Before graduation, I will...learn to take a risk. In the final book in the Moment of Truth series, readers will learn if Aven is willing to take the ultimate gamble.
Aven has had a crush on her best guy friend, Liam, for years. Now with graduation looming and a week of nothing but sun, sand, and countless hours alone with him, Aven has decided that now is finally the time to see if he could possibly feel the same way about her.
Each book in this paperback original series is told from the perspective of a different girl—Lyla, Aven, and Quinn—former best friends who wrote emails to their future selves back in freshman year about one thing they hope to accomplish before they graduate. When the emails get delivered on the first morning of their senior trip, all three girls will spend the next three days trying to keep the promises they made to themselves four years ago. While each book follow’s one girl’s life-changing adventure, you have to read them all to get the whole story, including why they’re no longer friends and whether they can get their friendship back on track.
Smart, hilarious and full of heart, the thrilling finale to the Moment of Truth series is the perfect conclusion to an irresistible trilogy.
This was a YA contemporary romance story, following Aven from the previous books.
I liked Aven in this story, and I liked how much effort she put into trying to fix her friendship with Lyla and Quinn, even when they didn’t seem all that interested in reconciling.
The storyline in this was about Aven going on her senior trip to Florida, knowing that it was time to finally tell her best friend Liam the truth – that she had been in love with him for 4 years, even knowing that he had a girlfriend who was also her friend. I really did wonder what would happen when she finally told him though, as it seemed like the chances of him feeling the same way were pretty slim. The storyline in this was pretty good though, and the pace was about right too.
The ending to this was pretty good, and I was pleased with the way things worked out for everybody.
From This Moment is the third and final book in the Moment Of Truth series, focused on Aven Shepard, her involvement in the whole "Aven-Quinn-Lyla mess", and her pact to "tell the truth", aka tell Liam about her four-year crush on him.
Oh boy, I was waiting so long for this book. I'm a sucker for the sweet protagonists, and an even bigger sucker for friends to lovers books.
So when I read the back of the book, my heart stopped because: "Aven is determined to fulfill her promise and tell Liam the truth. Even though he already has a girlfriend. Even though aven's finally met a great guy who likes her back."
My heart dropped. I shoved the book right back into its slot on the bookshelf and proceeded to ignore it for four hours until my curiosity got the better of me.
Here's the thing about yours truly: I hate love triangles. I hate protagonists who goes from being "In love with [insert name here] for years only to stumble upon someone new and realizing that the new person is the one true love" or some bullshit like that.
With that blurb, every guy introduced in the book had me on the alert. I was paranoid and terrified that poor Liam or the poor guy would get tangled into a nasty love triangle.
So when I finished the book, I'm glad that the love triangle wasn't even a love triangle??? I'm actually glad it was there. Don't get me wrong, I still hate love triangles because the authors tend to draw them out and milk it for all it's angst.
This "love triangle" was necessary for the hero/true love interest of the story to realize that he wants something more with Aven.
It was more like a love sand clock? Or two triangles? Aven-Liam-Izzy Vs Liam-Aven-Colin. Rest assure knowing that the latter one doesn't take up most of the book.
Out of all three books, Aven has the least amount of problems. Yeah, she's a typical Barnholdt protagonist: lies a lot (because the truth doesn't exist, apparently) but her story was relaxing and calming compared to the shitstorm Quinn and Lyla went through.
I think Aven is a relatable character to those who've had crushes on their best male friends. I like how refreshing she was compared to Quinn and Lyla. Unlike those two, she seemed to have made friends with normal people. (Sure, Izzy had some issues--but she was insecure about her relationship with Liam). I was a bit annoyed when Aven got pissed at Lyla for still holding a grudge against them. But the more I read into it, the more I understood why Aven was annoyed at Lyla. At tr same time, I was just not cool with her faulting Lyla for being "ridiculous" with holding a grudge.
I admire and respect Aven for having the balls to coming to do what her pact required her to do, just as I admired her for doing what it took to get the ball rolling when it came to restoring her friendship with her ex best friends. Most people would rather avoid confrontation, so Aven was rater gutsy for doing so.
Liam and Aven's friendship was adorable. I loved their book club! I loved that they had inside jokes, that they knew each other so well, and how REALISTIC their friendship was portrayed.
For a book that's revolved around her telling Liam about her feelings, there was a lack of Liam. I felt cheated. In Lyla's book, we got a whole load of Beckett. In Quinn's, we got a lot of Abram too.
I think Liam is adorable. He's not a flirt like Beckett, and he's not a charmer like Abram. He was friendly, protective, and his friendship with Aven was just sweet.
Unlike Quinn's book about self discovery, or Lyla's book about how much she wanted sex, Aven's book seemed to be focused more on action and less on character driven and development. Does that make this a bad book? Not really, since Aven was probably the only protagonist who already had her life almost put together compared to the other two.
