I've read my fair share of Sarah Dessen books. They are the perfect contemporary fluff that you would look for in a summer read. I have to say, I adore her books, and always look forward to new releases by her to get my cute romance fix, however The Moon and More is so much more than that. This is her only book that you could actually distinguish between her previous novels. Her previous novels, if you've read most of them, tend to blend together (not sure if that is a good or bad thing), but for The Moon and More? I'll always know it is that Sarah Dessen book of a girl that in the end didn't need any guy to define her. 
 I love that all (at least most) of Sarah Dessen's books are set in the same beach town, Colby. I love love beach settings and that is the reason why I always read any new Sarah Dessen book. This book is no different, it is also set in Colby (yeay) and our main protagonist, Emaline, works at her family's business, running a couple of resort houses along the beach. Emaline has the perfect boyfriend. We all know what that means right? trouble in paradise of course! and that is what happened. Also, enter Theo, and stuff gets complicated, fast. I have to say, through all the drama, Emaline never acted in a way that frustrated me, and trust me, that always seems to happen whenever a romance goes wrong. Emaline was very mature (the book is set the summer before she goes off to university), and I loved how even with her romantic life getting all messed up, she never lost sight of herself. However this book was mostly about her finding herself, her "true calling" if we are being a bit cheesy. My only tiny complaint is that the novel was a bit too long for such a plot. 
 I liked that even with her trying to find herself, she still never lost sight of her family, and her relationship with them never faltered. I loved her family. Emaline has two step sisters (her mother married her step-father who already had two daughters). She doesn't think of them as a step family because her mother married when she was three. One part I always laugh at is when Emaline comes home and finds her mom and her older sister in her room, on her bed, talking and eating, as if it is a lounging area (their father was renovating the house). Her family was definitely the comic relief in this novel. I lastly have to mention her relationship with her stepbrother (from her biological father). He is around 8 i think? and he is ADORABLE! I also LOVED his growing relationship with Emaline! All in all, I think The Moon and More would appeal to the older fans of Sarah Dessen, however I do recommend it to all fans.