Moonglass - Jessi Kirby

Young Adult
Pages: 240
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Release Date: May 3, 2011

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 and her life 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 along the shore years ago. And the ebb and flow of the ocean's tide means that nothing- not the sea glass that she collects on the sand and not the truths behind Anna's mother's death- stays buried forever.

I wish I could live inside this novel. It's been a long time since one of my favorite parts of a contemporary novel was the setting. It's so amazing when you can mentally transport yourself and see where the characters are standing. This beach, the cottages and the overall feel while reading had me longing to run to the nearest beach. Glad it's not that far and I was able to finish the book right in front of the sea! Perfect summer beach-filled read. From experience, pages taste better with the waves crashing as a background.

To be completely honest, I was rather bored during the first half of the story. As pleased as I was with the setting, I just didn't feel a plot unraveling or the story building up to something. So the pull to read was low. BUT, and this is a huge but, I was SO wrong. Because the plot is, in fact, seamlessly building up and when it did unravel it was heart-stopping and perfect. I might have cried. It was just the perfect, perfect ending.

I also loved the easy-going drama-free romance. You could feel the insecurities we feel without the regular barrier to be together becoming an much of an issue. It felt incredibly real. It makes the book unusual and original. There are a lot of things going on at the same time with this one, but somehow Kirby makes it work and fit together. The characters were really well done too, and I especially loved Anna's dad. He was the perfect dad. I wanted to reach in and hug him.

Overall, this is a delicious summer read you should not miss!

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