Is this the best book of the series? I think Quinn's and Aven's book OUTSHINES Lyla's book by a landslide. I do think, romance wise, that Abram was more swoon worthy (but that's because he was more involved in Quinn's book). But Liam wasn't a bad love interest. He has all the good elements necessary in a "best friends to lover" trope: kinda dorky, musician, loves the inside jokes, knows each other so well, and is protective of heroine because he doesn't want to see her get hurt"
Too bad he wasn't involved more.
Overall, this is the book that doesn't end in a cliffhanger like the first two. You get to see how the ending scene plays out. It's short, it gets right to the point, and I think there was foreshadowing from Aven's and Liam's hilarious book review from their book club that pretty much explained the gist of why the book ended like it did.
It's a short, fast read. I was more engrossed in this book than the first two, but that's because I am a sucker for friends to lover books.
Did this book disappoint? No. Was this book everything I imagined? Not really? It took me by surprise for some parts, but it wasn't that bad.
Don't let this book fool you. The blurb makes it sound like this book is romance driven. It's not. Lyla's book is. Quinn's book is focused on character development. This is all about action.
You don't have to read the series in order for the first two books, since they end with the same cliffhanger. You should read the last book last to see the resolution in their friendship debacle.
Overall, I liked the series. I am bitter about how things seemed to be left in the air about what happens with Quinn/Abram, but I seriously think Barnholdt explained it best using that bit between Liam and Aven and their hilarious banter over the book about the actress.
All of their stories end like that for a reason, and no--I'm not talking about the cliffhangers. I'm talking about resolutions to everything else. It's the momentum of the book. You, the reader, might not be able to get confirmation that everything worked out--but from how the story played out, you just know things will work out and everything that happens onward is clear skies and sunshine.
Ranking characters: Aven, Quinn, then Lyla.
Ranking love interests: Abram and Liam are tied, then Beckett. You'll understand my beef with Beckett if you've read my review for Heat of the Moment
This book felt shorter than the rest and would make for a perfect summer read. Do you have to read the first two books to read this one? Not really. This book can make a perfect standalone.
Would I reread this series? Maybe, maybe not. Would I recommend? I think book 1 frustrated a lot of people, but you need to read it in order to understand her behavior in Quinn's and Aven's stories. Book 2 was better, and I think book 3 wrapped things up nicely. It's a perfect light summer read, a good book for any diehard Barnholdt fan, and great for anybody who loves friends-to-lovers stories.
Band 3 hat mir am besten gefallen, was vllt. auch an der 3ten Freundin lag. Aven fand ich von Anfang an (sprich seit Band 1) sehr sympathisch und auf ihre Story hab ich mich am meisten gefreut. ♡
On the journey to uncovering the collection of Lauren Barnholdt, whose Two Way Street was a fixture of my middle school years for some reason or another, I feel I am being bamboozled. My pursuit of this set of reads aligns with my desire to rediscover YA novels from the 2000s, and I was wondering if I had found a gem vaguely resembling Sarah Desson, or perhaps the grittier Simone Elkeles. I have not.
This series's first novel, Heat Of The Moment, revealed that the unique character traits found in the tone and style choices of Two Way Street were that of the author, not the characters, and that trend continues in From This Moment. Example: Courtney, Lyla, and now Aven have all, at one point, had internal monologues that have read "la, la, la" and then some version of, "this is me not thinking about it" (whatever "it" may be). I liked this for Courtney, to whom the structure felt unique. I hate it for Lyla and Aven, for whom I thought it felt forced and unnatural. This may, of course, just be me.
There is nothing inherently wrong with From This Moment, if the same character over and over works for you (and let's be real: for many of us, it does). However, it cannot be overlooked that From This Moment lacks both action and character development, as well as character interactions. Really, Aven spends so much time alone, my primary issue here was that I was bored. Part of Barnholdt's charm, I have felt, is that she allows her work to have one central conflict and also allows that conflict to be realistically blown out of proportion, as it might by teenagers. The central conflict between the three friends that make up the Moment Of Truth series, however, just doesn't seem reasonable enough to me, so I struggle to get on board with caring about righting the supposed wrong.
Again, the novel is quick and easy, the characters are likable, and if you're looking for a next read to just have a next read, this is a completely reasonable choice. If you're looking for a next read with which you can fall in love, move on.
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 love 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. :)
This was maybe my favourite of the Moment of Truth series, but it wasn't much different than the firsttwo books: cute, light summer reads. I really liked how each book focused on a different girl, and that there wasn't too much overlap so we didn't have to read the same scene over and over and over.
This was probably my favourite of the three, because 1) having a secret crush on your best friend is one of my favourite tropes, and 2) unrequited love is so damn relateable. Although getting near the end of the book I thought Aven was kind of acting out of character, with the whole Colin thing.
