The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen

Author: Sarah Dessen
Publication: June 4, 2013
By: Viking Juvenile

3.5 Stars

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.

Thank you to fellow YABC'er, blogger and author Kim Baccellia for sharing this ARC with me! Find out more about Kim and her books here.

What I liked: This was my first Sarah Dessen novel. It's well written with engaging characters and takes place in a beautiful setting. Emaline is an easy MC to like and her relationships felt authentic albeit slightly predictable.  I enjoyed Luke as well even though I wanted to kick him. 

What left me wanting:  This cover is gorgeous, however, Emaline is described as having long brown hair and clearly the cover model is blonde. That may seem like a minor detail but it threw me off while reading. The first line of the 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." , felt like a dead giveaway that something was going to go down with Luke, and it does.

Final verdict: It makes for a great summer read and die-hard Sarah Dessen fans will no doubt love this. 

Review also posted at YABC.