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taylorrev's review against another edition
4.0
It was a little hard to get into at first and then all of a sudden I couldn't put this book down. Overall it's definitely a good story, great detail and it leaves you wondering what is gonna happen throughout the book. I would recommend this to others for sure
angelreads's review against another edition
4.0
After having so much trouble of being able to read my eARC, I finally got to read The Moment Before and I am very happy that I did.
The Moment Before was a very heartfelt, emotional read. We start reading and we already see and feel the emotions that our main character Brady, has with the death of her sister, Sabrina. She is in a rough place. She can’t seem to concentrate at school, she can function but she really isn’t there.
I really like Brady as a character; she isn’t stuck up, or thinks she is the best in the world. Brady is very much down to earth, but at the same time she is broken inside. I really feel for Brady, she doesn’t really know how to deal with the lost of her sister. And as the book goes on, we see her come to terms with everything as well as become stronger. I love that she is an artist; she sees the world differently then everyone else and that just makes it that more interesting. I feel so much for her, she has gone through so much and she just can not get a break. I also found at times that Brady is so sassy, I loved it. Suzy Vitello created so much emotion throughout the whole book.
Conner, is the boy that is being blamed for Sabrina’s death. I just feel for him, his back story with Sabrina is heartbreaking. He is not only being blamed, he believes that her death is his fault and I just want to go and comfort him and tell him it’s not his fault. I think the fact that he also cared alot for Sabrina makes me feel so much more. The way that Conner and Brady connect, helps them both with their grief and also with themselves.
I really disliked Brady’s parents, yes I understood that they were grieving their daughter’s death, but during that time they pushed there other daughter, Brady, away and it affected her. I disliked Brady’s mum more than I did her dad for some reason, even though what her dad did was bad, just the way her mum treated her, I wanted to scream in her face.
I though the plot behind this book, would be pretty straight forward, but it wasn’t and I loved it. It had twist and turns and it was pretty damn awesome. There is something, more like alot of things that Brady doesn’t know about her sister, and they all came to play a part in her death in one way or another. My heart hurts for her.
I really disliked Nick, Sabrina’s boyfriend before she died. I had this bad feeling about him from the start; I just could not connect with him at all. He is just a d***. He is a Scio. I wanted to hit both him and Martha for what they did.
I don’t understand why Brady keeps on going to Martha, she is just a bitch and so stuck up, she does not care about anyone but herself most of the time. She doesn’t understand what is important. I just found her to be really shallow. At the end she kind of redeems herself, but not that much. It just to made me tolerate her.
I really liked the way that Suzy Vitello set up of the novel, the way that we get flashbacks of time between Brady and Sabrina, I think it’s cute and emotional and showed their relationship with each other. I found it interesting that sometimes Brady heard Sabrina talk to her, I think Brady found comfort it in some of the time.
I didn’t like the ending that much. I think it lacked something, especially between Conner and Brady, it was like "okay, there done". I wanted something more. It was just so good until then last few pages. But overall I really liked The Moment Before.
I Give The Moment Before 4 Stars out of 5
Quote
'Mad? Oh, Martha, that doesn't even approach how I feel about you. And him'
For more reviews Check out Angel Reads
The Moment Before was a very heartfelt, emotional read. We start reading and we already see and feel the emotions that our main character Brady, has with the death of her sister, Sabrina. She is in a rough place. She can’t seem to concentrate at school, she can function but she really isn’t there.
I really like Brady as a character; she isn’t stuck up, or thinks she is the best in the world. Brady is very much down to earth, but at the same time she is broken inside. I really feel for Brady, she doesn’t really know how to deal with the lost of her sister. And as the book goes on, we see her come to terms with everything as well as become stronger. I love that she is an artist; she sees the world differently then everyone else and that just makes it that more interesting. I feel so much for her, she has gone through so much and she just can not get a break. I also found at times that Brady is so sassy, I loved it. Suzy Vitello created so much emotion throughout the whole book.
