I have never been a re-reader. This phenomenon never made sense to me- until the pandemic when I went in search of certainty and comfort. Now my old favorites are screaming at me from my shelves and I want to get back in these worlds. I wrote a post about re-reading back then, and then did another TBT post revisiting Twilight. Well- here we are, with a potentially new monthly TBT feature where I will share my updated thoughts about these old treasures. This time we’re taking a look at New Moon, part 2 in the Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer! Here are my main take aways from this reread.
Edward and Bella’s relationship escalates so quickly.
At the beginning of New Moon Edward and Bella have been together for six months. SIX MONTHS. That used to seem like a LIFETIME to me. You’ve been together six months and you’re ready to give up your mortality for this guy?! It’s sus.
The way Edward leaves her is seriously messed up.
Idk if I just knew it was coming this time, or if I wan’t as invested in their love, but the way he ends things and then just leaves her in the middle of the forest is beyond cruel. And then he tries to come back at the end and be like “I WAS LYING”. The audacity.
The month section is ICONIC.
I 👏🏻 CON 👏🏻 IC 👏🏻. This section blew my little tween mind and really made me feel something I had never experienced in reading before. Say what you want about the series, but this way of storytelling was brilliant. Even if looking back I think Bella is way melodramatic about the whole situation.
Book Bella is 10x better than Movie Bella.
Don’t get me wrong, she’s still kind of annoying and cuckoo bananas, but I got so used to the movie version that I forgot how emotional she is in the book. She is actually pretty much ruled entirely by her emotions vs being a cardboard cutout. In fact, all of the characters lost A LOT of dimension and charm in the movies.
Jacob is really loveable.
Speaking of characters losing charm in the movies… Jacob is awesome in this book. I had forgotten why I ever liked him to be honest. Yeah, Taylor Lautner was hot, but Jacob’s wit and dimension were completely lost in the films. And his relationship with Bella actually develops, unlike with a certain vampire we know and love… for a moment… I started thinking that I might now be *GASP* #teamjacob.
Bella really does Jacob dirty.
The poor guy. To be fair, she upfront tells him she doesn’t feel that way for him- but then she goes and plays with his mind by acting the opposite. I get that she’s trying to figure out her feelings, but she straight up uses him and it kinda makes me mad.
The ending was gripping.
….and then Edward came back into the picture and the book PICKED UP. I didn’t even realize that it was sort of dragging (I think knowing the werewolf secret took out a bunch of the impact there), until we’re launched into the rescue mission and on a flight to Italy. I LOVE the Volturi and think a series about their origins and backstories would be incredible. There was a real sense of danger and fear and I was hooked, even knowing what was coming.
Overall, this book was better than Twilight.
Maybe I was desensitized, or prepared, after rereading Twilight, but this book seemed significantly better than the first. I’m really excited for Eclipse because that was my favorite in my first read through.
Reading In The Wings 
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