This is a Reprint edition that will be available on January 17, 2017. Links for Pre-order are below:
Amazon.com – One Moment by Kristina McBride
BarnesandNoble.com – One Moment by Kristina McBride
Goodreads.com – One Moment by Kristina McBride
Disclaimer: This was sent to me by the publisher, Skyhorse Publishing/Sky Pony Press, via NetGalley for an honest review.
Genre: YA/Fiction
Plot: This was supposed to be the best summer of Maggie’s life. Now it’s the one she’d do anything to forget.
Maggie Reynolds remembers hanging out at the gorge with her closest friends after a blowout party the night before. She remembers climbing the trail hand in hand with her perfect boyfriend, Joey. She remembers that last kiss, soft, lingering, and meant to reassure her. So why can’t she remember what happened in the moment before they were supposed to dive? Why was she left cowering at the top of the cliff, while Joey floated in the water below—dead?
As Maggie’s memories return in snatches, nothing seems to make sense. Why was Joey acting so strangely at the party? Where did he go after taking her home? And if Joey was keeping these secrets, what else was he hiding?
McBride delivers a novel of secrets that packs an emotional punch, perfect for fans of Sara Zarr and Gayle Forman.
Opinion:
Well S**t, that was depressing.
After a traumatic accident that leaves her boyfriend Joey dead, Maggie finds herself unable to remember the final moments that lead up to his death. Maggie remembers spending the day at the gorge with her childhood friends and boyfriend Joey, and she even remembers climbing up the trail with him to jump off the cliff together. But for some reason, everything else is a blank. As the people closest to Joey try to pick up the pieces after his death, Maggie starts to unravel deep secrets about Joey and starts to realize that he might not have been as perfect as she thought.
I feel like it has been quite a while since I have read a true YA Fiction story that hasn’t had to do with magic or the underworld. I couldn’t have asked for a better book to bring me back into the “real life” stories that I have always adored. If you are a big reader like me, which I hope that you are, then this book will probably be pretty enjoyable for you, but also fairly predictable. This story is formatted in a way where the reader gets a basic idea for what the book is about, but they are really on the quest to find out HOW Joey died and what he was like. Though I had figured this story out at the beginning, I was still happy to find that there were few unexpected moments in this story. I think the author could have given the “mystery” behind Joey’s death a little more pizazz though (that sounds horrible when I say that out loud, I know). Maggie literally tells the reader that she was running hand in hand with joey towards the cliff and stopped. Now he’s suddenly dead at the bottom. Well gee, I WONDER how THAT could have happened?! You mean he didn’t make the leap off the cliff correctly after you abruptly stopped?!? I just can’t believe it.
*Insert extreme sarcasm here*
Other than THAT, I really liked this book. It was a quick read and the pace just clipped right along, which meant that I finished it in one day. I didn’t get a strong connection to the characters in this book, but I don’t really find it to be that necessary with this story. Usually I am a big advocate for character development, but I find the amount of facts about the characters to be enough. Don’t get me wrong here, it’s not like you feel a complete disconnect from them or anything. They are just the basic normal teenagers going through their adolescent years…not the most complex creatures, if you catch my drift. I did really like the characters of Maggie and Shannon the best though. Maggie is going through a very traumatic experience, and I found that she held herself together fairly well. What I like about Shannon is that she is a COMPLETE b***h most of the time. I love a sassy character that just blurts things out without a care in the world, so you go girl! Of course deep down I actually hate her because other ruthlessness, but still.
All I can really say about this book, without giving too many secrets away, is that it is a really quick YA read. It brings the reader back to the nostalgic moments that came with being in high school around your childhood friends, while also pulling our tender heartstrings. Some things that happen in this story feel brutal, and it makes you sympathize for the characters and hope that everything will turn around for them. I definitely recommend this book for a lazy day read or for those cold Winter months ahead…this story about summer is sure to warm you up and get your blood boiling!
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