The Moon and More and Just Listen

by Sarah Dessen

The Moon and More and Just Listen, together in one volume from New York Times bestselling author Sarah Dessen!

Sometimes you think you have it all. Great friends, a loving boyfriend, and a strong sense of personal identity. But unexpected things can happen. People come and go. The appearance of a new boy in your life can turn your world upside down. It might make you throw all caution to the wind - or bring you back closer to earth. What if he is hiding secrets of his own? Is it better to be safe than sorry? From acclaimed bestselling author Sarah Dessen, here are two books about exploring your heart, giving free reign to your emotions, and rising above the expectations of others.

Genres: Young Adult

649 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 18, 2020

Reviews

[Ash · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the moon and more, very cute and summer. Just listen was the opposite. No thank you.

[Kaele’s Krazy Book Obsession · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven’t read The Moon and More yet, but I have read Just Listen and its my absolute favorite book. I’m sure this combination will be perfect. And yes, I already have a copy of Just Listen but I will probably buy this anyway. #Bookobsessed

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

My least favorite Dessen novel. Too many characters and subplots. One of the major characters feels like a first draft. It was like Dessen couldn't decide if this character should be a good guy or a bad guy. The main character is a Colby beach girl the summer before she starts her freshman year of college. She works in her family's beach house rental company with her grandmother, mother, step dad, and two step sisters Margo (bossy, organized, a new graduate who wants to institute what she's learned via her hospitality studies) and Amber (a beauty school student who constantly changes her hair and only when pressed reluctantly helps with the family business.) Her best friends are Daisy (who works in her family's spa business but who's passion is fashion) and Morris (Daisy's boyfriend who is so slow and laid back in his approach to life that he has trouble staying employed.) She's been with her boyfriend, Luke, since 9th grade. Even though they have chemistry she's pulling back because her mom walked in on them in the spring. Her mom was upset and forbid her from using her bedroom. Although she feels comfortable with the choices she's made in her romantic relationship she understands why her mother is upset. (Her mom got pregnant by a tourist the summer before her senior year. The relationship fizzled immediately and he didn't contribute anything as a parent.) Although this event has created awkwardness and tension between her and her mom she finds it too difficult to obey her mother's wishes. However, the guilt of disobedience dampens her desire and strains her relationship with Luke. Also, creating friction is all the attention Luke attracts by working shirtless cleaning pools in front of the tourists. When she brings the welcome package to the newest and fanciest rental property, she encounters Ivy (a demanding and condescending, but respected NY documentarian) who is complaining to her assistant Theo about the lack of professional services available in this little beach town. Emaline is able to provide a number for a more reliable rental company and instantly wins over a grateful Theo. Ivy has rented the most expensive property for two months hoping that she can convince a reclusive Colby local (Clyde Conway) who was once a rising start in the art world to open up to her and explain why he turned his back on his own success. Ivy's demanding nature and Emaline's connections as a local mean that she is thrown together with Theo. When Luke bumps into the two of them together on two different occasions he picks up on how bad the dorky and subservient Theo is crushing on her. Hurt, Luke takes an admiring tourist's phone number and winds up dancing with her at the lame tourist club Tallyho. Emaline finds out and they break up. Later that same day, she's with Theo buying a better toaster for Ivy when she runs into Clyde Conway. Theo convinces Clyde to do an interview and Clyde agrees as long as Emaline will make the arrangements. Ecstatic Theo kisses Emaline right there in the big box store. Although fresh from a cheating scandal breakup with a long term boyfriend Emaline finds she's into the kiss and interested in Theo who is so different from everything she's known in Colby. They jump into a relationship right away and I found this very puzzling as a reader. Emaline's feelings about Theo are all over the map. One minute she's filled with sympathy as he takes the brunt of Ivy's frustration and the next minute the pity she feels for him appears to disgust her. One minute she's charmed by his romantic gestures the next minute she finds them embarrassing. Theo admits that he was a nerd in high school and doesn't have much dating experience so he wants a do-over with Emaline by getting a tux and taking her to the beach bash formal. It seems like she's okay with the dance but finds the tux way too much. When we first meet Theo, Ivy treats him like garbage and he makes excuses for her. He tells Emaline the opportunity to work with an award winning documentarian is worth all of the trouble. He seems like he's trying to make the most of a difficult situation. Theo and Ivy have