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A review by chrissymcbooknerd
The Moment Before by Suzy Vitello
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. :)