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Like Moonlight at Low Tide
by
Nicole Quigley (Goodreads Author)
"...a darkly poignant inspirational romance that will linger in the mind well after reading it." -USA Today
For Missy Keiser, returning to Anna Maria Island, Florida, means two things: her mother made another poor decision with men, and Missy will have to reenter a world where she’s known as “Messy,” a social pariah who dared to have a crush on Sam King, the most popular bo...more
For Missy Keiser, returning to Anna Maria Island, Florida, means two things: her mother made another poor decision with men, and Missy will have to reenter a world where she’s known as “Messy,” a social pariah who dared to have a crush on Sam King, the most popular bo...more
Hardcover, 247 pages
Published
September 25th 2012
by Zondervan
(first published September 4th 2012)
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Due to some content, I would recommend this book for young people age 12 and over. It would probably be more enjoyed by girls than boys.
The story unfolds as told through the eyes of a bullied teen forced to face harsh reality when tragedy strikes. I was hooked on page one, where the author foreshadows the future, then familiarizes the reader with “Messy” Missy Keiser, an insecure teen who returns to her school in Florida after three years away, anticipating encounters with the same cruel classm...more
The story unfolds as told through the eyes of a bullied teen forced to face harsh reality when tragedy strikes. I was hooked on page one, where the author foreshadows the future, then familiarizes the reader with “Messy” Missy Keiser, an insecure teen who returns to her school in Florida after three years away, anticipating encounters with the same cruel classm...more
Sep 20, 2012
Alexandra Ray
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
everyone - in need of faith and hope
Wow, I don't know how to start this review, maybe because I'm still reeling after having just finished it seconds ago.
I suppose the title is as good a place as any to start. Like Moonlight at Low Tide. Personally, I love this title, it's what drew me in initially. Perhaps that's because of my unabashed love for the sea. I'd probably read any book if the title mentioned the sea, heh.
But it was the first couple of pages that really hooked me. I love it when a story is told with the end first. On...more
I suppose the title is as good a place as any to start. Like Moonlight at Low Tide. Personally, I love this title, it's what drew me in initially. Perhaps that's because of my unabashed love for the sea. I'd probably read any book if the title mentioned the sea, heh.
But it was the first couple of pages that really hooked me. I love it when a story is told with the end first. On...more
2 likes · like · see review
This was a thought provoking, intriguing book. Missy was the class joke before she'd left for Pennsylvania and now that she's back, she wants to change that image. Her crush had always been Sam, and that was a significant portion of why she was a social outcast. Now after three years, she has changed and the boys are noticing. Her neighbor is intriguing as well, but he isn't the boy of her dreams, right?
I honestly wasn't sure how this book would sit with me when I started it but I really did enj...more
I honestly wasn't sure how this book would sit with me when I started it but I really did enj...more
Also posted on my blog, The Rambling Readerista
I almost gave up reading this book. It was immensely slow at the beginning, most of the time leaving me thinking hating the story because it was such a classic, a girl comes back home after living three years away, having to face people who once considered her "the Ugly Duckling", hated her and made fun of her. Never really accepted her. I can understand how such a thing may seem to a junior in high school, but seriously, you cannot go around thinki...more
I almost gave up reading this book. It was immensely slow at the beginning, most of the time leaving me thinking hating the story because it was such a classic, a girl comes back home after living three years away, having to face people who once considered her "the Ugly Duckling", hated her and made fun of her. Never really accepted her. I can understand how such a thing may seem to a junior in high school, but seriously, you cannot go around thinki...more
1 like · like · see review
Missy Keiser only wants what every teenager wants: to be accepted by her peers. After three years away, she moves back to Anna Maria Island, Florida, hoping the kids won't remember her or that they called her "Messy" all through middle school.
Missy and her big brother Robby, along with their little sister Crystal, try to navigate the waters of life leaning on each other as their mother consistently makes bad choices.
When Sam, the most popular boy in school, starts paying attention to her, Miss...more
Missy and her big brother Robby, along with their little sister Crystal, try to navigate the waters of life leaning on each other as their mother consistently makes bad choices.
When Sam, the most popular boy in school, starts paying attention to her, Miss...more
1 like · like · see review
Nicole Quigley has written a compelling book about the lives of several young people on the west coast of Florida. She has great success in creating believable and sympathetic characters who live in a world so real one can can taste the salt and feel the humidity. She writes of many unsympathetic charcter with an even hand, revealing the human side of each.
