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Moment of Truth #2
One Moment in Time
The second book of Lauren Barnholdt's exiting Moment of Truth series: three books, three girls, one life-changing senior trip.
When the email arrived in Quinn Reynolds's in box on the morning of her flight to Florida, she sent it straight to her trash folder. The last thing Quinn needed was to be reminded of the pact she made with her ex–best friends—the one where she promised she would do something crazy before graduation.
But that was before everything on the trip went wrong.
Now, after a lifetime of playing it safe, Quinn figures that she might as well get a little wild…after all, what does she have to lose? When Abram, a local boy she met on the beach, asks her to hang out, she says yes. But while a vacation romance could be the best way to fulfill the pact, it might be the worst thing for her heart.…
Each book in this trilogy is told from the perspective of a different girl—Lyla, Aven, and Quinn—former best friends who, back in freshman year, wrote emails to their future selves about the one thing they hope to accomplish before they graduate. Over the course of the series, each girl will learn about life, love, and the truth about the fight that ended their perfect friendship.
When the email arrived in Quinn Reynolds's in box on the morning of her flight to Florida, she sent it straight to her trash folder. The last thing Quinn needed was to be reminded of the pact she made with her ex–best friends—the one where she promised she would do something crazy before graduation.
But that was before everything on the trip went wrong.
Now, after a lifetime of playing it safe, Quinn figures that she might as well get a little wild…after all, what does she have to lose? When Abram, a local boy she met on the beach, asks her to hang out, she says yes. But while a vacation romance could be the best way to fulfill the pact, it might be the worst thing for her heart.…
Each book in this trilogy is told from the perspective of a different girl—Lyla, Aven, and Quinn—former best friends who, back in freshman year, wrote emails to their future selves about the one thing they hope to accomplish before they graduate. Over the course of the series, each girl will learn about life, love, and the truth about the fight that ended their perfect friendship.
309 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 16, 2015
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September 14, 2020
“Before graduation, I promise to… do something crazy.”
This was a YA contemporary romance story following Quinn from book 1.
Quinn was a strong character and I liked how she threw caution to the wind and lived in the moment, especially when it helped her to learn who she really was and what she really wanted.
The storyline in this was about Quinn going on a senior trip to Florida and finding out that she hadn’t gotten into Stanford University. She then met a guy called Abram and had a bit of a whirlwind romance with him, whilst trying to ‘do something crazy’. The romance was really quite sweet though, and I really liked Quinn and Abram together. It was also good that we got to find out what had happened between Quinn, Lyla and Aven and why they weren’t friends any more.
The ending to this was pretty good, and it will be interesting to see what happens in this final book!
7.5 out of 10
June 16, 2015
Rate: 3.5 / 5 stars
One Moment In Time by Lauren Barnholdt is the second book in the Moment of Truth series. While book 1 focused on Lyla McAfee, book 2 focused on Quinn Reynolds and her life-changing journey to do something crazy her senior year.
I went into this book with caution and weariness, as I did not enjoy the first book in the series, Heat of the Moment. Lauren Barnholdt novels are usually addictive, guilty pleasure reads to me with characters stuck in hilarious, comical, sticky situations. All of her novels tend to have the same elements in each of them: a main character that freaks the hell out over a situation (whether big or small, she will freak out).
It’s not a Lauren Barnholdt novel if the main character isn’t freaking out over something.
I wasn’t sure what Quinn Reynolds would be freaking out over, due to the impression we’ve received of her in the last novel. [Granted, Lyla McAfee has a biased opinion and view on both Quinn and Aven (who will be the main protagonist of book 3)].
I was more worried that this novel would not be my cup of tea, like Heat of the Moment. While book 1 didn’t work for me (mostly because Lyla was just focused on sex, sex, sex, slut-shaming from a bunch of characters, and the blurred line between cheating), book 2 didn’t manage to infuriate me right off the bat.
I think the reason why I love Lauren Barnholdt novels so much is her ability to write swoon-worthy love interests. To this day, I still think some of them are still the best book boyfriends to date. I think Heat of the Moment was a fail when it came to a swoon-worthy love interest (because he was pretentious, an asshole, disrespectful, and slut-shammed the heroine of the story), I think Barnholdt nailed it with Abram.
I still think this is one of the funniest lines in first conversations between two book love-interests ever. I think the reason why I didn’t like Lyla and Beckett Cross (from book 1) was because he came off as sleazy/douchebag [knowing that she had a boyfriend and still hit on her and what not, therefore disrespecting the fact that she was in a relationship with someone else (for two years, too!)].
I think another reason why this book didn’t piss/tick me off right at the start is the fact that Quinn didn’t work herself into a corner lying her ass off left and right (because that’s what Lyla did in book 1, and also because Lauren Barnholdt main characters tend to have a pathological lying issue). We’ve gotten a glimpse of the problem that tore Aven’s, Quinn’s, and Lyla’s friendship apart in book 1 (where Lyla was betrayed by her two friends for spreading her secret to the point where it backfired and hurt Lyla). I was prepared to see Quinn try to deflect the blame and shift it on someone else, but she accepted that it was her fault that got them into this mess.
While I didn’t like that Quinn’s behavior toward Lyla… didn’t make sense at times. It made sense that Quinn wanted to explain herself to Lyla of what went wrong back then, but then she decided to act cold instead. Which made no sense at all. And then she blamed it on Lyla for making it hard for her to explain (while it IS both their fault, Quinn should have understood that her betrayal REALLY did hurt Lyla). I understood why she’d quickly blame Lyla as the reason why it’s so hard for her to explain what she did wrong, but I also didn’t like how she quickly chickened out at the idea that Lyla would instantly turn into an ice queen and bite her head off. It’s just me, but at this point in their life—she should have realized that there was nothing to fear (or nothing to lose) since they haven’t been friends for a long time.