Gotta quote a part that I really liked and got me:
I definitely recommend this series to any lovers of light YA, especially if you need some good vacation/beach reads. Cute series, and again, I really liked the three-book format.
I didn’t didn’t like this as nuch as the first two but it was still pretty good. I felt like things with Aven and Liam went back and forth a bit too much at the end and it took me a long time to get into the beginning but it was still a good lighthearted summer read.
Das beste Buch der Reihe und trotzdem muss ich sagen, dass die Bücher sich sehr stark geähnelt haben. Daher hätte auch ein Buch mit den perspektivwechseln gereicht. So scheint es, als wäre es reine Geldmacherei
I wanted to read From this Moment because I enjoyed reading Lyla and Quinn's stories. We saw that their friendship fell apart, and some of the pieces of the puzzle through Lyla's eyes. Aven sounds like a character that I can relate to because she has been the catalyst to what seems like will be a turning point in their friendship at the end of the other two books, but she wants to do take a risk before graduation. I also liked the other two girl's character development so I hoped for more of the same as well as the readability of the other books.
Aven has crushed on her best guy friend for years, and this book seems like it is going to focus on her acting on that crush instead of keeping silent even longer. But what I found out in the first chapter made me mad. Because she remembered and counted on that email, but now Liam is dating her friend Izzy. I mean, really. She should have spoken up before or wait until they break up. So there is that, dear readers. I am going to keep reading because maybe I just need a guilty pleasure summery read, or I am two story invested into this group of friends.
Given, she does feel a lot of guilt about it, and at one point, she resolves to just leave it alone. But the emails keep coming, and she keeps getting time alone with Liam. They do book club, she appreciates his music, and they are comfortable with each other. Luckily things worked out pretty well, and I liked the resolution of the romance. There was a lot of drama to get there, but finally it worked out.
I feel like Aven didn't do as much growing as the other two but I did like her initiative to get the friends back together. She took time to listen to both of the girls even when they were distant to each other. She took responsibility for what she did wrong, and tried to get everyone to look at it from the others' perspective which really opened them up.
I feel like everything with Aven is introspective so I don't feel like I got as much a feel about her goals for the future, but really intense on what she is feeling in the moment as well as feelings that she's held for years, not only with Liam but with Quinn and Lyla.
Bottom Line: Good wrap up of the series focusing on friendship getting a second chance and dealing with a long term crush that is also a best friend.
I like the book. It was quick and fun. But it was also deeply unsatisfying.
The random guy Aven met at the bar was unnecessary and did nothing to further the plot. And the ending with Aven and Liam getting together was only thrown in there so that every girl had a happy ending. Because seriously, when guys never ask a girl out and consistently choose other girls over their best female friend, it is because they have ZERO romantic interest in her. No guy just suddenly realises "oh shit I'm actually in love with her, and it took her confession to make me realise that!" NO. NO. NO. That is NOT how love works.
ALSO It angered me how possessive Liam is over Aven. The author kept trying to sell Liam to me as a perfect gentleman BUT HE IS NOT. For one thing, he only dated girls who are insanely attractive and had nothing in common with him (which shows he prefers looks and sex over personality) AND he kept trying to control Aven. Trying to make her not go out with another guy, trying to tell her what to do with her time with said guy, etc. And before anyone says "blah blah it's because he's into her blah blah", that is not what guys with crushes do. That's what controlling, abusive people do. And, as I have already established, he didn't like her back-the author wrote that ending so every girl in the series would have a happy ending EVEN THOUGH IT DOESN'T FIT. He says when she confesses that he doesn't think of her as more than a friend! People don't change their minds like that! She was never a choice!
Urgh this dumb romance was so forceddddddd. But hey, other than that the book was a fun time. Actual rating 2.5/5 stars.
To be honest, this last book is the reason why I started this trio. I definitely related to Aven the most with all that pent-up feelings she had with Liam and also with Lyla and Quinn. Not the best summer book to everyone but I think that if you can somewhat relate to them and to how they're feeling, you'll surely going to love it.
From This Moment brings the reader alongside the journey of a teenage girl and her struggle to keep a promise she made to herself years ago. With trying to figure out who she is along with trying to make amends with old friends, Aven struggles to face her issues when on a school trip to Florida. This book will keep you on your toes as you follow the paths and decisions she makes when carrying the weight of a huge secret. Will she keep to her word and follow through on her promise?
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.
