Keeping The MoonAuthor: Sarah Dessen
Publisher:Puffin
Source: Public Library
Challenges: Library Challenge
228 pages
"Colie expects the worst when she's sent to spend the summer with her eccentric aunt Mira while her mother, queen of the television infomercial, tours Europe. Always an outcast -- first for being fat and then for being "easy" -- Colie has no friends at home and doesn't expect to find any in Colby, North Carolina. But then she lands a job at the Last Chance Cafe and meets fellow waitresses Morgan and Isabel, best friends with a loving yet volatile relationship. Wacky yet wise, Morgan and Isabel help Colie see herself in a new way and realize the potential that has been there all along." - Goodreads
This was a very inspirational book that I feel would make a difference in some peoples lives. Why the low star rating? I don't have a direct answer for that. I really did like it, and as many of you know I am a fan of Sarah Dessen, maybe it was because I enjoyed her other books better. It just didn't keep me interested enough, my favourite part of the book was the ending (not in that way!) I loved it because Sarah Dessen just knows how to end a story well. It was a great ending!
Colie, I didn't like at first. I felt bad for her and was rooting her on but I just didn't connect with her. I understood where she was coming from and wanted to be there to comfort her but I was waiting for her to step up and find that confidence that she was lacking. As the reader, you don't see that until almost the end of the book and it wasn't a huge thing. I felt proud for her though. Isabel and Morgan are two girls she meets through work (she gets a summer job waitressing) and I thought their relationsihp was alright. I liked both of them, but I didn't feel that instant connection. Morgan was really nice and Isabel well, you knew was nice somewhere deep down. I liked how they took Colie under their wings so to speak. The other character and I think the most memorable for me was Norman. Not the cat Norman in the book. The boy Norman. His personality was what really shined for me. He's an artist and had to move out because his Dad didn't support his decision to take art classes. I wish that conflict would have been touched on a bit more. Now of course there will be a love interest between Colie and him - it's a Sarah Dessen book after all! I really liked him, I thought he was super sweet! Her aunt too, Mira is her name, was really a nice touch to the story!
The plot like I said didn't keep me interested. It was pretty slow for the most part, not much happening that was exciting. Like I said before, I really really enjoyed the ending. That was a marvelous, inspirational ending there. I also have to say the messages in this book were amazing! The quotes I got from it were beautiful! Here's one:
“I don't believe in failure, because simply by saying you've failed, you've admitted you attempted. And anyone who attempts is not a failure. Those who truly fail in my eyes are the ones who never try at all. The ones who sit on the couch and whine and moan and wait for the world to change for them.”
Isn't that so true?
I would suggest this book to those who love Sarah Dessen like I do and like inspirational books! It's an enjoyable summer read!
Excerpt:
Norman squeezed my hand, and I could see, as the eclipse reached totality, how he must have been scared all those years ago, wrapped in a sleeping bag in his backyard. Because it is so hard, in any life, to believe in waht you can't fully understand.
So I looked down the line at all my friends, knowing I would always remember this. And then I turned my gaze back up to the sky, and put my faith in that moon and its return.
