Moonglass by Jessi Kirby

Moonglass
Jessi Kirby
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Release Date: May 3, 2011
Pages: 232

Rating: 4 stars

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.

Moonglass was a really touching debut. It was a much needed contemporary that I really enjoyed. It had a story that I really enjoyed and the characters were just great.

The plot of this book was just very easy going and had a steady pace. I loved that Anna and Tyler's relationship took a bit to build. It wasn't simply ok, we're together now. I was actually a good chunk into the book before they actually got together, and that was awesome.

The characters were my favorite part of this book. I loved Ashley - she isn't the type of character I usually would be crazy about, but she was just lovely. I would love to have her as a friend. Jillian was another character who was just great. She was just a really nice person. James was a hilarious character and I would've loved to hear more from him.

I wasn't quite satisfied with the ending. I wish the story had gone on a little more. I felt like the peak of the book happened and then the book just ended.

Moonglass was a really great read. I loved the stories within the story and the action by the ocean. It was just a really nice read, and while it was a something of a book of grief for Anna and her dad, it was also very much about growth. I really am curious to see more from Jessi Kirby in the future.