The writing felt rushed yet the story dragged on for almost 70% of the book. I didn't feel connected to any of the characters really. If I hadn't read and loved Vanderah's other two books, I probably would've DNF'd about 30% in.

A lot of times during the dialogue there was only dialogue. It read like a script and not a novel. The characters all seemed to talk the same too; there was nothing to set any of the voices apart.

I did not enjoy this book. Riley, one of the main characters, is annoying, rude, and irrational, to the point of having a personality disorder. I understand that some of it was caused by her past trauma. The obvious politics are shoved down your throat constantly, so the entire book made me feel like I was in awful Facebook thread that I couldn't escape. I gave it an extra star for how beautiful the author writes, but then I deducted a star for the extremely strange story. When I say strange, I mean this is like a kindergartener's crayon copy of a Salvador Dalí painting. The book is also slow.

This is another beautifully written and enchanting book by Glendy Vanderah. Lots of imagery, symbolism and rich characters. The relationship between Riley and Vaughn was complicated and beautiful, heartbreaking and magical, courageous and healing. There is so much to love about this book and it is one that will stay with me for a long time.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book.

What a beautifully written book about childhood trauma and how we can heal from it through family and love.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this advanced copy.

Wow! Another amazing ready by Glendy. Yet again, her writing grabbed my attention from the very first line. The story was beautifully written, creative, and unique. You will be thankful you picked this one up.

I wish I had liked this book more. I enjoyed the characters of Kiran, Sachi, and Julia, but all the others, including the two main characters felt one-dimensional to me, The story was slow but I plugged away at it, hopeful for a rewarding plot twist; but when the time came, it was disappointingly unrealistic and continued to feel frustratingly unbelievable for the remainder of the book. I did not find the book to be well-written; there was so much potential to create a beautifully atmospheric story. The book, including the dialogue, had a young adult feel to it. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend it.

Thank you very much to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the advanced reader’s copy of this book.

Here’s how this went for me:
Oh, okay so this is one of those reads.
Is it cheesy or not? I can’t decide and now it’s pulled me in and I keep reading.
One of the main characters is annoying. So annoying.
Pretentious even.
Wow, these are some big words. I keep checking the definition of words on every other page.
Yawn, this is getting a little boring. Weird, but boring.
I’m still obsessively reading it.
Wait, this is ridiculous. But I’m still reading it.
Oh my god, this got wild.
Okay, even wilder.
Alrighty then…
That’s how it ends.


4 stars— minus one star for the total cheese ball factor.

This was a much more beautoful read than I expected. It was so beautifully written with such vivid imagery and symbolism woven throughout the book. This is a book that I would love to get a physical copy of this book and really annotate it. I loved the characters and the storyline. I was enchanted by this book and couldnt put it down and I havent been able to stop thinking about it since I finished. I loved it.

This was a wonderful unexpected story. I wasn't at all sure where it was going in the beginning, but you definitely get hooked and have to keep reading. Some really unexpected twists and turns. Lovely symbolism and thought provoking analogies.

A wonderful reminder that family is who you choose for it to be and at the end of the day, family is what is important. Don't let your fears consume you, take the brave step and move forward.

It’s now a week since I finished reading The Oceanography of the Moon and I am still thinking about Riley Mays and Vaughn Orr’s lives. Gosh, Glendy Vanderah knows how to play on my heart strings. This was such a touching novel with very likable characters.

After a tragic situation leaves Riley Mays a young orphan in Chicago, her cousins took her in and gave her love and shelter. She finds ways to cope with her suffering mostly by escaping into a world she’s created for herself with mythical tales on moon.

Vaughn Orr is a troubled author that doesn’t sleep, can’t allow himself to get close to anyone and doesn’t feel comfortable in the position of fame he finds himself in. Telling his agent and others that he is going to look at property in Wisconsin, Vaughn finds himself out of gas at the farmhouse that Riley lives in with her family. Was it a coincidence that brought Vaughn to Riley’s home and just what is it that he needs to confess to her.

Really, this was such a good story, it had me captivated. Touching, endearing, some mystery and love, not just love between Vaughn and Riley but the love of her family as well. A truly wonderful story.

Firstly, thank you to Glendy Vanderah for writing another great novel. Also to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for granting an advanced copy in exchange for an unbiased review.

Oh I loved this book….. I have enjoyed this author previously and this book matched all of my expectations…. Beautifully written and it flowed with such ease, Riley and Vaughan were destined to be together and I really enjoyed their interwining story that eventually solved the mysteries of their childhoods! Would highly recommend

This book was beautifully written and not at all what I was expecting.

