Luna

by Julie Anne Peters

[Angie]

I really loved the story of Luna. It's all about Regan and how her brother's transition into become his true self, Luna, is affecting her, their family, and their friends. I thought having everything be from her perspective was really interesting, especially since she does resent Luna at times, even though she supports her. Acceptance is a huge message here, and I liked how Regan accepted her brother, but at the same time didn't really when things got tough. It was a very real reaction, and I believed it more than if everything had been sunshine and rainbows. However, I did have a few issues with the narration and some plot points.

My first issue with Luna was the flashbacks. I did like them, but I didn't like their placement. It was awkward, because they would interrupt the current scene. Something would be happening which reminded Regan of a past event, there would be a flashback, and then it would go back to the present time. While I understand it was done this way because Regan was having the memory then, I don't think it flowed very well, and honestly, I don't believe that she'd have those full on memories at those exact moments. I think the narration would have been stronger if the chapters had alternated between past and present.

Another issue I had with Luna was how everything had to be made into a statement about gender roles. Regan's Chemistry teacher singles out the girls when they're going over lab safety, reminding them that science isn't a beauty pageant and they need to wear the safety glasses and pull their hair back. Um, guys are vain too, and certainly have hair that can get in their eyes or in a flame! Of course, Regan's super hot lab partner is the one who is most annoyed by their teacher's sexism, more so than Regan. Then their parents are completely obsessed with typical gender roles, and won't let Liam help with dinner when their mother asks Regan to do it even though she has to work that night. Because it's not "his job" to make dinner. Um, what? He's offering and your daughter has a job, why not just let him do it? There's more with them, but I won't go into it. It was just way too much, and felt forced rather than a real part of life.

There is romance in Luna. Regan and Chris are quite cute together as they fumble through Chemistry together and then go on a couple of dates. However, I could have done without all of those mishaps. Everything that can go wrong, does go wrong. There's accidental bumping into, knocking over, hitting over the head, falling, exploding CD cases, car break downs, miscommunication. Just everything! I think it was suppose to be funny and cute, but I found it annoying and slapstick.

But I did really love everything that Regan does for Liam. She watches out for him and accepts him, helping him out with clothes and accompanying him out when he wants to be Luna in public for the first time. She turns down dates with Chris to spend time with her, she comforts her when things get bad. But through all of this, she does wish Liam was "normal" so they wouldn't have to go through all of this heartache. She also hates how having to keep this secret is messing up her outside relationships and her family. It's easy to blame Liam for it all, but it goes beyond that, which made it all the more heartbreaking to witness.

In the end, I did really like Luna. My heart went out to Liam/Luna and Regan. But the above mentioned things, really did hinder my enjoyment. I felt like the author was trying way too hard to force in messages about breaking gender roles, rather than just letting Luna and Regan's stories speak for themselves. I couldn't full believe everything because of this, and the narration was choppy in places. I'd still whole heartedly recommend it though, because there is a very touching and eye opening story.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.