a falling out and Ivy kicks him out of the house. Theo rents a cheap RV in a crime ridden area of Colby. Emaline doesn't feel safe and knows her parents wouldn't approve of her being there but she drinks too much of the wine she doesn't like and ends up staying there. Theo believes that Clyde Conway will hire him as his touring manager and that being in Colby frequently will give him a chance to keep a long distance relationship going until they can move in together. Emaline is stunned by Theo's plans. She assumed this was a summer fling and has no interest in moving in with Theo. She's bothered by the way he's abandoned Ivy and how overconfident he is about Clyde hiring him as his tour manager. Emaline begins to see Theo as pushy, ruthlessly ambitious, and arrogant. As a reader, I was expecting Theo to do something terrible because no one really likes Theo and several people have warned her about him. However, his worst crimes are leaving his mean boss Ivy, saying something dismissive about Colby and interrupting Clyde to provide his own "deep" interpretation of the meaning behind Clyde's beach grass paintings. Without Theo, Ivy is desperate for help to coordinate and set up Clyde's art show in Colby. The art show is supposed to serve as the closing scenes of her film and create buzz about her soon to be finished documentary. Ivy reaches out to Emaline basically begging for her help. Eamaline agrees to take over. Theo is deeply hurt by this and they break up. As a reader, I was baffled by Emaline's decision to help Ivy. Okay, so she wants the money and wants to keep busy and to keep her mind off going to college and the disappointment which follows the deterioration of the relationship she'd been building with her absent biological father. (Oh yeah--I didn't even get into this important aspect of the plot!) But seriously, she already has far too much going on at this point in her life. Plus, I haven't forgotten the fact that Ivy has trashed the beach rental and required Emaline's mercy and assistance in the cleaning and fixing it up. I think the author intends for readers to forgive Ivy but that is crackers. As previously mentioned, Emaline's relationship with her biological father is an important aspect of the story. I believe it probably was meant to be the backbone of the plot. The title of the story comes from her mother always saying she wants to give her the moon and more. Emaline's mother had to struggle on her own as a teen mom to provide for her and wanted her to have all the experiences she wasn't able to as a young adult. Against her better judgement, she allows Emaline to reach out to her biological father when she's ten in order to complete a family tree assignment. Her biological father shows interest in what she's reading and doing in school. The two keep up a correspondence via email. When her biological father occasionally visits his Aunt in a nearby town, he visits Emaline as well. She's introduced to his wife and her half brother Benji. On one of these visits he encourages her prepare for the college application process. He sends books about writing essays and test prep. He tells her apply for Colombia even though she can't afford it on her own. He implies that if she works hard enough to get in he'll help her financially. When she's accepted into Columbia her Dad eventually tells her that he's no longer able to provide financial assistance and then he doesn't even attend her high school graduation. Emaline is hurt and confused by the way he distances himself from her. Columbia wasn't her dream and she decides to go to a school closer to home which is offering her a full ride scholarship. To Emaline all of her hard work still paid off. After months of silence, her biological father calls her from the road to meet up in five hours and she agrees hoping that they can get back on track. She learns he'll be around for the summer as his Aunt has passed away and he needs to put her house on the market. His wife isn't with him so her biological father admits that he's getting a divorce. He's using this time apart as a way to bond with his son and ease him into the idea of separation. How he talks to and treats Benji makes it clear that he's not a nurturing type and will only bond with others via reading and education. Emaline can't refrain from lending a hand and feels sorry for Benji so she takes him mini golfing and lets him hang out with her at work. Benji is happy to be useful and Emaline enjoys having him around. When Emaline attempts to discuss her feelings with her biological father he refuses angrily and accuses her of humiliating him by bringing up his failure to provide for Columbia saying she's throwing it in his face. Her father spends the rest of the summer giving her the cold shoulder. Texting is limited to Benji's pick up and drop offs. Emaline comes to the conclusion that she has to accept whatever relationship her biological father is willing to have. He emails her at college to ask about her studies. Emaline realizes that this is as close as their relationship will ever be. The moral of the story is that everything can't be the best all the time. Many things are just okay. The best way to get through life to to accept that. In my opinion, it would have been a much better story if they'd left out the Ivy, Theo, & Clyde Conway storyline. It seems that this should have been a whole other book.

[Lindsey Taft]

DNF around 200 pgs. I just lost steam. Might pick up again later.