The Oceanography of the Moon

After the untimely deaths of her aunt and mother, young Riley Mays moved from Chicago to her cousins’ Wisconsin farm. Here she found solace in caring for her extraordinary adoptive brother, exploring the surrounding wild nature, and gazing at the mystical moon—a private refuge in which she hides from her most painful memories. But ten years later, now twenty-one, Riley feels too confined by the protective walls she’s erected around herself. When a stranger enters her family’s remote world, Riley senses something he’s hiding, a desire to escape that she understands well.
Suffering from writer’s block, bestselling novelist Vaughn Orr has taken to the country roads when he happens upon the accommodating, if somewhat unusual, Mays family. He’s soon captivated by their eccentricities—and especially by Riley and her quiet tenacity. In her, he recognizes a shared need to keep heartbreaking secrets buried.
As the worst moments of their lives threaten to surface, Riley and Vaughn must find the courage to confront them if they’re to have any hope of a happy future. With the help of Riley’s supportive family, a dash of everyday magic, and the healing power of nature, can the pair let go of the troubled pasts they’ve clung to so tightly for so long?

This is a book about people who have tragic secrets and a real need to process their experiences and heal. Both farm dwelling Riley and writer Vaughan have a similar need to disappear and escape from their physical four walls and the boundaries of their minds. Both are affected by trauma and really need to face it rather than avoid it, if they want to recover. Perhaps these two people with secrets in their past could attempt a slow recovery together. As is the norm for this writer, healing comes from nature, nurture, friendship, family and understanding.

The book is so beautifully written it’s easy to become mesmerised by the language and it’s this that first pulls into the novel. I love atmosphere and description so this lyrical start was perfect for me. It’s a slow burn novel, but the sense of place and emotion is hypnotic. She plays with ideas of darkness within people and how we see ourselves - do we ever see ourselves as we truly are? People who’ve experienced trauma might find it hard to be their authentic selves, because how they feel can be dark, sad and fearful. Riley and Vaughan seemed to have embraced that darkness as part of their identity, when actually theres so much about them that is lightness and joy. It’s easier to say you love darkness than it is to cast it off. This is mainly that personal journey, moving towards the light with the help of family, nature and a little touch of spirituality too.

The moon imagery is interesting, because there is something magical about it. There is also it’s pull on the earth, the seemingly magical way it controls tides and perhaps even moods. There is an otherworldly feel to the author’s imagery that takes us into a world that is ours with some interesting quirks and a touch of surrealism. Here the love of the family is connected firmly to nature, space, and the galaxy. I didn’t need to believe this, I just went with it and enjoyed the journey. I was also touched by a couple of minor characters, Sachi and Kiran. Sachi has such a passion for Indian food and surrealist art and I love people who are passionate and excited about things. She is open hearted and happy to take in anyone, which she does with Riley and Vaughan. There’s an earth mother element to her nature which I loved. Kiran is only eight years old, but is an outstanding little fellow with so much character packed into his meagre years. He feels more comfortable dressed in girl’s clothing, collects fossils and takes apart clocks in order to make magic! 

Around her love of nature and spirituality, Vanderah weaves the story of two strangers who somehow understand each other deeply. The author takes the reader on a lyrical journey from the very depths of their tragic childhoods towards a place of healing; a healing that comes from the consolation of nature, the love of family, the nurturing of self-worth and the understanding that they deserve full and happy lives. I love description, atmosphere and characters who are unique and full of depth, so this story of emotions, regrets, and haunting memories, not to mention the glimpse of hope, was bound to capture my heart.

3.2 Stars

One Liner: Mixed feelings; has potential but doesn’t reach the expectations.

