Review: The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen
I’ve come to find that there are two types of Sarah Dessen books. The first is the philosophical, deep-thinking ones that, while they do feature love stories, are more about family and future and often don’t have cut-and-dry endings, and are so much more than just simple beach reads. These would include, Dreamland, Lock and Key, Keeping the Moon, Just Listen, etc.
The second category is: simple beach reads. These are sweet stories that have unique characters and storylines and locations, and they typically have a clear plot with a cut-and-dry ending. These books include Along for the Ride, What Happened to Goodbye, The Truth About Forever, etc.
Dessen is equally skilled at writing each type of book, and neither is better than the other. It just depends on what mood you’re in, really.
The Moon and More is firmly in the first category: honest, philosophical, and with a more ambiguous ending than some of Dessen’s other books. Thankfully, I was totally in the mood for this. If you’re a fan of Dessen, you will love this book. If you’re not a fan of Dessen, then you’re on crack and should check into the nearest rehab, then you should go to a bookstore and buy one of her books (might I recommend This Lullaby? One of my favorites).
The Moon and More is about Emaline. She’s been dating the same guy for forever. She’s about to head off to a state college at the end of the summer, when she finds out that her boyfriend cheated on her. She breaks up with him, of course, and immediately meets a new boy named Theo, who she has a summer romance with while she navigates a complicated family situation and contemplates her future amidst so many people telling her what to do with her life.
The way I’m describing the plot makes it sound like a run-of-the-mill story, but it really isn’t. One thing that Dessen does well is that she takes these stories that the reader thinks they’ve seen before and then makes them so different and real from what people would expect. Her plots sound formulaic in blurbs, which drives me nuts, because they are anything BUT formulaic. Just trust me on this.
So basically, this book is great and deep and wonderful, and if you’re about to go off to college, you’ll love it.
Spoilers ahead.
Read More →
