One Moment | The Book Addict's Guide

It’s Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by the wonderful blog at The Broke and the Bookish!

This Week’s Topic is: Top Ten Books That Make You Think (About The World, People, Life, etc.)

Ooh thought-provoking… Well, I do have to say that I’ve been going for quite a few not-so-serious books within the past few months because well, I’ve just been having fun with reading! Although I do like to read a good, meaningful book every once in a while.

And before we even start, I’m not putting The Fault In Our Stars on my list. Even though I mentioned it. And therefore probably negated leaving it off the list.

Life Issues:

1. The Help by Kathryn Stockett – This one was an easy choice for me! Sometimes I just can’t believe how different things were back then, and at the same time, how it still hasn’t changed in some places. I really loved this story and although it was hard for me to get into at first, I really enjoyed it a lot!

2. The Stone Girl by Alyssa B. Sheinmel – I actually wasn’t as impressed with this book as I had hoped, but I really did like the overall message and the way everything wrapped up. I also thought it was pretty thought-provoking (for me at least) at how we define eating disorders and how much we may not realize what’s going on with the people around us.

The “Real” World:

3. The Giver by Lois Lowry – I’ll promote it forever. The Giver is still one of my favorite books of all time. It’s the book that made me question the future, society, the people around us, and so much more at a young age. And of course what fueled my current love for dystopians, but that’s another topic…

4. Running Out of Time by Margaret Peterson Haddix – Similar to The Giver, this was another book from my childhood that really got me thinking. Things are not always as they seem! What else don’t I know about the world around me?

Loss:

5. The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson – Oh boy. This book made me cry a little. How would I feel if I was Lennie? If my best friend – my older sister – died out of nowhere? Gosh, it’s just a scary, scary thought!

6. If I Stay by Gayle Forman – Same as The Sky Is Everywhere. It’s an intense story and really made me look at my family and realize you have to make the most of your relationships because you never know when they’re going to get swept away from you.

7. One Moment by Kristina McBride – Same as above!

What if I had powers…?

8. The Harry Potter Series by JK Rowling – Let’s face it. Ever since reading Harry Potter, being a witch has had a way more positive connotation. And honestly, who DOESN’T want magical powers?? If only I weren’t a Muggle… Sigh.

9. Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo – How sweet would that be? I would love to be a Grisha! Wielding all sorts of powers…

Without Love…

10. Delirium by Lauren Oliver – Still one of my favorite books, and how creepy at the same time. I think I’d be with Lena!

Title: One Moment by Kristina McBride
Publishing Info: July 1, 2013 by Egmont
Source: Netgalley
Genres: Contemporary, Psych/Mental Health, Realistic Fiction, Young Adult
Find it on the web: Buy from Amazon // GoodreadsDate Completed: June 11, 2012

It 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 party the night before. She remembers climbing the path hand in hand with her perfect boyfriend, Joey. She remembers that last kiss, soft, lingering, calming, perfect. So why can’t she remember what happened next? All it takes is one second for everything to change. One moment to realise that it’s the people you love who hurt you the most. Compelling, heart-breaking and unforgettable; this is the American Dream ripped apart.

Breaking It Down Further: On Memorial Day weekend, Maggie’s group of 6 friends gathers at the gorge, one of their favorite hang out spots. Jumping from the gorge into the water is a past time of theirs, and when Maggie’s boyfriend Joey finally convinces her to make her first jump, something goes wrong and the next thing Maggie knows, she’s blacked out a few memories and Joey is dead on the rocks below. One Moment is the story of Maggie trying to piece her memory and her life back together after her boyfriend’s death. When the police start asking questions about Joey’s death and Maggie’s memory starts to come back to her, more and more pieces come back – And not all are things that Maggie wants to remember.

This is one of the better contemporary YA books I’ve read recently. There were a few layers to the story which added a lot more to it than just teens greiving after the loss of their friend.

I really liked Maggie’s character — Although she seems like a pretty average girl, typical teenage thoughts and reactions, there was just something about her that I was on her side the whole book. I still got a lot of youthfulness out of her but at the same time, not to the point where I was annoying with immaturity.

The whole ordeal of Joey’s death was very sad of course, and like many common reactions attached to an accident, a few of the kids started blaming themselves, Maggie especially. We see how each of them copes with Joey’s death as they try to move on with their lives, but you really feel how hard it is for Maggie and she’s not quite sure where anything fits anymore when the boy she loves died, and it might be her fault.

Without adding any spoilers, I really liked how the story was taken to another level that added real conflict among friends. Friendships were made stronger and completely torn apart by details that were unearthed after Joey’s death. It introduced a lot of drama into the story, but the secrets that were revealed were told begrudgingly, so each character only divulges a piece of the puzzle when they’re ready to say so. I was completely pulled into the story and I kept wanting to read more and more until I knew the whole truth.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this! Definitely will look into any other books by Kristina McBride.