Keeping the Moon by Sarah Dessen

Title: Keeping the Moon
Author: Sarah Dessen
Pages: 228

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.


 My Rating:✰✰✰✰


This was my first Sarah Dessen book and I did enjoy it. I really liked how this contemporary book had different qualities than others. The fact that the main character, Collie, had dyed black and a lip piercing and wasn't like a classic natural pretty girl. Her story starts when she goes off to her Aunt Mira's place for the summer since her mother is on tour. I  did feel like Collie's mom wasn't that great and I didn't care much for her. Her character wasn't that important in the story and seemed bland otherwise.

This was a nice coming of age story and I thought it was great seeing how much Collie developed. She had a very unfortunate past and I was happy to see that her life got better.
This book was very character driven and I enjoyed many of them.
Morgan and Isabel were just great. They both had a great relationship and supported each other while being their own individuals. I also liked how Morgan and Isabel were both a little older than Collie. It made the book more unique and I loved the friendship and thought that it was one of the best things about this book.
Mira was so wacky but I thought she was such a different person. I could really picture her house and how she acted. I really liked her reasoning behind why she used broken things that never worked properly. She was such a bold character that didn't care what others thought and was satisfied with her self which I loved.

I thought the love relationship with Collie and Norman was okay but not amazing. It definitely wasn't that significant to me and I didn't swoon over it. But I was glad that Collie was happy with him.

I think this book has many relatable topics and characters that readers will be able to sympathize with. It had many big themes and was a good summer read.