Her prose is clear and precise. The descriptions are sprinkled with gentle observations about the human condition. With a lesser writer much...more
Her prose is clear and precise. The descriptions are sprinkled with gentle observations about the human condition. With a lesser writer much...more
1 like · like · see review
Missy is returning to Anna Maria Island mid-junior year. This is not a place she wants to be. When she left in junior high she was known as Messy, a girl all the guys barked at. She crushed on the cutest boy in her grade, Sam King, but when a popular girl found out about it, she made sure Missy paid dearly. Now she shudders at the thought of being called Messy and being outcasted again.
Miraculously though things have changed. And Sam King actually likes her now. But the good things happening at...more
Miraculously though things have changed. And Sam King actually likes her now. But the good things happening at...more
This book is a wonderful read that tapped into my imagination. I could see events play out in my mind's eye. I could feel everything the main character, Melissa, was going through. This book begged for my attention in such a way, that I couldn't put it down!
Ms. Quigley's characters were realistic, relatable, and well rounded. I enjoyed watching Missy and Josh's friendship grow and develop. There were also some moments I could relate with Missy, which made me appreciate the book more.
Another reas...more
Ms. Quigley's characters were realistic, relatable, and well rounded. I enjoyed watching Missy and Josh's friendship grow and develop. There were also some moments I could relate with Missy, which made me appreciate the book more.
Another reas...more
Compelling, Gut-wrenching, and Romantic Debut.
This is a beautifully written story with a powerful message about love, forgiveness and discovering your true worth. Missy has not had the easiest life, whether it be because of her mother's reckless lifestyle or the bullying she's endured at the hands of her classmates and my heart broke for her. She may have left Middle School as an awkward preteen but when she returns to start the second half of her Junior year, she's anything but awkward and ever...more
This is a beautifully written story with a powerful message about love, forgiveness and discovering your true worth. Missy has not had the easiest life, whether it be because of her mother's reckless lifestyle or the bullying she's endured at the hands of her classmates and my heart broke for her. She may have left Middle School as an awkward preteen but when she returns to start the second half of her Junior year, she's anything but awkward and ever...more
When Melissa moves back to her hometown on Anna Maria Island, Florida, her only hope is that the bullies who teased her for being ugly will have forgotten her. And while a few people remember, most don’t care. Melissa isn’t the same little girl and people notice, including the most popular guy in the school, the guy she used to have a huge crush on. Just when Melissa thinks she’s getting everything she always wanted, things start to go way wrong.
Here’s a book that sucked me in. I liked Melissa...more
Here’s a book that sucked me in. I liked Melissa...more
I fell in love with this story in the first few pages. This story that will keep you turning pages with it's suspense and vulnerability, and a cast of characters with a diverse range of emotional depth. It's a fantastic read, if you have any hormonal reaction at all to anything, this book will get you. It deals with the loss of a loved one, the give and take of high school popularity, the bullies that plague and haunt us through our memories and how we let them rule our futures.
Missy is the gir...more
Missy is the gir...more
In “Like Moonlight at Low Tide”, debut author Nicole Quigley captures the dysfunctional life of junior Melissa Keiser, a.k.a. “Messy”, with gut-wrenching honesty. When her family returns to the picture-postcard perfect Anna Maria Island, Florida, the torment launched by fellow classmates in junior high threatens to swallow her whole. But the tide turns and the building of unlikely friendships creates a doable, almost enviable existence amongst her high school peers. Life at home isn’t so blessed...more
1 like · like · see review
This review was originally posted on my book blog: Written By Brittan
Like Moonlight At Low Tide is heart breaking and breathe taking. The story line is gripping, and it pulls you into the story. The characters were so realistic. Nicole Quigley did an incredible job writing this book.
This book is very hypnotic. I could not put it down. The storyline is really enjoyable, but meaningful at the same time. Even though this book has it's sad part that you you cry. it has those parts that make you smi...more
Like Moonlight At Low Tide is heart breaking and breathe taking. The story line is gripping, and it pulls you into the story. The characters were so realistic. Nicole Quigley did an incredible job writing this book.
This book is very hypnotic. I could not put it down. The storyline is really enjoyable, but meaningful at the same time. Even though this book has it's sad part that you you cry. it has those parts that make you smi...more
Oh my. Two words: tragic and encouraging.
