Keeping The Moon by Sarah Dessen
Stand-alone
Genre: YA contemporary
Pages: 228
5/5 stars
I was really looking forward to reading this because I’ve heard amazing things about the books Sarah has written, but I’ve never read any of them. I think Keeping The Moon was a very enjoyable read and a great introduction to Sarah’s writing.
Colie’s attitude toward people and herself seemed very realistic to me. She was previously overweight, but even after losing forty-five pounds, her self-consciousness didn’t go away. She lets others walk all over her, but after spending the summer with Morgan, Isabel, Norman, and Mira, she learns to let it go. (Can’t hold it back anymore! … I couldn’t help it. ☺️)
Another thing I really liked was all of the supporting characters. Morgan and Isabel were awesome. I loved how realistic their friendship was. They had such a close bond, were confident, and loved all sorts of music, but they did have arguments, not just little spats. Norman was hippie-like, but he was really sweet and I like him and Colie together (though that aspect was left open). Mira was the same way; she didn’t care that she was overweight, she ignored the people that picked on her, and she collected secondhand stuff and made it her own (to an extent).
While reading, I noticed that there were morals intertwined with the story. Appearance isn’t everything. You don’t really fail; you attempt, and that’s already an accomplishment. Everything will be okay eventually, because the moon will always come out from behind the clouds (which I think sounds a bit like a metaphor). All of these are important to keep in mind as you go through life, I think, and Sarah did a great job giving this advice while telling a wonderful story. ❤️
Overall, I loved Keeping The Moon. It was a fun and inspirational read, and I’ll definitely have to check out more of Sarah’s books. 😊