Girls in the Moon audiobook

I had never read anything by Janet McNally before so I went in with pretty low expectations, and I ended up really liking this! I loved the family dynamics and the 90s grunge rock vibes and the New York setting SO MUCH. I felt like I could perfectly picture every single scene of the book. The only thing that I felt really detracted from the story was the romance (which is saying something bc y'all know how much I love me a good romance). The one in this book honestly felt a little pointless and just kind of took time away from the other amazing elements of the story. BUT STILL, even with that I really enjoyed this book and I can't wait to read more from McNally in the future!

This is such a beautiful book! It's the story of a family told past and present, from the points of view of both a daughter and a mother, It's like being invited to spend one dreamy, lyrical week with this family of poets and musicians. They're a complicated, fractured family, sure, with problems and rifts pushing them apart, with secrets and misunderstandings, and they all feel so incredibly REAL. The way McNally writes them and their relationships with each other is stunning. I love the different versions of each person they see, the different stories they all remember and cling to, and the fact that they're all carrying their own version of the truth. They're people who have hurt and disappointed each other, but there is so much love and hope and understanding here too. I don't even know how to explain it except to say that reading this book feels good. It feels like wandering through a beloved city on a summer afternoon, or listening to a favorite record on scratchy vinyl, or sharing a starlit walk with a loved one. It's that kind of feeling, warm and so full of life, and I am in awe of Janet McNally for capturing it so well.

Absolutely gorgeous, stunning and moving. A book about sisters and families - the way we come together and the ways we fall apart. A love story about all different kinds of love. The love of family. A love for the places you've been and the places you're going. A love for music and words. And it's so, so beautifully written. The images. The language. Stunning. I highly recommend immersing yourself in this story. Loved. 1000 stars!

Warning: I’m writing this review under the influence of a massive book hangover. I’m in that dreamy, gauzy state where my head is still in the pages I just read, full of their beauty and wonder. And I have a feeling this particular book hangover will be long-lasting, because the pages of GIRLS IN THE MOON are rich and sumptuous and soaked in gorgeous language and depth. GIRLS IN THE MOON is the story of Phoebe, the daughter of rock stars who were famous in the 90s with their band, Shelter. Phoebe lives with her mother, Meg, and hasn’t seen her father in over three years. In the heart of summer, she visits her older sister Luna in New York City, where Luna has recently dropped out of school to pursue her own musical career—a choice Meg isn’t too happy about. Phoebe wants to get the kind of answers from her family that nobody can provide, as Meg avoids talking about Shelter and Luna has seemingly convinced herself that she doesn’t need her father in her life. Phoebe’s story in the present is interlaced with flashbacks from Meg’s point of view in the early days when Shelter was being formed, and I loved the contrast—that as Phoebe surges forward in her quest for truth, Meg’s journey is going backwards, from marital breakup to the first seedlings of fame. I cannot adequately describe how incredible the writing is in this book. Janet McNally is a poet as well as a writer, and this comes as no surprise—her use of words is thoughtful, visceral, lush, and utterly original. Her descriptions of things through Phoebe’s eyes are so unique and compelling that I wanted to highlight pretty much every line. Her sentences are infused with grace, hope, curiosity, sometimes sadness, always so much insight. This is a book that deals with a lot of things. It’s about relationships—sisters, mother-daughter, father-daughter, friends, romantic love. It’s about regret and mistakes and choices. It’s about faith and taking chances and finding not only yourself, but different versions of yourself that you may not have yet stepped into. It’s the brassy collision of music and reality and fame and responsibility. And it’s completely captivating. I’m so excited for everyone to discover GIRLS IN THE MOON. This is a book I’ll come back to when I need to feel inspired, because it has this magnetic energy. If there’s a formula to make words jump off a page, Janet McNally has fully mastered it.

This is an absolutely gorgeous, lyrical exploration of family, love, and art. It manages to be page turny without ever resorting to any gimmick; just compulsively readable characters with achingly real problems and vivid personalities. I read this book weeks ago and I still think about it. This is a summer-night-full-of-stars of a book that will leave you breathless with how it shimmers and pulses. Also, I would not hesitate to recommend this to adults as well as young adults. Janet McNally, I am your fan.

