February 17, 2014

Reviewing... [56] The Moon and More

Reviewing... [56]

Source: Library (cos we all love libraries but whatever).
Publisher: Penguin Group Inc. 
Author: Sarah Dessen
Reviewed by: Amy Bookworm (as almost always).
Recommended for: People, who like me, like to read summery books which are YA- but this one does border a bit on NA... Not too much ;) It was nominated for Goodreads Award this year so that's all cool; I thought I may as well read it, since it looks absolutely amazing (even if it's Winter... it'll cheer us up from the miserable weather!) :D

One of the key things which makes this YA is the parent input & involvement. It stops this book going off in other directions in my opinion. Not only do parents sometimes keep YA books grounded but they keep the character grounded and, for Emaline, they keep the characters grounded as well. I love that her father, who is normally absent, is less absent (a stark contrast to parents who are normally not but for the sake of the book are out of town, die etc.) Dessen has to try & create a balance between mentioning, developing and including the family at the right points and then also holding down the romance threads.
You can see why I say it's a bit NA. If this was based the next year it'd be less interesting (for me) and closer to NA. This is just before she gets on her own two feet, almost exactly alone. She's dealing with the bit before college, after graduation. She's dealing with Luke and then, in turn, Theo. There's a lot of ingredients and a lot of different techniques that needed to be applied to them. Let's twist this, churn that, dice that...

It seemed relevant...
Oh, my gosh, I don't recall ever being so aware of an author's crafting skills. Why is Sarah Dessen such a great author? HOW, I mean? It's like there is some burning bread & I need to read quickly to save it. Something like that.
In a way, this book has foreshadowing. It has a nice, not wrecking (ball) feel. Like, as its an early example, at the end of Chapter 3 you learn a character is not from around here. Coupled with our previous knowledge, that she thinks she's going to be stuck in Colby etc., we can kind of guess that's significant. This book gives you hints, reveals a bit of the picture and it's epic. There isn't really such a thing, in this book, as a "filler" chapter. You gain something from it to further the story.

I feel like it's partly a good thing Dessen did the culling thing (metaphorically, nobody died... this isn't dystopia remember?). There is a love triangle but something unprecedented happens...  As one thing unravels, another ravels. I felt like Dessen was too quick to try & force opinions on us about the boys involved. She quickly made Luke seem like something horrible, she gave Emaline some of the blame and then you see what happens with her Theo... There are good points about the love triangle and I get why it was there (partly). I was for some reason hooked by this book but I can't credit it to the love triangle, at all. It could've worked so much better... it didn't just have to not be there but... it's a load of confusion.
It's Emaline's summer romance and it's hooking as she goes through the holiday, discovers herself & changes beyond anything she- or us- ever imagined. It's that kind of story... Maybe a late coming-of-age story but, better late than never.
With a Dad like hers and a was-stable-relationship with Luke you can see why it didn't exactly happen earlier. As she grows, her whole life transforms like a flower coming into bloom. It's stunning to watch, from her relationship with her brother, the depth of the novel & the surface- where we have an awesome writing style which adds to the enchantment.

You can probably tell, this was mostly a light, enjoyable read. It's Summery but I read it in Winter. It was refreshing and exactly what I needed. Go ahead, go read it. 

Amy Bookworm (@Amy_Bookworm)rated this book:
^^
Just another reason WHY you should read it, even out of season... YUP. No shame.
Take my recommendation & be powerful for it. I hope you'll read it & pass the recommendation. Let's go pay it forward...
(It wasn't enough that it was a Goodreads Award Nominee... Hehe, I wanted to read one of them & this was my choice. It helps that it's a standalone, it's easy to just pick up when you've got hold of it especially if it's a ray of a sunshine in dark wintery months, eh?)

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I read this book a while ago and can't really remember it, but I definitely remembered that I enjoyed it. I really like Sarah Dessen as an author. All her books are really well done.

Great review btw!

Karen said...

I avoided this one because of the triangle but I do always enjoy Dessen's novels. They're light but romantic and real

I can see why it's convenient to eliminate the parents but I love when they're included. it makes the story so much richer.

Unknown said...

One day, I will get round to reading a Sarah Dessen book. I bought this one on its release and still havent read it!

Jaden (Potterhead Daydreams) said...

I went read that book but never get the time did not even knew it was nomited in the goodreads awards.

Anonymous said...

I've been feeling a bit sick of Dessen's books around the middle of last year. But seeing that you liked this one makes me want to pick it up! :) Great review!

AwesomeAmy said...

@Kat: She is rather a good author ;) I guess tho the other books of hers I've read I don't remember nearly as well. Aww, thanks (:

@Karen: I don't think the love triangle was much of a determining element for me. It's the closest label to what it was but it wasn't that drawn out. It's just she starts to have doubts and... yeah, I guess that's real. Definitely rather light reads. It was an easy read as it hooked me in XD I'd still recommend it.
Hehe, yup. I think we all would love to see more YA parents, really. Happy reading (:

@Debbie: YOU MUST. One day soon, OK? You will regret not reading it sooner probably XD I don't own it but that's OK, it's still awesome to borrow from the library. I don't own ANY of her books :P

@Jaden: Yeah, it was nominated. You may not know as it didn't win? Poor book :'( Very good read so even being a contender was for a reason. Hopefully you get the time soon. I think you'd enjoy it if you read it. Thanks for stopping by BTW (:

@Ana: I guess if you have too much of anything it can start to feel not as good & you like it less? Even chocolate starts to get sickly, IMHO. Maybe a break of Dessen is what you needed & reading this after that break will be OK? :) If you do pick it up, I hope you enjoy it! You mostly llke her books, tho, right? :P I'm glad you liked the review. Thanks so much <3

Michelle Fluttering Butterflies said...

I really loved this book. It felt very different to any of Sarah Dessen's previous books and I dug that about it.

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