Motion of Intervals

by Kristy McGinnis

Kenna has been living under the shadow of her controlling mother, America’s Sweetheart, Tessa Shepherd, her whole life. Now, as a twenty-year-old student who has made a huge mistake, she seeks freedom and healing through escape. In desperation she contacts her surrogate mother, Rachel.

Still grieving the death of her wife, Rachel barely recognizes the world she now inhabits. Desperately wanting more, she decides to take a road trip with Kenna to show her important places from her past. Part escape, part road trip, the women uncover secret stories from each other’s lives and realize they are more alike than they initially understood.

The reader is the third person in the car and the spaces they occupy along the way in this vivid, beautifully crafted tale of how the most unlikely of people can save each other.

Genres: Fiction

295 pages, Paperback

Published August 1, 2023

About the author

Kristy spent her childhood as a Navy "brat" and her adult years first as a service member and then as a Coast Guard wife. A lifelong wanderer and now emptynester, she's set permanent anchor in Virginia Beach, Virginia with her husband and that most rascally of rascals- her cat Percy. When not plucking away at her keyboard or eagerly devouring every book she can get her hands on; she enjoys theater, beach combing, hiking, wine tasting, and obsessively planning the next journey.

Reviews

[Miss Iris · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful fresh perspective on a coming of age story. It took me just a chapter or so to get into the characters and I was all in! I wanted to protect Kenna and slap Tessa for being such a horrible, selfish person. I was pleased so see so much of Rachel's life with Delta included in the story as it provided a much context to her character. The road trip was the perfect way for Rachel and Kenna to get to know one another and become comfortable with their relationship and growing friendship. Although surrogacy is not an every day occurence, the relationship seemed plausible and real. I did not want this book to end!

[Country Mama · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book about Kenna and Rachel. Kenna is our MC and heavily under the thumb of her mom. Her mom is named Tessa and is America's Sweetheart, meaning everyone loves her. Kenna made a huge mistake in Tessa's eyes and now Kenna has no one else to turn to.
Enter Rachel. Rachel is Kenna's surrogate mother, literally. And Rachel is also having a tough time as she has to navigate without her wife from day-to-day activities now. They decide to take a journey together as kind of mom and daughter to a degree. There are so many things that they learn together, and this book gets you right in the feels.
I did love the relationship between Kenna and Rachel. Also, the love that Rachel and her wife Delta shared is very prevalent in the book as well. And I HATED Tessa, I mean I know she was the villain, but yep hated her!
The story was well written so well, and the characters are well fleshed out with relationships built strongly or weakly. The story really takes you on a journey as a writer and I liked to read it.

[Tina Chan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has all the feels. It’s a coming of age story about life struggles and maneuvering difficult relationships. I absolutely loved the main characters. The mother in the story is a true life Cruella! It’s wonderful to take the journey with Kenna and Rachel to the other side of love, respect, growing up and letting go. The author has a way of painting a scene so vivid that you not only feel like you are there but you can paint your own picture. It has everything you hope for in a novel. I want to talk more about this amazing book but don’t want to spoil it!

[Amber Broadway · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn’t put it down!

I read Motion of Intervals in a day. Rachel and Kenna are doing the brave thing on their trip, and the character development is a beautiful thing to witness. The encouragement to break cycles, seek personal growth, and trust the voice inside is a theme throughout and you’re not sure until the end exactly what is going to happen for these strong women who are completely different. I can’t wait to read what comes next!

[Eli B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice character development and growth

What a perfect villain in the book with Tess. A much loved person with no redeeming qualities. Kenna wasn’t much at the beginning of the book only really seen through the eyes of other people. It was an absolute pleasure to watch her transform.

[Ruth York · Rating 5 out of 5]

My thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. (And the author for letting me know it was on NetGalley!) Kristy McGinnis took on the challenge of writing a second novel and knocked it out of the park. I loved Ellipsis. Motion of Intervals? I love LOVED it. The writing is even more beautiful. I was IN the car with Rachael and Kenna. I was in each of their sometimes seedy motel rooms. I could smell the boardwalk at Virginia Beach and see the festivities in Key West. Places I have yet to visit in person. I saw myself in many of their habits and flaws. That journey down I95 is one I've dreamed of. This is a novel about friendships, the family that we get vs the one we choose, finding ourselves when others are trying to stick us in a mold. It is about hurt, redemption (or not), and taking the plunge to break out and try something new. It is about coming home, when you don't even know what that home is. It is about what-if's, what-could-have-been's. It is about LIFE. And it is beautiful.

[em · Rating 5 out of 5]

TW: Child neglect, child abuse, death of a spouse.
I LOVED this!! From the very first chapter I was hooked, Kenna and Rachel were such fascinating characters with incredibly complex and fleshed out back stories, traumas, hopes and dreams. McGinnis did such a good job of making them easy to root for, and in making Delta feel like an integral part of the story even though she was never actually in it. Tessa was an easy villain, and her chapters were a welcome break to get a glimpse into her cruel mind. The story was packed full of emotions, and the message of finding yourself after grief and abuse. I couldn't put this down, there's something so easy and carefree about the writing that swept me away. Love, love, love, I'll be thinking about this one for a while.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for kindly providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. #MotionofIntervals #NetGalley. All opinions are my own.