Review: Keeping the Moon

Title: Keeping the Moon (audiobook)
Author: Sarah Dessen, Stina Nielsen (narrator)
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: Speak
Source: Library
Format: Audiobook
Release Date: June 11, 2009 (first published September 1, 1999)
Rating: ★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

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. 

Review:

I was disappointed in this book.

It was more character driven than plot driven. There wasn’t much that happened to the main character, Colie. The other characters around her were so much more interesting than her. Her mother used to be overweight her whole life, but is now a fitness celebrity. Her neighbour, Morgan, was engaged to a not-so-good guy. Even Colie’s eccentric aunt seemed more developed than her. I think one of the other characters would have been a better main character than Colie.

I listened to the audiobook, which was good. The narrator’s voice was relaxing and easy to listen to. She did some great impressions for the more developed characters, such as Morgan who was a drama queen sometimes. These different voices were entertaining.

I’m glad this wasn’t the first Sarah Dessen book I’ve read. Her storytelling ability has improved a lot over the past 20 years since this book was written.

What to read next:

Have you read Keeping the Moon? What did you think of it?