Conner, is the boy that is being blamed for Sabrina’s death. I just feel for him, his back story with Sabrina is heartbreaking. He is not only being blamed, he believes that her death is his fault and I just want to go and comfort him and tell him it’s not his fault. I think the fact that he also cared alot for Sabrina makes me feel so much more. The way that Conner and Brady connect, helps them both with their grief and also with themselves.
I really disliked Brady’s parents, yes I understood that they were grieving their daughter’s death, but during that time they pushed there other daughter, Brady, away and it affected her. I disliked Brady’s mum more than I did her dad for some reason, even though what her dad did was bad, just the way her mum treated her, I wanted to scream in her face.
I though the plot behind this book, would be pretty straight forward, but it wasn’t and I loved it. It had twist and turns and it was pretty damn awesome. There is something, more like alot of things that Brady doesn’t know about her sister, and they all came to play a part in her death in one way or another. My heart hurts for her.
I really disliked Nick, Sabrina’s boyfriend before she died. I had this bad feeling about him from the start; I just could not connect with him at all. He is just a d***. He is a Scio. I wanted to hit both him and Martha for what they did.
I don’t understand why Brady keeps on going to Martha, she is just a bitch and so stuck up, she does not care about anyone but herself most of the time. She doesn’t understand what is important. I just found her to be really shallow. At the end she kind of redeems herself, but not that much. It just to made me tolerate her.
I really liked the way that Suzy Vitello set up of the novel, the way that we get flashbacks of time between Brady and Sabrina, I think it’s cute and emotional and showed their relationship with each other. I found it interesting that sometimes Brady heard Sabrina talk to her, I think Brady found comfort it in some of the time.
I didn’t like the ending that much. I think it lacked something, especially between Conner and Brady, it was like "okay, there done". I wanted something more. It was just so good until then last few pages. But overall I really liked The Moment Before.
I Give The Moment Before 4 Stars out of 5
Quote
'Mad? Oh, Martha, that doesn't even approach how I feel about you. And him'
For more reviews Check out Angel Reads
agrutle's review
4.0
I was given this book as an ARC for an honest review.
This book had me hooked by the end of the first chapter. I felt so bad for Brady. She was mourning her sister and her family felt like it was falling apart. Her mom was working all the time and her dad was drinking to numb the pain. What is she supposed to do? It's hard enough that she's never going to see her sister again but now she's got to act like she's getting better when in reality it feels like shes getting worse. She skips class and doesn't care about her grades. She just wants it to be over. She wants things the way they were before her sister died.
Then there is Connor Christopher, the boy that caused the death. He was supposed to catch her, he was her cheer partner wasn't he? It was his fault Sabine wasn't there anymore, he got baked and then he didn't catch her. Maybe though there is more to the story. Maybe Sabine did something she wasn't supposed to do, but asking questions like this about Sabine would seem like Brady was blaming her sister for her own death. She couldn't do that right? The answers she gets may not be what she was expecting.
There was so much going on with Sabine that if I tried to tell you all about it right now I'd ruin the story for you. I don't want to do that but believe me you want to know. I couldn't stop reading this book. It was so good. I loved watching Brady navigate her life without her big sister physically there. What if Connor isn't the bad guy?
This book had me hooked by the end of the first chapter. I felt so bad for Brady. She was mourning her sister and her family felt like it was falling apart. Her mom was working all the time and her dad was drinking to numb the pain. What is she supposed to do? It's hard enough that she's never going to see her sister again but now she's got to act like she's getting better when in reality it feels like shes getting worse. She skips class and doesn't care about her grades. She just wants it to be over. She wants things the way they were before her sister died.
Then there is Connor Christopher, the boy that caused the death. He was supposed to catch her, he was her cheer partner wasn't he? It was his fault Sabine wasn't there anymore, he got baked and then he didn't catch her. Maybe though there is more to the story. Maybe Sabine did something she wasn't supposed to do, but asking questions like this about Sabine would seem like Brady was blaming her sister for her own death. She couldn't do that right? The answers she gets may not be what she was expecting.