This book was so magical and so...New York. It felt like a beautiful, more romantic ALMOST FAMOUS. I absolutely loved McNally's writing and this sister-mother-daughter story was just what my heart wanted.

I'm pretty partial to this one. :)

Before Janet McNally was a novelist, she was a poet – a fact that will come as no surprise to anyone who reads GIRLS IN THE MOON. This book is lush and lyric, full of beautiful metaphors, gorgeous description, heady atmosphere. It’s also a nuanced and compelling portrait of a tentative girl on the brink of adulthood, standing at the edge of discovering who she is. She happens to be the daughter of (fictional) rock royalty, but she is first and foremost a deeply relatable character, one who will feel familiar to anyone who has struggled to find their voice and their sense of self as the end of adolescence approaches. There are so many lovely aspects of this book. It has insightful explorations of the relationships between female friends, sisters, mothers and daughters, as well as thoughtful ruminations on fame and art. The sense of place is strong and memorable throughout as well, from the quiet, shady streets of upstate New York to the lights of Brooklyn. (For anyone who has spent a magic weekend sleeping on a friend’s couch in NYC, the pacing, sights, and sounds of Phoebe’s trip will ring extraordinarily true – for those who haven’t, the book takes you there.)If GIRLS IN THE MOON was a song, I think it would be an indie rock lullaby – hushed and sad and glittering, filled with emotion.I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is such a beautiful book. I knew from the description that each of the characters has her own version of the story, but I didn't realize we'd get to see it with chapters from the mom's point of view (and the past) woven in. It was clever, worked very well, and added so much depth to the story and the characters.Phoebe was someone I was rooting for the whole time, and I loved tagging along on her journey as she searched for answers. A story of relationships, family history, and music. Definitely recommend!I received an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Poetry. Music. The moon and the stars. New York in summer. A boy in a band. Romance. Secrets. What more could a reader ask for? Janet McNally's debut novel GIRLS IN THE MOON has all of these and so much more. As an avid reader, the stories I'm drawn to the most are stories about families, maybe because that's where everything begins. At its heart, GIRLS IN THE MOON is a story about family: sisters, mothers and daughters, fathers and daughters. Its narrator is seventeen-year-old Phoebe Ferris, daughter of famous musician parents, who is trying to find her own voice as she navigates her family's strained relationships and secrets. Her journey is told in stunning prose. McNally has so vividly captured Phoebe and her world, that the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes leap from each and every page. I feel like I know Phoebe and her sister Luna, and I feel like I get them. This is the sort of novel that readers will become so engrossed in reading that they'll be sad to say goodbye to the characters when it ends.

A powerful story of secrets, sisters, mothers and daughters—of a family fractured and pieced back together across time, with love, pain, passion, and music. GIRLS IN THE MOON will stay with you like a song you won’t be able to get out of your mind.

This is a terrific book--beautiful language, and a nuanced exploration of family relationships. Phoebe Ferris is the daughter of divorced B-list rock star parents. Her older sister is in a rising band and repeating their mother's life arc--including dropping out of school. Their mom sends Phoebe to visit her sister and try to persuade her to go back to college.The characterization is superb and the language lovely. You'll care about these people and want to get to know them better. A terrific debut from a new novelist who is already an accomplished poet.

Never does McNally write down to her young adult audience. With its poetic prose and nuanced storytelling, Girls in the Moon is as literary as contemporary literary fiction comes. An amp hums “softly like an insect” and a cooling breeze is described as “something I forgot I wanted.” As other reviewers noted, it’s a beautiful, deftly-crafted novel about family and identity, but it’s also smart — music smart! — with potential to appeal to your local record store clerk, music-obsessed Gen Xers, and (gasp!) boys in bands. What other YA novel name checks David Byrne, Sonic Youth, The Knitting Factory, Fender Jazzmasters, Austin City Limits and Paul Westerberg? Highly recommended!

I was lucky enough to get an ARC of this book.What a great contemporary this was! A quieter book without any big explosions or fire fights, but with lots of little revelations between all the different and amazingly well-drawn characters, it kept me turning the pages right up until the end. Family, friendship, romance, and music all come together in a rich and rewarding reading experience. Highly recommended.