Sarah Dessen says this “incredible first novel” is “fresh and wise, all at once.”
I read once that water is a symbol for emotions. And for a while now, I’ve thought maybe my mother drowned in both. Anna’s life is upended when her father accepts a job transfer the summer before her junior year. It’s bad enough that she has to leave her friends behind, but her dad is moving them to the beach where her parents first met and fell in love—a place awash in memories that Anna would just as soon leave under the surface.
While life on the beach is pretty great, with ocean views and one adorable lifeguard in particular, there are also family secrets that were buried years ago. And the ebb and flow of the ocean’s tide means that nothing—not the sea glass that collects along the shore, and not the truths behind Anna’s mother’s death—stays buried forever.
What I Liked: Anna Ryan has had a lot happen in her short life. Not only did her mother chose death over her family and life but Anna was witness to it. Now Anna and her father have moved back to the place where Anna’s parents met. Most everyone knows about Anna’s parents. They know the story about how they met and how they spent their time together. This throws Anna off and makes the transfer a little harder. I enjoyed watching Anna come to terms with her past and her mother’s death.
What I Could Have Lived Without: Moonglass isn’t a light read and I hadn’t been fully prepared for it. Silly me! I judged the book by it’s cover and took it for a simple “summer love” type of book. It has some of that in it but it is so much more too.
Recommended For: Readers looking for a book with depth that delves into buried emotions.
Avoid If: You’re looking for a light summer fun read with surface emotions.
