The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen
16June 17, 2013 by Alice in Readerland
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 Absolute Favorite Thing About This Book:
The references to Along for the Ride, This Lullaby, and The Truth About Forever it had! This Lullaby, Along for the Ride, and The Truth About Forever are my three favorite Sarah Dessen books, so when I saw references to all three in The Moon and More, this pretty much sums up my reaction:
(Keep reading to hear me rave and hint about the references. If you want to be 100% surprised about the references, skip to the next paragraph.) I loved that The Moon and More was set in Colby, which meant that we got to see Auden and Heidi in Clementines, as well as some other characters from Along for the Ride, even the pie-baking owner of the laundry mat where Auden visited has a big role! I also enjoyed hearing a certain band from The Lullaby mentioned, as well as noticing that 2 characters from The Truth About Forever are related to a character in The Moon and More!
What Else I Loved:
Something I love about Sarah Dessen’s books is how she completely draws you into her characters lives and gives them such background and depth, and The Moon and More was no exception. Emaline didn’t feel stereotypical or contrived, her and her problems and her relationships all felt real. I loved the setting of Colby and getting to explore it as someone who knows it so well; the beach town setting made this book the perfect summer read!
Cynical Cindy Says:
Maybe it’s just me, but this book seemed to be a bit different from Sarah’s other books. I didn’t feel as deep an emotional pull as I did with her other books, and I wished that the relationships (family wise and boyfriend wise) had worked out better. To be honest, this wasn’t my favorite Sarah Dessen book. But, it’s Sarah Dessen, so:
OUI! YES!
4 out of 5 teacups
Obligatory Picture of My Signed Sarah Dessen Items:
Have you read The Moon and More? Did you spot any other Sarah Dessen book references I missed?
Alice in Readerland 
I’m so excited to read this! Sarah Dessen writes awesome contemporaries and I also love the references she includes to characters from other books. I’ve heard some mixed things about this, but I definitely think I’ll be checking it out. Great review :)
I hope you enjoy it!!! :)
I just bought this one, my first Sarah Dessen book. I had hoped for a more romantic ending. Nevermind!
Sarah Dessen has written some really great romantic endings, so I was surprised too. I think she went for the more “realistic” approach on this one.
I plan on reading this at the end of summer in Mexico. It seems like a fitting beach read.
It would make a perfect beach read! :)
How lucky to have so many signed Sarah Dessen things! :) I am interested to see if I will like it or not.
I don’t have many signed books, so I was so excited to get the signed The Moon and More, especially since Sarah’s one of my favorite authors! :) I saw you had The Moon and More in your TBR pile, I hope you enjoy it! :)
Fun! I have so many Dessen books that I own but haven’t read! Really need to catch up on those… especially since there are fun references in this one! I skipped you mentioning them, so I’m excited to see if I can find them myself! :)
Whenever a new Dessen book comes out, I’m always as excited for the references as I am excited about the actual story! :)
I need to read this really soon!!! I wish I had a signed copy of it… but I do have a signed copy of Just Listen so I guess I can deal. I wasn’t in love with her last book (What Happened to Goodbye) so I’m hoping this one is more what I expect.
I didn’t love What Happened to Goodbye either, but I enjoyed this one; hope you do too! :)
I borrowed this book from the library on Friday :D It’s sitting on my coffee table tempting me into ignoring my assignments and work stuff to READ IT! :D
I am very jealous of the signed goodness you have! Great post! Just made me even more eager to blow everything off and spend the afternoon reading
I’m excited to hear what you think of it! :)
[…] My Review […]
I’m very hesitant to read this one. I wasn’t very impressed with Sarah Dessen’s last book, so I am scared to read this! It is starting to seem like Dessen is writing the same story over and over again. :(