Title: The Infinite Moment of Us
Author: Lauren Myracle
Publisher: Amulet Books
Release Date: August 20th 2013
Source: Borrowed ARC
My Rating: 3.5/5
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...
Sexy, romantic, and oh-so-true to life, this is an unforgettable look at first love from one of young adult fiction’s greatest writers. (Summary from Goodreads)
After reading and loving Lauren Myracle's novel Shine, I've been on the lookout for her next book. When I found out about The Infinite Moment of Us, I was overjoyed. A coming-of-age love story with gorgeously real characters, I knew it was going to be a stunner. And just like first love, it has its highs and it has it's lows but, overall, it was a joyous read.
This book is completely character driven. It is all about these two young people falling in love, about the ups and downs of relationships, and about learning to embrace who you are. Wren was a shy, compassionate young girl struggling to balance her desires and that of her parents. I loved getting to watch her fight to stand on her own, and to not be defined by the ideas of others. Charlie was in interesting character. He came from a pretty rough beginning and really strives to be a good, caring person. I wish that more of his background could have been delved into, but at the same time I was okay with just learning about him now. This story really emphasized, in a way, who we are now and living in the moment. The relationship between Charlie and Wren was romantic, and loving and I really and truly enjoyed it. I loved watching them learn about each other, watching them share those sweet, soulful moments. It was heart-warming, and often had me a bit teary.
This book is definitely on the older end of the YA genre, which I think is kind of refreshing. Not that a lot of teen books don't talk about or even describe intimacy in some form or another, because they do. I just felt that the way it came about in Charlie and Wren's relationship was very organic and realistic. It explored all the ways that two people get to know and love each other.
I know a lot of people will not like this novel, and I can completely understand why. We are really thrown into this story, with not a lot of build-up or explanation. There were a bunch of little plots throughout, but they all took a backseat to the romance. I felt at the end that there were a lot of things left up in the air. A lot of questions I had that just simply weren't answered. This book could have had a lot of different layers and aspects and, although there were many, I felt they weren't nurtured enough. Plain and simple: if you don't like the romance, if you don't care about Charlie and Wren, you won't like the book. I did care, so I enjoyed it. I do wish there could have been more plot development and probably would have enjoyed the story more. I just felt like there was something missing that even this sweet relationship couldn't fill.
One thing that is undeniable is that Lauren Myracle is a gorgeous writer. She really brought me into the story, and had me fascinated by the words on the page. They were magical and wondrous and ripped me to shreds then put me back together. They were amazing words from an amazing writer.
Overall, I enjoyed The Infinite Moment of Us. It wasn't as stunning as I expected, but it was still an interesting read.
- Ciara (Lost at Midnight)
Find This Book: Amazon | Chapters/Indigo | Goodreads | Lauren Myracle's Website
I think you really hit two things on the nail with your review that I totally missed with mine: 1) that the book really emphasized living in the moment (something I hadn't really thought about) and 2) that if you don't like Charlie and Wren, and you don't like their romance, you won't like the book. I liked them, but I found that they were very fallible, and their romance seemed VERY transitory...so while I enjoyed the book, I wouldn't say I loved it...
ReplyDeleteAnyway, thanks for making me think a little more about this book! =)
I was one of those people in your review you mentioned that didn't enjoy the book. Plain and simple I just couldn't connect with Wren and Charlie. I suppose I liked them at first and they had a lot of stuff going on in their lives that if it had been explored further would of made them really complex, interesting characters. But they weren't. I think this book (too me)had so much potential in it but it just failed to deliver. And the ending left me plain old angry. I stuck with the book and didn't add it to my DNF pile because i was hoping for the ending to be a saving grace but it was so abrupt and open ended that i didn't like it. I'm happy you enjoyed it but this is definetly a either love it or hate it book.
ReplyDeleteLily @ LilysBookBlog
I also really enjoyed Shine and am looking forward to reading this. I tend to like character driven novels so I think this will be right up my alley
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