I went into this book, prepared to not like Quinn just as much as I couldn’t tolerate Lyla (Also, because Quinn was portrayed as RUDE and UNGRATEFUL toward Lyla and Beckett during the trip in book 1), but she wasn’t that bad.
When I finished book 1, I wasn’t looking forward to Quinn’s book but Aven’s. I was looking forward to Aven the most (especially since her promise involves telling her best guy friend that she’s in love with him. I just love friends to lovers book, and I hope that’s what book 3 is!). So I was surprised when I found myself sympathizing and liking Quinn’s character.
Now that I’ve seen/understood why she’s so “rude” in book 1, you learn that she was just dealing from a bunch of crap that happened to her so quickly. She was just a character who has a series of shit handed to her, one after another. First she doesn’t get into her dream school, then she doesn’t get the internship she wanted, and then the guy her friends kept telling her to hook up with is spotted making out with someone out. All in the span of one day.
However, just because she wasn’t that bad didn’t mean she was great either. I found myself sympathizing for her (for having so much crap handed to her in a short amount of time, AND for her reminiscing over the nostalgia between Lyla, Aven, and her and wanting to go back to the time when they were friends), appreciating that she wasn’t a pathological liar as Lyla was, or getting pissed at her for not being able to have the decency to sympathize or understand why Lyla would hold a grudge toward her.
(Newsflash: girls are known for their fierce, passionate emotions. I’m not surprised that Lyla would passionately hold a grudge for so long. Especially since what Quinn did was kind of really shitty. She lacked empathy and she kept on making herself the victim, when it was HER who should have never went around blabbing her best friend’s secrets).
I also didn’t like how she could be serious one second and immature the next. For example:
No girl. They’re not friends with you anymore because you had to open your big damn mouth and blabbed your “best friend”’s secret around without even thinking about the consequences. Seriously. When you find out the reason why she even blabbed her secret, you’ll find yourself slightly pissed off because 1) it wasn’t your secret to tell. 2) you shouldn’t have said anything until you talked to Lyla first. 3) you literally outed her secret because you were selfish
When she kept acting like that, she pissed me off.
Which is why I found myself not liking her at times. Also, I find it hard to believe that the smartest girl in school would be dumb enough to run off with a stranger all in less than 5-6 hours she met him. Yes, your email said to do something crazy. Not something stupid. Do you not realize how many Dateline specials focuses on unsolved murder/kidnap tourists case?
Like book 1, I didn’t like the minor characters of book 2. (Since I understood Lyla’s pain due to book 1, I hated seeing Quinn being so catty/childish toward her [especially since you learned that it was Quinn’s doing that ended up screwing all three girls over]). I didn’t like Celia.
I didn’t like how bossy/controlling/stereotypical-mean girl she was. Which is why I hated how Quinn automatically pegged Lyla as one, when it was obvious she should have sorted her so-called friend Celia in there. Lyla had reasons to be upset/rude toward Quinn. Celia does not.
Paige was a bland character, the stereotypical “dumb pushover that the mean girl (Celia) takes advantage of”.
I did like Abram. He was a lot more likable than Beckett. He was funny and easy-going. As much as I hate instalove/instalust and romance happening quickly in a short amount of time (this is a three day trip), I let it slide since I wanted more Abram scenes. I think Abram was perfect for Quinn. While she freaked out and panicked over her planned out future going haywire, he was there to help her come to terms that she didn’t have to map out her future. That it was okay to go with the flow and everything will sort itself out.
(This is actually my real life motto, one that I preach to my friends all the time. I’m one of those people who make friends with those who panic and freak out over their impending future and adulthood, so to see a character relaxed and calmed over this is quite REFRESHING in a coming of age story).
Reading the “prominent Lyla/Quinn/Aven (or a mix of two of the three girls) scenes” made me realize how hilarious/random their scenes are from different perspectives. It also made me either dislike Quinn for automatically assuming the worse from Lyla or sympathize for her because she still wanted to be friends with Lyla and Aven again. Also, every time there’s a moment between a character and Aven, all I want to do is hug Aven because she’s such a sweetheart! I seriously can’t wait for her book! Especially since each book goes back to the specific hotel scene where all three girls have simultaneously hit the rut in their self-discovery journey. While we find out about Lyla’s in book 1, was hinted about it for Quinn in book 1 and revealed in book 2, Aven’s remained a mystery. So I’m dying to see how this trilogy wraps up.
And book 2 has the same cliffhanger as book 1. Argh. You can read the books out of order. I think book 2 has the unsatisfying cliffhanger between the two books, because nothing truly got resolved. There were loose ends that got tied in book 1 when it came to Lyla’s personal problems, but Quinn’s is left hanging. Both Lyla’s and Quinn’s books end the same way (which I wont spoil). I think you can read either book first (or even just skip book 1), but Aven has to be read last (since her’s will wrap everything up).
Overall, I enjoyed this book a lot more than book 1. While it's not Barnholdt's best work to date, I would recommend it to any diehard Barnholdt fans (like moi).
One Moment In Time by Lauren Barnholdt is the second book in the Moment of Truth series. While book 1 focused on Lyla McAfee, book 2 focused on Quinn Reynolds and her life-changing journey to do something crazy her senior year.
I went into this book with caution and weariness, as I did not enjoy the first book in the series, Heat of the Moment. Lauren Barnholdt novels are usually addictive, guilty pleasure reads to me with characters stuck in hilarious, comical, sticky situations. All of her novels tend to have the same elements in each of them: a main character that freaks the hell out over a situation (whether big or small, she will freak out).
It’s not a Lauren Barnholdt novel if the main character isn’t freaking out over something.
I wasn’t sure what Quinn Reynolds would be freaking out over, due to the impression we’ve received of her in the last novel. [Granted, Lyla McAfee has a biased opinion and view on both Quinn and Aven (who will be the main protagonist of book 3)].
