The Girl Who Chased the Moon

Sweet little book that wasn't as chick-lit-y as I was expecting, and that's a good thing for me. The plot basically follows two storylines, one of which held my interest much more than the other. I really liked how the book had some magical elements without being full-on fantasy or supernatural. And I love when a book talks a lot about food – cakes and barbecue especially.

I am in love with these people! The secret is obvious for the reader and then there is a twist at the end to make it better. All the storylines are wrapped up nicely. The magic realism is way out in the open. And these people are wonderful! I just love this author.

This was my first time to read Sarah Addison Allen. This was a charming, romantic, feel-good read. Typical of a southern setting. The two intertwining story lines were very intriguing. There was a lot of suspense. Although, at the end I was left wanting more.

I absolutely loved the entire story between Julia and Sawyer... their secret lived up to the suspense throughout the novel, and the magic surrounding his “sweet sense” and her baking cakes was fun. I also loved the story of Emily returning to the town where her mother grew up, learning her mother's life long secret, and reconnecting with her grandfather.

What I did not like about this story was the Mullaby family secret and the romance between Emily and Win. There was so much build-up for what felt like no reason after the family's big secret was revealed. The family secret has no reason behind it and honeslty made the story turn cheesy and Twilight-ish at the end. Kind of sad, because I really enjoyed the rest of the book.

That being said, I will read other Sarah Addison Allen books and give her another chance. I did enjoy her writing style. I just wish the story would have been fleshed out a little more and given a reason for the Mullaby family secret.

Oh... and there are recipes in the back of the book for some of the cakes that Julia cooks! I know, right?!

I love this book.

There was the hint of the supernatural, but really it was just magic. Sweet, at times a little sad, but beautiful. The characters were rich and real. I didn't want the story to end ... I could have stayed in Mullaby forever just living the day to day lives of its residents.

Was it really 269 pages? It felt much shorter, and not in a good way. When the book ended it still seemed only partially developed, like a solid second draft. All the elements were there for a great story, but it just never quite came to fruition.

I was prepared to love this book - magic, mystery, love, and barbeque all set against the backdrop of a small southern town - but by the end I was “meh”. Several of the book club crew favored Allen's Garden Magic over this selection and recommended reading it. I might.

For magical realism I prefer Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (Mistress of Spices), Joann Harris (Chocolat), and Angela Carter (Nights at the Circus).

Good read...although I didn't expect it to end where it did. I thought there would be a little bit more to the story.

LOVED this novel! I really enjoy “magical realism” and this author is right up there as one of the best. This is just a fun read, full of Southern charm, magic, mystery and a whole lot of sweetness.

I am not sure how to review this book without giving things away. Not that much isn't revealed to the reader which is one of my problems. I liked the book but I got a little bored because I already knew all the secrets before the main character did. That is not necessarily bad but I kept thinking ok get with it find out and so forth. Anyway, it was a nice quick summer read. It made me happy.

UPDATE: I just re-read the several chapters of this book because I was bored. That is saying something when I have several books to choose from and I decided that I should have ranked it higher. I loved the end. It was too mushy, okay maybe a bit overly sweet but I liked it. But I am again going to stop as to not ruin it because all my favorite parts would give too much away and since you probably already saw it coming anyway I won't ruin it further.