Review: Moonglass by Jessi Kirby

Title: Moonglass
Author: Jessi Kirby
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Release date: May 3rd 2011
Pages: 232
Genre: Contemporary YA; romance
Source: Bought 
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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.

My rating: 5 out of 5 stars


Moonglass is such a me book. Really, this book could double as The Guide to Writing the Perfect Book for Hannah. The ingredients needed for the perfect book for me, as demonstrated in Moonglass, are:
- a lovable main character
- a touching grief storyline, preferably with a little mystery as to what exactly happened
- realistic family relationships
- a cute romance that's a nice addition to the story but doesn't take the main focus
- a beach setting to get me in the mood for summer
- beautiful writing
Moonglass has it all, and I loved every mintute of it.

What really made me love Moonglass is the beautiful prose. Jessi Kirby has a way with words - she made so easy to get lost in the story. Her attention to detail is stunning. This book has ensured that I will read anything this author will publish - which works out great, because In Honor sounds amazing. 


The characters are amazing. I loved Ashley and Jillian, who both are so much more than they seem at first sight. Anna's dad is a great character - Jessi Kirby really nailed the relationship between Anna and her father. I also loved James - I wish he'd played a more important role in the story. And of course the Penance guy, who is quite possibly my favorite character because his story is just so heartbreaking and perfect. I love how even the smallest characters are distinct and complex in this book.

I'm glad I read Moonlgass at the start of summer - it made me want to put on a bikini and run to the nearest beach. (Which is impossible where I live, but still.) The atmospheric writing made me feel like I was right there at the beach with Anna. Crystal Cove almost seems like another character because it's so important to the story. I loved the aspect of the sea glass and moonglass - all these awesome books talking about sea glass (Twenty Boy Summer, But I Love Him, and this one) have basically made it my life goal to find some sea glass myself, some day.


The romance is great, too. I've gotten a little annoyed with all those romances where the guy immediately falls for the MC because she's so beautiful and perfect and blah blah blah. Luckily, that is not the case in Moonglass - for once, the girl tries to get the guy, and she actually gets shot down a few times. That made me so happy - it's how real life works! But of course I also loved that Anna and Tyler did get together later on - they're adorable together. 


Anna's grief is an important part of Moonglass, and it's definitely sad, but I appreciated that the sadness isn't overpowering. As much as I love heartbreaking stories, it was nice not to spend the entire book bawling. I teared up twice, but that's it, and I appreciate that Jessi Kirby balanced the grief in with the rest of the story. It's sad, but not too much of a tearjerker.


I just loved everything about this book! It's subtle and poignant, and Jessi Kirby has perfected the balance between depth and lightheartedness. I am thoroughly impressed, and I cannot wait to read more from this author.

What would be the ingredients needed for YOUR perfect book? Have you ever come across a book that demonstrated exactly what you want from a book as well as Moonglass did for me?