After The Moment Review

PUB DATE: May 2009

PUBLISHER: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children

ABOUT THE BOOK:

After the Moment is a novel about boys, love, and violence. Leigh Hunter and Maia Morland meet at a dinner party four years after their high school romance ended in bloodshed, legal charges, and parental meddling. During the party, Leigh remembers how and why he fell in love with Maia, who liked to describe herself as an anorexic, self-cutting “train-wreck”. The novel explores how love transforms us, and how failing to meet its complicated demands helps to shape the adults both Leigh and Maia become.

MY THOUGHTS:

This is the first time I have heard of Garret Freymann-Weyr and read any of her books.

After the moment is about a person’s first love. We all remember our first love and its always a special relationship that we hold deep in our hearts.

Its also about perseverance, strength and loyalty, but also of betrayal, pain, and disappointment.
When I first picked up After the Moment I thought it was a girl story but quickly realized that it was about a guy, Leigh. I have to admit as I was reading it I kept picturing Leigh as a girl and that had to do with the spelling of the name.

Leigh is your typical perfect guy if there is such a thing. He is attractive, athletic, smart, and selfless. A girls dream guy to say the least. He is leading the good life and things are going great he is looking forward to senior year, his girlfriend Astra, and what the future might hold for him beyond high school.

Leigh is your typical teenager who worries about finding a summer job that would look good on his college applications, where to apply and other things.

Things are good until one day something tragic happens to make Leigh question his life.

It was nice to read Leigh being total unselfish and turning his back on his life to be there and help his little sister, Millie out. Even though it meant moving to live with her and leaving his life behind in New York. He wants to be there for Millie and to help her cope and get over her loss.

Leigh’s plan is to take care of Millie and be loyal to his girlfriend back home but that doesn’t happen as he begins to fall in love with the sweet and a little bit odd Maia Morland. Maia’s life is basically a train wreck waiting to happen. She is dealing with an eating disorder, a father who is in jail and a few other issues.

I enjoyed reading the book and I have to send a big thank you to TLC tours for allowing me to be a part of this tour and for introducing me to a new author. I am looking forward to reading her other books,

This book was provided for review by Houghton Mifflin Books for Children.