Review: The Moon and More

Title: The Moon and More
Author: Sarah Dessen
Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5 Stars)

Holy fudge! I just finished this book about an hour ago (and then promptly spent half an hour texting/posting/Tweeting about it) and I'm still in awe. Dare I say that this is possibly the best Dessen novel yet? Some may disagree, but I'm still standing by my opinion!


First off, Dessen has this way of writing stories that are romantic and realistic, but not overplayed or too cliche. She is an excellent author, without a single doubt. You truly feel like you're living in her novels--and believe me, reading a Dessen book basically gives you a free ticket to an emotional roller coaster that you can't exit even if you tried.

As for The Moon and More, I loved visiting Colby again! There's just something about a quaint beach town that makes me long to go there. Dessen's characters, Emaline especially, are so well-written that they feel like they can be anyone.

So here's the plot summary for those bookworms who haven't grabbed a copy yet: Emaline's mother had her when she was seventeen. Her mother has lived in the beach town of Colby for her whole life, and she stupidly fell for a summer tourist romance. Once Emaline is born, her father totally recoils and starts drifting further and further away. When Emaline's mother remarries when her daughter was three, Emaline's stepfather became her dad (according to Emaline, there is a strict difference between a father and a dad.)

Now, fast-forward. Emaline emails her father and gets in contact with him again. He does all that he can to help her get into a college and get out of Colby, even offering to pay the tuition. Surprisingly, Emaline gets accepted into Columbia. And then her father goes M.I.A. 

If you just read that last sentence and went WHAT??!?!?!?!?!, that was my exact reaction! Emaline's father totally stops emailing and contacting her. He even skips her graduation.

Now fast-forward a little more. Emaline and her boyfriend Luke seem to have the perfect relationship, and Emaline has a steady job in the family realty business. Enter Theo, a New York filmmaker who is assisting a famous cinematographer. And Emaline starts to realize that her perfect relationship with Luke is starting to falter. Uh-oh.

There are tons of little sub-plots that would take me all night to explain here, so I just suggest picking up a copy and reading it yourself...trust me, you won't regret it!

As for my thoughts on the characters/plot? Despite what some people may say, I really didn't like Theo at all, even in the very beginning. Some would argue that Luke was a bad character because he cheated on Emaline--but no, that isn't the case. Theo seemed like an arrogant, know-it-all to me. Then again, that can just be me.

Bottom line, every girl should read this book. That's it. I don't even know what else to say. No words can truly give this book the glory it deserves.

Now, if you'll excuse me, it's time to get back to reading Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson!