The Moon and More

Why did I read The Moon and More?
It is no secret that I love books by Sarah Dessen. In the past I have compared her books to snuggling up in laundry that is still warm from the dryer, so you can tell that my love runs deep. It's been kind of awhile since her last book. Okay, only two years but those two years have felt like a lifetime to me. When I discovered this book was going to be released and it would take place in my favorite little town of Colby I was beyond excited. I tried my best to get my hands on an ARC but failed miserably. I'm also incredibly cheap and prefer to support my local library over buying random books so I ended up on the wait-list. The wait was so worth it.

What did I think of Emaline?
I really loved Emaline as show more a main character! What I love most about Emaline is the fact that she isn't afraid to face her challenges head on. She isn't passive-aggressive by any means which I always appreciate in a character and a person. I love too that her head isn't ever in the clouds. She seems to be very grounded and realistic. Emaline may actually be one of my favorite of Dessen's characters.

How was the romance?
This book was surprisingly not completely about the romance. It was there but it wasn't really important. I think this book was more about Emaline coming into her own and figuring out what is actually important to her for once instead of focusing her life and attention on what is important to everyone else. I think many will find that they can relate.

What was my favorite aspect of The Moon and More?
There is SO much to love about this book. Fans of Dessen will especially love reading about some familiar characters and locations. I know I certainly enjoyed that aspect.

In addition to that I think many will find this novel to be empowering. It seems that in much of Dessen's novels the girl is able to discover something about herself through a relationship with a boy. That is true in this novel as well, the difference being that in the end Emaline doesn't need those relationships or boys to succeed. She is able to figure out what is really important to her and has the ability to stand on her own two feet.

How does this compare to other Dessen novels?
I almost always have a similar complaint when I come to the end of one of Dessen's novels. I often find myself wishing that the relationships found throughout the novel were better developed so that I could better understand various aspects of the main character's life. I feel like Dessen did a fantastic job establishing the relationships found throughout this novel! I felt like I had a decent grasp on her relationship with just about every secondary character she comes into contact with. As a result Emaline feels like a real, complex person to me instead of a character I can only find within the book. show less

I wish this had ditched the boyfriends, ditched the documentary and used that space to really dig into the family stuff.

The cheating didn’t bother me as much as it did some readers, it’s definitely not my favorite behavior, either, but I guess I just saw it as reflective of something that does sometimes happen in real life where people outgrow each other yet can’t bring themselves to end it, instead they self-sabotage their way into a breakup, and reflective of reality is one of the things I’ve always appreciated about Dessen’s work.

My actual issue with the romantic relationships was mostly that I wasn’t a fan of either love interest. There wasn’t much to the one guy beyond his looks, the other guy had more personality, show more it just wasn’t an appealing personality, I realize that was by design, but I would have liked to fall for his charms along with Emaline so I could have bought into her wanting to spend time with him, but to me, his pretentious side was so apparent so early that I found it hard to fathom that any half way intelligent girl would choose to endure a summer drinking wine with him.

I loved the idea that Emaline’s in this successfully blended family and was kind of disappointed that there weren’t more poignant moments with mom, dad and the sisters, too often scenes with them were played for low level laughs about them always occupying Emaline’s room/bed or the dad renovating the house. With Emaline’s birth father and half brother suddenly more present in her life it seemed like there could have and should have been more conversations about that, more conversations with depth than there were.

For me this was at its best whenever it showcased her extremely strained relationship with her awol birth father, I loved the tension in that, I loved the awkwardness, I loved where it ended up, and I adored the bond with the little brother, too. Whenever I read the scenes with the brother and the scenes with a father who doesn’t have a clue about/or much inclination to try being a parent to either one of these kids, I thought now this is where the emotion is at, these are the relationships I care about, had family, dysfunctional and otherwise, been the sole focus this may have had five star potential for me. show less

One thing you have to love about Sarah Dessen's books is that they are consistent. If you are looking for something to satisfy your summer romance needs, Dessen is your girl. While some may think it's a bit formulaic, or monotonous, there is comfort that comes from reading Dessen that you don't get from reading epic fantasy or a dystopian trilogy. It's sort of like coming home after a long vacation, curling up in your own bed and finally getting that good nights rest that you can only get at home. I mean, after 11 books, she's really perfected the summer romance novel.

