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 fo... read full description
reviews
Jan 11, 2012
Cara
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After reading this book now I want to go find some sea glass. I've never done that since I live in a landlocked state. Woe is me. *rolls eyes at myself* Okay now I'll commence to stop my complaining about the lack of beach experience I have, and get on with the book which was nicely written. Suicide is a really hard issue to talk about, and ironically enough even though that's what Anna's mother did I don't recall the word ever being used (do correct me if I'm wrong). A good writer can do that.
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Feb 04, 2012
Ðємσɭιтισɴ
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Okay, this book needs to make up it's mind. Or I have to make up my mind, actually. I can't decide whether I hate or like it. It's driving me nuts.
So, first thing's first: The Protagonist.
Anna was actually a little fun to read about. She wasn't Grace-Brisbane-Awesome or Nora-Grey-Annoying, but a happy medium. And by happy medium, I don't mean she was somewhere in between. I mean there were quite a few points where I wanted to slap her and tell her to get a hold of herself More...
So, first thing's first: The Protagonist.
Anna was actually a little fun to read about. She wasn't Grace-Brisbane-Awesome or Nora-Grey-Annoying, but a happy medium. And by happy medium, I don't mean she was somewhere in between. I mean there were quite a few points where I wanted to slap her and tell her to get a hold of herself More...
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Oct 27, 2011
Cindy/Books Complete Me
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This debut by Jessi Kirby blew me away. The book opens with Anna moving to a small seaside resort with her father--a move she isn't very happy about. She's going to miss all of her friends and her grandmother, but also she fears the memory of her mother will fade if she leaves.
It's obvious that Anna is still suffering from the loss of her mother, despite the fact that she's been gone for years. There is some mystery surrounding her mother's death that kept me guessing and intrigued thr More...
It's obvious that Anna is still suffering from the loss of her mother, despite the fact that she's been gone for years. There is some mystery surrounding her mother's death that kept me guessing and intrigued thr More...
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Apr 21, 2011
Lauren (365 Days of Reading)
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Summary: Anna watched her mother commit suicide when she was a little girl. Now, many years later, Anna is still pushing aside grief and self-blame for her mother’s death. She and her father move to a new town to start over: the town where her parents first met. Anna finds herself learning more about her mother than she’d ever known…
My thoughts: Moonglass starts out solidly; Jessi Kirby slowly builds on Anna’s grief as she moves to a new town. The simple interactions with local boy T More...
My thoughts: Moonglass starts out solidly; Jessi Kirby slowly builds on Anna’s grief as she moves to a new town. The simple interactions with local boy T More...
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Nov 13, 2011
Racquel
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Totally sweet♥
This review is also posted on my blog: The Book Barbies
At first I thought this book was about mermaid, I don't know how I got that idea in my head because this is realistic contemporary at it's best!
Jessi Kirby portrayed the characters realistically from Anna the MC, to rich girl Ashely who comes off as stereotypical but thank goodness, Kirby saved her and actually gave her layers! Also, this is a complete beach read and who doesn't love those? M More...
This review is also posted on my blog: The Book Barbies
At first I thought this book was about mermaid, I don't know how I got that idea in my head because this is realistic contemporary at it's best!
Jessi Kirby portrayed the characters realistically from Anna the MC, to rich girl Ashely who comes off as stereotypical but thank goodness, Kirby saved her and actually gave her layers! Also, this is a complete beach read and who doesn't love those? M More...
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Aug 27, 2011
Fred
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The summer before Anna's junior year, her father moves them back to the beach where he and her mother met. Aside from being uprooted, this stirs up memories, issues, emotions and questions that they had both suppressed since her mother's death when Anna was seven.
Wow, what a powerful read. I was not expecting this at all, I thought it ywas kind of a beachy summer albeit bittersweet book (I mean, look at the cover, right?) but it really affected me on many levels. First, it is a ve More...
Wow, what a powerful read. I was not expecting this at all, I thought it ywas kind of a beachy summer albeit bittersweet book (I mean, look at the cover, right?) but it really affected me on many levels. First, it is a ve More...
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May 03, 2011
Brent
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There’s something about beach reads that get me every time. I love heading to beach (vicariously) with a great set of characters. I love the sand, the bon fires, the flip flops, and the ice cream. There’s nothing better than reading about that cute boy down the beach. I’m always on the lookout for books that capture everything summer is perfectly—and I squee every time I find one! MOONGLASS is one of those books.
Anna spent her childhood on the beach, scraping through the sand with h More...
