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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
If I hadn't read Jessica Park's "Left Drowning" right before this book, I probably would've liked it more. I loved Park's story, and was looking for something that would be similar, and while this was similar, it paled in comparison.
I didn't really like the narrator switch, I've honestly never enjoyed it in any book I read, it just feels ADD to me. Cole said fuck way too many times for my liking, and I didn't love things from his perspective. Aimee's character was believable enough, and the story would've been better from her POV.
Overall the story was a good idea, but execution could've been better.
I didn't really like the narrator switch, I've honestly never enjoyed it in any book I read, it just feels ADD to me. Cole said fuck way too many times for my liking, and I didn't love things from his perspective. Aimee's character was believable enough, and the story would've been better from her POV.
Overall the story was a good idea, but execution could've been better.
I really enjoyed this book despite it having the usual New Adult plot.
Spoiler
I would have bet my life on Aimee and Daniel having a thing prior to Jillian's death. It just seemed obvious and then it didn't happen so I was clearly imagining things.
And here I thought New Adult Books with tolerable or even likable female main character does not exist anymore.
The truth is: the main reason why I finished this book at all is because of Aimee. She's a great character. And I'm actually very proud of how mature she's acting in the end. It's just perfect.
A bit cheesy at some points but that's just my taste. I'm sure every romance fans would swoon for this book.
The truth is: the main reason why I finished this book at all is because of Aimee. She's a great character. And I'm actually very proud of how mature she's acting in the end. It's just perfect.
A bit cheesy at some points but that's just my taste. I'm sure every romance fans would swoon for this book.
UPDATE 5/20/17
Okay, so I'm changing my rating to 5 stars and adding this to my ultimate favorites list. I can't stop thinking about it lately. I so desperately wish the paperback version was available on Barnes & Noble because I really want it. I really, really, really want to reread this, but I don't want to read on my Kindle right now. :( :(
Anyway, I honestly don't know what I was thinking when I first rated this book. It deserves 5 stars because it's stayed with me since I first read it, and that's not true for every book I've read. I want more NA from Autumn Doughton because I love her and her writing so very much.
****
Between 4 and 4.5 stars
Do you hear that sound? It's the sound of the world ripping apart.
When asked to sum a book up in one word, I'm often unable to do so effectively. I might say "phenomenal" or "wonderful" or "beautiful" or other similar adjectives, but these words don't really sum the book itself up, but rather how I saw the book. They work, sure, but they don't say what I want them to say.
If prompted to sum In This Moment up in one word, I could do it so easily: realistic.
So, there's this girl...
Not only was the plot incredibly realistic, but the relationship between Cole and Aimee was so pure and every single part of it felt real to me. Every. Part. This isn't just a love story. No, quite the contrary. It's a story about friendship, and how friendship can lead to love, but even when Cole and Aimee are at that point in their relationship, it's still about friendship. It was a slow-build to their relationship, but it definitely didn't take anything away from the story at all. To me, it seemed like the focus of their relationship was this unbreakable bond between friends. Above all else, there were there for each other, even when they needed some time. I really, really liked this. Really.
Back then I didn't know the way that a person can crawl so far inside of you that your organs voluntarily shift to the side to make room for the shape of them.
Cole is such a sweetheart. He's a total dude, sure, but he's also, like, the cutest thing ever. Seriously, I couldn't handle it sometimes. I kept squealing and giggling and grinning. He is just SO freaking cute. Don't get me wrong, he can totally bring the steam, but he's just as adorable as he is sexy. I think everyone should have a Cole. Everyone deserves a guy who'll respect you and your boundaries and who will be there for you when you need him. God, he's great. I'm so in love with him. And it didn't take long. It was insta-love. How could it not be? I mean, come ON!
"It was a pleasure to catch you."
Even as we go along, you can feel how much Cole actually cares. You can see how hard he's trying. Trying to be there for Aimee, trying to hold back on his own desires so he doesn't scare her away, trying to make her understand that she has someone. He worked so hard, so damn hard, that I forgive him for his little slip-up where I totally wanted to kick him even though he TECHNICALLY didn't do anything wrong. Technically. It still pissed me off.
"You don't get permission to break my fucking heart.
But I let it go. I saw what it did to him, and how he overcame it, and I just couldn't stay mad at him. How do you stay mad at guy like him? That's right, you DON'T. He's beautiful. His character development is beautiful. I loved it. I loved watching him grow.
Just her and me. Me and her.
Her. One word. A simple pronoun that seems like an entire vocabulary.
