ARC Review: The Infinite Moment of Us by Lauren Myracle

The Infinite Moment of Us

Author: Lauren Myracle

Publisher: Amulet Books

Publication Date: August 27, 2013

Genre: Contemporary

Source: Publisher via NetGalley

~Synopsis~

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.

~Review~

When I first saw The Infinite Moment of Us on NetGalley, I was instantly intrigued by the cover of this book and then after reading the synopsis, I was very interested. However, I must admit that this book was a little bit of a let down for me. While I didn’t really find anything wrong with it, it didn’t really wow me either. It felt was very mediocre and I found the plot a little boring and I developed no real connection to the characters.

Wren has spent her whole life doing everything according to her parent’s wishes and desires. She has studied what they wanted her to study and dressed the way they want her to dress. She applied to the college they wanted her to and chose the major they picked. However, Wren feels like something is missing. She doesn’t really know who she is but she wants to start living her own life. I felt bad for Wren because her parents were completely over-bearing. They are the parents that rebellion teens are made from so the fact that Wren was so perfect for so long was actually a miracle. I was proud of her that she defied her parents and made a choice on her own and even prouder that she didn’t back down when they put pressure on her for her decision. I also though it was really great how she opened herself up for new experiences and she opened herself up for Charlie.

Charlie has been through a lot and as he opens up about his past, we learn a lot of really upsetting things about his home life that put him into foster care. However, I thought it was really great that he found such wonderful foster parents in Chris and Patricia. So many foster kids never find that or have the second opportunity Charlie did. I also really liked how protective he was of his foster brother Dev and even his ex, Starrla. However, I think Charlie made poor decisions with Starrla and he didn’t break the ties with her properly, which ultimately put them all in danger.

I’m a little lost for words on this one because this book just didn’t really impress me. I was a bit bored as I read it and I didn’t really connect with Wren and Charlie at all. I didn’t really feel like there was any depth to the plot and the character flaws left me unimpressed. Wren is a bit selfish and bratty. She was so quick to get upset with Charlie over small things and I felt like she wanted so much from him when they had hardly been dating. She wanted him to drop everything to be with her but she wasn’t willing to change her plans for him. I also felt like Charlie was kind of weak. He couldn’t make the hard decisions and he didn’t always put Wren first when he should have. Lastly, I wasn’t thrilled with the ending. While I was glad the book was over, the ending left a lot to be desired and definitely didn’t give closure. I know that is a personal preference as some people like that but it doesn’t really work for me.

Overall, I didn’t hate this book but I didn’t love it either. I think it is very well written and the author clearly has talent as a writer but this book just wasn’t for me. I needed something to rivet me and keep the pages turning and this book didn’t do it for me.

PURCHASE LINKS:

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE

~IPOD Picks~

“Here I Am” by Renee Sandstrom

*An eARC was provided to me in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions expressed are my own and unbiased.*