One Moment by Kristina McBride

Release Date: June 26th, 2012

Publisher: EgmontUSA

Format: eGalley

Genre: Young Adult - Contemporary

Maggie remembers hanging out at the gorge with her closest friends after a blowout party. She remembers climbing the trail 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?

I have a thing for stories that have a main character who can't remember. Whether it's who they are, who someone else is, a specific event, or their whole life, I love reading their journey of finding the memories they've lost. There is so much intrigue when the main character is completely unreliable, because they don't even really know what has happened. I think this story was even more compelling, because Maggie has only forgotten a short amount of time, but in this short time everything in her life has changed.

Things are miserable after Maggie's boyfriend dies and the only person who was with him in the moments before, was Maggie. Some of her friends are trying to protect her, while others appear to blame her, at least a little. I really enjoyed reading Maggie's inner struggle about whether or not she really wanted to remember what happened in those moments before Joey went flying off that cliff. I don't think if I was in her position, I'd be too eager to remember the moments of my boyfriend's death, especially if there could be a chance I was somehow responsible. Of course, on the other hand she feels like she needs to know, because all of the uncertainty is eating away at her.

The emotions in this book were so realistically portrayed. Each of the friends is dealing with Joey's death differently, but you could really feel what they were going through. And there is nothing that happens throughout the story that I couldn't imagine happening in real life. Kristina McBride has penned such a wonderful story with real emotions and excellent relationship dynamics. This is by no means a light read, but it is definitely one I would recommend.