I also loved Aimee, of course. And Daniel. And Mara. I wasn't sure about Mara at first. She seemed like she could end up being a bit of a jerk, but that was gone pretty quickly. You could just see how much Aimee's well-being meant to her, and how close they were, and it was a beautiful relationship. I loved being able to explore that. Aimee, in general, was a lovely heroine. I felt for her through it all. I supported her. I just wanted to give her a great big hug. I wanted to ease her suffering.
There is so much to feel that I might be drowning. Fuck it. Let the tide take me under. I don't need oxygen to breathe as long as I've got this girl's mouth.
Apart from the incredibly realistic plot and relationship between Cole and Aimee, I think my favorite part of this book was the beautiful writing (in case you couldn't tell with all the quotes I'm throwing at you). It was lyrical, poetic, so smooth, and flowed so naturally. There are some books where the writing tries too hard to be poetic, and you can feel that. Not here. Autumn Doughton's writing is impeccable. It's simple, yet complex; so lyrical, it just flows through you like liquid. God, I love writing like that. I love that natural talent in writing, to feel like the author's reaching out to you and communicating something important, something real. Autumn hit that spot-on, and I loved every second of it.
And if she wanted to, she could reach into my chest and rip my heart out of my body because it already belongs to her.
Ultimately, this is an incredibly real story of friendship, love, and moving on. It was pure, powerful, laugh-out-loud hilarious, and so genuine. I will absolutely be reading more from this author. Do yourself a favor and pick this book up today. Give it a read. You may find that it's exactly what you need right now.
Okay, so I'm changing my rating to 5 stars and adding this to my ultimate favorites list. I can't stop thinking about it lately. I so desperately wish the paperback version was available on Barnes & Noble because I really want it. I really, really, really want to reread this, but I don't want to read on my Kindle right now. :( :(
Anyway, I honestly don't know what I was thinking when I first rated this book. It deserves 5 stars because it's stayed with me since I first read it, and that's not true for every book I've read. I want more NA from Autumn Doughton because I love her and her writing so very much.
****
Between 4 and 4.5 stars
Do you hear that sound? It's the sound of the world ripping apart.
When asked to sum a book up in one word, I'm often unable to do so effectively. I might say "phenomenal" or "wonderful" or "beautiful" or other similar adjectives, but these words don't really sum the book itself up, but rather how I saw the book. They work, sure, but they don't say what I want them to say.
If prompted to sum In This Moment up in one word, I could do it so easily: realistic.
So, there's this girl...
Not only was the plot incredibly realistic, but the relationship between Cole and Aimee was so pure and every single part of it felt real to me. Every. Part. This isn't just a love story. No, quite the contrary. It's a story about friendship, and how friendship can lead to love, but even when Cole and Aimee are at that point in their relationship, it's still about friendship. It was a slow-build to their relationship, but it definitely didn't take anything away from the story at all. To me, it seemed like the focus of their relationship was this unbreakable bond between friends. Above all else, there were there for each other, even when they needed some time. I really, really liked this. Really.
Back then I didn't know the way that a person can crawl so far inside of you that your organs voluntarily shift to the side to make room for the shape of them.
Cole is such a sweetheart. He's a total dude, sure, but he's also, like, the cutest thing ever. Seriously, I couldn't handle it sometimes. I kept squealing and giggling and grinning. He is just SO freaking cute. Don't get me wrong, he can totally bring the steam, but he's just as adorable as he is sexy. I think everyone should have a Cole. Everyone deserves a guy who'll respect you and your boundaries and who will be there for you when you need him. God, he's great. I'm so in love with him. And it didn't take long. It was insta-love. How could it not be? I mean, come ON!
"It was a pleasure to catch you."
Even as we go along, you can feel how much Cole actually cares. You can see how hard he's trying. Trying to be there for Aimee, trying to hold back on his own desires so he doesn't scare her away, trying to make her understand that she has someone. He worked so hard, so damn hard, that I forgive him for his little slip-up where I totally wanted to kick him even though he TECHNICALLY didn't do anything wrong. Technically. It still pissed me off.
"You don't get permission to break my fucking heart.
But I let it go. I saw what it did to him, and how he overcame it, and I just couldn't stay mad at him. How do you stay mad at guy like him? That's right, you DON'T. He's beautiful. His character development is beautiful. I loved it. I loved watching him grow.
Just her and me. Me and her.
Her. One word. A simple pronoun that seems like an entire vocabulary.
