Title: THE MOON AND MOREAuthor: Sarah Dessen
Published: June 4th 2013
Genre: YA contemporary
Publisher: Viking
POV: 1st, past tense
Pages: 435
Format: Hardcover
Source: Purchased
Rating: 4 out of 5
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?
Highlights: THE MOON AND MORE is not Dessen's best story, but it does have that standard Sarah Dessen charm lingering in each and every line. Emaline is a fantastic narrator, and her coming-of-age story was interesting to watch unfold. Side characters are Dessen's strong point (sweet little Benji!), especially in regard to Emaline's BFF's Morris1 and Daisy. I loved Morris and his simplistic but meaningful observations. Family and friendship are important in this story, and Dessen expertly shows the ups and downs of both. All in all, THE MOON AND MORE is a great story about friendship, family, small-towns, dreams, and growing up.
Lowlights: Dessen is well known (or should be) for her swoonworthy love interests: Wes, Eli, Dexter, Owen...oh, sorry. I got a little carried away there. So anyway, I was surprised to find myself disliking both love interests in this novel. Theo even inspired a list called characters-I-want-to-slap-or-punch-in-the-face1. I also had a hard time enjoying Luke's character, because of something he does early in the story. I also wish there had been more scenes with Emaline's family.
Allusions: Appearances by Maggie, Heidi, Auden, Esther, Clyde, Wallace, and includes establishments such as (no, no, no to) Tallyho, Clementine's, and The Washroom from ALONG FOR THE RIDE. Last Chance Cafe and possibly Coley (but I'm not certain about her) from KEEPING THE MOON. Quick mention of Wes1 and Bert, along with the game gotcha! from THE TRUTH ABOUT FOREVER. The worst-band-ever, Spinnerbait, gained a brief mention and they are from THIS LULLABY. There might be more that I didn't catch or simply forgot to jot down on paper.
1 How awesome is it that he and Emaline are friends, and only friends? No romance involved!
2 I feel like Theo was that kid who tripped other children during a race back in elementary school, just so he could get ahead of everyone else and win -- his personality is so unattractive and selfish. I don't know how Emaline could stand him and his better-than-all-of-you-small-town-hicks attitude.
3 Oh, Wes. I wish you were in this book. *swoons*
My reviews of other novels by Sarah Dessen:
I've heard some really mixed reviews on this one, actually. I've only read one of Dessen's books, but I heard this was her least likable one yet, so I'm glad to see a pretty positive review for it. Thanks for sharing, Lea! :)
ReplyDeleteI think a lot people expected it be a bit more romantic - and while there is romance, it's very underwhelming - and so they were disappointed by the story. I was warned not to expect much from the romance aspect, so I enjoyed the other aspects more (family, friends, coming of age).
DeleteIt's definitely not Dessen's best, I'd recommend THE TRUTH ABOUT FOREVER, ALONG FOR THE RIDE, JUST LISTEN, and THIS LULLABY if you'd rather read some of her better novels :)
Fantastic review. I felt the same way about this book (not my fav Dessen). I loved it b/c I really enjoy Dessen's writing style, the setting, and Emaline's family, but I hated the love interests, especially Theo. Ugh. He was so awkward and annoying! I love all of her allusions too to characters and places in her other novels--so cool!
ReplyDeleteA good book, but not her best. It's easy to love Dessen's writing style, though - she is so great at writing characters and setting.
DeleteUgh, Theo. Such a frustrating character.
"I love all of her allusions too to characters and places in her other novels--so cool!" - Agreed!
I'm seeing a bunch of Dessen reviews and feel like I need to read one now. I especially love when other characters make appearances in series books!
ReplyDeleteThis is a good story (just don't expect a swoonworthy romance)! I'd recommend THE TRUTH ABOUT FOREVER, ALONG FOR THE RIDE, JUST LISTEN and THIS LULLABY more, but this book was still good. :)
Delete"I especially love when other characters make appearances in series books!" - agreed! It's always fun to see familiar characters make a quick appearance :)
I've been wanting to check this one out :) I've read 2 or 3 Dessen books and enjoyed them a lot. Sorry you didn't like the love interests, but I'm glad you enjoyed the book! Great review :)
ReplyDeleteJanina @ Synchronized Reading
It was still enjoyable, even with the frustrating romance aspect. It's hard to NOT enjoy a Dessen novel ;)
DeleteI'm with you. I thought this book was alright, but definitely not her best. I loved Emaline and adored her family and friends, but I wanted to strangle Theo and didn't get what she saw in him. At all. Great review!
ReplyDeleteUgh, Theo. There was nothing appealing about him whatsoever. Emaline + her family + her friends saved this book!
DeleteYeah, I wasn't a fan of either Luke or Theo. I loved reading about the other characters. But I did like the rest of the story and that it was set for the summer after college.
