SOMEONE LIKE YOU tells Halley’s story as she goes through her junior year of high school. The book begins with a phone call to Halley from her best friend Scarlett with the news that Scarlett’s boyfriend was killed in a motorcycle accident. What soon follows is the announcement that Scarlett is carrying the deceased boy’s baby. While Halley is trying to be there for Scarlett, she is also adjusting to a new relationship with her mother and to the pressures of having her first serious boyfriend. And through it all, “I had no idea what to do or what came next. All I knew was that she needed me and I was here. And for now, that was about the best we could do” (page 21).
In KEEPING THE MOON, fifteen-year-old Colie gets stuck at her Aunt Mira’s house while her internationally-known aerobics queen mother is touring Europe. Expecting the worst summer of her life, Colie is surprised to find herself changing her mind. The people she meets, including two waitresses who are as close to each other as any two people can be and the boy who lives in the basement under Mira’s house, help Colie learn more about herself and her potential. A formerly fat girl and often the brunt of cold, mean jokes, when Colie finally learns to “Let it go…the strangest thing was that I felt different. As if something pulled taut for so long had eased back, everything that had been strained settling into place: those forty-five-and-a-half pounds finally gone for good” (page 202)
Like most of Sarah Dessen’s books, the setting of SOMEONE LIKE YOU and KEEPING THE MOON are both small towns. While SOMEONE LIKE YOU never says what state the city of Lakeview, with the Welcome to Lakeview – A Neighborhood of Friends sign, is in, KEEPING THE MOON specifies that Colie is stuck in sleepy Colby, North Carolina. The setting places an important role in the latter novel because Colie is in a new place, surrounded by new people and new experiences. The small town theme means that everyone in the story knows each other and often knows everything about each other.
Both books feature female protagonists and the relationships in their lives, with friends, boys, and family. “For each of her heroines, Dessen provides a credible voice and even more credible viewpoint; as these girls untangle emotions and situations for which schools and parents have failed to prepare them, they remain absolutely authentic in their reactions and behavior” (Smith). While the main emphasis in SOMEONE LIKE YOU is the importance of friendship (“Life is an ugly, awful place not have a best friend”), Halley is also learning how to deal with a changing relationship with her mother and a growing relationship with her first serious boyfriend. Dessen very accurately portrays the most important connections a teenager encounters and the pressures involved in balancing those relationships. The friendship Halley and Scarlett have is true and deep and can withstand anything; readers will relate and long for such a strong relationship.
KEEPING THE MOON also focuses on relationships, but its emphasis is on the development of the friendships and the relationship Colie has with herself. Colie has never had any real friends, so readers are able to watch as she learns how to trust people and learns how to be a friend from watching Morgan and Isabel, the two waitresses. Colie’s summer is also spent discovering who she is and who she wants to become. “The lessons Colie learns about beauty, none of them new, come across with freshness and vitality” (Publisher’s Weekly review).
The characters in Sarah Dessen’s novels are well-developed, realistic, and easy to relate to. Young adults who read these books will see themselves in the characters, which will allow them to feel like they are a part of the story. Readers will sympathize with Scarlett who is pregnant and boyfriend-less, will cheer for Colie as she searches her soul and finds out who she wants to be, and will relate to Halley as she tries to balance all the changes in her life. “Dessen has a perfect ear for the immediate daily details of a middle-class teenager's home, school, job, party scene--the elemental push and pull of family and friends” (Booklist review).
As mentioned previously, Dessen’s novels are all written in first person. Using this point-of-view gives insight into the main character and allows further development of her thoughts and feelings. Additionally, it means readers can only see and understand what the protagonist sees and understands. For example, in KEEPING THE MOON when the two waitresses fight across the street and close the blinds, the readers, like Colie, are left in the dark as to what is happening inside. The limiting knowledge puts the readers on equal footing as that of the main character, allowing that relationship to be even stronger.
In addition to the themes of friendship and self-discovery, Sarah Dessen incorporates romance into both novels. Though not the main theme, it plays a significant enough role to satisfy those readers who enjoy and prefer romantic stories. Also incorporated into each book are some lighter, more humorous moments. SOMEONE LIKE YOU introduces Scarlett’s mother’s boyfriend Steve, also known as Vlad the Warrior, who starts in a suit and tie and slowly transforms his clothing to medieval attire. Dessen cleverly balances the more serious storyline with lighter tones to realistically portray the everyday life of a teenager.
SOMEONE LIKE YOU and KEEPING THE MOON are two pieces of writing that would be enjoyed by anybody who likes young adult fiction. As stated by a reviewer at TeenReads.com, “Sarah Dessen has a wonderful ear for dialogue and she doesn't lecture as she sets out a story about longing for acceptance, and the pain and rewards of growing up.” Another teen reports about Dessen’s books, “It's beautifully written with all the minutiae of daily life that makes good fiction compelling. Dessen is a fabulous writer, and her characters are so slice-of-life that they seem like people I know.”
“Rich in sharply observed relationships, deftly inserted wisdom, romances ending and beginning, and characters who are not afraid to pick themselves up and try again, Dessen's tale will leave readers thoughtful, amused, reassured and sorry when it concludes” (Kirkus Reviews).
All about romance reviews. “This lullaby review.” Reviewed by Rachel Potter. Available at http://www.likesbooks.com/rachel125.html
Booklist. “Someone like you review.” Reviewed by Hazel Rochman. Available at http://www.amazon.com
Dessen, Sarah. 1998. SOMEONE LIKE YOU. New York: Viking. ISBN: 0670877786
Dessen, Sarah. 1999. KEEPING THE MOON. New York: Viking. ISBN: 0670885495
Kirkus Reviews. 1999. “Keeping the moon review.” Kirkus Associates, LP. Available at http://www.amazon.com
TeenReads.com. 2003. “Review: Keeping the moon.” Reviewed by Cassia Van Arsdale. Avialable at http://www.teenreads.com/reviews/0141310073.asp
Publishers Weekly. 1999. “Keeping the moon review.” Reed Business Information, Inc. Available at http://www.amazon.com
Smitt, Debra Mitts. “Rising star: Sarah Dessen.” The Bulliten of the Center for Children’s Books. Available at http://bccb.lis.uiuc.edu/0303focus.html
Sarah Dessen Main Page Biography Book List Links
YA Literature Home Page
Mary Buckalo
TWU LS 5903