I was more worried that this novel would not be my cup of tea, like Heat of the Moment. While book 1 didn’t work for me (mostly because Lyla was just focused on sex, sex, sex, slut-shaming from a bunch of characters, and the blurred line between cheating), book 2 didn’t manage to infuriate me right off the bat.
I think the reason why I love Lauren Barnholdt novels so much is her ability to write swoon-worthy love interests. To this day, I still think some of them are still the best book boyfriends to date. I think Heat of the Moment was a fail when it came to a swoon-worthy love interest (because he was pretentious, an asshole, disrespectful, and slut-shammed the heroine of the story), I think Barnholdt nailed it with Abram.
”What’s your name?”
“Don’t talk to him!” Neal instructs. “He’s probably a murderer or a kidnapper. Like that guy who took Natalee Holloway.”
“Lulubell,” I say, because who gives their real name out to a random stranger? “What’s yours?”
“Don. Don Donson.”
“Don Donson?” I repeat. “Your name’s Don Donson?”
“Sounds like a fake name!” Neal yells. “Stay away from him, Quinn.”
“Yeah,” he says, and shrugs. “What’s wrong with that name?”
“It sounds made up.”
“So does yours,” he counters.
“That’s because mine is made up.”
“So is mine.”
“You gave me a fake name?”
“So? You did, too.”
I still think this is one of the funniest lines in first conversations between two book love-interests ever. I think the reason why I didn’t like Lyla and Beckett Cross (from book 1) was because he came off as sleazy/douchebag [knowing that she had a boyfriend and still hit on her and what not, therefore disrespecting the fact that she was in a relationship with someone else (for two years, too!)].
I think another reason why this book didn’t piss/tick me off right at the start is the fact that Quinn didn’t work herself into a corner lying her ass off left and right (because that’s what Lyla did in book 1, and also because Lauren Barnholdt main characters tend to have a pathological lying issue). We’ve gotten a glimpse of the problem that tore Aven’s, Quinn’s, and Lyla’s friendship apart in book 1 (where Lyla was betrayed by her two friends for spreading her secret to the point where it backfired and hurt Lyla). I was prepared to see Quinn try to deflect the blame and shift it on someone else, but she accepted that it was her fault that got them into this mess.
While I didn’t like that Quinn’s behavior toward Lyla… didn’t make sense at times. It made sense that Quinn wanted to explain herself to Lyla of what went wrong back then, but then she decided to act cold instead. Which made no sense at all. And then she blamed it on Lyla for making it hard for her to explain (while it IS both their fault, Quinn should have understood that her betrayal REALLY did hurt Lyla). I understood why she’d quickly blame Lyla as the reason why it’s so hard for her to explain what she did wrong, but I also didn’t like how she quickly chickened out at the idea that Lyla would instantly turn into an ice queen and bite her head off. It’s just me, but at this point in their life—she should have realized that there was nothing to fear (or nothing to lose) since they haven’t been friends for a long time.
I went into this book, prepared to not like Quinn just as much as I couldn’t tolerate Lyla (Also, because Quinn was portrayed as RUDE and UNGRATEFUL toward Lyla and Beckett during the trip in book 1), but she wasn’t that bad.
When I finished book 1, I wasn’t looking forward to Quinn’s book but Aven’s. I was looking forward to Aven the most (especially since her promise involves telling her best guy friend that she’s in love with him. I just love friends to lovers book, and I hope that’s what book 3 is!). So I was surprised when I found myself sympathizing and liking Quinn’s character.
Now that I’ve seen/understood why she’s so “rude” in book 1, you learn that she was just dealing from a bunch of crap that happened to her so quickly. She was just a character who has a series of shit handed to her, one after another. First she doesn’t get into her dream school, then she doesn’t get the internship she wanted, and then the guy her friends kept telling her to hook up with is spotted making out with someone out. All in the span of one day.
However, just because she wasn’t that bad didn’t mean she was great either. I found myself sympathizing for her (for having so much crap handed to her in a short amount of time, AND for her reminiscing over the nostalgia between Lyla, Aven, and her and wanting to go back to the time when they were friends), appreciating that she wasn’t a pathological liar as Lyla was, or getting pissed at her for not being able to have the decency to sympathize or understand why Lyla would hold a grudge toward her.
(Newsflash: girls are known for their fierce, passionate emotions. I’m not surprised that Lyla would passionately hold a grudge for so long. Especially since what Quinn did was kind of really shitty. She lacked empathy and she kept on making herself the victim, when it was HER who should have never went around blabbing her best friend’s secrets).
I also didn’t like how she could be serious one second and immature the next. For example:
“No wonder I’m not friends with the two of them anymore. They’re a couple of thieves.”
No girl. They’re not friends with you anymore because you had to open your big damn mouth and blabbed your “best friend”’s secret around without even thinking about the consequences. Seriously. When you find out the reason why she even blabbed her secret, you’ll find yourself slightly pissed off because 1) it wasn’t your secret to tell. 2) you shouldn’t have said anything until you talked to Lyla first. 3) you literally outed her secret because you were selfish
When she kept acting like that, she pissed me off.
Which is why I found myself not liking her at times. Also, I find it hard to believe that the smartest girl in school would be dumb enough to run off with a stranger all in less than 5-6 hours she met him. Yes, your email said to do something crazy. Not something stupid. Do you not realize how many Dateline specials focuses on unsolved murder/kidnap tourists case?
Like book 1, I didn’t like the minor characters of book 2. (Since I understood Lyla’s pain due to book 1, I hated seeing Quinn being so catty/childish toward her [especially since you learned that it was Quinn’s doing that ended up screwing all three girls over]). I didn’t like Celia.