There was so much going on with Sabine that if I tried to tell you all about it right now I'd ruin the story for you. I don't want to do that but believe me you want to know. I couldn't stop reading this book. It was so good. I loved watching Brady navigate her life without her big sister physically there. What if Connor isn't the bad guy?
chrissymcbooknerd's review against another edition
3.0
I know I say this a lot, but this time I mean it. Really.
Honestly, I'm just torn. I'm truly just NOT SURE what I think about THE MOMENT BEFORE -- or even how to rate it.
So I took the easy way out and went straight to three stars. But, I'll tell you why -- and you can decide for yourself what you think.
Backing up a little, though...
Brady is a loner -- an artistic soul who feels especially lost after the death of her 'Irish twin' sister Sabine, the popular, perfect cheerleader who was adored by everyone who knew her. Everyone knows it was Connor, high school delinquent and spaced out stoner, who was responsible for Sabine's death, even if it was deemed an accident in the end. So when Brady starts to investigate new and confusing feelings for Connor, her parents are horrified. How can their only living daughter even dare to be friendly to the individual who killed her only sister?
But, Brady isn't so sure, and little by little she and Connor begin to uncover little secrets about Sabine's life and death. Was Sabine's picture perfect boyfriend as wonderful as she wanted everyone to believe? Was Sabine hiding something deep and dark enough that it was intended to follow her to the grave? Does Connor really have a special insight to Sabine's life that Brady never expected -- or is Connor a master manipulator with devious intentions towards Brady and her family?
Brady doesn't know much about her sister's death, but she intends to uncover every detail that she can -- with or without the man who allegedly killed her....
Now... back to why I'm so torn.
On the one hand, I do think that the writing in THE MOMENT BEFORE is fantastic -- very brooding at times, deep at others, and definitely executed in such a way that I was drawn into the story after just a page or two, eager to discover what REALLY happened to Sabine and what Connor may or may not be hiding from her sister that might thwart her plans. The general idea for the story is fabulous, and I'm fiercely drawn to these introspective type novels, even if it doesn't always feel like so much is going on with the plot itself throughout the novel.
But, on the flipside, I think that things just got a bit TOO muddled and angsty for Brady to the point that I really just lost interest and almost wanted to give up on the book about 75% of the way through. And while I do enjoy a realistic open-ended conclusion to a good story (and I thought the last line or two of the book was pretty brilliant after everything else that happened), it just felt like TOO many things were unexplained here, making certain characters or events feel a little pointless. I don't really understanding Connor's motives -- or those of Brady's best friend or Sabine's ex-boyfriend -- or honestly, even Sabine's (despite the fact that Brady continued to emphasize that Sabine's downfall was her intense need to 'one up' the rest of the world). I can appreciate this back and forth, stream of consciousness type narration, but I just needed a little more structure to help the story feel more final, I guess.
So, I went with three stars -- excellent concept, interesting approach, but somewhat weird execution. If you love YA fiction with a heavy dose of teenage angst and introspection, I definitely think THE MOMENT BEFORE will be worth your time. If, on the other hand, you prefer a fast plot with clear explanations and a decent ending -- maybe not so much on this one....
Thank you to the publisher for providing a copy of THE MOMENT BEFORE for the purposes of providing a completely honest review. No compensation was provided for this review or any of the thoughts posted above. :)
Honestly, I'm just torn. I'm truly just NOT SURE what I think about THE MOMENT BEFORE -- or even how to rate it.
So I took the easy way out and went straight to three stars. But, I'll tell you why -- and you can decide for yourself what you think.
Backing up a little, though...
Brady is a loner -- an artistic soul who feels especially lost after the death of her 'Irish twin' sister Sabine, the popular, perfect cheerleader who was adored by everyone who knew her. Everyone knows it was Connor, high school delinquent and spaced out stoner, who was responsible for Sabine's death, even if it was deemed an accident in the end. So when Brady starts to investigate new and confusing feelings for Connor, her parents are horrified. How can their only living daughter even dare to be friendly to the individual who killed her only sister?