Anna spent her childhood on the beach, scraping through the sand with h More...
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Apr 22, 2011
Kelsey
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Moonglass was a beautifully written debut novel by Jessi Kirby that will surely appeal to fans of contemporary novels like those of Sarah Dessen and Jenny Han.
I loved how the setting was so real. I could hear the crash of the waves in the background and hear the creaks of the floorboards in the old cottages. The places described in Moonglass just came alive and literally jumped off the pages. Since I read this in the middle of winter, it left me craving a visit to the beach.
T More...
I loved how the setting was so real. I could hear the crash of the waves in the background and hear the creaks of the floorboards in the old cottages. The places described in Moonglass just came alive and literally jumped off the pages. Since I read this in the middle of winter, it left me craving a visit to the beach.
T More...
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Jan 16, 2012
Violet90
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I remember how badly I wanted to read this book because all the reviews I read had said this book was great. But after reading it I am not sure how to rate it. I mean I liked the concept of the book this story was different than the one's I've read. It was a good book for young adult but I really was disappointed in the romance part. I mean there were some cute momemts between Anna and Tyler but their relationship just didn't click for me. I mean we don't even know if they consider each other "
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Dec 27, 2011
Erica
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Moonglass was a really touching debut. It was a much needed contemporary that I really enjoyed. It had a story that I really enjoyed and the characters were just great.
The plot of this book was just very easy going and had a steady pace. I loved that Anna and Tyler's relationship took a bit to build. It wasn't simply ok, we're together now. I was actually a good chunk into the book before they actually got together, and that was awesome.
The characters were my favorite par More...
The plot of this book was just very easy going and had a steady pace. I loved that Anna and Tyler's relationship took a bit to build. It wasn't simply ok, we're together now. I was actually a good chunk into the book before they actually got together, and that was awesome.
The characters were my favorite par More...
Dec 09, 2011
Moonglass was very unique in many ways. I also think it was a very nice, light, and easy read, perfect for a book read by the beach.
First off, I loved Anna. She is strong, yet weak at the same time. She shares a special connection with her mother, collecting sea glass, or “moonglass”, and their memories at the beach are as sharp as ever to Anna. She has dreamy thoughts of her mother as a mermaid in the ocean, and is drawn to her.
The plot of this book is very simple More...
First off, I loved Anna. She is strong, yet weak at the same time. She shares a special connection with her mother, collecting sea glass, or “moonglass”, and their memories at the beach are as sharp as ever to Anna. She has dreamy thoughts of her mother as a mermaid in the ocean, and is drawn to her.
The plot of this book is very simple More...
Oct 31, 2011
Devyani
rated it:
im not really sure about my feelings about this one :/
firstly , Moonglass , has been written beautifully ! and the author has done a commendable job considering it being her debut novel :)
the book is about Anna , who has to move away from Pismo beach (her previous home) and has to go to crystal cove , the very place where her parents met and fell in love and also the place where her mom committed suicide , which unfortunately had been witnessed by Anna when she was just a fragile More...
firstly , Moonglass , has been written beautifully ! and the author has done a commendable job considering it being her debut novel :)
the book is about Anna , who has to move away from Pismo beach (her previous home) and has to go to crystal cove , the very place where her parents met and fell in love and also the place where her mom committed suicide , which unfortunately had been witnessed by Anna when she was just a fragile More...
Sep 25, 2011
Barbara
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When she was seven, Anna watched her mother commit suicide by walking into the ocean. Since then, she has suffered from guilt, thinking that it was somehow her fault that her mother chose to die. When her father takes a job that brings him back to the beach where he and Anna's mother first met, she keeps encountering locals who know about her mother, and she grows increasingly angry that she and her father have never really talked about how her mother died. Anna throws herself into running and i
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Sep 16, 2011
Amy
rated it:
It will be hard for readers to believe, after completing this book, that this is actually a debut novel. The emotional and fantastical storyline that this author has woven and 'gifted' to audiences is something that no reader will soon forget.
Anna has had a slightly rough past. She lost a parent a long time ago when her beloved mother walked into the ocean and didn’t come back out. Her father is a good man, and he and Anna have maintained a good life with a solid friendship, even th More...
Anna has had a slightly rough past. She lost a parent a long time ago when her beloved mother walked into the ocean and didn’t come back out. Her father is a good man, and he and Anna have maintained a good life with a solid friendship, even th More...
Aug 03, 2011
Mindi
rated it:
This was a freebie book from Amazon they sent me to read and review for them.
