Review: The Moon and More

The Moon and More - Sarah Dessen

For me there was an unfortunate coincidence with some of the character's names, Luke, Clyde and Benji. When I was little I would go everyday with a friend during lunch recess to walk her dog Luke. Ten years ago my sister had a Norwegian elk hound named Clyde. Even as I neared the end of the book every time I saw the name Benji I thought of the dog from the movies. This is no reflection on the author or the story, but I did find it distracting.

Now onto the real review. The book was about Emaline the summer before she went to college.

Things I disliked:
•Theo- the man had unrealistic expectations if everyone didn't conform to them he would ignore and gloss over the moment until others were tired and would just give up arguing with him. I could not figure out why Emaline found him attractive.
•Emaline's father- really he was married, had two children and really should have grown up.
•Emaline's mother and sister not respecting her personal space. Why did the two of them spend all their free time in Emaline's bedroom anyway?
•The sex- Emaline didn't really want to have sex, she wasn't in the mood, but it was expected and easier to just do it than not. It didn't seem like a good reason to be intimate espcially with how young she was.

Things I liked:
•The relationships- Emaline's friendships with Morris and Daisy. The one she had with her boyfriend Luke and how it progressed through the story.
•The distinction between who Emaline viewed as her father and her dad. There was a different dynamic between them and she recognized that.
•Benji, Emaline's 10 year old brother, he had a fantastic attitude and energy. I honestly think he was my favorite part.
•I liked how Emaline wasn't the only character who evolved and had personal growth.