Moonglass by Jessi Kirby

Moonglass by Jessi Kirby
Release Date – May 3, 2011
Publisher Website – Simon and Schuster
Publisher Social Media - Twitter
Pages - 232 pages
My Rating- 7.5/10
**Obtained from the library**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

From Jessi Kirby, a debut novel about confronting the past in order to move ahead. 

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.

I picked up Moonglass expecting a more romantic story but instead got an emotional, well written read.

The descriptions of the beach, and the surrounding area was so well done. I could almost feel the sand under my feet and hear the ocean. I had never heard of sea glass before (don’t laugh) but was fascinated by it. The mixing of this with the mermaid stories Anna mother told her when she was younger was a sweet touch.

The romance in this book while sweet, was almost secondary. Not at all what I was expecting. The description of putting yourself out there, and hoping the other person meets you halfway was very realistic. I felt like Anna and Tyler’s relationship was growing at a perfect pace - not too fast, nor slow. It just felt very authentic.

Anna herself was refreshing. She seemed so typical of a teenaged girl who has been through something very traumatic. The friendships she makes, and the journey her character takes all felt true to the character.

Anna dealing with her mother’s death and finally learning things about her mother was pretty heartbreaking. The grief, guilt, and self blame both Anna and her father were dealing with was understandable. I wish they would have talked to each other about it more though. It could have helped heal them both.

I enjoyed the relationship between Anna and her dad. He was protective, a little flawed himself, but you never doubted that he loved and cared for her. He was doing his best while falling apart himself. It’s too often that we don’t see a decent portrayal of parents in young adult books, so this was a welcome change.

If you are looking for an emotional read that feels very authentic this is one you’ll want to read.