ARC REVIEW #150: The Infinite Moment of Us by Lauren Myracle

Title: The Infinite Moment of Us
Author: Lauren Myracle
Publisher: Amulet Books
Release Date: August 20, 2013
Pages: 336, Hardcover
Source: ARC obtained at BEA

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.


I'm just going to come right out and say it - this love story paled in comparison to many others that i've read. The tagline claims "Sexy, romantic, and oh-so-true to life" but I am regretful to admit that I wasn't really feeling any of that.

I couldn't connect with Wren or Charlie and I didn't fully believe in their connection to each other. At the book's beginning, Wren and Charlie already have an interest in each other, but one created from a distance and based on very little substance. It wasn't strong enough to support a love that came very fast. But there wasn't much else that happened that could explain their sudden and complete fall for each other so I am at a loss.

Their conversations were awkward and foreign to me. I did not find them "oh-so-true to life". But this will obviously be different for everyone. The majority of their conversations were existential, spiritual or philosophical in nature. Not your average topics of discussion for  two 18 year olds falling in love. But hey, that's just in my experience. But it wasn't just the content, it was in the delivery of the dialogue too. I don't know, I just didn't totally buy it. I wasn't feeling what was pulling them together. 

Also, there were two events that transpired that I also didn't find believable. The first happened when Wren did something completely out of character, which ended in a fight. The second had to do with a crazy ex girlfriend. Something that happened but was never really addressed (another source of frustration). I think both were included to add drama. Obviously I know that drama happens in real life, especially in high school. Things are blown out of proportion. But each occurrence would have been uncommon on their own and for both to go down, unlikely. Especially for two people like Wren and Charlie.

And I was frustrated with the ending. It's hard to say more without giving anything away. But I think it would have been a stronger ending and sent a more important message if it had ended differently. But what I disagree with, some might find romantic. So again, a matter of perspective.

Usually I grow to love characters over the course of a book. I found the opposite happening here. I liked Wren at the beginning. She was finally standing up for herself and taking risks. But when it came to her relationship with Charlie, I found her to be extremely selfish. She expected too much from Charlie without giving enough in return. She was also super needy. But Charlie was no prince charming either. He he had his own mistake he kept making over and over again. And even though he was saying one thing, he was doing another. As I always say, actions speak louder than words.

So, I've obviously spent this entire time ranting probably leading you to believe I hated this book. That's not true. Even though I had more problems with the story than I realized, I want to keep my original rating of two stars because their was something honest about the story that kept me reading. And I can definitely see readers experiencing this book differently. My problems may very well not be yours. 

divider

16 comments:

  1. Hmm...there's been so much hype over this book, too bad you didn't like it. I usually only read contemporary YA if it's gotten great reviews and everyone's raving over it, so I'll probably skip this one. Thanks for helping lessen my TBR pile! :) ~Pam

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't think that would be bad choice at all. So many other better contemporaries out there!

      Delete
  2. It's funny that this wasn't your experience growing up - I related to Wren way more than I expected to! I enjoyed this one, seemingly more than more other readers, and that's probably why. I completely agree with you on the unnecessary drama though!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's also the fact the the unnecessary drama wasn't resolved, ya know? That got to me more. But I think this is one of those books that you either relate to and enjoy or don't? I am happy that you enjoyed it!

      Delete
  3. You always write great honest reviews and I applaud you for that. Now, I will tell you that I won't be reading this. I wasn't really set on reading it before and now after your review I think I'm just going to skip it. If it is too unbelievable/pointless drama filled I tend to not like a book as much.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aww thanks Kay :) And tots skip it. I think our tastes have matched up fairly well across the genres so I don't imagine you loving this.

      Delete
  4. I don't like it when I can't connect with the character and when I don't feel the chemistry between them. Good, honest review :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, this seems to depend on the reader a bit. So maybe it will be different for you, if you decide to read it. But either way, I can't really see this being considered a great, memorably contemporary. Unfortunately, so.

      Delete
  5. There seem to be a lot of unhappy reviewers of this book, but it's still the top request on NG. I've had my ARC for awhile, but your review and others will make me lower my expectations for whenever I get around to reading it. Which probably won't be soon!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think that's the danger of hype. I picked this one up at BEA because I was hearing so much talk about it. I made sure I got a copy. And same probably goes for NG. Then people actually start reading it and find its reputation has preceded itself. Nature of the beast. But I've seen people love it and I've seen people hate it. I hope you fall into the former category :)

      Delete
  6. I can totally agree with that. It was hard for me to agree with the delivery of the dialogue. I actually felt like the content was really all over the place... Which I guess is possible in the teenage years, but skipping from existential conversations to slang and dirty humor the next was really hard to follow and make a connection with.
    I had a hard time connecting with the characters too. They both did need to grow up just a little bit more, tbh, and I did feel like they were a bit immature in their relationship.
    I liked parts of it but I was still put off by a lot of things too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Exactly!!!!!! I didn't realize all the problems I had with it while reading - It was a quick, easy read and I did like some things. But reflecting back, I had a lot of problems really focused around believability. My experiences didn't jive with this one. Sorry you didn't love it either :/

      Delete
  7. Oh no! This makes me sad because I had high hopes for that cover!! I was kind of sad that I didn't get this at BEA, but maybe I should be thankful. ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, don't sweat this one. I'll send you my copy if you really want to read this one. I mean, you'll see some people like it more than I did, but it's definitely a hit or miss it seems.

      Delete
  8. I am so in awe of how well you explained yourself in this review. Because I had so much trouble... it practically took me a week to get it right and now I'm not sure because I forgot to mention the ending.

    I actually liked how it ended? I wasn't expecting it I think. I really wasn't, despite everything. You make an excellent point in the beginning, though. There are so many amazing books about first love and intimacy and all of that and this one did pale.

    I certainly felt a lot of things because their bubble reminded me of me when I was at that age, but at the same time, I wasn't really feeling it and I would have loved things to be explained a little bit more. Like Wren's relationship with her parents, and also Charlie's relationship with his brother.

    One of the biggest takeaways was Tess. It think she was a great friend.

    Fantastic review and insights.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Very good point with Tess! There were definitely things in this book that I liked (Tess for example) but too many things bothered me. I agree that things could have been explained more, a lot of people seemed to get a disjointed feel from the story.

      I figure most people will agree with you about the ending. I just would've liked to see their relationship survive the distance for a year rather than one party give up their future more or less. Especially since Wren seemed to demand it almost. I didn't want her to get her way. But who knows, in a different book i might have felt differently.

      Delete

Copyright © 2014 The Quiet Concert
Template and Design by New Chapter Designs