One Moment by Kristina McBride - Review

One Moment 
by Kristina McBride
Published: June 26, 2012
Publisher: Egmont USA

"This was supposed to be the best summer of Maggie's life. Now it's the one she'd do anything to forget."

Maggie remembers hanging out at the gorge with her closest friends after a blowout party. She remembers climbing the trail with her perfect boyfriend, Joey. She remembers that last kiss, soft, lingering, and meant to reassure her. So why can't she remember what happened in the moment before they were supposed to dive? Why was she left cowering at the top of the cliff, while Joey floated in the water below-dead? 

As Maggie's memories return in snatches, nothing seems to make sense. Why was Joey acting so strangely at the party? Where did he go after taking her home? And if Joey was keeping these secrets, what else was he hiding? 

The latest novel from the author of "The Tension of Opposites," "One Moment" is a mysterious, searing look at how an instant can change everything you believe about the world around you.

Add it on Goodreads, and buy from The Book Depository or an independent bookstore. 

My Review:
A day of having fun while hanging out with friends goes horribly wrong. Maggie has always been too afraid to dive from the top of the cliff at the gorge where her friends like to hang out. But she is determined to go through with it, and Joey, her boyfriend, is going to jump with her. Only it doesn't turn out as planned. Joey dies as a result of the jump, and Maggie is left scared, confused, and unable to remember what happened.

One Moment looks at the possibility that something as tiny as a single moment could change your life. After Joey's death, Maggie is left wondering if they would have even been at the gorge at all that day if she had done one small thing differently during the days leading up to it. With everyone trying to figure out what went wrong that day and Maggie trying to remember, secrets begin to emerge. This book ends up being a story about how one copes when they realize that many things they believed are not true at all.

I really enjoyed One Moment. It is a little predictable, and I was able to tell early on how much of the story was going to play out. That may just be because I am cynical and enjoy reading these realistic, "true life" kind of contemporary books. Predictable or not, it is still an engaging, page-turning read. Once I started reading, I didn't want to put it down. Throughout the book, pieces of the story are revealed at perfect intervals. Maggie is a great character, and it is easy to like her and feel empathy for her. If you enjoy contemporary YA, this is one to add to your list. I would definitely recommend it, and Kristina McBride is going on my list of authors to watch.

Received from the publisher for review.

About the author:
Kristina McBride, a former English teacher and yearbook advisor, dreamed of being a published author since she was a child and lived across the street from a library. Kristina has published two novels for young adults - The Tension of Opposites (May 2010) and One Moment (June 2012). She lives in Ohio with her husband and two young children. Visit her online at kristinamcbride.com.