Like Moonlight at Low Tide

About the Book

Title: Like Moonlight at Low Tide

Author: Nicole Quigley

Genre: Young Adult Fiction

Release Date: 2012

When high school junior Melissa Keiser returns to her hometown of Anna Maria Island, Florida, she has one goal: hide from the bullies who had convinced her she was the ugliest girl in school. But when she is caught sneaking into a neighbor’s pool at night, everything changes. Something is different now that Melissa is sixteen, and the guys and popular girls who once made her life miserable have taken notice. When Melissa gets the chance to escape life in a house ruled by her mom’s latest boyfriend, she must choose where her loyalties lie between a long-time crush, a new friend, and her surfer brother who makes it impossible to forget her roots. Just as Melissa seems to achieve everything she ever wanted, she loses a loved one to suicide. Melissa must not only grieve for her loss, she must find the truth about the three boys who loved her and discover that joy sometimes comes from the most unexpected place of all.

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My Review: I am not one to usually read a book in the Young Adult genre. I like characters that I can relate to, which usually leads me to searching out books with characters around my age. But Like Moonlight at Low Tide sounded too good to pass up, and I found myself cozying up on the couch to dig into this book every evening.

First, this was a really hard read. A really good read. But a really hard read. The story is told from Missy’s point of view; a bullied teen girl, with a difficult (at best) home life and fairly low self-esteem. The bullying she endured was not easy for me to get through. While I endured bullying as a teen (who didn’t?) it is nothing compared to the bullying that takes place these days, of which my son endures on a daily basis. So as a mother, reading about Missy’s bullies was frustrating for me. But then, I became so engrossed in Missy’s story that I forgot her age, and completely fell in love with her and her quiet strength.

The main male characters are equally as intriguing. The story surrounding one of them in particular pulled my heart from my chest, gave it a couple swift kicks and then handed it back to me. But his storyline was beautifully written and impeccably fleshed out. (I don’t want to tell you who I am referring to, as I really feel it would be a pretty big spoiler.) I thought it was completely genius on the part of Nicole Quiqley to begin the book with the end of the story in the first couple of pages. Because of that, I read the book knowing what was coming, but not knowing how, why, when or even whom. The curiosity of that alone kept me reading. It was just an added treat that the author writes so beautifully. Like Moonlight at Low Tide is a heavy, hopeful, redemptive story. A must read for the young, as well as the young at heart.

About the Author

Nicole Quigley is the author of Like Moonlight at Low Tide, a winner of the American Christian Fiction Writers “Carol Award” and “Genesis Contest” for best young adult fiction. Nicole works in public relations and spent many years in Washington, D.C. She now lives on Florida’s Gulf Coast, where she grew up. Nicole holds a B.S. from Appalachian State University, where she majored in Communications/Public Relations and minored in English. Her favorite place in the world is Western North Carolina, and her favorite place to write is a late night coffee shop, wherever she can find one open.

Guest Post from Nicole Quigley

Three Things I Hear from “Like Moonlight at Low Tide” Readers

When I first wrote “Like Moonlight at Low Tide,” I thought my readers were going to get the same things out of it that I did. The book gets off to a start when Missy Keiser sneaks into her neighbor’s pool to go nightswimming. She thought no one was home until she sees the figure of an unknown guy standing in the dark, at the edge of the pool.

Missy was bullied when she was younger, but this story is about what happens after she is bullied. What happens if you got everything you ever wanted? Would it be enough? I think that when we really look at the reasons behind why we want things and why the things we want can become so big in our lives, especially in high school—we often find that there’s really a bigger question left for all of us.

Who is going to love me?

Since “Like Moonlight at Low Tide” debuted, I’ve been so honored to hear from readers who could relate to Missy’s story. One thing that has surprised are the things I hear about from readers time and again.

First, I always hear about the ending! I definitely wrestled with how to bring the book to a close. I won’t say more about it (no spoilers!), but I have to laugh because most readers tell me I was really close to hearing a lot more from them! Second, I always hear about a certain guy who becomes the male protagonist. Yes, girls, I have to admit that I loved writing him!

Lastly, I often hear the book was written “just for them.” That’s what touches me most of all. I wrote this story from the heart. It means so much to hear that it reached others, and often in ways I never predicted. I love that.

Once a reader picks up my story and brings her own experiences to it, it becomes something new. And it’s really special to connect with a reader on some of these heart questions that we all have in common. One reader who has really made an impact on me sent me a hand-made charm bracelet based on the book. She took Missy’s story, and she turned it into something entirely new. Her creativity is really special, and the bracelet is now one of my most treasured possessions

I love hearing from readers about what they liked (or even didn’t like) in Missy’s story. As it turns out, listening to readers is one of the very best parts of writing for them.

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Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Nicole is giving away a $50 Amazon Card!!

Click below to enter. Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries! https://promosimple.com/ps/c402