I didn’t like how bossy/controlling/stereotypical-mean girl she was. Which is why I hated how Quinn automatically pegged Lyla as one, when it was obvious she should have sorted her so-called friend Celia in there. Lyla had reasons to be upset/rude toward Quinn. Celia does not.
Paige was a bland character, the stereotypical “dumb pushover that the mean girl (Celia) takes advantage of”.
I did like Abram. He was a lot more likable than Beckett. He was funny and easy-going. As much as I hate instalove/instalust and romance happening quickly in a short amount of time (this is a three day trip), I let it slide since I wanted more Abram scenes. I think Abram was perfect for Quinn. While she freaked out and panicked over her planned out future going haywire, he was there to help her come to terms that she didn’t have to map out her future. That it was okay to go with the flow and everything will sort itself out.
(This is actually my real life motto, one that I preach to my friends all the time. I’m one of those people who make friends with those who panic and freak out over their impending future and adulthood, so to see a character relaxed and calmed over this is quite REFRESHING in a coming of age story).
Reading the “prominent Lyla/Quinn/Aven (or a mix of two of the three girls) scenes” made me realize how hilarious/random their scenes are from different perspectives. It also made me either dislike Quinn for automatically assuming the worse from Lyla or sympathize for her because she still wanted to be friends with Lyla and Aven again. Also, every time there’s a moment between a character and Aven, all I want to do is hug Aven because she’s such a sweetheart! I seriously can’t wait for her book! Especially since each book goes back to the specific hotel scene where all three girls have simultaneously hit the rut in their self-discovery journey. While we find out about Lyla’s in book 1, was hinted about it for Quinn in book 1 and revealed in book 2, Aven’s remained a mystery. So I’m dying to see how this trilogy wraps up.
And book 2 has the same cliffhanger as book 1. Argh. You can read the books out of order. I think book 2 has the unsatisfying cliffhanger between the two books, because nothing truly got resolved. There were loose ends that got tied in book 1 when it came to Lyla’s personal problems, but Quinn’s is left hanging. Both Lyla’s and Quinn’s books end the same way (which I wont spoil). I think you can read either book first (or even just skip book 1), but Aven has to be read last (since her’s will wrap everything up).
Overall, I enjoyed this book a lot more than book 1. While it's not Barnholdt's best work to date, I would recommend it to any diehard Barnholdt fans (like moi).
September 3, 2016
Just like
Heat of the Moment
before it, this was another light and easy read. It was a little harder for me to get into Quinn's story for some reason, but I think that was more me than the book. Especially because when the romance started, I was hooked, and devoured the rest of the book with no stopping.
I didn't like Quinn as much as I liked Lyla, but she was still a real and believable character. And I loved Abram, he was just the kind of boy I wanted to read about in a fluffy summer read.
One thing I'm really enjoying about these books are how they're taking place at the same time, so it's neat to read about overlapping events from a different point of view. But, even though I read the first book, like, a week and a half ago, I can't really remember much about it, aside from the events that also happened in this book. So again, they're cute and mindless books but ultimately a little bit forgettable.
I didn't like Quinn as much as I liked Lyla, but she was still a real and believable character. And I loved Abram, he was just the kind of boy I wanted to read about in a fluffy summer read.
One thing I'm really enjoying about these books are how they're taking place at the same time, so it's neat to read about overlapping events from a different point of view. But, even though I read the first book, like, a week and a half ago, I can't really remember much about it, aside from the events that also happened in this book. So again, they're cute and mindless books but ultimately a little bit forgettable.
December 31, 2015
3.5 (liked it a lot)
I wanted to read One Moment in Time because I enjoyed reading Heat of the Moment-- Lyla's story. We saw that their friendship fell apart, and some of the pieces of the puzzle through Lyla's eyes. Quinn sounds like a character that I can relate to especially because she has been dependable and predictable, but she wants to do something crazy for graduation. I also liked Lyla's character development so I hoped for more of the same with Quinn as well as the readability of the first book.
I was also wanting to get Quinn's side of the story why the friendship fell apart. Because she was portrayed as pretty rude in the first, we get to see inside her mind, how much she regretted breaking Lyla's trust, how she tried over and over to explain and try to fix the friendship before giving up. But that when she realizes she is roomies with them, her heart yearns for them, their true friendship before everything went to crap between them. The times where she blurted out mean or rude or seemingly unthoughtful things, she was dealing with hard stuff, and wishing that she had the friendships restored and friends she could really talk to and trust.
Quinn thought she had her whole life planned out, she's one of the top in the class and her family has a tradition of going to Stanford. But when she is denied admission, she feels like a disappointment and that all of her hard work wasn't enough to get her her dream school. It is the catalyst for the trip, things going not at all as planned. From internships, to re-evaluating the friends she's had since the blow up with Aven and Lyla. And the email from her freshman year keeps coming again and again to her inbox. Before graduation she promised to do something crazy. How is that for ambiguous. But it really does challenge her because all of her carefully laid plans hasn't gotten the results she'd hoped for.
The guy handing out flyers to a party at a club on the beach gives her an excuse to try new things. She's never really been clubbing, her new friends are the rule breakers, and have tried pot, drinking, etc, but Quinn just never thought it was for her. But now she wants to try dancing, maybe some drinking, and enjoy the attention from a hot beach boy.
Like the first, it is exploration of new things, figuring out who they are, making mistakes along the way, and learning from honestly some stupid decisions. It is fast paced, lighter in nature than a lot of the contemporaries that I read, so a change of pace.
I did like that although most of the book takes place on their senior beach trip, that there was involvement from her family. She was really worried about disappointing them since Stanford is the family legacy. But we get to see conversations with her older brother Neal. We also get the sense of their academic family nature, that debates are their way of communicating. Quinn has been living under their expectations, and I appreciate that she began to try to realize what she wanted for herself vs what she had always went along with. As an adult I can see some of the things her parents were trying to do, they were doing out of love, but they just weren't seeing that Quinn could really want something different.
