Sarah Dessen is a New York Times Best-Selling Author. She has many other young adult books such as Just Listen, Along for the Ride, and Lock and Key. Dessen has received the Goodreads Choice awards Best Young Adult Fiction and Shorty award for Best Author.

Fifteen-year-old Colie is just one of those girls. She doesn’t fit in at school because she was fat and now that she isn’t it was because of a reputation she didn’t deserve. So for the summer she’s sent to her peculiar aunt Mira in Colby, North Carolina. Colby turns out to be a pleasant surprise for Colie. She gets a job without even trying at the the Last Chance Bar and Grill. She meets two best friends Morgan and Isabel. Throughout the book they teach her what friendship is all about and help her to learn to love herself.

To start off, the book Colie starts talking about how it’s the first day of her awful summer in Colby. The beginning is more of a  negative tone. However through the book Colie begins to open up to Isabel and Morgan. They begin to show her what she’s been missing. Just because you don’t fit in in high school means nothing. Also that high school isn’t everything. Not everyone will be popular or well-known and your life actually starts after high school. Because they are a little bit older they know that your life actually begins after high school. Isabel and Morgan really show Colie to appreciate herself and to have fun.

Keeping the Moon was one of my favorite Sarah Dessen books. It connects to young adults or teens who are still in high school and are struggling. I really liked how in the beginning of the story Colie was more negative. She didn’t really think positive. She didn’t want to be in Colby at all but towards the end she opened up. I loved how much character development Colie showed.

Isabel and Morgan were a big part in Colie’s change throughout the story. Dessen did a great job of sending a message. The message she sends through this book is that Dessen made the character Colie relatable for young adults. I feel like kids who aren’t popular or insecure can relate to Colie especially. It shows that however sad or upset you are, you can still get through it.

Dessen received three awards for Keeping the Moon. They were an SLJ Best Book of the Year, an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, and an IRA Young Adult Choice.