A New York Times bestseller
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.
“Completely engaging, infused with moments of sweetness, humor and major epiphanies.” —Kirkus Reviews
Also by Sarah Dessen:
Along for the Ride
Dreamland
Just Listen
Keeping the Moon
Lock and Key
Someone Like You
That Summer
This Lullaby
The Truth About Forever
What Happened to Goodbye
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
42 of 44 people found the following review helpful.
Not up to par with Dessen's previous novels
By Amy B.
I struggled with what to write in my review of The Moon and More for a long time. I have been a fan of Dessen for many years. I have been reading her novels since I was in high school, and even now, as an adult, I look forward to the releases of all of her novels. I have long since considered her one of my favorite authors, and definitely one of the most talented YA authors I've ever read.That is why I was so disappointed with The Moon and More. Overall, I found is to be my least favorite of Dessen's novels. The characters were weak and overly written. I found myself forgetting the names of main characters and getting confused throughout the book. I struggled with what Dessen was trying to portray in Emaline's relationship with Theo. For 3/4 of the book I was extremely upset because I believed that I was supposed to like Theo, when I really did not.I think that my lack of enjoyment of The Moon and More stems from the fact that this is not "just another Sarah Dessen novel." Without giving away the plot and ending, I will say that this book does not follow the same pattern as her other books. While I commend her for trying to change, I found it to be too confusing because I didn't realize that she was trying to change it up until I was 90% done with the book. If you are going to go for a change, go big. This book had too similar of a beginning to her other books, thus causing confusion from this reader.The book IS well written, however. It does stay up to par in that area. I was able to find the same humor that I usually find in her novels, and found myself laughing out loud at the situations Emaline got herself into. And I now find myself randomly using the line, "that's so crackers" in day-to-day conversations, which is the catch phrase of Emaline's BFF Morris.And as always, I did enjoy Dessen's Easter egg references to pervious characters from her other books. Although she didn't answer the one question I am dying to know- are Auden and Eli still together!? :) I guess I'll just have to use my imagination on that one.Overall, I think that new readers of Sarah Dessen will enjoy this book for its well written dialogue, ingesting plot, and humorous writing. Old readers of Dessen, however, may find it lacking something that is hard to put a finger on.
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful.Sarah Dessen Let Me Down
By R. Erikson
I want to preface this review with the fact that I love Sarah Dessen! I have read her since high school and I look forward to her new books every year. I'll admit, not every book is perfect. Lock and Key mentioned locks and/or keys on every page, but the characters and story made up for it. I also feel like her books changed over the years from more serious drugs/ abuse growing up to town growing up, but that isn't a complaint, just an observation.Now on to this book,at first when I was reading it, I was confused as to why I was struggling through 20 page increments. I assumed I was tired/ moody/ hot/ etc, but that wasn't it. The problem with this book was that none of the characters (with the exception of her adorable 10 year old brother) were likable. I didn't like either of the guys in the love triangle, and the main character was also irritating. I found myself tempted many times to put this book back and re-read This Lullaby, but I preserved. It wasn't worth it. I texted my best friend from high school after finishing this book asking what my problem was (another Sarah Dessen fan), and she also didn't enjoy this book, for the same reasons. If I was you, heed my advice and go read some old Sarah Dessen.
24 of 29 people found the following review helpful.Mediocre
By Steph
I've been a Sarah Dessen fan for quite a while, so I was excited to see she was releasing a new book. However, after reading this one I was rather disappointed. The plot and character development were seriously lacking, and the storyline wasn't as enchanting as her previous books. Overall, I found it kind of a boring read. Would recommend reading The Truth About Forever, This Lullaby, or Dreamland instead.