The romance was sweet and of course its instant attraction, and they connected and took things on a physical level. So it was insta-love. But I did like Abram, how he asked good questions, he was very perceptive, he listened without judging or jumping to conclusions. I like that Quinn did look deep inside and try to decide if things with him were just reactionary to the emails, the promise her younger self made to do something crazy.
I liked that we got to see a beginning of the reparation to their friendship and the promise of more in the next book from Aven's point of view. I can't wait because I like the sound of her character, and I want to see the mess untangled and hopefully some forgiveness granted and old wounds healed. Because they even after all this time, have their history together, and they were the true and deep friends.
I liked where Quinn's story left off though it was kind of open ended. She did do a lot of growing, and she is figuring out what she wants for her life outside the expectations and pressure. I like that there is hope that things can continue to develop with her and Abram, and I do hope for an update on him in Aven's story.
Bottom Line: Good summery read with a romance I did enjoy and nice character development.
I wanted to read One Moment in Time because I enjoyed reading Heat of the Moment-- Lyla's story. We saw that their friendship fell apart, and some of the pieces of the puzzle through Lyla's eyes. Quinn sounds like a character that I can relate to especially because she has been dependable and predictable, but she wants to do something crazy for graduation. I also liked Lyla's character development so I hoped for more of the same with Quinn as well as the readability of the first book.
I was also wanting to get Quinn's side of the story why the friendship fell apart. Because she was portrayed as pretty rude in the first, we get to see inside her mind, how much she regretted breaking Lyla's trust, how she tried over and over to explain and try to fix the friendship before giving up. But that when she realizes she is roomies with them, her heart yearns for them, their true friendship before everything went to crap between them. The times where she blurted out mean or rude or seemingly unthoughtful things, she was dealing with hard stuff, and wishing that she had the friendships restored and friends she could really talk to and trust.
Quinn thought she had her whole life planned out, she's one of the top in the class and her family has a tradition of going to Stanford. But when she is denied admission, she feels like a disappointment and that all of her hard work wasn't enough to get her her dream school. It is the catalyst for the trip, things going not at all as planned. From internships, to re-evaluating the friends she's had since the blow up with Aven and Lyla. And the email from her freshman year keeps coming again and again to her inbox. Before graduation she promised to do something crazy. How is that for ambiguous. But it really does challenge her because all of her carefully laid plans hasn't gotten the results she'd hoped for.
The guy handing out flyers to a party at a club on the beach gives her an excuse to try new things. She's never really been clubbing, her new friends are the rule breakers, and have tried pot, drinking, etc, but Quinn just never thought it was for her. But now she wants to try dancing, maybe some drinking, and enjoy the attention from a hot beach boy.
Like the first, it is exploration of new things, figuring out who they are, making mistakes along the way, and learning from honestly some stupid decisions. It is fast paced, lighter in nature than a lot of the contemporaries that I read, so a change of pace.
I did like that although most of the book takes place on their senior beach trip, that there was involvement from her family. She was really worried about disappointing them since Stanford is the family legacy. But we get to see conversations with her older brother Neal. We also get the sense of their academic family nature, that debates are their way of communicating. Quinn has been living under their expectations, and I appreciate that she began to try to realize what she wanted for herself vs what she had always went along with. As an adult I can see some of the things her parents were trying to do, they were doing out of love, but they just weren't seeing that Quinn could really want something different.
The romance was sweet and of course its instant attraction, and they connected and took things on a physical level. So it was insta-love. But I did like Abram, how he asked good questions, he was very perceptive, he listened without judging or jumping to conclusions. I like that Quinn did look deep inside and try to decide if things with him were just reactionary to the emails, the promise her younger self made to do something crazy.
I liked that we got to see a beginning of the reparation to their friendship and the promise of more in the next book from Aven's point of view. I can't wait because I like the sound of her character, and I want to see the mess untangled and hopefully some forgiveness granted and old wounds healed. Because they even after all this time, have their history together, and they were the true and deep friends.
I liked where Quinn's story left off though it was kind of open ended. She did do a lot of growing, and she is figuring out what she wants for her life outside the expectations and pressure. I like that there is hope that things can continue to develop with her and Abram, and I do hope for an update on him in Aven's story.
Bottom Line: Good summery read with a romance I did enjoy and nice character development.
May 22, 2021
Super cute cover but I didn't find this book romantic or sweet. I didn't like the MC much. I don't think she was a good friend to anyone. I can't believe her two closest friends and she already knows they are the kind of friends you forget about when going off to college.
Yikes.
I thought I'd like Abram. He sounded pretty down to earth but I just didn't feel the spark of their meeting or their relationship. I'm glad she did some soul searching but I was a bit shocked the high school chaperones didn't seem to know where the kids were or what they were doing and they had absolutely no activities planned for a senior trip? I don't know, I just didn't really enjoy this one.
Yikes.
I thought I'd like Abram. He sounded pretty down to earth but I just didn't feel the spark of their meeting or their relationship. I'm glad she did some soul searching but I was a bit shocked the high school chaperones didn't seem to know where the kids were or what they were doing and they had absolutely no activities planned for a senior trip? I don't know, I just didn't really enjoy this one.
March 11, 2017
3,5 Sterne
Band 2 war zwar ein wenig besser als Band 1, aber trotzdem kam ich im Verlauf der Story mit ein paar Entscheidungen von Quinn nicht klar. Sie waren absolut nicht nachvollziehbar.
Band 2 war zwar ein wenig besser als Band 1, aber trotzdem kam ich im Verlauf der Story mit ein paar Entscheidungen von Quinn nicht klar. Sie waren absolut nicht nachvollziehbar.
June 22, 2018
Wow I liked this even more than the first one. These are such quick one-day reads. I know I'm probably too old for them but I related to Quinn so much and thought her romance was cuter than Lylas honestly. Also if Avens book follows the same path, so we ever get to know what happens next?