Riley Mays and Vaughn Orr don’t seem to have anything in common. After all, what can a girl living with her cousins on a Wisconsin farm and a best-selling author from New York have in common?
But when Vaughn ends up where Riley lives, they realize the deeply hidden pain and dark secrets in each other. What is it about their past that pushed them into neverending despair? Can the two break free of the shackles and build a better life? How do Nature and the mystical moon feature in the entire equation?
The side characters are interesting, especially Kiran. Riley sounds younger than her 21, and Vaughn appears older than his 29. Feels a little creepy when some secrets are revealed about their past.
The narration at the beginning is abrupt but flows well after a while. It would’ve worked much better if the second half wasn’t overloaded with secrets. The premise for magic is wonderful. If only it was taken to the next level!
Thank you for using the term Hindu rather than vague terms like Indian and South Asian. I don’t even remember the last book by Western authors who did this.
To sum up, The Oceanography of the Moon could have wowed me if the magic was explored and utilized rather than simply used to create a sense of something otherworldly.
Thank you, NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Life trows a curve ball for Riley Mays and she has to move from Chicago to a Wisconsin farm where her cousins live.

A chance encounter makes Vaughn Orr to find himself in need of aid while crossing the rural streets of this forgotten natural place. He’s a world-famous author and, as many others, feels trapped into the writer’s block.

Their interactions are really interesting because Riley wants to escape from the world that kept her safe all these years while he is looking for a new muse to carry on with his career and life.

The moon has its magical moments, as we are already used by the author's books and here it might take even a bigger stance.

I enjoyed the story overall. It started strong and the beautiful writing kept me invested in the romance story and whatever was coming up next.

It's a beautiful prose that many readers will enjoy.

Very grateful to the publisher for my review copy

I really enjoyed this book so much that I knew I needed to add this book to my library. I loved the magic of the characters and the location. I'll definitely be reading the rest of her books.

The Oceanography of the Moon is the first book I’ve read by Glendy Vanderah. Although I have heard of her other books, The Oceanography of the Moon just captured my attention. I was so intrigued by the name of the book and the blurb, that I had to read it.

I was not disappointed. This book is so beautifully written, I just loved the bits where the author used magical realism to bring this story alive. For me, the meanings behind the seas of the moon and how that links to Riley and her story were so well integrated into the plot.

The story itself, follows Riley, a 21 old girl who is living with her cousin Alec, his wife Sachi and their kid Kiran. Riley lived with them since a tragic accident involving her mother and aunt when she was 11. Riley is not been herself since that accident. Her soul is broken, she has a big secret that she can’t share with anyone. Her escape from all that is the moon and its seas…a life that she created for herself and where she spends most of her time until bestselling writer Vaughn enters her life. However, Vaughn has his demons, his past tragedies that intertwine with Riley’s life instantly.

I honestly really liked this story, especially the slow build-up, as each chapter revealed something new about the past of either Riley or Vaughn. This very much kept the suspense for me as to what happened to both of them to make them so hurt, so broken, so fragile inside. I also fell in love with other characters in this story, especially Kiran and Sachi, as they were so loving, caring and genuine. Also, don’t forget the backdrop of the story, how the nature and natural world were used to bring this book to life, making it more mysterious and magical. I really loved that aspect.

There were a few things that I didn’t particularly like. Firstly, I felt that Vaughn’s and Riley’s love was a bit forced. I felt the attraction that they had but, I also felt that the romance between them happened too quickly. Maybe I just hoped that they will become friends who help each other overcome their own pain and demons, which will then turn into love.

At times Riley to me seemed a bit immature in the way she acted, but at the same time, it made me realise that she mostly kept herself to herself all her life and hasn’t had a chance yet to explore what is outside her world.

Third, the Kaz character and his scene at the end were so predictable and didn’t add anything to the story, just made it a bit longer. I think this book would have been so much better without that scene.

In summary, I liked this book and I would give it a solid 4.5 rating for it. This story made me intrigued about other Vanderah books, which I will definitely be adding to my reading list. I do recommend this book if you want a story that has some mystical vibes, has loads of lovable characters, written beautifully, whilst exploring past traumas, love, pain, trust and family relationships.

Big thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC copy.

Riley lives on her cousins’ Wisconsin farm, where she’s grown up since the death of her mother. She cares for her captivating young cousin, finds peace in the natural world around her, and retreats within herself.

Ten years after her arrival, Riley is twenty-one and has begun to chafe at the small scope of her life. She's sheltered, and she hasn't seen much of the world but is beginning to want to.

When handsome, bestselling author Vaughn Orr stumbles into her family’s remote world, Riley senses that he’s hiding something–a desire to escape that she understands all too well.

Vaughn and Riley feel connected, but they're each burdened by secrets and pain. Can they learn to trust each other and face the past in order to move forward?