First, let me say this author did a great job on her first book. I just wish it were a bit longer so we could get a bit deeper into Anna's other relationships. This book deals with a lot of very difficult topics from guilt, loss of a parent, mental illness, strained relationship with her dad, a move to a new high school and finding new friends, etc. All of these difficult situations were tied together i More...
First, let me say this author did a great job on her first book. I just wish it were a bit longer so we could get a bit deeper into Anna's other relationships. This book deals with a lot of very difficult topics from guilt, loss of a parent, mental illness, strained relationship with her dad, a move to a new high school and finding new friends, etc. All of these difficult situations were tied together i More...
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Jul 20, 2011
Maia❤Blinn
rated it:
H.o.l.y. S.h.i.z.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Okay, give me a minute to gather my thoughts...
If I were to recommend one book released in 2011 that you HAD to read, it would be this one. I swear. It's the best thing since 1492, when Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue. Yeah. It's better than the internet.
The characters were all their own. Jessi Kirby didn't copy, paste, and tweak a More...
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Okay, give me a minute to gather my thoughts...
If I were to recommend one book released in 2011 that you HAD to read, it would be this one. I swear. It's the best thing since 1492, when Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue. Yeah. It's better than the internet.
The characters were all their own. Jessi Kirby didn't copy, paste, and tweak a More...
Jul 01, 2011
Andrea
rated it:
When summer comes around, and I'm faced with yet another year that lacks vacation plans, I search for beach-themed books to help me escape to the ocean for a few days. I was scanning the bookshelves at a local bookstore, carefully trying to find the perfect book, when I stumbled upon Moonglass by Jessi Kirby. The cover made me feel tranquil, like I was at the beach. And that's all it took. I knew I had found what I was looking for.
Anna Ryan was only seven years old when her mother my More...
Anna Ryan was only seven years old when her mother my More...
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Jun 28, 2011
Sara
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This book was so refreshing, so simple and honest after all of the if not paranormal, then weird stuff I’ve been reading lately. This book is really like slipping into a beach chair and staring at the ocean. It’s calm and turbulent, and the emotion comes in waves. Kirby does a great job with setting, her writing takes the reader to the beautiful beach Anna and her father live at. That’s what makes this book such a great beach read. Even if you’re stuck on your couch this summer you can experien
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Jun 10, 2011
K
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Summer books are such great reading destinations.
Anna’s great summer is coming to an end. Her father has decided to move them both to a new beach town. He’s been living in the new house and has already established his long work hours, so she’s left to explore on her own. There are girly girls with small dogs in big bags and inappropriate footwear; a boys’ club of lifeguards (who come pre-warned by her father to stay away); barely-there memories and a family story that everyone but he More...
Anna’s great summer is coming to an end. Her father has decided to move them both to a new beach town. He’s been living in the new house and has already established his long work hours, so she’s left to explore on her own. There are girly girls with small dogs in big bags and inappropriate footwear; a boys’ club of lifeguards (who come pre-warned by her father to stay away); barely-there memories and a family story that everyone but he More...
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Jun 08, 2011
Brob
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Each summer I start picking up what I consider "Summer Beach Reads." These may or may not be labeled as such but generally they are inspirational or light reads in the YA genre. Things like Sarah Dessen, Hayley Abott, etc. I actually came across Moonglass because Sarah Dessen had written a brief blurb for the back of the book and that got me interested.
I thought this book was a great debut novel from Jessi Kirby. Anna is a great lead character and there is a lot of time dedi More...
I thought this book was a great debut novel from Jessi Kirby. Anna is a great lead character and there is a lot of time dedi More...
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Jun 03, 2011
Amy
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I had heard great things about Moonglass and when the chance to review it came along, I jumped on the chance to read it! If you are looking for a beach filled summer read, then Moonglass is the book to pick up.
I admit that it took me a bit to get into this book. To me, the beginning started out slow with the move to the new town. I was tired of reading about Anna's pity party of having to relocate when her father gets the chance for a better job. I wanted to reach into the More...
I admit that it took me a bit to get into this book. To me, the beginning started out slow with the move to the new town. I was tired of reading about Anna's pity party of having to relocate when her father gets the chance for a better job. I wanted to reach into the More...