The characters were well developed and grew more interesting as their stories intertwined.

Riley was my favorite character, and her ability to see past Vaughn's mistake spoke volumes about her and the family she belongs to.

I cannot to wait to read more from this author.

This is a wonderful novel about healing from childhood trauma through found family, love, and nature. Gorgeous prose. Realistic and nuanced characters that I fell in love with. Great twists at the end. I will read anything else by this author now. I loved this book!

Thank you Net Galley and Lake Union Publishing for this digital arc in exchange for my honest review which is not affiliated with any brand.

#NetGalley #TheOceanographyoftheMoon

The Oceanography of the Moon is a beautifully written story about grief, love, trauma, guilt and the healing powers of nature. I loved the characters in this book. I was so happy to see characters who were in touch with nature and who found peace and healing within nature and with each other. The twist at the end was exciting. The imagery is lovely. This was a wonderful and unique story.

Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for the digital ARC. All opinions expressed are completely my own.

A beautiful book which is easy to read. It follows two strong characters who have survived years of abuse and have built emotional walls to protect them from others but not themselves.. When they meet the darkness in them draws them to each other - but its complicated. it requires vulnerability trust and hope. The author brilliantly balance the worst in the world with the love and beauty of the best from nature to family. There are twists and turns along the way, not all expected. All in all a good read, I was drawn in from the start, with so many different elements and the way that the author portrays the magic and beauty of the world around us is stunning.

The Oceanography of the Moon is a melancholic story about trauma, family, and healing. It is written from the perspective of two characters, Riley a young woman enamoured by the moon whilst healing from a traumatic childhood, and Vaughan- a star author who is inextricably linked to the mystical Riley. The story is sad and offers some spiritual messages for those suffering from guilt.. It was described as magical realism, but unfortunately I did not feel that it fit the genre. There are a few things in the story that teeter on the edge of "magical" but they were too subtle and abstract to achieve the essence of the magical realism genre. I think this was a missed opportunity for the author who could have played up the moon aspects of the story even more, especially with the Selene and Endymion story that was alluded to between the two characters.

Overall I did not particularly enjoy this book because it did not contain the charm and magic that I was expecting it to contain.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a free ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed are my own.

Vaughan Orr, a writer suffering from writers block, takes a trip to the country to buy property in hopes of finding his muse again. Riley Mays escaped to the Moon as it was the only place she could escape after suffering some traumatic life events. Both keep dark secrets and tell lies. But it turns out a chance meeting isn’t by chance and the two have more in common than it seems. They fall in love, that bit is predictable, but can their love survive the horrifying truth that will come to light?

This book left me emotionally wrecked. The characters are interesting, complex, flawed and yet, likeable. The story is told from different points of view, which adds to the suspense. I foresaw the outcome in terms of the relationships, but I really didn’t foresee the trauma both Riley and Vaughan went through as children and early adulthood. Themes include coming of age, child abuse, drugs, addiction, family drama,love and forgiveness.

The story is well paced and there is definitely a lot of drama. A hard to put down read. Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Oceanography of the Moon is a story of two lost and broken souls and how the past connects them. With family secrets and plenty of drama, this book pulled me in from the first page. This is a very emotional book. Written in alternating points of view between Riley and Vaughn, we learn about past childhood abuse and murder. Thanks to author Glendy Vanderah, Lake Union Publishing. and NetGalley for providing a copy of this very enjoyable book for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC and the opportunity to review another novel by one of my favorite authors.

Glendy Vanderah has a way with words in every book she writes. The details she adds into her stories shows just how much time she puts into the research that goes into her books.

In each of her books she writes, her knowledge is shown on complex range of topics. With each topic, there is a deep understanding in them all, whether the species of moths, nature of moon, mythology, poetry, or other great works in writings.

In this one, your not sure where the Journey was gonna take you. In the beginning part of the book Vanderah paints you a picture of Riley’s pain and the world she has built for herself with Sachi and Alec. You fall in love with Kiran, and want to experience the endless love, acceptance, and peace that they have on their farm.

And yet at the same time, you understand the safety net that this lifestyle has provided for Riley and the comfort Vaughn experiences immediately when he arrives.

The rest of the story goes on very much Vanderahs style of unpacking your demons requires you to began to accept love, help, and family while ridding yourself of traumatic guilt.
And in the same breath, you thrown back into the connection of the healing power of the outdoors and nature that you felt in her second book, A Light in the Leaves. And wh

that one is still my favorite of her three books, you know you can’t go wrong with anything that you pick up by Glendy Vanderah.