But, Brady isn't so sure, and little by little she and Connor begin to uncover little secrets about Sabine's life and death. Was Sabine's picture perfect boyfriend as wonderful as she wanted everyone to believe? Was Sabine hiding something deep and dark enough that it was intended to follow her to the grave? Does Connor really have a special insight to Sabine's life that Brady never expected -- or is Connor a master manipulator with devious intentions towards Brady and her family?
Brady doesn't know much about her sister's death, but she intends to uncover every detail that she can -- with or without the man who allegedly killed her....
Now... back to why I'm so torn.
On the one hand, I do think that the writing in THE MOMENT BEFORE is fantastic -- very brooding at times, deep at others, and definitely executed in such a way that I was drawn into the story after just a page or two, eager to discover what REALLY happened to Sabine and what Connor may or may not be hiding from her sister that might thwart her plans. The general idea for the story is fabulous, and I'm fiercely drawn to these introspective type novels, even if it doesn't always feel like so much is going on with the plot itself throughout the novel.
But, on the flipside, I think that things just got a bit TOO muddled and angsty for Brady to the point that I really just lost interest and almost wanted to give up on the book about 75% of the way through. And while I do enjoy a realistic open-ended conclusion to a good story (and I thought the last line or two of the book was pretty brilliant after everything else that happened), it just felt like TOO many things were unexplained here, making certain characters or events feel a little pointless. I don't really understanding Connor's motives -- or those of Brady's best friend or Sabine's ex-boyfriend -- or honestly, even Sabine's (despite the fact that Brady continued to emphasize that Sabine's downfall was her intense need to 'one up' the rest of the world). I can appreciate this back and forth, stream of consciousness type narration, but I just needed a little more structure to help the story feel more final, I guess.
So, I went with three stars -- excellent concept, interesting approach, but somewhat weird execution. If you love YA fiction with a heavy dose of teenage angst and introspection, I definitely think THE MOMENT BEFORE will be worth your time. If, on the other hand, you prefer a fast plot with clear explanations and a decent ending -- maybe not so much on this one....
Thank you to the publisher for providing a copy of THE MOMENT BEFORE for the purposes of providing a completely honest review. No compensation was provided for this review or any of the thoughts posted above. :)
lifeandliterature's review against another edition
4.0
It's all so fleeting, how beauty screams loud, then withers and dies. How one day everything seems possible, and little cubes of happiness tinkle around inside you like ice in a glass of fresh-squeezed lemonade, and then, just like that, the ice melts and the beverage grows a skin of mold.
Brady Wilson's sister Sabine has recently been killed in a freak cheerleading accident. Her family are trying to find their way through their loss and grief. But nothing seems to be helping. Brady has lost interest in school and friends, her Dad numbs his grief with alcohol and her Mum is distant. But Brady finds a surprising friend in Connor, the boy blamed for her sisters death, and with his help she finds out that maybe her sister wasn't quite as put together as everyone believed.
The standout emotions throughout this book are grief and confusion. You could almost see the grief hanging around and pulling the characters down. How do you deal with the loss of a daughter? How do you as a sister deal with your loss while trying to unravel and understand the secrets of the sister you thought you knew so well? And how do you shoulder the blame for the death of a friend who let you in on all those secrets?
The weight of everything is a cloudburst inside me. The sadness. The relentless sadness. My sister. Dad. Everything crash-landing.
I really felt for Brady throughout this story. She was trying to deal with so much. As well as the death of her sister, there was also the secrets and lies, the unravelling of her family, the pressures of school and her growing feelings for Conner.
Despite the way Connor chose to deal with things, I really liked him. He was such a self sacrificing character. The choices he made to protect Sabine. The burdens he carried around. These were pretty huge things for a teenager to be dealing with. And the huge impact that all of it had on his life. It was impossible not to admire what he was doing.