The tone and feeling of <i>The Oceanography of the Moon</i> took me by surprise, especially in comparison to Vanderah's first book, <i>Where the Forest Meets the Stars,</i> which felt more complex.

This story felt like a romance, as characters swoon, repeatedly cry over art and music, feel dramatic angst when they are fake-unable to be together, experience multiple perfectly romantic moments, and make love in superlative locations.

They speak about and believe in "magic" connected to the dismantled, carefully arranged elements of clocks by an independent young character, while the real magic seems to be the fact that they are impressively able to overcome the weighty lies and horrors that underlie the beginning of their relationship. Generally I felt more told than shown throughout the book.

As I was reading I felt confident that everything here would be cleanly resolved, and that was the case, including the characters' coping with significant traumas. The clean ending also applied to a suspense element that was deeply related to the characters' origin stories, is introduced late in the book, and is wrapped up in surprisingly short order.

I found it difficult to feel engaged by the characters or the story, and the darker elements here felt glossed-over. I'm in for a satisfying ending, but the wrap-up of the various complex, upsetting complications this story is built upon felt too unbelievably and perfectly achieved, and this felt unsettling to me.

I very much enjoyed the matter-of-fact acceptance of Kiran and his interests, his expression of his identity, and his explorations within the book.

I received a prepublication digital galley of this book (published March 22) courtesy of NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing.

I was so excited to read this book, as I have loved the author's other books and this one did not disappoint. The story really touched me in so many ways. It is a story of 2 broken and troubled people who have a connection they cannot deny. And it has a great "supporting cast" also. As in her other books, Glendy Vanderah's description of nature is fascinating....it paints a visual for me. I did not see that ending coming. I would definitely recommend this book to all.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy.

Glendy Vanderah has easily become one of my favourite authors, so when I saw her new book available on NetGalley, let me tell you friends… I didn’t waste anytime adding the title to my shelf. There’s something about her writing that is so captivating but calming at the same time.

The Oceanography of the Moon had another highly captivating storyline and I loved (as always) how nature was incorporated. There was a sense of suspense with this one, which I absolutely loved, I couldn’t stop reading! It features some complex characters, and even more complicated pasts.
@glendyvanderah you are an incredible writer and I already can’t wait to read your next story 🤍

𝘌𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭, 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨!

I fell in love with Glendy Vanderah’s writing style since her debut, I know her stories will be touching and unique and this one was no exception. I loved Riley and Vaughn’s characters and their beautiful and powerful journey. Another great book from this author.

Thank you Lake Union Authors for this gifted copy.

𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦: 𝘍𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘍𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘋𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘢, 𝘙𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦:

https://www.instagram.com/booksandcoffeemx/

The Oceanography of the Moon is the first book I’ve read by Glendy Vanderah. When I first seen the bookcover I was intrigued and thought how beautiful it was. But it’s what’s inside that is the beauty. This authors writing is lovely, it’s unique and poetic and it mesmerized me. I loved this story although I’m not sure what genre to classify it as. It’s being listed as magical realism and domestic fiction. The characters were all people I would enjoy spending time with. Riley and Vaughn were both lost and broken souls as they were both suffering from troubled, dysfunctional childhoods. Yet somehow they were both able to turn their lives around. The love that they grew to have for each other was real and beautiful. The magic that the author brought into the story made it different yet special and it added another whole dimension to the storyline. The extended family that takes Riley in and raises her is kind and loving yet odd in a good way. I loved this book and it’s one I will be recommending to others. While reading, I found myself feeling quite emotional as I cried through parts. It was the ending that I liked best as it left me feeling happy, satisfied and complete. Since reading this and enjoying it so much, I am excited to read the authors other books, The Light Through the Leaves and Where the Forest Meets the Stars. Lucky for me, I have them both on my kindle just waiting. I’d like to thank NetGalley for the arc that I received off the Read Now section. I loved this book and am happy to have found a new author to enjoy. For me, this is a 5 star read!

In general, this is to the type of book that I gravitate towards. This is the year that I am reading books that are not my norm.