August 20, 2015
So, I decided I'm only going to make 1 single review for all 3 books.
Here goes ...
• Heat of the Moment ---
I actually don't have any opinion regarding Lyla because to be honest, I found her bland and uninteresting (sorry!), then there goes Beckett who is kind of annoying, so yeah! I just kept on reading just to be done with it. But when things already started to heat up, I actually admired Beckett. I was also thinking that Derrick and Juliana had a secret affair through out the whole course of his relationship with Lyla, which will be the cause of their breakup (ooops! sorry for thinking that way). So basically, this might be my least favorite of the 3 books but it was still good.
• One Moment in Time ---
I think that among the 3 girl protagonists, I like Quinn the most. I was also able to relate to her easily, especially with the way she felt towards her friends, Paige and Celia (ehhh!). I like her story so much, mostly because I also love to take risks and be spontaneous. Trusting a guy you just met takes a lot of courage, so I really admired Quinn. Also, for me, her email or her promise to herself is always the same thing I tell myself whenever I travel or is unsure of something, which is, just learn to do something crazy and have fun. Most of all, I think Abram is the hottest love interest among the 3 boys and well, I'm a sucker for boys like that (haha!)
• From This Moment ---
So Aven is the final piece of the so-called friendship puzzle. At first, I found Aven a bit childish, and that may have been the reason why I also did not like her that much, but she turned out to be pretty cool after all. I also feel that Aven's story is the one we can all relate to.. C'mon, I think all of us have experienced having feelings for a friend but we just kept it to ourselves (admit it!). I also feel like, among the 3 stories, Aven's story has been built-up too much that everyone has been waiting what will come of it. Even Lyla and Quinn were curious what will be the outcome once Aven tells the truth because her promise is the most specific one and was already expected by the characters, and also the readers.
************************
Basically, I just hope that there is more to the ending, especially regarding the 3 couples. I thought there will be an epilogue stating the progress of their friendship and the status of the 3 relationships. Aven and Liam's loves story has the highest probability to last because they already have a strong foundation, so I'm not worried about them. I, actually, would like to read more on what happened with the other 2 couples, Lyla and Beckett and especially Quinn and Abram, because they are my favorites and also because their relationship is the one who needs more assurance since it will be a Long Distance Relationship (duh!).
In a nutshell, I can say that the series is actually pretty good. It was written very strategically by the author, making readers stay on the edge of their seats until the last book is finished, so we will all be anticipating what is the ending and if the 3 girls will be able to mend their friendship or not. :)
Here goes ...
• Heat of the Moment ---
I actually don't have any opinion regarding Lyla because to be honest, I found her bland and uninteresting (sorry!), then there goes Beckett who is kind of annoying, so yeah! I just kept on reading just to be done with it. But when things already started to heat up, I actually admired Beckett. I was also thinking that Derrick and Juliana had a secret affair through out the whole course of his relationship with Lyla, which will be the cause of their breakup (ooops! sorry for thinking that way). So basically, this might be my least favorite of the 3 books but it was still good.
• One Moment in Time ---
I think that among the 3 girl protagonists, I like Quinn the most. I was also able to relate to her easily, especially with the way she felt towards her friends, Paige and Celia (ehhh!). I like her story so much, mostly because I also love to take risks and be spontaneous. Trusting a guy you just met takes a lot of courage, so I really admired Quinn. Also, for me, her email or her promise to herself is always the same thing I tell myself whenever I travel or is unsure of something, which is, just learn to do something crazy and have fun. Most of all, I think Abram is the hottest love interest among the 3 boys and well, I'm a sucker for boys like that (haha!)
• From This Moment ---
So Aven is the final piece of the so-called friendship puzzle. At first, I found Aven a bit childish, and that may have been the reason why I also did not like her that much, but she turned out to be pretty cool after all. I also feel that Aven's story is the one we can all relate to.. C'mon, I think all of us have experienced having feelings for a friend but we just kept it to ourselves (admit it!). I also feel like, among the 3 stories, Aven's story has been built-up too much that everyone has been waiting what will come of it. Even Lyla and Quinn were curious what will be the outcome once Aven tells the truth because her promise is the most specific one and was already expected by the characters, and also the readers.
************************
Basically, I just hope that there is more to the ending, especially regarding the 3 couples. I thought there will be an epilogue stating the progress of their friendship and the status of the 3 relationships. Aven and Liam's loves story has the highest probability to last because they already have a strong foundation, so I'm not worried about them. I, actually, would like to read more on what happened with the other 2 couples, Lyla and Beckett and especially Quinn and Abram, because they are my favorites and also because their relationship is the one who needs more assurance since it will be a Long Distance Relationship (duh!).
In a nutshell, I can say that the series is actually pretty good. It was written very strategically by the author, making readers stay on the edge of their seats until the last book is finished, so we will all be anticipating what is the ending and if the 3 girls will be able to mend their friendship or not. :)
December 24, 2021
I enjoyed this book a little more than Heat of the Moment. I loved reading about the inner turmoil Quinn was experiencing and found it really relatable to what I'm facing in my life right now. I loved the characters and the romance was everything.
January 28, 2024
I don’t know what exactly I was expecting from this book, but it didn’t live up to my expectations.
Told from Quinn’s perspective, it’s the same story from the first book of the series. During their senior trip to Florida, she spends time with her so-called best friends (two self-centred teenage girls, one leader and one follower, both terrible people) and then does something crazy - she goes home with a guy from the bar.
But the weird part is how the boy is perceived in this book versus how he was perceived in the first book. He seems like a class A jerk and playboy in the first book, but in this second book we’re led to believe he’s sweet, down to earth and easy going; it felt like it was an entirely different character.