From This Moment was quite interesting. I thought it was such an amusing book after all the action pops up and you think the conclusions have come, well then theres more that happens in the story. I thought this book was very descriptive it gave details like this one. "I got out of the car and went inside and threw myself down on my bed and stared at the ceiling for a while, and then I opened a fresh Word document and wrote the story." I love how it describes this so well, you can easily picture this in the mind as a reader. I enjoyed that this was a long term goal that she had to make and the whole part of the book was one simple decision. Will she complete her goal? or will she just skip this very important long term goal that she made long ago. I love how the author made a good message for the readers and really described things so well. I felt like I could really relate to the protagonist of this story, Aven. I love how in this story Aven finally wants to get back together with her friends and have a close relationship with one another. I love her willingness do so and really takes time to listen to her friends because they had set goals for each other in the book. Then theres Aven who has a lot of Patience with her friends, she really listens to what they are saying and when her friends are being distracted, she is patient and waits for them to speak. She really wants to know the perspective of what her friends think about this whole challenge. I gave this 3 stars because I thought this book was boring at points but then it was so exciting at points. what annoyed me was that the author wrote the book so that the reader would really be encouraged to read in and it left you on the hook and then a couple of chapters in it finally told you what happened. So to sum it all up I thought this book was quite motivating and really encouraging you to read through the whole book. I thought the author did a great job of really explaining and describing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
As teenagers, we all have that high school crush for the longest time. Aven, a 17 year old girl is in her senior class learns that no matter what friends will be loyal, friends will a pain, friends will help, and a best friend is always a best friend.
In the book From this moment by Lauren Barnholdt, main character Aven reveals a secret she has been keeping with her for 3 years to 2 of her best friends, Liam and Lizzy. As well as Aven, Lizzy and Liam come wit her to a school trip to Florida, everything comes out between everyone. This book is a perfect setting for young teens and it will connect with them because this book is filled with jokes and romance, to stories and drama!
In my opinion, this book it good. It can connect with all ages and any gender. I connected with me because i'm at the age when i can understand the tension and drama and the excitement, I feel like the wording could have been a better focus but since the book was written in 1st person and the first person was a 17 year old girl, i can understand. This a good book to read, it will pull you in and will want you to read for the whole time. Its full of surprises and fun. I would more with this author; especially one 4th book coming out soon!
In conclusion, this book is a good read for anyone who want some silly love and some big drama! This book is filled with adventure and you can connect with it because it is pretty much saying a average teenager, overall, i would recommend with book to anyone!
4.5 stars because honestly, I didn't think this book was as good as the other two, but it definitely made my chest ache the entire time. I swear I felt just as much pain as Aven did whenever Liam would be intimate with Izzy, and even more so when she finally told him how she felt and he practically rejected her. God I hated him, I wanted her to move on from him. But the heart wants what it wants I guess, and after the news finally settled in his head, he even admitted that he's been lying to himself all these years because he was just afraid of losing her entirely.
The pining over him the entire book really annoyed me, but I already knew it was gonna be like that because it was hinted in the other two books. But the reason I'm giving this book just a high review is because it made me really FEEL her emotions with her, not just annoy the hell out of me. It made their reunion only that much better.
Also we finally we what happens after Aven locks Quinn and Lyla into the bathroom with her. Of course, they come together again. But it wasn't as climactic as it was built up to be.
Overall, the series was a good summer read, very easy and lighthearted.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Follows the same plot (even more so) as the first two books, but Aven will have you hanging on 'till the very end, hoping that her dreams come true.
Aven is a little crazy, but that's to be expected and tolerated considering she has no real best girl friends left after Quinn and Lyla and her broke off their friendship a few years before. And, she's harbouring a secret: she's in love with her best friend, Liam, who's dating their mutual friend. Uh-oh.
I was very concerned that they weren't quite right. I really was. At the end, though, you realize just how right they are. Liam starts off as a little like Lyla's ex-boyfriend (from the first, before she gets with Beckett, but it's soon evident that he isn't really like him, just a little nervous to be with Aven.
This was, overall, a really good ending to a really good series.
I was really looking forward to this novel, but I found it to almost be like a bad case of déjà vu; Aven's story was the one that I was anticipating the most, but was kind of a let down in the actual series of events. The better part of the novel is Aven going through the same loop of thoughts repetively about deciding whether or not to tell Liam how she feels; although I know this is realistic, it really slowed down the pace of the novel. The ending was also extremely rushed, and I wish there was more time spent on that portion, which was touched so little on by the other novels.
I found this one a lot better than the 2nd one. There was of course some dull points in it, but besides that it was very good. Again if you're looking for something to get you in the summer romanc mood this is it. It even has the perfect amount of friendship in it too and building the friendship and coming together after what all happened. Which I really enjoyed! At times I was really confused only cause Liam and then Colin aha. Cause I was trying to guess who she'd end up with if anyone. It was a little predicatable though but I think you should really give these books a try!
#FromThisMoment by #LaurenBarnholdt 4/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 'we thought we were the only people in each other's lives who we'd never get hurt by, even unintentionally. So when it happened, it felt like a double betrayal.' I loved the end to this trilogy and I loved Aven the best out of the girls. Also where the previous two books end when they get looked in the bathroom this book carried on and I loved seeing it all play out!!