I character that I couldn't like was Martha, Brady's so called best friend. To me, she just didn't have a whole lot of redeeming qualities. She came across as very superficial and I found myself wondering how these two could possibly be friends.
The bad guy in this story in Nick, Sabine's boyfriend. And he is where my questions lie. I'm not sure that I fully understand the reasons he is the way he is. I'm not sure I understand why he did the things he did or made the choices he made. Was it just that he was a bad person? Or did Sabine and her actions push him to become the person he was? Why in the end did he react the way he did towards Martha? Was it simply to protect himself?
And while I didn't get the ending that I envisioned in my head, I did get an ending that I was happy with. I got some of the things I was after and that can only be a good thing.
The Moment Before deals with some very real issues and centres around some very real characters. Suzy Vitello's writing made it very easy to read and feel for the characters despite the tough subject matter. Contemporary YA is quite possibly my favourite and when there are situations that I can relate to, I can't help but enjoy the read.
4/5 Immensely Enjoyable Stars
Brady Wilson's sister Sabine has recently been killed in a freak cheerleading accident. Her family are trying to find their way through their loss and grief. But nothing seems to be helping. Brady has lost interest in school and friends, her Dad numbs his grief with alcohol and her Mum is distant. But Brady finds a surprising friend in Connor, the boy blamed for her sisters death, and with his help she finds out that maybe her sister wasn't quite as put together as everyone believed.
The standout emotions throughout this book are grief and confusion. You could almost see the grief hanging around and pulling the characters down. How do you deal with the loss of a daughter? How do you as a sister deal with your loss while trying to unravel and understand the secrets of the sister you thought you knew so well? And how do you shoulder the blame for the death of a friend who let you in on all those secrets?
The weight of everything is a cloudburst inside me. The sadness. The relentless sadness. My sister. Dad. Everything crash-landing.
I really felt for Brady throughout this story. She was trying to deal with so much. As well as the death of her sister, there was also the secrets and lies, the unravelling of her family, the pressures of school and her growing feelings for Conner.
Despite the way Connor chose to deal with things, I really liked him. He was such a self sacrificing character. The choices he made to protect Sabine. The burdens he carried around. These were pretty huge things for a teenager to be dealing with. And the huge impact that all of it had on his life. It was impossible not to admire what he was doing.
I character that I couldn't like was Martha, Brady's so called best friend. To me, she just didn't have a whole lot of redeeming qualities. She came across as very superficial and I found myself wondering how these two could possibly be friends.
The bad guy in this story in Nick, Sabine's boyfriend. And he is where my questions lie. I'm not sure that I fully understand the reasons he is the way he is. I'm not sure I understand why he did the things he did or made the choices he made. Was it just that he was a bad person? Or did Sabine and her actions push him to become the person he was? Why in the end did he react the way he did towards Martha? Was it simply to protect himself?
And while I didn't get the ending that I envisioned in my head, I did get an ending that I was happy with. I got some of the things I was after and that can only be a good thing.
The Moment Before deals with some very real issues and centres around some very real characters. Suzy Vitello's writing made it very easy to read and feel for the characters despite the tough subject matter. Contemporary YA is quite possibly my favourite and when there are situations that I can relate to, I can't help but enjoy the read.
4/5 Immensely Enjoyable Stars
kobireads's review against another edition
4.0
When Brady's sister Sabine dies in a freak cheerleading accident the whole family struggles. Brady can still hear Sabine in her head and soon starts to ditch school. Then she meets Connor, who was supposed be Sabine's spotter when she fell. Connor shares new information with Brady that makes her question everything she knew about her sister. And doubt her sister's boyfriend intentions. As the truth unfold family is separated and new friendships are formed. This book shows that we all have inter demons that very few people in the world know about.
thecarefreenook's review
5.0
I absolutely love this book. It kept me on the edge of my seat the entire way through and did not disappoint whatsoever.
becca's review
4.0
Not only is this an incredible coming-of-age story with quirks, but the characters and plot are so strong that almost instantly, I was reading more and more and the time just passed so quickly when I was enveloped in The Moment Before's world.