The upside was that we did get to learn more about Quinn. But the downside of getting to know her is that her character has basically no personality. She’s the one who technically broke up the friendship between herself, Lyla and Aven, but she never actually took responsibility for it. She mentions that she attempted to apologize multiple times, but an apology isn’t the same as owning up to the fact that you actually did something that wasn’t ok.
Despite all of that, I honestly dislike all the characters even more than the first book, I rated this a 2/5 stars and probably won’t pick up the last book of the series.
Told from Quinn’s perspective, it’s the same story from the first book of the series. During their senior trip to Florida, she spends time with her so-called best friends (two self-centred teenage girls, one leader and one follower, both terrible people) and then does something crazy - she goes home with a guy from the bar.
But the weird part is how the boy is perceived in this book versus how he was perceived in the first book. He seems like a class A jerk and playboy in the first book, but in this second book we’re led to believe he’s sweet, down to earth and easy going; it felt like it was an entirely different character.
The upside was that we did get to learn more about Quinn. But the downside of getting to know her is that her character has basically no personality. She’s the one who technically broke up the friendship between herself, Lyla and Aven, but she never actually took responsibility for it. She mentions that she attempted to apologize multiple times, but an apology isn’t the same as owning up to the fact that you actually did something that wasn’t ok.
Despite all of that, I honestly dislike all the characters even more than the first book, I rated this a 2/5 stars and probably won’t pick up the last book of the series.
February 26, 2019
This was adorable! I loved it and read it in one sitting, like less than 3 hours. You definitely need to read it not expecting it to be the most realistic but it was super fun and quick and easy. Really great for what it was.
May 27, 2020
Very easy read, however it was only okay. The plot was unrealistic and not very believable. The main character wasn’t the most easy person to like. The drama was fun to read, but other than that it was alright.
August 14, 2021
3.9/ This is very Y.A. Contemporary. I just love how the friendship here had deadened but at the latter had gotten to come in unity. Also, the romantic/(sexual, lmao) scenes here are very penis-erecting tangjna joke
January 27, 2022
I actually re-read this series like two years later. good story but now seems a little childish. But very quick read and cute rom-com and high school drama. If you are ever in the mood for a senior trip and high-school rom-com would definitely recommend it.
April 13, 2018
Sehr vorhersehbar...
May 12, 2019
This was an okay book but not the greatest
September 26, 2020
3.5* I liked this a lot better than the last book but the first 100 pages dragged a bit. Otherwise it was an enjoyable read.
November 19, 2020
good for a light read
November 14, 2021
Slightly better than the first one, but not by much.
2/10
2/10
July 4, 2022
the best one out of the trilogy so far.
August 1, 2022
Great love and friend series’
March 15, 2017
very cute story. I love Quinn and Abram! Definitely liked Quinn and her point of view better than Lyla's story (heat of the moment)
January 30, 2016
'One Moment in Time' by Lauren Barnholdt was what I can only call a breezy read. For some reason, I feel as though this sounds bad, but I mean it in the best possible way. Her writing was to the point, and it flowed so smoothly that the words captivated my attention and kept me reading long past the time I had set for myself to do so. The story was lighthearted, yet it contained just the right amount of past troubles that plagued the main character, Quinn, just enough to make her question her decisions and worry about regret.
Quinn's senior class trip to Florida is off to a rocky start when she isn't paired to room with her two supposed best friends, Celia and Paige. Instead, she finds herself with Lyla and Aven, her two former best friends with whom she had a terrible falling out sophomore year. Not understanding how her luck could be so bad, she secretly seems to relish the fact that she isn't stuck with Celia and Paige. Their party-going and drinking is more than Quinn can sometimes stand, and she finds herself somewhat happy to be free of them for at least the overnight parts of the trip.
When she gets an e-mail from her fourteen-year-old self – one that she wrote when still best friends with Lyla and Aven – telling her to do something crazy, she balks at the idea. However, when some bad news falls into her lap, she considers how doing something crazy might be just the ticket to freeing herself from over-analyzing and worrying about the issues at hand.
This is where Abram comes into play. At first just a cute guy she meets on the beach who is promoting a club night, he soon becomes someone she finds herself flirting with. As their relationship very quickly (within one night) evolves into something Quinn never would have guessed possible – not only for her as a person who doesn't take risks, but also in such a short amount of time – she begins to realize the stakes of friendship, loyalty, and decisiveness. These qualities were seemingly lost to her based on her inner thoughts as the story progresses, but she learns to come to terms with them, and even when she doesn't, she understands why they are crucial to her development as a person and a friend.
The ending of the story left me wanting more. I felt that it ended kind of abruptly, and more could have been added – even just one chapter – to wrap everything up in a stronger way. There were also a couple spots throughout the story – like when Lyla came to find Quinn one morning – that made me wonder how Lyla knew where to go. Some of the points could have been further developed, but overall, I truly enjoyed this story and the way in which Barnholdt captured the inner workings of the mind of a young girl who wants to make the right choices, but needs to find her own way in doing so.
Beth Rodgers, Author of 'Freshman Fourteen,' A Young Adult Novel
Quinn's senior class trip to Florida is off to a rocky start when she isn't paired to room with her two supposed best friends, Celia and Paige. Instead, she finds herself with Lyla and Aven, her two former best friends with whom she had a terrible falling out sophomore year. Not understanding how her luck could be so bad, she secretly seems to relish the fact that she isn't stuck with Celia and Paige. Their party-going and drinking is more than Quinn can sometimes stand, and she finds herself somewhat happy to be free of them for at least the overnight parts of the trip.
When she gets an e-mail from her fourteen-year-old self – one that she wrote when still best friends with Lyla and Aven – telling her to do something crazy, she balks at the idea. However, when some bad news falls into her lap, she considers how doing something crazy might be just the ticket to freeing herself from over-analyzing and worrying about the issues at hand.