I had no idea what this was going to be about. None. I seriously thought it might be a mermaid tale based on the cover and title. (I was wrong!) Turns out, this is a contemporary fiction book—which is not my usual genre of choice. But, since it was set in my home state of Florida I thought I would give it a try. So glad I did.
The characters are great. Missy and Josh are so layered that I was instantly sucked in to their stories. All of the characters ar...more
I had no idea what this was going to be about. None. I seriously thought it might be a mermaid tale based on the cover and title. (I was wrong!) Turns out, this is a contemporary fiction book—which is not my usual genre of choice. But, since it was set in my home state of Florida I thought I would give it a try. So glad I did.
The characters are great. Missy and Josh are so layered that I was instantly sucked in to their stories. All of the characters ar...more
1 like · like · see review
Goodreads summary:
For Missy Keiser, returning to Anna Maria Island, Florida, means two things: her mother made another poor decision with men, and Missy will have to reenter a world where she’s known as “Messy,” a social pariah who dared to have a crush on Sam King, the most popular boy in school.
But much has changed in the three years she’s been away. Missy’s next-door neighbor is no longer an elderly woman but Josh, an intriguing boy who seems genuinely interested in her. At school, she’s surp...more
For Missy Keiser, returning to Anna Maria Island, Florida, means two things: her mother made another poor decision with men, and Missy will have to reenter a world where she’s known as “Messy,” a social pariah who dared to have a crush on Sam King, the most popular boy in school.
But much has changed in the three years she’s been away. Missy’s next-door neighbor is no longer an elderly woman but Josh, an intriguing boy who seems genuinely interested in her. At school, she’s surp...more
1 like · like · see review
Ms. Quigley has written a fine first-person YA novel. Her prose is fantastic; the teenage voices completely believable, and the emotions compelling. We meet Missy Keiser, a young woman with a dysfunctional family, who has returned to her hometown and the peers at school who used to taunt her when she was young. She's grown up, but her low self esteem hinders her ability to see neither her own value or physical beauty without the help of the young men in her life. Her hottie neighbor, or her ulti...more
1 like · like · see review
I knew instantly that I wanted to read this book when it was first given to me. Not only is it short and sweet, but it hits home in a lot of places. There were moments when I could relate to Missy very well and other times that I felt disconnected with her, but that's expected. Mostly though, I did feel a connection.
The opening pages take the reader in right away. One gets sucked in without even realizing and the story sweeps one away into the world. And all too soon it ends.
It felt a wave of em...more
The opening pages take the reader in right away. One gets sucked in without even realizing and the story sweeps one away into the world. And all too soon it ends.
It felt a wave of em...more
Poignant is the word that comes to mind.
I found Missy incredibly relatable. I thought the situations she was thrown in were true to life and how she dealt with them was believable. Maybe not all the situations happen to the everyday teens, but a lot of the issues that were covered are prevalent.
This really bought me back to how hard those teen years were.
I also wanted to say how well written this story was. I love Nicole Quigley's writing style and I plan on studying it. Beautiful.
Note - I wo...more
I found Missy incredibly relatable. I thought the situations she was thrown in were true to life and how she dealt with them was believable. Maybe not all the situations happen to the everyday teens, but a lot of the issues that were covered are prevalent.
This really bought me back to how hard those teen years were.
I also wanted to say how well written this story was. I love Nicole Quigley's writing style and I plan on studying it. Beautiful.
Note - I wo...more
I got a copy of Like Moonlight at Low Tide: Sometimes the Current Is the Only Thing That Saves You by Nicole Quigley from Netgalley and am really glad that I did. Missy Keiser was once bullied in her school when she was younger. She was called Messy and barked and the classmates she had made her believe that she was ugly. This makes for some really low self-esteem of course and so for some of the book you get to hear her complain about how she is ugly and how she just wants someone to find her...more
Original review posted at Book Revels
Missy Keiser doesn’t want to return to Anna Maria Island, Florida, where her peers taunted her constantly by calling her “Messy.” After yet another of her mother’s relationships fail, she’s forced to return to a town full of people she hoped never to see again. But life on Anna Maria Island has changed for Missy. A cute boy named Josh now lives next door, her middle school crush Sam King finally notices her, and her status as a social pariah seems to have end...more
Missy Keiser doesn’t want to return to Anna Maria Island, Florida, where her peers taunted her constantly by calling her “Messy.” After yet another of her mother’s relationships fail, she’s forced to return to a town full of people she hoped never to see again. But life on Anna Maria Island has changed for Missy. A cute boy named Josh now lives next door, her middle school crush Sam King finally notices her, and her status as a social pariah seems to have end...more
Review originally posted on Rather Be Reading Blog:
It’s no surprise Melissa isn’t totally thrilled with her move back to Florida.
