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katietotallybooked's review
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
hollyslittlebookreviews's review
4.0
I crave Karma Brown's books. Her novels are about women who have to face situations that none of us ever want to have to face, but ultimately find a way to overcome and preserver. In This Moment is the story of Meg Pepper, a working mom of a teen girl who is just barely keeping everything together (with the help of her trusty smart phone). When a sudden, tragic accident shatters the life she so carefully balances, Meg finds herself dealing with emotions from both the present and hidden in her past. This is women's fiction at its finest with a protagonist women can easily relate to and writing so flawless that you can't help but get lost in the story.
nchinnici's review against another edition
4.0
An intensely emotional and believable story, In This Moment hit a lot of the right notes for me.
This novel opens with Meg Pepper jolting awake one morning to a loud bang that is a bird flying into her bedroom window. Meg realizes she and her husband, Ryan, have overslept since neither set their alarms, and hurries to get ready as one thing after another are thrown her way to be dealt with, including: the coffee carafe overflowing; starting to feel sick; a forgotten dentist appointment for her daughter, Audrey; and an argument with Ryan. All this in less than ten pages in the first chapter. And it just continues, as Meg fights to balance her family, work, and other obligations through the course of the day, never quite managing to keep everything quite right, even with all her phone reminders. Sound familiar? Is anyone else having flashbacks of Mila Kunis in Bad Moms?
And just that quickly, I was pulled into this story. Just that quickly, Brown has not only created a relatable character in Meg, but also pinpointed just how difficult it can be to be a woman in our current culture. While this theme continues to be explored throughout this book, it really is only the jumping off point to dig into other themes of guilt, grief, parenting, marriage, responsibility, and love. And Brown handles all of this with seeming ease to great effect.
The writing throughout this book is simple and effective, painting a vivid picture without being graphic. The characters feel fully fleshed out and dimensional. Even when I didn’t agree with their decisions, I could absolutely understand why they reacted in the ways that they did. And the whole book just flowed so easily, I almost felt like I was hearing the story firsthand from a girlfriend as she was telling me about her life.
"I hear the frustration in his voice, and wish not for the first time he could read my mind. After two decades of being together, I feel like he should be able to - I'm not that complicated."
Ultimately, In This Moment was an absorbing and powerful story. This was the first book I’ve ready by Karma Brown, but it won’t be the last. Definitely recommended.
*Many thanks to the publisher for providing my copy via Goodreads Giveaway!
This novel opens with Meg Pepper jolting awake one morning to a loud bang that is a bird flying into her bedroom window. Meg realizes she and her husband, Ryan, have overslept since neither set their alarms, and hurries to get ready as one thing after another are thrown her way to be dealt with, including: the coffee carafe overflowing; starting to feel sick; a forgotten dentist appointment for her daughter, Audrey; and an argument with Ryan. All this in less than ten pages in the first chapter. And it just continues, as Meg fights to balance her family, work, and other obligations through the course of the day, never quite managing to keep everything quite right, even with all her phone reminders. Sound familiar? Is anyone else having flashbacks of Mila Kunis in Bad Moms?
And just that quickly, I was pulled into this story. Just that quickly, Brown has not only created a relatable character in Meg, but also pinpointed just how difficult it can be to be a woman in our current culture. While this theme continues to be explored throughout this book, it really is only the jumping off point to dig into other themes of guilt, grief, parenting, marriage, responsibility, and love. And Brown handles all of this with seeming ease to great effect.
The writing throughout this book is simple and effective, painting a vivid picture without being graphic. The characters feel fully fleshed out and dimensional. Even when I didn’t agree with their decisions, I could absolutely understand why they reacted in the ways that they did. And the whole book just flowed so easily, I almost felt like I was hearing the story firsthand from a girlfriend as she was telling me about her life.
"I hear the frustration in his voice, and wish not for the first time he could read my mind. After two decades of being together, I feel like he should be able to - I'm not that complicated."