Brady is such an intriguing, powerful character who not only has to come to terms with the death of her sister, but now that that event has ricochetted her life values around and things she used to believe in and her thoughts about elements of her life, are all changing along with her changes in herself. Brady also has to look at the side of the story that could prove that she didn't know her sister; Sabine, so well, after all, with secrets surrounding her.
Brady was portrayed so well and as close to a real-life teenager as possible. She was angry for her sister dying, she was annoyed with her sister for no longer being alive and being able to hide under that shadow of being the younger sister of the popular cheerleader. But she was witty and likeable, too. Although she didn't have that much self-assurance in herself and I think she just liked to please other people other than putting herself first, she was extremely selfless in that way.
Connor was likeable (ish), like Brady, and although they were a good combination of characters apart, something about them, just like the turn in events nearer the end, made me see that they could be good together. But all Brady can think at first is: this is the guy who killed my sister, because that's all they know...at that time. He wasn't so much of a character I connected with a lot, just like Martha or Nick. I really wasn't a fan of Martha. I thought all along that Brady deserved a better friend, 100%.
BUT saying that, just because I didn't like some of the other characters, I liked Brady and because she was the main character, I loved this book. Seriously. It was the perfect coming-of-age story, mixed with emotion and friendship/relationship dramas. Just an all-round amazing read.
at: http://prettylittlememoirs.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/speed-review-moment-before-by-suzy.html
Brady is such an intriguing, powerful character who not only has to come to terms with the death of her sister, but now that that event has ricochetted her life values around and things she used to believe in and her thoughts about elements of her life, are all changing along with her changes in herself. Brady also has to look at the side of the story that could prove that she didn't know her sister; Sabine, so well, after all, with secrets surrounding her.
Brady was portrayed so well and as close to a real-life teenager as possible. She was angry for her sister dying, she was annoyed with her sister for no longer being alive and being able to hide under that shadow of being the younger sister of the popular cheerleader. But she was witty and likeable, too. Although she didn't have that much self-assurance in herself and I think she just liked to please other people other than putting herself first, she was extremely selfless in that way.
Connor was likeable (ish), like Brady, and although they were a good combination of characters apart, something about them, just like the turn in events nearer the end, made me see that they could be good together. But all Brady can think at first is: this is the guy who killed my sister, because that's all they know...at that time. He wasn't so much of a character I connected with a lot, just like Martha or Nick. I really wasn't a fan of Martha. I thought all along that Brady deserved a better friend, 100%.
BUT saying that, just because I didn't like some of the other characters, I liked Brady and because she was the main character, I loved this book. Seriously. It was the perfect coming-of-age story, mixed with emotion and friendship/relationship dramas. Just an all-round amazing read.
at: http://prettylittlememoirs.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/speed-review-moment-before-by-suzy.html
leahmichelle_13's review
3.0
When I spotted The Moment Before on Netgalley, I thought it sounded quite interesting. Novels about grief are really interesting, and I love diving in to novels like that. It’s taken me quite a while to finish the novel – really, starting a book over the Christmas and New Year period is never a good idea, as work gets in the way of doing anything over Christmas and New Year, especially reading, but after what seems like forever, I have finally completed the novel, and it wasn’t bad at all.
Brady and Sabine are “Irish twins”, born within a year of each other, so when Sabine dies, Brady’s life falls apart. She’s no longer the arty-sister of her school’s most popular girl, now she’s the girl-with-a-dead-sister, who can’t seem to care about anything or anyone any more. Her schoolwork has fallen to the wayside, and the only thing she still cares about is her artwork, it’s the only thing that keeps her grounded. Her parents marriage is falling to pieces, her dad is drinking more and more and her mother seems to be keeping secrets from everyone in the family, so when Brady finds herself hanging out with Connor Christopher, the boy blamed for Sabine’s death, she finds herself finding out things about Sabine she never thought possible, and she’s desperate to know everything.