After 3 years away, she has no faith that the bullies who made her life miserable have grown up in the slightest or that she is confident enough to ignore their comments.
Despite having the support of her old best friend and her boyfriend, Melissa’s life starts to change when Sam King — the literal king of high school — starts to show interest in her and the murmurings...more
It’s no surprise Melissa isn’t totally thrilled with her move back to Florida.
After 3 years away, she has no faith that the bullies who made her life miserable have grown up in the slightest or that she is confident enough to ignore their comments.
Despite having the support of her old best friend and her boyfriend, Melissa’s life starts to change when Sam King — the literal king of high school — starts to show interest in her and the murmurings...more
Compelling drama.
This young adult fiction shows the heartache of trying to fit in, and trying to feel normal. It demonstrates the lengths teens often will go to in order to feel love and acceptance and the devastation of when they face rejection. It vividly portrays the cruelty often exhibited to those “invisible” teenagers who are not in the popular group. The book was well-written, the scenery helped you feel the island and the characters were realistic. Well done as a debut novel.
This young adult fiction shows the heartache of trying to fit in, and trying to feel normal. It demonstrates the lengths teens often will go to in order to feel love and acceptance and the devastation of when they face rejection. It vividly portrays the cruelty often exhibited to those “invisible” teenagers who are not in the popular group. The book was well-written, the scenery helped you feel the island and the characters were realistic. Well done as a debut novel.
This past September I stumbled onto this author and this book, which is her debut YA novel. In the months since, I have become a huge fan of Nicole, what she's trying to do with her writing, and her well-executed plot and characters.
Like Moonlight at Low Tide is not for the faint of heart. It addresses teenage suicide and the issue of bullying. It is one I will be recommending to teacher friends from my past life in education as well as youth pastors and ministry leaders from my present because...more
Like Moonlight at Low Tide is not for the faint of heart. It addresses teenage suicide and the issue of bullying. It is one I will be recommending to teacher friends from my past life in education as well as youth pastors and ministry leaders from my present because...more
Like Moonlight at Low Tide, was another good book from Zondervan Publications. There is a Christian perspective that eases into this book. Missy is a girl who returns to the place where she once lived. She tries to recreate herself because she had been "the kid who gets bullied". She has lots of self image issues. It is a story that many will be able to relate to. Very appropriate for Jr. High and High school students.
Great writing for first time author Nicole Quigley for what can be difficult topics: 4.5 stars out of 5 stars. Good character development and nice build up for a dramatic ending.
A poignant story about high school student Melissa Keiser returning to a small Florida island and dealing what can be hard realities with living in a small American area.
I didn't know how I would react to this book when I first read it, but I enjoyed reading each page. It's a nice change from other contemporary young a...more
A poignant story about high school student Melissa Keiser returning to a small Florida island and dealing what can be hard realities with living in a small American area.
I didn't know how I would react to this book when I first read it, but I enjoyed reading each page. It's a nice change from other contemporary young a...more
This book really intrigued me! I couldn't put it down. I felt like I could easily relate to Missy and her situation. As I read the book I went through the same emotions she went through. Nicole Quigley did a fantastic job with this story!
The book was beautifully written and literally kept me guessing until the end. In a story of love and it's substitutes, God enfolds you in his grace.
How can calamity produce peace of mind? The answer is in the details of this wonderful novel. A suspenseful tale of a young teen searching for identity and acceptance. Melissa find much more than just acceptance, she finds life. Read it!
1 like · like · see review
Aug 12, 2012
Carmen
marked it as to-read
Long title.
The best book I've read in a while. Loved it.
Lengthier review to come.
Lengthier review to come.
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Nicole Quigley is the author of Like Moonlight at Low Tide, a winner of the American Christian Fiction Writer's "Genesis Contest" for best young adult fiction. She holds a B.S. come Appalachian State University, where she majored in Communications/Public Relations and minored in English. Nicole recently moved back to Anna Maria Island, FL, where she grew up. Visit her on Facebook at http://www.fac...more
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M_rios01@yahoo.com
Thx! I also have lots of books I can loan out if you want to check it out.
Dec 26, 2012 06:34pm