The Infinite Moment of Us by Lauren Myracle
When it will be published: August 20, 2013
From GoodReads: For as long as she can remember, Wren Gray’s goal has been to please her parents. But as high school graduation nears, so does an uncomfortable realization: Pleasing her parents once overlapped with pleasing herself, but now . . . not so much. Wren needs to honor her own desires, but how can she if she doesn’t even know what they are?Charlie Parker, on the other hand, is painfully aware of his heart’s desire. A gentle boy with a troubled past, Charlie has loved Wren since the day he first saw her. But a girl like Wren would never fall for a guy like Charlie—at least not the sort of guy Charlie believes himself to be.And yet certain things are written in the stars. And in the summer after high school, Wren and Charlie’s souls will collide. But souls are complicated, as are the bodies that house them . . .
What I liked most: I'll admit it--the cover got me on this one. I've had Lauren's SHINE in my TBR pile for quite a long time and I really wanted to read one of her stories. I'd also been looking for a good contemporary YA romance for a while. Romances are hard to latch onto because so many things have to work: you have to care about the couple, the author has to work hard to create a plot that follows the formula (girl and boy meet, girl and boy fall in love, something rips them apart, couple finds a way to reunite or not) but still flips the story on its ear so it's fresh and new. The Infinite Moment of Us was reminiscent of Judy Blume's FOREVER. It brought up a lot of the conflicting feelings that are typical of teen romance, and it addresses the different ways you can love and care for another person.
Why you should have it in your TBR pile: I have to agree with a lot of reviews coming in on this one--I think this is going to be an important book. Although the story is simple (boy meets girl...), there are so many strands of complexity in how the characters' feelings are woven together. This book tackles faith and trust, sex and intimacy, and loyalty and shame in so many ways. It's hard to put it all together in a review, so I suppose I'll have to sum it up as: I wish this had been a book I read when I was 16. It would have helped in so many ways.
The one scene I'm dying for you to read: As much as I loved Wren and Charlie, the scenes where Charlie is with his (sorta) ex-girlfriend Starrla broke my heart more. Maybe it's because we don't humanize the wrong side of the tracks girl as much as we do the boys. We're easy to write them off as trailer park trash or slutty mean girls. As much as I wanted to root for Wren and Charlie, it was much more heartbreaking to see Starrla struggle with what she wanted vs. what she thought she deserved.
Why you should have it in your TBR pile: I have to agree with a lot of reviews coming in on this one--I think this is going to be an important book. Although the story is simple (boy meets girl...), there are so many strands of complexity in how the characters' feelings are woven together. This book tackles faith and trust, sex and intimacy, and loyalty and shame in so many ways. It's hard to put it all together in a review, so I suppose I'll have to sum it up as: I wish this had been a book I read when I was 16. It would have helped in so many ways.
The one scene I'm dying for you to read: As much as I loved Wren and Charlie, the scenes where Charlie is with his (sorta) ex-girlfriend Starrla broke my heart more. Maybe it's because we don't humanize the wrong side of the tracks girl as much as we do the boys. We're easy to write them off as trailer park trash or slutty mean girls. As much as I wanted to root for Wren and Charlie, it was much more heartbreaking to see Starrla struggle with what she wanted vs. what she thought she deserved.
This is at the top of my TBR file. And it sounds especially perfect for vacation so the release date is perfect. Thanks for the review!
ReplyDeleteOoh I love Lauren Myracle! I'm so glad you loved The Infinite Moment of Us so much. I'll definitely be getting a copy as soon as it comes out now!
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