Book Review by Aarene Storms: The Moon and More

The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen

Emaline knows that her life will change dramatically at the end of summer. That's when she'll go away to college, leaving behind her family, her boyfriend, and the familiar people in the small beach town of Colby where she's spent most of her life.  

What Emaline doesn't know is that her life will also change dramatically before the end of summer: her boyfriend cheats on her, her absentee father shows up with Emaline's young stepbrother in tow, and Theo, a handsome and sophisticated boy from New York, comes to town to help make a documentary film about a reclusive local artist.

As she always does, author Sarah Dessen draws readers into a cozy story of summer love, a little bit of heartbreak, a flawed but not irredeemable main character, and a cast of friends and family who are just enough like our own that we feel we know them all from the very first paragraph. Unlike many teen novels, the parents (both bio-parents and step-parents) are well-rounded, mostly-likeable characters.

Rating:

Recommended for readers ages 12 to adult. 

Alcohol, cussing (mild), friendship, guys, parents, star trek sex, step-parents.

The events may not have happened; still, the story is true.  --R. Silvern

Aarene Storms, youth services librarian

Richmond Beach and Lake Forest Park Libraries, KCLS