I really loved that the ending was not the typical happily ever after, though it was happy in it's own right. I won't tell you who Emaline does or doesn't end up with, but show more I can say that it was very realistic. At 18, you really just have no idea what you want yet, so you've got to take the time to try out all the possibilities. show less

First of all you should know that I love Sarah Dessen. She’s great at creating characters that you can relate to and I was really excited when she announced she was coming out with this book. While this book was not my favorite of hers it was still a good read. The plot was generally the same as her other books which is about a summer on the beach.

I liked the majority of the characters except I couldn’t stand Theo. Why? Because he annoys me like crazy. He’s one of those crazy, hyper, excitable city guys who doesn’t understand anything about living in the small town he came to visit. I liked all the other characters except him. Emaline was great. You could tell she grew throughout the book as did Morris. Emaline’s sisters were show more funny and reminded me of my own sisters sometimes which made it easy to relate to. I loved loved loved Benji, Emaline’s little brother. He was cute, funny and whatever he was feeling you were feeling too.

The plot was pretty basic. Emaline is heading off to college in the fall and wants a fun summer romance like all the tourists that show up in her little town. It doesn’t turn out to be the summer she expects but she gets through it anyways. The book was a little slow at times but I really enjoyed the ending. It wasn’t expected and tied up all the loose ends. show less

In just a few short months, Emaline knows a lot will change. She's always lived in Colby, works for her family at a resort renting out beachfront properties to vacationers and has gone out with Luke since 9th grade. But she's going away to college - granted, not to Columbia, but to a college a few hours away - and change is coming whether she's ready or not.

Nothing says "summer" like a new Sarah Dessen novel, but I wonder if I should give them a rest for awhile. Part of the trouble is I know what to expect - heroine at a crossroads, getting to know herself - and no matter the difference in packaging (in this case, Emaline has a happily blended family, and her father is a more distant figure), it's lost some of its freshness and appeal show more to me. Or maybe I'm just getting old, and find it harder to relate to the main characters. Still, it wasn't a bad story; I read quickly and enjoyed it well enough. Emaline is a well-drawn, believable character, and I enjoyed her interactions with her step-sisters and mother. Her struggles between what the new boy, Theo, and her father (the distant one, not her dad) want for her and deciding what she wants will ring true for teens. show less

This was the first Sarah Dessen novel I've ever read, picked up when I was looking for something light and summery to enjoy after reading thick classics and college textbooks. I was drawn mostly to the setting: my favorite parts of the summer include beach trips full of sand and surf. The beachtown in "The Moon and More" is a charming, touristy beach area which reminds me a lot of Ocean City, MD. I think Dessen did a fabulous job creating the town and building a believable setting.
The characters were definitely one of the stronger parts: from hardworking Emaline to adorable Benji, quirky Daisy and quiet Clyde, I really enjoyed the spectrum of people in the book. It was a lot of fun to read about each of them and watch as they each did show more their own thing.
On the whole, some parts were fairly predictable, but nothing felt too forced. There were a few weak moments or chapters that I felt were not totally necessary or could have been expanded upon, but I wasn't too upset about that. I certainly was immersed quite quickly into the story and all its ups and downs!
For a novel that is more of a "casual" read for me, it was enjoyable and fun. show less

I loved the small town dynamics in this book. It gave one the feeling of being an insider in that town, and we got to see a lot of the geography, culture, and functions of the town. I also appreciated that she had complex and good relationships with different kinds of friends. Between Daisy, Luke, Morris,and her siblings, Dessen created some great supportive relationships. These friendships, not the romance, were really what made the book shine. I do wish the story between Emaline and all 3 of her parents was more fleshed out however. I mostly feel like we explored her relationship with her Father enough. But I was totally on her mom's side when she pointed out that Emaline wasn't around enough. Her parents seemed like interesting show more people, and her mom was so close with Amber. I really wanted to she her have more in depth interactions with her mom and dad. Even busy people tell their parents when they end and begin new relationships, and she really seemed to love her parents. Despite what she says, she never really tries to connect with them more before college. She didn't feel much like a real teenager, because she was never around her family. Real teenagers wish they had as much freedom as her. show less