Ultimately, In This Moment was an absorbing and powerful story. This was the first book I’ve ready by Karma Brown, but it won’t be the last. Definitely recommended.
*Many thanks to the publisher for providing my copy via Goodreads Giveaway!
alainarose's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this book. The emotional breakthroughs Meg had were amazing, BUT there was a real lack of relationship building and communication between characters that just left me kind of irritated. Not to mention the ending, to me, left things a little unresolved.
jessicamap's review
4.0
In This Moment is my first book by Karma Brown, and it did not disappoint! This was an incredibly emotional read about a woman's guilt over an unexpected tragedy, that she believes that she caused.
Meg Pepper is happy with her life - she has a successful and fulfilling career in real estate, her husband is about to open his own medical practice, and a well-behaved teenage daughter, Audrey. One afternoon, Meg is picking up Audrey from school - a seemingly normal afternoon. They see Jack, the twin brother of Audrey's boyfriend walking home. Meg stops and waves Jack across the road so he can cross, at that moment, an SUV comes barreling down the street and hits Jack. The driver, one of the high school teachers, did not see him because he was too busy texting on his phone.
Meg blames herself for this avoidable tragedy. In her guilt, she absorbs her life into helping Jack and his family as he goes through rehab from the accident. In her attempt to absolve her guilt she begins to alienate her family and friends - she quickly learns the ripple effect of her actions and how they begin to threat everything that is important to her.
This was an incredibly emotional read. Brown was able to portray the emotions and struggle that all of the characters were experiencing. Meg's guilt was consuming her and she was completely unaware that it was affecting her marriage and her relationship with her daughter - even her career was at risk. It was so interesting to read because we never truly understand the ripple effect that our actions can cause, until it's too late. I'd highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a well-written story that pulls at the heart strings.
I give this 4/5 stars!
Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.
Meg Pepper is happy with her life - she has a successful and fulfilling career in real estate, her husband is about to open his own medical practice, and a well-behaved teenage daughter, Audrey. One afternoon, Meg is picking up Audrey from school - a seemingly normal afternoon. They see Jack, the twin brother of Audrey's boyfriend walking home. Meg stops and waves Jack across the road so he can cross, at that moment, an SUV comes barreling down the street and hits Jack. The driver, one of the high school teachers, did not see him because he was too busy texting on his phone.
Meg blames herself for this avoidable tragedy. In her guilt, she absorbs her life into helping Jack and his family as he goes through rehab from the accident. In her attempt to absolve her guilt she begins to alienate her family and friends - she quickly learns the ripple effect of her actions and how they begin to threat everything that is important to her.
This was an incredibly emotional read. Brown was able to portray the emotions and struggle that all of the characters were experiencing. Meg's guilt was consuming her and she was completely unaware that it was affecting her marriage and her relationship with her daughter - even her career was at risk. It was so interesting to read because we never truly understand the ripple effect that our actions can cause, until it's too late. I'd highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a well-written story that pulls at the heart strings.
I give this 4/5 stars!
Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.
megbomb's review
5.0
Meg stops and waves her daughter's friend across the road, but the driver coming in the opposite direction is texting and fails to stop. The teenage boy is hit by the car and many lives change in this moment. Meg starts to have memories of a fatal mistake she made when she was a teen, and her life begins to spiral out of control. We all have decisions we make in a moment that have this same potential. I thought this book was so relatable, and it brought up a lot of emotion in me. The characters were well rounded and flawed. The writing was moving and paced well. I would love to hear more about these characters in a future book and i'm looking forward to reading more of Karma's previous books
anndouglas's review against another edition
4.0
An intriguing look at the far-reaching consequences of actions and decisions that happen in the moment. Loved the fact that the author didn't try to tidy up all the loose ends as the novel drove to a close because real life is rarely that neat or predictable. A great choice for a relaxing weekend read.
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