This is where Abram comes into play. At first just a cute guy she meets on the beach who is promoting a club night, he soon becomes someone she finds herself flirting with. As their relationship very quickly (within one night) evolves into something Quinn never would have guessed possible – not only for her as a person who doesn't take risks, but also in such a short amount of time – she begins to realize the stakes of friendship, loyalty, and decisiveness. These qualities were seemingly lost to her based on her inner thoughts as the story progresses, but she learns to come to terms with them, and even when she doesn't, she understands why they are crucial to her development as a person and a friend.
The ending of the story left me wanting more. I felt that it ended kind of abruptly, and more could have been added – even just one chapter – to wrap everything up in a stronger way. There were also a couple spots throughout the story – like when Lyla came to find Quinn one morning – that made me wonder how Lyla knew where to go. Some of the points could have been further developed, but overall, I truly enjoyed this story and the way in which Barnholdt captured the inner workings of the mind of a young girl who wants to make the right choices, but needs to find her own way in doing so.
Beth Rodgers, Author of 'Freshman Fourteen,' A Young Adult Novel
April 24, 2016
Surprisingly, I found myself connecting more with Quinn than I did with Lyla in the first book. Although her problems are very rich-white-girl problems, in her heart she knows she's entitled and it makes it that much harder for her to admit them without coming off as such. I'm glad that she was aware of her privileges and found them unfair, and actually stood up to her mom about paying her admission into Stanford when she was rejected.
I admit I thought Abram was a bit strange in his appearance in the first book, but now we find out why he reacted the way he did and that he's actually the best person ever???? I loved Bennett, but I think I loved Abram more. He was so sweet, so kind to her, and so observant. Even though they hooked up first and THEN started really liking each other, I don't think they would've hooked up unless they both knew that there was something there in the first place, considering the type of people they both are. So in this case, I was okay with the sex first, and then the feelings.
I also can't believe, but at the same time am completely thrilled, that when he didn't get to see her before she left for home he flew himself out to Connecticut to see her. I mean, that shit NEVER happens, but I guess that's why these stories are fiction, right? Anyway, it was amazing and I loved it and every encounter between them just made my best ache and the ending for them was the best.
I admit I thought Abram was a bit strange in his appearance in the first book, but now we find out why he reacted the way he did and that he's actually the best person ever???? I loved Bennett, but I think I loved Abram more. He was so sweet, so kind to her, and so observant. Even though they hooked up first and THEN started really liking each other, I don't think they would've hooked up unless they both knew that there was something there in the first place, considering the type of people they both are. So in this case, I was okay with the sex first, and then the feelings.
I also can't believe, but at the same time am completely thrilled, that when he didn't get to see her before she left for home he flew himself out to Connecticut to see her. I mean, that shit NEVER happens, but I guess that's why these stories are fiction, right? Anyway, it was amazing and I loved it and every encounter between them just made my best ache and the ending for them was the best.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 28, 2016
It was good..but I kind of felt I already knew a lot of the things since I read Lylas already and they had somewhat the same..It was a good book worth the read (especially in the summer) I wasn't that surprised with it honestly though. I did think it was really cool though how she did a book for each of their povs. I'm actually still going to read the 3rd one which is Avens pov which I'm actually most excited about! I did like this book though and I think it'd of been even better if I had read it in the summer at a beach aha. It just annoyed me a little considering the fact that I already knew some things that happened cause of Lyla's pov. And I do have a feeling that since Lyla and Quinn both put '"I want to be happy " on their promises I feel as though Aven will write that too. And I'm pretty excited to see what goes on during her time at Florida.
July 17, 2017
I liked this series at first, but now I'm not so sure. Even though I liked Quinn's story more and I think I will like Aven's the best it just gets more boring as you read on. The situations already prescribed in the other book are kind of the same even though they are from a different perspective they didn't reveal something new or interesting. Also Quinn often had very similar to nearly identical thoughts as Lyla. Also I would've loved to see more of each character after the senior trip and it's a little bit disappointing that they all cover exactly the same time span and stop so abruptly. I think this series would have been way better if it was just one book with each chapter from a different perspective.
July 15, 2015
I basically knew as soon as I finished Heat of the Moment that I was in for all three of these books. I just think it's a really neat concept to have these three girls stories happening on the same trip and release them all around the same time. (Yay, no yearlong wait!) And my favorite part of this book was the scenes where Quinn's path crossed with Lyla, Aven, or both. They made me want to go back to Heat of the Moment and read them again from Lyla's point of view, so I could remember what she was thinking of the situation as it happened...
Read the full review on BookNerdsAcrossAmerica.com: http://www.booknerdsacrossamerica.com...
Read the full review on BookNerdsAcrossAmerica.com: http://www.booknerdsacrossamerica.com...
July 29, 2015
The second installment was just as good as the first, though it was a little draggy due to us already knowing the basic plot from the first story. Still worth it, nonetheless.
Quinn Reynolds is supposed to be perfect. But, she soon finds out, she can't be. Enter Abram, a boy who's supposed to just be a senior vacation fling. But, it turns into more. Much, much more.
Quinn was great to listen to (think Kelsey Romano in "The Thing About The Truth") and I loved following her wonderfully romantic exploits with Abram.
Abram: looks like a typical island guy, but is way deeper than you'd expect, and completely head-over-heels for Quinn.
Definitely a do-not-miss novel.
Quinn Reynolds is supposed to be perfect. But, she soon finds out, she can't be. Enter Abram, a boy who's supposed to just be a senior vacation fling. But, it turns into more. Much, much more.
Quinn was great to listen to (think Kelsey Romano in "The Thing About The Truth") and I loved following her wonderfully romantic exploits with Abram.
Abram: looks like a typical island guy, but is way deeper than you'd expect, and completely head-over-heels for Quinn.
Definitely a do-not-miss novel.
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