The Infinite Moment of Us by Lauren Myracle

Author: Lauren Myracle
Publication: August 27, 2013
By: Amulet
3.75 Stars

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...

 

This was my first Lauren Myracle book and one I picked up at BEA. WARNING: THERE WILL BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW. I don't normally do spoilers but I can't write an honest review without mentioning a few things, but feel free to skip this post altogether if you've yet to read the book.

What I Liked: There really is nothing quite like falling in love for the first time and Lauren Myracle captures all of the feelings - the good, the bad and the insecure. Wren and Charlie both have issues to deal with but neither of their situations felt too dramatic nor over the top which was nice. I LOVED Charlie's family dynamic as well as Tessa and Wren's friendship, both of which were portrayed in a positive light.

What Left Me Wanting More: The ending. The "scene" before that left me reeling and to have it end the way it did seemed extremely unfair to me as a reader. There were some choices made that I felt were extremely irresponsible too.

Final Verdict: Intense, realistic, heartrending look at first love. 

Review also posted at YABC.

SOAPBOX SPOILERS: 
I felt it was irresponsible when Wren and Charlie decided to take their relationship to the next level without the use of protection. Yeah, she was on the pill and he tested clean - good for them but the pill is not enough. It doesn't protect against diseases and it is not 100% effective in preventing pregnancy even after you've been on it for years, have never missed a day and are happily married. Don't believe me?  Allow me to introduce you to my almost fourteen year old. Moving on...

I appreciated that Lauren Myracle didn't stereo-type all gun owners and felt she handled the topic responsibly, but I felt using it as part of the build-up to Starrla's "boiling rabbits" moment was a bit anticlimactic. I mean, I didn't want anyone to get hurt, but still, I was anticipating a different outcome.

Speaking of the "scene", Charlie's choice broke not only broke Wren's heart, but mine too. He did nothing to protect her and to make matters worse, he left, again. He should've stayed with Wren OR taken her with him. I understand he was trying to do the right thing, but Charlie chose someone other than Wren (again). It wasn't fair for everyone to be upset at her for protecting herself and the lack of face to face at the end was extremely disappointing.