This was an interesting book for me in that the main two characters have secrets and tragic early lives. Both Riley and Vaughn hide their past and lash or hide out to prevent from opening these wounds. Riley comes to live with her cousins after the tragic death of her mother. Vaughn is an author who is uncomfortable with being recognized and celebrated. Their two lives intersect and between their struggles with opening up eventually do.

The first half of the book was a very good and fast read. The second half was fast as well as I wanted to finish it as it became more and more unrealistic. It was almost like there were two authors. If the whole book was like the beginning, I would give it a 4 star. I am rounding up my 2.5 to 3. I guess implausible romances are not my genre.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy.

Glendy’s books feel so different to me than books I normally read. I love them! The first half of the book moved a littler slower for me, but I read the second half in a day. I couldn’t put it down.
When Vaughn Orr, a bestselling author from NYC, runs out of gas and shows up on her family’s farm on Wisconsin, Riley feels an immediate connection to him. The two live very different lives yet they cannot deny how drawn they are to each other. This book had a few different twists that I didn’t anticipate or predict. I thought it was wonderful!
Thank you for the opportunity to read The Oceanography of the Moon.

The Oceanography of the Moon is about Riley a 21 year old girl who at the age of twelve goes to live with her cousin Alec and His wife Sachi after the deaths of first her Aunt Julia and then her mother. Riley is deeply disturbed by these deaths and is very secretive about the details of them. When a famous author, Vaughn Orr runs out of gas near Riley’s home he is welcomed into her family’s home . Vaughn has also had a difficult past and is also harboring secrets about his past. Riley and Vaughn are attracted to each other and are both drawn to each other because of their secrets and kept apart because of them. The characters in this book are well developed and interesting but the plot takes a long time to unfold . The reactions of Riley,Vaughn, and the other characters when all the secrets are revealed seems to quick and magnanimous.

I was pretty darn giddy when I heard Glendy Vanderah had a new book coming, and even more thrilled to get a review copy! Her debut Where the Forest Meets the Stars is one of my all-time favorite books. While I was hoping for the same spark with this one, it didn’t quite deliver the same magic, though I did genuinely like it.

Riley Mays is a naive 21-year-old who’s been raised by her older cousins, Sachi and Alec, on their Wisconsin farm since the tragic deaths a decade earlier of both her beloved aunt, Julia, and her troubled mother, Nikki. When celebrated author, Vaughn Orr, shows up at the farm one night after running out of gas while scoping potential properties to buy, Sachi recognizes him and offers him a place to stay to relax and work through his writers’ block. It’s immediately clear that Riley and Vaughn are simultaneously attracted and repelled by each other and are both wounded souls carrying secrets. How their lives intertwine is the basis for this story.

What worked for me? I almost always love stories with a redemptive arc, and this was all about our main characters finding their way from darkness to light and learning to get out from under the weight of their respective pasts. Like her debut novel, Vanderah also brings a lovely thread of magical realism - this time in the form of Alec and Sachi’s delightful eight-year-old gender-fluid, vintage dress-wearing son, Kiran, and his mysterious clock part/fossil creations, as well as Riley’s memories of her aunt Julia. Almost all the characters were likable in their own ways and, despite some rough spots, by the end I cared for all of them and was rooting for their happiness.

What didn’t quite work? Vaughn’s character is 29, but read older, and Riley is 21, but read more like a teen, so the relational aspect felt weird when it shouldn’t have, though the age gap made sense in the context of the story. Occasionally, their dialogue was short and choppy because they’re both so guarded, which also made them slower for me to warm up to, and their hot/cold dynamic took awhile to get used to. Finally, although the story and final reveals were ultimately clever, albeit a bit unbelievable, I did get a little tired of their “I’ve got a terrible secret” thing.

I really debated the rating, because it’s a solid 3.5 stars. Issues aside, it’s still a sweet story, and if you like ones where characters have experienced trauma and come out stronger on the other side, it’s definitely worth a look. I know I’ll continue to watch for Vanderah’s future books!

★★★ ½ (rounded to 4)

Thanks to Lake Union Publishing, NetGalley, and author Glendy Vanderah for this ARC. My opinions are given freely and honestly. This is now available.

