old gir, spends the summer stuck in Colby, North Carolina while her mother, Kiki Sparks the aerobics icon, is touring Europe. The small, beach town is definetly one of the last places Colie wants to be. But, Colie realizes that this is a fresh start for her as she struggles with the memories of being a loser, "easy," and fat in her old town. Her Aunt Mira's eccentric demeanor teaches Colie a lesson or two about being different.
In town, Colie is asked to work as a waitress in a local diner. There, she is befriended by Morgan and Isabel, her first true friends. The girls teach Colie about inner confidence - just what she needed.
Looking back, Colie knows that this has been a life changing experience and acceptance comes from within.
I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a nice, easy read. It definetly kept my interest and was thoroughly enjoyable. ( )

I know this was one of her earlier books, and as her earlier books go, it is one of the ones I like more, but the writing style is in need of improvement. Along the way, one can easily trace Dessen's writing style from this to her more recent works and see how much it's changed for the better, but for the sake of this review, the writing style of Keeping the Moon is pretty juvenile (ex: the first sentence of the work is "My name is Nicole Sparks.") I feel like a lot of really great characters were created in this work, but they don't go anywhere, don't do anything. Nothing much happens, and it's really a story stuck in transition. We get to see the very beginnings of Sarah Dessen's words of wisdom that we are so familiar with by now. The other really great thing about the characters is their names. I mean, main love interest's name is NORMAN, and that is not a name you see very often--so much personality! Overall, Keeping the Moon is a good start, but needs more. It's emptier than Dessen's other books. Nicole is overdramatic, but so boring! I think it may have been a more interesting book had it been set in Morgan or Isabel's point of view even, rather than Nicole's. Good start, but could have been better.

Rating: 3/5 ( )

This book is about a girl who moves in with her aunt while her mom is on tour for her weight loss and exercise program. Colie is mad about the move because usually she does not make new friends very easily. Much to her surprise, however, she meets new people and makes friends. She even gets a job working at the last chance bar and grill. This summer will change her for the rest of her life. It's an okay book, nothing really different or interesting about it though. ( )

Because of hurtful kids in her school, Colie wears a tough front until she finds herself in sleepy Colby, North Carolina for the summer. With the help of her new friends Morgan, Isabel and Norman, she learns the secret to confidence and inner strength.

I gave Dessen a second chance with this book. I like her writing style, but she always puts more sex and alcohol into her books than I like. Not that there's alot; she just makes it seem like everyone drinks and has sex, and thats not true. The overall story and moral were good though, as was the range of characters. ( )

Colie used to be fat. She isn't anymore, but she is still very insecure about herself, and lets herself be bullied by others. After being sent to live with her aunt in a vacation town over summer vacation, she learns to accept herself and form bonds with others. ( )