I read her book Sugar Queen so I knew to expect a sweet story with interesting characters and plot. This kind of book is a nice break when you need one, but it missed a few notes that would have made me more satisfied with the time I spent reading it. But it was a sweet treat all in all.I would recommend The Girl Who Chased the Moon to people who like stories set in Southern towns (me), readers who like a bit of whimsy or magic thrown in (me), and coming of age stories (me). I would not recommend this book for people who want emotional depth weaved in with the characters and plot (me) or for folks who avoid the sugar coating of Youth Adult fiction (me.)I am annoyed that this book is called "The Girl who Chased the Moon" which is a reference to one character when this book is really about two protagonists. But I get easily annoyed when covers and titles don't match the book. Just one of my things.So many elements of this tale where really quite charming. But the tension and conflict was about the learning of a big secret and once those things were brought out in the light of day (or the dark of night, is more like it) the story was over. Everything is not resolved with the revealing, but learning how to live with that new information. It seemed to end too abruptly for me. I absolutely enjoyed this book. I loved the writing and the story. I loved the touch of magic that made everything more interesting. I would definitely love to read other books from Sarah Addison Allen. I know sweet is not a proper adjective to describe a book but we can use it for this one. It’s a light read with a happy ending. The story is about Emily, a girl that comes to Mullaby after her mother’s death. Her mother was a very good woman and always helped other people. But when Emily comes to her mother’s hometown she realizes that her mother hasn’t always been the good person she knew. Her mother was a spoiled rich girl that bullied her classmates. Emily meets Julia, a victim of her mother’s high school teasing. She also meets her grandfather for the first time and also a young boy Will who she falls for. However Will isn’t an ordinary boy, he glows in the dark. The wallpapers in Emily’s room change to suit her mood. Everything in this small town is strange; the good kind of strange.When Emily first came here she was extremely sad from her mother’s death and she didn’t look forward anything. But throughout the story she lightens up, she grows closer to her giant grandfather, she forms a close friendship with Julia and she fells in love with Will. She starts living again. Julia is a young woman who had a very sad past. Her mother died when she was a teenager, his father married again and she felt alone. She was the strange girl with pink hair at school and had no friends at all. She started cutting and was depressed. After a night with her high school crush she ended up pregnant. She couldn’t take care of herself let alone the baby, so she gave her daughter for adoption. She didn’t come back to her hometown and created a new life. She still had a pink streak on her hair to remind her that she survived the dark path of her life and that she can go on. But she’s far from happy. She has her daughter on her mind the whole time. She thinks her daughter has a sweet scent and can find her if she continues to bake cakes. At the end, this turns out to be true. Julia found peace at baking cakes. Many people are truly themselves only when they do something they love.Mullaby is a town of misfits. Everyone has something weird and unique in them and they’re trying to find a place where they belong. Anyway they find out that you don’t need a place to belong, you need the right people and only that way you’ll feel completely happy."I'm homesick all the time," she said, still not looking at him "I just don't know where home is. There's this promise of happiness out there. I know it. I even feel it sometimes. But it's like chasing the moon - just when I think I have it, it disappears into the horizon. I grieve and try to move on, but then the damn thing comes back the next night, giving me hope of catching it all over again."
Do You like book O Feitiço Da Lua (2010)?
I can taste the summer air in this novel. It is a beautiful magical realism novel. However, I had a difficult time getting attached to it the way I did with Addison-Allen's other novels. I think it was the high-school politics during the flashbacks, and the amount of mystery in which Allen left Emily's mother. I wish she'd let more of how the mother had changed seep out. She left a little to much mystery a little too long for it to be suspenseful. It was still a beautiful book, perfect for sitting out in the sweltering sun with a glass of lemonade, maybe for getting a sun-tan (if I knew how to do that efficiently!)This is still for a mature audience, as are all of the books of Allen I have read. There is sex. Well written, tasteful sex, and for younger under 15 I would say give it some time or ask a parent or mentor if they think you're ready for that. I'm aware that some parents are more strict about that. As much as you aught to respect them, you will be living with a mental handicap if your are completely clueless about things like this. I ask that you don't leave yourself naive for too long--and I ask this in the name of your safety and growth as a human being.
—Gazzadogga
My thoughts are all mixed up. I didn't like the main character as much as (I know) I was supposed to, but I fell in love with Julia and Sawyer... Concerning the plot line, I believe its magic was too blatant, too obvious and the book lacked small and simple details, but I actually liked the (silly) baking idea...And I think the author should've explained better what really happened to the Coffeys.
—kaykaybee
Her stories are like a light confection. A perfect read for this time of year.
—Unwanted_not_loved333
Great love story about family and redemption!
—Hayleanbean01
