681#Love Note ~ [Book Review] The Girl Who Chased the Moon

I want to review the book that I've read three times so far. I don't know how to describe my attachment to the book but even though I've read it so many times, I still love it. The Girl Who Chased the Moon is my first book of Sarah Addison Allen. I bought her other book, The Sugar Queen during BBW last year. Currently I'm reading the book.

Read: September 4 to 5, 2015 (my second/third time reading, I don't remember)

Rating: 4.6/5

Emily Benedict came to Mullaby, North Carolina, hoping to solve at least some of the riddles surrounding her mother’s life. Such as, why did Dulcie Shelby leave her hometown so suddenly? And why did she vow never to return? But the moment Emily enters the house where her mother grew up and meets the grandfather she never knew—a reclusive, real-life gentle giant—she realizes that mysteries aren’t solved in Mullaby, they’re a way of life: Here are rooms where the wallpaper changes to suit your mood. Unexplained lights skip across the yard at midnight. And a neighbor bakes hope in the form of cakes.

Everyone in Mullaby adores Julia Winterson’s cakes—which is a good thing, because Julia can’t seem to stop baking them. She offers them to satisfy the town’s sweet tooth but also in the hope of rekindling the love she fears might be lost forever. Flour, eggs, milk, and sugar . . . Baking is the only language the proud but vulnerable Julia has to communicate what is truly in her heart. But is it enough to call back to her those she’s hurt in the past?  
 
Can a hummingbird cake really bring back a lost love? Is there really a ghost dancing in Emily’s backyard? The answers are never what you expect. But in this town of lovable misfits, the unexpected fits right in.

In the reality of life, there's a bit of magical elements happen in Mullaby. From Emily's grandfather being a giant (a very tall man), the Mullaby Light that always comes near her but runs away when she approaches, changing wallpaper in her bedroom and a neighbour who bakes cake hoping the scent would reach her loved one.

Emily comes to Mullaby after the death of her mother. She doesn't know why her mother didn't want to come back to her hometown. Having no one else to take care of her, Emily finds shelter from her estranged grandfather who she only knows recently. After coming to Mullaby, Emily always finds weird stares from the people and a strange encounter with a boy her age named Win Coffey. Soon, Emily finds out her mother left Mullaby after a big incident happened involving Win's deceased uncle. The incident makes the people of Mullaby hate her mother, including Emily. 

I adore both Emily and Julia. Emily is a curious but endearing girl while Julia, I don't know how to describe her but she's a really sweet woman. She works hard to call back to her past. Julia was a troubled teen. Even though her history with Emily's mother during high school was not a pleasant one but she welcomes Emily and helps her to adjust to Mullaby's life. Being a great baker, Julia longs to search for her beloved by the sweet scents of the cakes. Baking comforts her.

Win and Grandpa Vance Shelby are my favourite male characters in this book. Win is not the typical teen who rebels against his father. He is in different level when it comes to that. He still has his manners but he doesn't want to keep on following his father's ridiculous rules. Coffeys, one of the wealthiest families in Mullaby together with Shelby family, are not allowed to be outside after dark till dawn.  The townspeople thought it's the way the Coffeys preserved their elite status. No one knew why until the night before Emily's mother left Mullaby. 

Grandpa Vance, Emily's grandfather is a giant with a kind heart. He regrets his actions of always giving money to Emily's mother after his wife died and didn't give his only daughter proper love and care. He doesn't want to repeat the same mistake and want to keep Emily in safety. But when Emily is too eager to find out about her mother, what could he do? What if the history is repeated? 

Seems like I would get the rest of Allen's books. I own a copy of The Sugar Queen and Garden Spells, both are written by Allen. I would review the books too, am curious whether I would love them as much as I love The Girl Who Chased the Moon or not.

Till then.

Wassalam.