May 09, 2011
Kelly
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Anna is not pleased. Her dad has just moved them to a new town, meaning she has to get adjusted to a new school and make friends. It's hard enough anyway, but especially in high school. Fortunately, she meets the world's friendliest girl and soon joins the school's track team. Still, much as she enjoys running, her real love is the ocean and fortunately, their new house is right on the beach. She even meets a cute lifeguard. But everything is shadowed by her mom's death (it happened when A
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Mar 03, 2011
Donna (Jaevenstar)
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I have to admit I had my reservations about this book. I loved the premise of it but I had a really hard time getting into it. Being determined to finish it, I trudged my way through. About two-thirds of the way into the book, it really started to pick up. I think the first two-thirds was meant to build the scene and set the stage for what turned out to be a really great and emotional ending.
The characters were very well written and believable. I enjoyed traveling through their journ More...
The characters were very well written and believable. I enjoyed traveling through their journ More...
Aug 14, 2011
Lauren
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Moonglass by Jessi Kirby is a book that follows a teen’s journey to understand her present and past. Ten years after her mother’s suicide, Anna is uprooted from the place she calls home to live with her dad in a beach side cottage that is situated in a place rooted in her family’s history. Accustomed to the beach lifestyle, Anna begins engaging in the activities that she loves: swimming, running, hanging out on the beach, and most importantly sea glass collecting. As Anna tries to make peace w
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Aug 05, 2011
Magan
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Anna is a junior in high school. For nine years, she has been living with the memories of her mother's death. Her mother drowned in the ocean. Anna has few answers, but many questions. While she does not have the most open relationship with her father, she becomes flooded with even more questions when they move back to the town he met her mother in. The novel was ultimately a tale about forgiveness. There were so many things Anna had to work through with her father, memories of her mother she ha
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Jul 28, 2011
Tabitha
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This book felt reminiscent of waves crashing on the shore. On some level, it’s quiet and relaxing, but on others it’s harsh and unpredictable. Anna’s life has the same kind of ups and downs that the beach can have, and it made the story quite compelling.
The tone was that of a quiet book, and it had some pretty deep concepts in it: loss, guilt, avoidance, mental illness, etc. I thought the characters dealt with these emotions in realistic and believable ways, and, as a result, I liked More...
The tone was that of a quiet book, and it had some pretty deep concepts in it: loss, guilt, avoidance, mental illness, etc. I thought the characters dealt with these emotions in realistic and believable ways, and, as a result, I liked More...
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Jun 21, 2011
Nely
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Anna's life is turned upside down when her father accepts a job offer far from her home, her friends, her beach, and the waves that took her mother's life. Now, at Crystal Cove, she is even more haunted by the loss of her mother... for it is the same place her mother and father once met and fell in love. Although she and her father have always maintained a good relationship, she feels that mentioning her mother and her loss is taboo. So instead of dwelling in the past, she plans on enjoying h
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Dec 22, 2011
Astraea
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Let me start by saying that I read almost exclusively fantasy and science fiction, so it's rare for me to read a straight up contemporary YA. So some of my review might be colored by this.
I found this book to be relatively pleasant to read, in a mindless way. Which is not to say the book is mindless, but I failed to connect or engage with it in any meaningful way. The characters are cute but not memorable, in my opinion. The setup was intriguing to me, as someone who's had family membe More...
I found this book to be relatively pleasant to read, in a mindless way. Which is not to say the book is mindless, but I failed to connect or engage with it in any meaningful way. The characters are cute but not memorable, in my opinion. The setup was intriguing to me, as someone who's had family membe More...
Dec 15, 2011
Angela
rated it:
Breezy but touching read about family & forgiveness
As a debut novel, Jessi Kirby's Moonglass delivers a breezy but touching read about dealing with the past and moving forward. After years living along the beach where her mother died, Anna is uprooted when her father takes a new job. Despite being angry about the move, Anna soon learns that her new beach home is closer to her mother's memory than she expected. She also finds that new friends and a new perspective might bring her c More...
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Apr 30, 2011
Reading
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Review Written by Andrea
Moonglass by Jessi Kirby is a moving debut that kept me riveted and wouldn't let me go. It didn't take me long to read this book, but in spite of its brevity it has given me so much to ponder. Kirby follows in the footsteps of Sarah Dessen as she paints the tale of a troubled teen who is seeking to find beauty and meaning in a life full of secrets and questions. If this novel is the calibre of writing we can expect from Kirby in the future then I feel that she d More...
Moonglass by Jessi Kirby is a moving debut that kept me riveted and wouldn't let me go. It didn't take me long to read this book, but in spite of its brevity it has given me so much to ponder. Kirby follows in the footsteps of Sarah Dessen as she paints the tale of a troubled teen who is seeking to find beauty and meaning in a life full of secrets and questions. If this novel is the calibre of writing we can expect from Kirby in the future then I feel that she d More...
