Moon River

Abigail Kavanagh meets Ryan Mills during the summer of 1999 when she is nine years old. Ryan is shy, awkward and slightly mysterious, and Abigail is determined to find out all there is to know about him. The result is a friendship that grows deeper over the next couple of years. But as they get older and secrets threaten to shatter what is growing between them, Abigail has to make some tough decisions. 

Amber Tran's debut “Moon River” is a heart-breaking story of growing up too fast, of loving too soon and too much, of losing everything, of starting over, of finding oneself. It’s a story just about anyone can relate to. Abigail is an interesting character - at first, she seems like a typical girl next door, but she has a lot of depth and personality that make her stand out. Set in a small town, this book has the typical small town vibe. The characters change and grow up a lot throughout the book, like typical teenagers, and with the typical small town setting with typical teenage characters, anyone can relate to the story. "Moon River" is a beautifully told coming-of-age story; the kind that puts a lump in one’s throat, and evokes feelings of melancholia and reminiscence, thinking about those childhood days of the past. 

Majanka Verstraete