I also loved Aimee, of course. And Daniel. And Mara. I wasn't sure about Mara at first. She seemed like she could end up being a bit of a jerk, but that was gone pretty quickly. You could just see how much Aimee's well-being meant to her, and how close they were, and it was a beautiful relationship. I loved being able to explore that. Aimee, in general, was a lovely heroine. I felt for her through it all. I supported her. I just wanted to give her a great big hug. I wanted to ease her suffering.
There is so much to feel that I might be drowning. Fuck it. Let the tide take me under. I don't need oxygen to breathe as long as I've got this girl's mouth.
Apart from the incredibly realistic plot and relationship between Cole and Aimee, I think my favorite part of this book was the beautiful writing (in case you couldn't tell with all the quotes I'm throwing at you). It was lyrical, poetic, so smooth, and flowed so naturally. There are some books where the writing tries too hard to be poetic, and you can feel that. Not here. Autumn Doughton's writing is impeccable. It's simple, yet complex; so lyrical, it just flows through you like liquid. God, I love writing like that. I love that natural talent in writing, to feel like the author's reaching out to you and communicating something important, something real. Autumn hit that spot-on, and I loved every second of it.
And if she wanted to, she could reach into my chest and rip my heart out of my body because it already belongs to her.
Ultimately, this is an incredibly real story of friendship, love, and moving on. It was pure, powerful, laugh-out-loud hilarious, and so genuine. I will absolutely be reading more from this author. Do yourself a favor and pick this book up today. Give it a read. You may find that it's exactly what you need right now.
Sometimes you come across books that are so unexpected that you're surprised why you've never read or heard of them before. In This Moment was one of those cases.
"All we get are moments, Cole. One at a time, like heartbeats. Once one of them is gone, that's it. No do-overs. No repeats. Every moment possesses its own kind of magic and what we do with it counts. It counts."
Aimee Spencer moves back to Florida to attend college after spending her senior year of high school in Portland with her grandparents following the death of her best friend. Determined to start over, she promises to start living her life and move on from her past. Enter Cole Averly, resident playboy with a past he himself is running from, feels an instant connection to Aimee. The two embark on a friendship and soon more but both find they can't run from their pasts forever.
Told in alternating POV's it was a real treat to really get inside the heads of both the main characters. In Aimee, we had all the grief and guilt associated with the death of her best friend, Jillian, the year before and her just trying to bury all that emotion and start really living her life again as opposed to just going through the motions. With Cole, we get the ultimate dude thoughts but he's a really sensitive and thoughtful guy. I loved reading his thoughts and seeing what makes him tick. I liked the fact that both of them were very similar in the sense that both of them are runners figuratively and literally. They're afraid to face the past. This obviously becomes an issue in their relationship later on but we don't dwell in it too long. While some of the themes in the book were dark it never felt heavy and angsty or melodramatic. It had the right balance of drama and warmheartedness.
Of course this was also a love story between Aimee and Cole and while they do have past experiences with the opposite sex, it was the first 'real' relationship they have had and it was so wonderful to get to experience that with them. Yes, there were a couple of love scenes but they were very tasteful and revealed just enough but never got graphic which is very common nowadays in romance books. I really enjoyed the banter they had going and this game they played throughout the book of changing one letter from book titles to create new books. It was so adorable and I was smiling like an idiot the whole time. The side characters were just as endearing and Aimee's friend Jodi provided much needed comic relief and bluntness for her because Aimee can be so serious and inside herself at times that she needed a friend the polar opposite.
All in all it was a very special book. One that was very realistic and uplifting. Anyone can read this and enjoy something about it. This may be my first book by this author but it certainly won't be my last. There's just something so special about Ms. Doughton's writing that I find truly remarkable. She made the most basic of plots interesting and different and not heavy or dark at all. I really appreciated that. Many writers out there would just make the plot just so dark and depressing and it was refreshing that this felt so different. I recommend this to everyone and at 99¢ it's truly a steal.
4.5 stars
"All we get are moments, Cole. One at a time, like heartbeats. Once one of them is gone, that's it. No do-overs. No repeats. Every moment possesses its own kind of magic and what we do with it counts. It counts."
Aimee Spencer moves back to Florida to attend college after spending her senior year of high school in Portland with her grandparents following the death of her best friend. Determined to start over, she promises to start living her life and move on from her past. Enter Cole Averly, resident playboy with a past he himself is running from, feels an instant connection to Aimee. The two embark on a friendship and soon more but both find they can't run from their pasts forever.
