Review for Keeping The Moon by Sarah Dessen

Keeping The Moon

Author: 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.

In My Mailbox (8)

In My Mailbox is a meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren where we get to post about the books we recieve each week through publishers/authors, our own purchases, contests, and libraries!

What's in my Mailbox?








  





For Review

Waterfall by Lisa T. Bergren

The Education of Hailey Kendrick by Eileen Cook

Keeping The Moon by Sarah Dessen

What's in your mailbox? Share links :) 
Thanks for reading...

Very First Giveaway!!

Hey everyone, first off I want to apologize for being absent other than posting reveiws. You know that thing called life? Well, it caught up with me and has dragged me down these past couple months. School, neices, and my dog getting bit up didn't help.... So, how to show I am truly sorry? A giveaway! Yup.... my first one ever! Here is the book I am going to giveaway:

"After her mom vanished in a stench of drugs and alcohol, Ruby continued to live in the family house alone. Finally found out, the introspective teenager is sent to the luxurious home of her older sister, Cora, whom she hadn't seen in ten years. Everything there seems unfamiliar, uncomfortable, and supremely weird: her fancy new room; her lavish new wardrobe; the exclusive private school where she never quite fits in. Most mysterious of all is Nate, the friendly boy next door who seems to have a deep secret of his own. "

Rules:

-> To enter, leave a comment with your email address

-> Open to Canada/US (sorry international peeps!!)

-> Ends on May 31

That's it! Since I am far from a technical person, that's that. I will be selecting the winner by using Random.org. Then I will email the winner for their address!

Much appreciated:

-> Follow (but only if you like my blog)

-> Please, please can you spread the word?? As many of you know, I do not get very many readers... thus to make this giveaway a giveaway by fairplay, I need at least some entries (Thanx so much!)

Info on the book:

Ok, this was my personal copy that I bought recently and I only read it once. Since I love to take care of my books, this one is in new like conditions. Basically its new. Just so you don't worry about getting a bad/bent/ripped copy cause it's not!

Well, that's about it. Thank you! for participating in my first giveaway ever!! It means so much. I'll have my review up for The False Princess in a few days, be sure to come back and read it!

Review for Just Listen by Sarah Dessen

Just Listen

Author: Sarah Dessen

Publisher: Viking Juvenille

Source: Public Library

Challenges: For the Love of YA, 350 page, Library

371 pages

"Last year, Annabel was "the girl who has everything"—at least that's the part she played in the television commercial for Kopf's Department Store.This year, she's the girl who has nothing: no best friend because mean-but-exciting Sophie dropped her, no peace at home since her older sister became anorexic, and no one to sit with at lunch. Until she meets Owen Armstrong. Tall, dark, and music-obsessed, Owen is a reformed bad boy with a commitment to truth-telling. With Owen's help,maybe Annabel can face what happened the night she and Sophie stopped being friends."-Goodreads

  Sarah Dessen is a wonderful writer. All her books leave you feeling profoundly changed becaue there is a message underneath each story. And the beautiful thing is that that message can differ from person to person.

I really enjoyed this book. Annabel the main character, has everything, well actually that's only true in the commercial she was in. In reality Annabel is struggling. Her mom is fighting depression, her sister has an eating disorder, her best friend (which I hate for good reason) isn't talking with her, and she has to bottle up all her feelings for fear of disappointing her family. Well, at lest until she meets Owen who is always honest (seriously). I really liked his character. Everyone thinks of him as a bad boy, mysterious, freak. But really he's a kind and caring guy who does have his own struggles. And for Annabel he's her escape, she can tell him how she really feels. He turns out to be a great friend for her (and more in the end--of course). All the characters were believable and real. The plot and setting was excellent too!

The only problem I had was that the reader was almost constantly getting sent back to events of Annabel's past life. It was hard to keep track of the present because sometimes the accounts would go on for almost a whole chapter. Also, there was the teeny issue of swearing. Sophie was terrible. Gosh, that girl was so cruel, I couldn't help but dislike her (but I think that was the point). Other than that I really enjoyed this read. I do suggest trying it out because the writing is great, the plot is good, and Sarah Dessen always leaves you feeling 'filled' so to speak.

Excerpt:

   One open, one closed. It was no wonder that the first image that came to mind when I thought of either of my sisters was a door. With Kirsten, it was the front one to our house, through which she was always coming in or out, usually in mid-sentence, a gaggle of friends trailing behind her. Whitney’s was the one to her bedroom, which she preferred to keep shut between her and the rest of us, always. As for me, I fell somewhere between my sisters and their strong personalities, the very personification of the vast gray area that separated them. I was not bold and outspoken, or silent and calculating. I had no idea how anyone would describe me, or what would come to mind at the sound of my name. I was just Annabel.

Review for Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen

"Lock and Key"

Author: Sarah Dessen

Publisher: Speak

Source: Personal Copy

Challenge: 350 page, For the Love of YA, I'd Wish I'd Read That

422 pages

"After her mom vanished in a stench of drugs and alcohol, Ruby continued to live in the family house alone. Finally found out, the introspective teenager is sent to the luxurious home of her older sister, Cora, whom she hadn't seen in ten years. Everything there seems unfamiliar, uncomfortable, and supremely weird: her fancy new room; her lavish new wardrobe; the exclusive private school where she never quite fits in. Most mysterious of all is Nate, the friendly boy next door who seems to have a deep secret of his own." -Summary from Goodreads

   So, what to say for this book. Hmm. First off, lets zoom in on characters. Ruby, well, sometimes I just didn't like her. I couldn't understand why she would do stuff. But the thing I enjoyed about her is how much she grows in this story. There's a total transformation . . . which is awesome considering the plot. Cora and Jamie were good. Cora I didn't like at first (to be expected) by the end though I loved her, and I always loved Jamie. Now, Nate. I really liked him. But when his 'secret' comes out and Ruby actually tries to help, he bugged me. But in the end all characters were reasonable. The plot was ok. It sure made a story that's for sure. The ending was nice, everything was tied up. The loose end were gathered up so to speak and I was satisfied. Lock and Key is a good book, lots of emotions, relationships and situations that open your eyes. Overall, I was glad I read it . . . I just didn't love it. It didn't leave me thinking about it afterward (like books that I love). I do suggest reading it. Give it a try :) Sarah Dessen is a great author!

Excerpt:

   “And finally,” Jamie said as he pushed the door open, “we come to the main event. Your room.”

I was braced for pink. Ruffles or quilting, or maybe even appliqué. Which was

probably kind of unfair, but then again, I didn’t know my sister anymore, much less her decorating style. With total strangers, it had always been my policy to expect the worst. Usually they—and those that you knew best, for that matter—did not disappoint. Instead, the first thing I saw was green. A large, high window, on the other side of which were tall trees, separating the huge backyard from that of the house that backed up to it. Everything was big about where my sister and her husband, Jamie, lived—from the homes to the cars to the stone fence you saw first thing when you pulled into the neighborhood itself, made up of boulders that looked too enormous to ever be moved. It was like Stonehenge, but suburban. So weird.