I enjoyed this book by Glendy Vanderah. I have really loved her other books and how they tie in nature to her stories. This book follows Vaughn, an Uber successful writer from New York and Riley, a reclusive woman (she’s 21) in rural Wisconsin. There is a lot of mystery around why Vaughn is in misery about being famous, and why travels to rural Wisconsin only to end up staying with Riley and her inherited family. Riley too is quite secretive and seems to hold a dark past. The side characters including Kieran, a little boy who loves sparkly dresses and “magic” as well as women in the past, Riley’s beloved aunt and her abusive mother. Riley and Vaughn become entangled with a backdrop of cornfields . We slowly learn about their troubled pasts and what had drawn them to each other. I honestly un felt at times their “connection” was a bit much but the pay off of the secret brought the book around for me. This wasn’t necessarily my favorite of Vanderahs but it was still a solid read and I’m glad I had the opportunity to read it.

The Oceanography of the Moon is the third book I've read by Glendy Vanderah and as always, her writing is magical and filled with themes of nature that makes you almost able to feel physically there.

However, this one wasn't my favorite of the three as I felt that it started off strong but sort of wavered in the middle with a whole 'we both have a secret let's hide it from each other and pretend it doesn't exist' storyline that started to erk me.

Glendy Vanderah pulled me in with this story about Riley Mays and Vaughn Orr. Riley has been dealt a tragic hand in her life. After the death of her mother and aunt, she goes to live with some other relatives in rural Wisconsin. She uses her imaginings of the moon and its oceans to escape the pain of her loss and find solace. Vaughn Orr is a best-selling author that can barely sleep, is restless and can't find anything to write about. He tells his manager he's going to Wisconsin to look for a vacation home. While up there, he runs out of gas near the farm where Riley and her cousins live. Is it fate. is it planned or are other forces at play?

This book kept me turning the pages. I needed to know how it would play out. I always love the lyrical flow of this author's words. There is a mystical quality to this story and it makes everyday things in nature feel otherworldly. There is more to both of these characters that the reader initially realizes and I love the way you eventually uncover the details. It was very well-done.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. I voluntarily chose to review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

I just reviewed The Oceanography of the Moon by Glendy Vanderah. #TheOceanographyoftheMoon #NetGalley

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for my electronic ARC in exchange for my honest review. This book was published March 22, 2022.

This is my third book by this author and they all have nature as an important character.

The book explores the lives of 21 year old Riley Mays and 29 year old best selling author Vaughn Orr. Their paths intersect in an unexpected way.

It started off good, got a bit slow in the middle but really picked up the last third. I’m glad I stuck with it.

Themes include nature, family, secrets and ultimately guilt. Plus you’ll want to meet Kiran, the boy who takes apart clocks, loves fossils and wears dresses.

📚 Book Review 📚

If you have ever read a Glendy Vanderah book, you know she can draw you in with her writing. Her descriptive writing teleports you right into the book. Her love of nature is portrayed so vividly that you develop a love for it.

The Oceanography of the Moon is the story of Riley Mays, a young girl who came to live her with cousins at a young age due to her mother and aunt passing away. One day, Vaughn Orr, shows up at Riley’s farm because he has run out of gas. Vaughn, a well-known author, is trying to find a private life. Vaughn is captivated by the family. Through the relationship he creates with Riley, they both find courage within themselves.

What I liked:
🌖 The relationships were well developed in the book and allowed the reader to feel the love, tension, and emotion portrayed in the book.
🌖 I cared about the characters as I read about them.
🌖 I thought I had it all figured out - but there was a twist at the end that captivated me all over again.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Publishing Date: Out now!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Since reading Where the Forest Meets the Stars, Glendy Vanderah has been an auto-read author for me. I love the way she weaves together loss, secrets, and found family into beautifully written and hopeful stories with such a strong sense of place. The Oceanography of the Moon did not disappoint! When they first meet, Riley and Vaughn seem as different as night and day: a sheltered young woman who rarely leaves her Wisconsin home and a bestselling author. As the story progresses, we learn that they have more in common than anyone could have guessed, and each holds secrets that could change everything. I was so captivated by their stories that I could barely put the book down! The characters are all really well written and complex, even the secondary characters. I especially loved Riley's cousin Kiran, a young child so loving, magical, and unafraid to be himself. I highly recommend this one! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for early access in exchange for my honest review.