Told in alternating POV's it was a real treat to really get inside the heads of both the main characters. In Aimee, we had all the grief and guilt associated with the death of her best friend, Jillian, the year before and her just trying to bury all that emotion and start really living her life again as opposed to just going through the motions. With Cole, we get the ultimate dude thoughts but he's a really sensitive and thoughtful guy. I loved reading his thoughts and seeing what makes him tick. I liked the fact that both of them were very similar in the sense that both of them are runners figuratively and literally. They're afraid to face the past. This obviously becomes an issue in their relationship later on but we don't dwell in it too long. While some of the themes in the book were dark it never felt heavy and angsty or melodramatic. It had the right balance of drama and warmheartedness.
Of course this was also a love story between Aimee and Cole and while they do have past experiences with the opposite sex, it was the first 'real' relationship they have had and it was so wonderful to get to experience that with them. Yes, there were a couple of love scenes but they were very tasteful and revealed just enough but never got graphic which is very common nowadays in romance books. I really enjoyed the banter they had going and this game they played throughout the book of changing one letter from book titles to create new books. It was so adorable and I was smiling like an idiot the whole time. The side characters were just as endearing and Aimee's friend Jodi provided much needed comic relief and bluntness for her because Aimee can be so serious and inside herself at times that she needed a friend the polar opposite.
All in all it was a very special book. One that was very realistic and uplifting. Anyone can read this and enjoy something about it. This may be my first book by this author but it certainly won't be my last. There's just something so special about Ms. Doughton's writing that I find truly remarkable. She made the most basic of plots interesting and different and not heavy or dark at all. I really appreciated that. Many writers out there would just make the plot just so dark and depressing and it was refreshing that this felt so different. I recommend this to everyone and at 99¢ it's truly a steal.
4.5 stars
4 insta-love stars
First and foremost, I have to comment on the writing...it was just beautiful. Many of the lines read like a poem. The depth and emotion [a:Autumn Doughton|6573700|Autumn Doughton|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1369404043p2/6573700.jpg] put into these two broken characters, paired with her gorgeous writing style, made this such an amazing read.
We meet Aimee starting her freshman year in college. Having lost her best friend to an accident, Aimee is broken and tortured by the memories of what happened that night. I truly felt for this girl. There were many times in the book that I was an emotional wreck and had to put the book down and collect myself.
Aimee literally falls into Cole on her first day at school. Cole was a womanizing jock who knew the second he saw Aimee, he had to have her. He is very patient in dealing with the emotional roller coaster that is Aimee and I have to give him props for that! He falls head over heels for her and it was great being able to have his POV and see just how much he truly cared about her.
"Aimee has me wrapped up inside this moment. And if she wanted to, she could reach into my chest and rip my heart out of my body because it already belongs to her"
I also love how the book always seems to go back to Aimee and her inability to go back to the sport that she loved- swimming. This sort of eludes to the fact that her friends death had something to do with water. Throughout the book, water is a key term used to describe many things in her life. For example: Aimee describes Cole's green eyes like "leaves submerged in water" and she uses the term "riptide" to describe the many memories that rush back to her that seem to keeptrying to drag her under." Like I said, I loved the writing. I could probably write more about it, but I really don't want you guys to experience it on your own!
Overall, this was an amazing and emotional read! I loved this book and I would definitely recommend it to those who love a good heartwarming story about healing and learning how to swim with your head above the water again. (get what I did there? yep...)
First and foremost, I have to comment on the writing...it was just beautiful. Many of the lines read like a poem. The depth and emotion [a:Autumn Doughton|6573700|Autumn Doughton|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1369404043p2/6573700.jpg] put into these two broken characters, paired with her gorgeous writing style, made this such an amazing read.
We meet Aimee starting her freshman year in college. Having lost her best friend to an accident, Aimee is broken and tortured by the memories of what happened that night. I truly felt for this girl. There were many times in the book that I was an emotional wreck and had to put the book down and collect myself.
Aimee literally falls into Cole on her first day at school. Cole was a womanizing jock who knew the second he saw Aimee, he had to have her. He is very patient in dealing with the emotional roller coaster that is Aimee and I have to give him props for that! He falls head over heels for her and it was great being able to have his POV and see just how much he truly cared about her.
"Aimee has me wrapped up inside this moment. And if she wanted to, she could reach into my chest and rip my heart out of my body because it already belongs to her"
I also love how the book always seems to go back to Aimee and her inability to go back to the sport that she loved- swimming. This sort of eludes to the fact that her friends death had something to do with water. Throughout the book, water is a key term used to describe many things in her life. For example: Aimee describes Cole's green eyes like "leaves submerged in water" and she uses the term "riptide" to describe the many memories that rush back to her that seem to keeptrying to drag her under." Like I said, I loved the writing. I could probably write more about it, but I really don't want you guys to experience it on your own!
