
Sarah Dessen's 'The Moon and More' follows Emaline, a high school graduate spending her last summer in Colby, a small beach town, before heading to college. What she hopes will be a simple summer of work and time with her boyfriend and friends turns into a complex journey of self-discovery. Emaline finds herself entangled in a new romance with a city boy, confronts her biological father who mysteriously rescinded college funding, and supports her younger half-brother through his parents' divorce. The novel explores themes of first love, heartbreak, family dynamics, and the difficult choices young adults face as they step into independence, ultimately highlighting the importance of knowing oneself and one's values.
During her last summer at home before leaving for college, Emaline begins a whirlwind romance with Theo, an assistant documentary filmmaker who is in town to make a movie.