The Moment Before was very interesting. I didn’t love-love it, but I also didn’t hate it, it was just sort of a middle-of-the-road kind of novel. It’s perhaps why it took me ages to finish reading it, because it seems to be quite a short novel, but it just seemed to take forever to finish. I really liked Brady. She’s my sort of girl; someone who isn’t immensely popular, who prefers her own company to that of the popular crowd, the only way we weren’t alike was that she’s quite arty and all of my drawings feature stick people. But I sort of felt that the novel didn’t offer any kind of resolution, there’s lots of secrets that come out about Sabine, but I’m still not entirely sure what happened to Sabine on the day she died, or what her relationship with Connor really was. Connor was an enigma, and I mostly liked him, but there were tons of unanswered questions, and, although the novel was wrapped up in a fashion, I still felt there should have been more answers about Sabine because there were tons of questions that needed answering.
I did think Suzy Vitello’s writing was awesome, she’s a very talented writer, and I definitely felt Brady’s grief, I just wanted a bit more resolution, a bit more of an answer to everything surrounding Sabine as it was quite mysterious. What made the novel slightly worse for me was definitely Sabine’s “friend” Martha. She was AWFUL. Every time she came onto the page, I wanted to slap her because she was so patronising towards Brady. I would not want a friend like her and I truly couldn’t understand why Brady didn’t tell her to get lost, because that’s what I wanted to do. The Moment Before was definitely an interesting read, it could have just done with more resolution. I wanted a definitive answer to Sabine, who was mysterious and enigmatic and seemed to have an entirely different life to the one Brady and her parents thought she had, though it was very interesting to learn it all, and I did really like Brady and Connor, I just wanted a bit more…
Brady and Sabine are “Irish twins”, born within a year of each other, so when Sabine dies, Brady’s life falls apart. She’s no longer the arty-sister of her school’s most popular girl, now she’s the girl-with-a-dead-sister, who can’t seem to care about anything or anyone any more. Her schoolwork has fallen to the wayside, and the only thing she still cares about is her artwork, it’s the only thing that keeps her grounded. Her parents marriage is falling to pieces, her dad is drinking more and more and her mother seems to be keeping secrets from everyone in the family, so when Brady finds herself hanging out with Connor Christopher, the boy blamed for Sabine’s death, she finds herself finding out things about Sabine she never thought possible, and she’s desperate to know everything.
The Moment Before was very interesting. I didn’t love-love it, but I also didn’t hate it, it was just sort of a middle-of-the-road kind of novel. It’s perhaps why it took me ages to finish reading it, because it seems to be quite a short novel, but it just seemed to take forever to finish. I really liked Brady. She’s my sort of girl; someone who isn’t immensely popular, who prefers her own company to that of the popular crowd, the only way we weren’t alike was that she’s quite arty and all of my drawings feature stick people. But I sort of felt that the novel didn’t offer any kind of resolution, there’s lots of secrets that come out about Sabine, but I’m still not entirely sure what happened to Sabine on the day she died, or what her relationship with Connor really was. Connor was an enigma, and I mostly liked him, but there were tons of unanswered questions, and, although the novel was wrapped up in a fashion, I still felt there should have been more answers about Sabine because there were tons of questions that needed answering.
I did think Suzy Vitello’s writing was awesome, she’s a very talented writer, and I definitely felt Brady’s grief, I just wanted a bit more resolution, a bit more of an answer to everything surrounding Sabine as it was quite mysterious. What made the novel slightly worse for me was definitely Sabine’s “friend” Martha. She was AWFUL. Every time she came onto the page, I wanted to slap her because she was so patronising towards Brady. I would not want a friend like her and I truly couldn’t understand why Brady didn’t tell her to get lost, because that’s what I wanted to do. The Moment Before was definitely an interesting read, it could have just done with more resolution. I wanted a definitive answer to Sabine, who was mysterious and enigmatic and seemed to have an entirely different life to the one Brady and her parents thought she had, though it was very interesting to learn it all, and I did really like Brady and Connor, I just wanted a bit more…