Overall, this was an amazing and emotional read! I loved this book and I would definitely recommend it to those who love a good heartwarming story about healing and learning how to swim with your head above the water again. (get what I did there? yep...)
really more of a 2.5 stars. it started out OK and the it kinda got all long and drawn out and they weren't making good editions and then it got really predictable...
Yeah okay it was pretty good but honestly it felt like iv'e read this same story a million times over. there was nothing that really made this one stand out for me.
Though i did like the fact that Aimee yeah she went through some really rough stuff but i'm glad that that didn't take over the whole book. Whenever i read books similar to this the tragedy always takes the main stage and all i'm reading for half the book is all this depressing crap about how they hate themselves for it and they never let themselves be happy. I'm glad that Aimee still knew how to be happy even after what happened.
Though i did like the fact that Aimee yeah she went through some really rough stuff but i'm glad that that didn't take over the whole book. Whenever i read books similar to this the tragedy always takes the main stage and all i'm reading for half the book is all this depressing crap about how they hate themselves for it and they never let themselves be happy. I'm glad that Aimee still knew how to be happy even after what happened.
“All we get are moments, Cole. One at a time, like heartbeats. Once all of them is gone, that’s it. No do-overs. No repeats. Every moment possesses its down kind of magic and what we do with it counts. It counts.” -
So, I do this thing pretty regularly where I peruse the Top 100 of Amazon Kindle books. Most often all I find are almost-kissing covers or bare stomachs with splayed hands gripping the skin. Not my kind of book, you know? But this one? This one grabbed me. The reviews were stellar (and by people who were actually talking about the writing and not something else...) and the cover incredible. I purchased it on Sunday evening, thinking it was worth a shot.
I finished in twelve hours and immediately downloaded Doughton's other books.
What I Liked -
Being a coming-of-age novel, there were ample opportunities for Doughton to throw in gratuitous sex scenes. She didn't. There are scenes, but they aren't overwhelming and serve as something that move the plot forward. I can appreciate {and even celebrate} this. I felt Cole and Aimee's relationship rang true and I loved the slow burn of their chemistry.
What I Loved -
Y'all. Have I mentioned Autumn Doughton is an indie author? She doesn't have a massive publishing team behind her {mark my words: she will} and her writing is still breathtaking. The nuance, the repetition, the poetry—it made me want to pick up my pen and write some more. Which is huge in this post-release state I've been in lately.
Also, I loved the themes of friendship and letting go and how she wove the {much needed} tension between Aimee and Cole and how they deal with their pasts individually and together.
What You Should Know -
Because Doughton is indie, it's incredibly impressive that her book shot up to Amazon's Top 100 and is proof of the caliber of this book. The market is pretty saturated right now, and so she's done an incredible job letting the story speak for itself.
When I find an author I like, I gush. It just happens. This book immediately shot up to one of my favorite reads of 2013. She's definitely a new favorite, y'all. Check her out.
So, I do this thing pretty regularly where I peruse the Top 100 of Amazon Kindle books. Most often all I find are almost-kissing covers or bare stomachs with splayed hands gripping the skin. Not my kind of book, you know? But this one? This one grabbed me. The reviews were stellar (and by people who were actually talking about the writing and not something else...) and the cover incredible. I purchased it on Sunday evening, thinking it was worth a shot.
I finished in twelve hours and immediately downloaded Doughton's other books.
What I Liked -
Being a coming-of-age novel, there were ample opportunities for Doughton to throw in gratuitous sex scenes. She didn't. There are scenes, but they aren't overwhelming and serve as something that move the plot forward. I can appreciate {and even celebrate} this. I felt Cole and Aimee's relationship rang true and I loved the slow burn of their chemistry.
What I Loved -
Y'all. Have I mentioned Autumn Doughton is an indie author? She doesn't have a massive publishing team behind her {mark my words: she will} and her writing is still breathtaking. The nuance, the repetition, the poetry—it made me want to pick up my pen and write some more. Which is huge in this post-release state I've been in lately.
Also, I loved the themes of friendship and letting go and how she wove the {much needed} tension between Aimee and Cole and how they deal with their pasts individually and together.
What You Should Know -
Because Doughton is indie, it's incredibly impressive that her book shot up to Amazon's Top 100 and is proof of the caliber of this book. The market is pretty saturated right now, and so she's done an incredible job letting the story speak for itself.
When I find an author I like, I gush. It just happens. This book immediately shot up to one of my favorite reads of 2013. She's definitely a new favorite, y'all. Check her out.
Your typical NA love story. Why is every male love interest a “slut” though? I’m sick of it!