Review & Giveaway: The Infinite Moment of Us by Lauren Myracle

The Infinite Moment of Us by Lauren Myracle
Publisher: Amulet Books
Publication date: August 20th 2013
My rating: 3.5 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 . . .
Sexy, romantic, and oh-so-true to life, this is an unforgettable look at first love from one of young adult fiction’s greatest writers.

The Infinite Moment of Us was a dreamy sort of romance, and yet, one that felt a little bittersweet to me. 

Wren Gray has been living a life mostly carved out by her parent’s dreams.  She has been a model daughter with excellent grades and a focus mostly on school.  Yet, Wren is done with that, she doesn’t want to live a future molded and decided on by her parents.  Instead of going onto the parent approved college, Wren’s applied to and been accepted into a Peace Core type of group, volunteering to help those less fortunate in Guatemala.  When she breaks this to her parents they do nothing but demean and insult her.  I really couldn’t stand these parents for most of the story!  In the middle of all of this is Charlie Parker, a fellow honor student that has often caught her eye.  In one afternoon a shared glance, a moment, she feels as if “their souls touched.”

Charlie has watched Wren from afar for a long time, admiring everything about her; her answers and expressions in class that captivate him so.  Wren is just beautiful in every sense of the word, to him.  He’s longed for her for quite some time and finally at the end of school he knows it’s now or never.  

These two fall hard for each other.  Wren has no experience with boyfriends or love and Charlie hasn’t had anything real either, so when they click it’s intense.  This isn’t really insta-love, because Charlie and Wren have admired each other from afar for a while, but it did feel fast, and like I said, intense.  Both had issues.  Charlie had a sad past and feels less than worthy of love in general.  Wren’s upbringing on the outside seems perfect but if you look just a little closer you see it’s anything but.  She’s been sheltered and told what to think most of her life, so even though she’s eighteen and out of high school, she’s innocent and a bit closed off. 

There were times I was on a high from their romance, swoony, dreamy kisses, and touches, and then there were times I was very frustrated with both Wren and Charlie.  Mostly Charlie.  I don’t like problems that stem from non-communication or from purposefully withholding information.  Charlie disappointed me in both respects.  I know this is due to insecurity, he was afraid of Wren’s reactions and didn’t want to lose someone who had become so important to him, but he hurt my heart a few times.  I had more patience for Wren because she was so inexperienced, and she did show some of that a couple of times, but for the most part I was in her corner.  If anything, I thought she forgave a little too easy with both Charlie and her parents.  I do have to admit that Charlie was a bruised soul, so busting his balls may not have been the nicest thing to do.  Lord knows he deserved a break.  On the other hand, shame on Wren’s parents!  I would’ve loved to give them a piece of my mind!

One thing I’m not a fan of is rushed or open endings.  I guess this doesn’t really fall strictly under either definition, but maybe a combination of the two?  At any rate, I would’ve like a little more.  I will say that Lauren Myracle has a beautiful way with words and manages to capture feelings and emotion in a way that really spoke to me. 

Also, I wouldn’t classify this as a purely YA or New Adult read, but somewhere in between.  There are definitely more mature/steamy scenes that I wouldn’t normally see in YA but felt right for the characters.    

I’m giving away my ARC copy of The Infinite Moment of Us to one lucky reader.  Just fill out the rafflecopter below for a chance to win.  The giveaway is INTERNATIONAL.  Good luck and thank  you for visiting The Readers Den!

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