ReplyDeleteThe other characters were fabulous! Dessen is so good at writing secondary characters :)
DeleteI've been meaning to pick up a Sarah Dessen novel for SUCH a long time, yet I haven't quite found the time. Bad blogger is bad, I know. xD It's great that you liked the MC's POV, and that the secondary characters are so well developed. However, gah, these love interests sound terrible. Although, it IS kind of cool how the author was able to reference so many of her past characters! That's so adorable. <3
ReplyDeleteLovely review, Lea! Despite your issues with the love interests, I plan to pick this one up soon.
You haven't read Sarah Dessen before? You should start with THE TRUTH ABOUT FOREVER (or ALONG FOR THE RIDE...or THIS LULLABY - those are top rated books)!
DeleteSorry it wasn't up to normal Dessen standards with the boys not being swoonworthy
ReplyDeleteThat was a bit disappointing, but at least it still had that typical Dessen charm. It's hard to hate her books :)
DeleteHmmmm. The couple of reviews I've read for this one have all said this wasn't their favorite Dessen book, so I'm thinking this is not the one I should start with since I haven't read her before. I want the super swoonworthy Dessen boy to pine for! Which book of hers is your favorite Lea?
ReplyDeleteTHE TRUTH ABOUT FOREVER is my favorite Dessen book! *swoons over Wes*
DeleteHer top rated (and better) novels are TTAF, JUST LISTEN, THIS LULLABY, and ALONG FOR THE RIDE (adore Eli). Hope you enjoy whichever one you pick up! :D
I still have not read one of her novels (shame). And I don't think I'd start with this one as it's clear to me that this one, while good, is not her best effort or the favourite among her readers. Heh, nice to hear she has created so many swoon-worthy boys in the past! I will start with one of the books that you listed in reply to Jenny's comment above, I think.
ReplyDeleteAylee! You must read a Dessen book, ASAP! She's a fantastic writer :)
DeleteSo far I've only read one Sarah Dessen novel, What Happened to Goodbye. It was pretty enjoyable, if a bit light and forgettable. I've got Just Listen, Along for the Ride and Dreamland on the shelves... which would you say I should read RIGHT NOW? It's Winter/early early Spring here in Australia (the weather has been very temperamental--it doesn't look at all wintery today, for instance) but maybe a Dessen novel is what I need right now?
ReplyDeleteI've heard mixed things about The Moon and More. I like the cover for it though. Does it actually relate to the story/look like the main character?
JUST LISTEN is a quiet, emotional story with an emphasis on family and friends. ALONG FOR THE RIDE is a great summer book about letting loose a bit, finding love, living life. DREAMLAND is pretty intense, as it showcases an abusive relationship. I guess it depends on what you're in the mood for! All three are great stories, just in different ways :)
DeleteWhat a bummer to not love the love interests as much as you hoped. I have only read one of the author's books so far and I did like it so I know I'll be checking out more of her work. :)
ReplyDeleteDespite the annoying love interests, I still adore Dessen's writing style. Have you read THE TRUTH ABOUT FOREVER? - such a great book!
DeleteI caught the "gotcha" and Spinnerbait references but missed the others; thanks for listing the others. I guess I need to reread more of her books. Loved your insight into Theo's character-he probably would have tripped other kids. He's just not a good guy.
ReplyDeleteI probably missed some other ones, too. It's hard to remember her older books - I'm amazed I managed to catch as many references as I did!
DeleteTheo probably would have been that kid. He's just so focused on himself, he'd do anything to get ahead.
Thank you for stopping by my blog and commenting on my review of PREP SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL! I'm glad you did because now I have an awesome new blog to follow :) I sort of love your blog already!
ReplyDeleteWhen I saw that you reviewed this book I had to drop by and see what you thought. I reviewed it yesterday, actually! I could not stand Theo. He was a bit of jerk and then he became super annoying. His Best __ Ever stuff got on my nerves. There is no way I would've been able to tolerate that if I had been Emaline. I kind of feel like it's setting yourself up for failure when it doesn't go exactly as "best" as you think it will, you know? Hopefully nobody sees this, but I'm glad he didn't get the job. I loved Morris! I wish we had seen more of him. How did you feel about Margo? She was intense!
I always appreciate Sarah Dessen's allusions to previous books. I love finding them and saying "I remember him/her/that!" As soon as I saw the Spinnerbait reference I immediately yelled "HATE Spinnerbait!" Reflex. I love how you do your reviews. I wish I could figure out how to condense mine down. I guess with time and practice!
Thank you for stopping by, too!
DeleteUgh, Theo! I just want to slap him. I agree, his "Best Ever" stuff got old really fast. Agreed about Morris!
Glad I wasn't the only one who yelled "HATE Spinnerbait! - it really is a reflex. ;)
Reviews are always tricky. Some books, I can go on and on for paragraphs...and others, I'm lucky if I can write three sentences!