Morgan
The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen
Goodreads Summary:
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.
My Review:
Okay, I just have to say it. Please don’t hate me after this. You ready? Here it is: I have never been a Sarah Dessen fan. I’m sorry, I really am. I wish I could like her books. I have read several of them, but none of them ever satisfy me. Don’t get me wrong- I liked the Moon and More. It wasn’t awful by any means, and I don’t want this to be the type of review where I am simply bashing a book/author. That is not my intention. With that being said, I am going to share my thoughts about this book with you, some of which are negative. Please don’t take it the wrong way. I think the easiest way for me to do this is probably in bullet points:
1. This was a sweet story, but I am not really sure the purpose of it. Was it about finding yourself? If so, that was not clear enough. The book was kind of summed up that way, but that was only like the last ten pages. I know it wasn’t a romance, and it really wasn’t about friendship. There was a lot of good family stuff, but I don’t think that was the point either. So, despite this being a sweet story, I have no idea what the author’s goal was.
2. There was some really cute romantic scenes in this book that I really enjoyed.
3. For the most part, I liked the characters and the way they all connected throughout the story. They were all important, and all very developed.
4. There were so many characters that sometimes I got really confused about who was who and why they were important in the story.
5. This book was very long and several times I had to force myself to keep reading. I was really close to not finishing the book on multiple occasions. However, I received this book for review and wanted to say I had read the book all the way through, doing my best to love it. I really tried to love it, I just couldn’t.
6. You should know that I didn’t hate this book. I just didn’t love it either. Often times it bored me, but there were times when I really enjoyed it. Basically, this book just didn’t really evoke any emotion in me as a reader.
I think that about sums it up. If this offended you in any way, I apologize. That was not my intention. I am simply doing my “job” as a book reviewer and sharing my honest opinion. Please don’t let my views affect your opinions of this book. Read the book for yourself, and create your own opinion.
2.5 stars
I received this book for free in return for an honest review.