Review: This Series Keeps Getting Better & Better
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 10 16, 2013
*Received an ARC in exchange for an honest review*"In that moment, nothing stands between us. No more lies. No more walls. All our past mistakes are erased. We've been given a precious gift. A chance to start over. To take nothing for granted. And in that moment, we began." -PennyIn the first book of the series, The Trouble With Goodbye, the heroine in the story was deprived of a voice by being prevented from speaking about what tragically happened to her. In this companion novel, the heroine is deprived of living her life by not being able to experience life on her own terms. The Moment We Began is a wonderful book about self-discovery. Specifically about finding yourself after being told who and what you are your entire life. And finally finding the courage to break the shackles that constrained your life and stepping into the unknown. A life where there is no clear path but where the next step is completely your own."I don't want to have to pretend I'm not wanting him every single second of every day. I don't want to have to laugh at his stupid jokes and pretend I'm not happy when he's with someone else. I just want to be the one he's kissing." -PennyPENNY: When I first met Penny in The Trouble With Goodbye, I'll be honest, I didn't really like her. She came off as a know it all rich girl who thought she was better than everyone else. But after reading her story, I definitely changed my mind about her. She's actually a beautiful girl with a hear to match. Though she was born into a family with money, she tries to do what she can to help her community. Thats the side of her that some of her friends and family don't get to see. They don't see the girl who pays for surgeries and treatments for sick babies when their parents can't afford them. They don't see the girl who donates money to the homeless shelter and families in need. All they see is a princess; a girl who always gets her way and can afford to go and buy anything her heart desires. Through this facade, they also fail to see that beneath all the shoes, clothes, and expensive cars lies a self conscience girl who lets herself be used for sex by Mason, the guy she's been in love with all her life, just because he can't do relationships. So she takes whatever she can get from him. She lets this go on for a while until she's finally had enough and decides to try to move on. But soon her world gets turned upside down with a life altering discovery and Mason's decision to get out of Fairhope for a while. She sees an opportunity to finally find out if there's a future with him or if she's to walk this new direction her life has taken alone and so she decides to go with him on his road trip. A road trip where she'll discover that she and Mason may have more in common than she thought. And that behind that handsome exterior lies a lonely guy whose heart is plagued by sadness and guilt from the secrets he keeps."All this time I thought he was putting those walls up to keep me out, but in this moment, I see that what he was really doing was hiding his own broken heart." -Penny"Money doesn't always open the world up to you. Money can be a straight-jacket sometimes, too. This is something people don't always realize. They think that because we have money, we're lucky and free. But sometimes the money is what ties us down." -MasonMASON: Mason, unlike Penny, wasn't born into money. It wasn't until his father started working for Penny's father that his family become one of the richest families in town. Though they had a different upbringing, like Penny, his life was not his own. Once the money started rolling in, so did the expectations. He was expected to be someone he wasn't so he played the role of rich playboy because that's who he was expected to be. And he played it well. He became the best friend of the richest family in town, attended wild parties, drank lots of booze, and slept with many girls. Though most of this is due to the control status had on his life, his lack of commitment to one girl comes from his past. One that's filled with both joy and sorrow. A past that stained his heart and changed him forever. Caused him to be afraid of trusting someone with his heart because of the pain that may come from it. This is the reason why he doesn't let himself act on his feelings for Penny and flaunts different girls in front of her to hopefully make her angry and finally move on. He keeps his past a secret from his friends but he also holds another secret. One that not even his family knows and one that may cause pain to those he cares about most. As this secret is in danger of being unraveled, he decides that its time to go on the road trip he's been thinking about going on for a while. The road trip that will change everything for these two lovers. Where secrets will be revealed and difficult decisions about the future will be made. And with the help of a little miracle, a happily ever after seems more of a reality than ever before."Penny, you're the only thing in this world that matters to me. You and this baby. I love you with every once of my soul and I promise, if you give me another chance, I will never hurt you again." -MasonOverall, this book was not only non-stop page turning material but also thought provoking. Where not only the two main characters in the book learn about life but also the reader can learn a little thing or two. For me, its how money and possessions can control our lives and make us greedy. We start buying the newest things around and flaunt them just to show that we have them and can afford them. I'm not afraid to say that I'm guilty of this but my views have definitely changed. I now see that there's no point in doing this. Not only will you be one step closer to financial ruin but what kind of impression are you leaving behind? I'd rather be seen as the person I truly am than someone flashy and snobby. This book is one that I would recommend to those looking for a romance book with a mix of betrayal, road trips, life lessons, happy endings, and all kinds of swoony material."I had always thought that if you stripped away the money and the jewelry and the expensive clothes and the fancy cars, I would be nothing more than a hollow shell. But on this trip, I realized that those other things are the shell. The money and the name doesn't make me who I am. It never has." -PennyOther Favorite Quotes:"I'm powerless when it comes to Mason. I want him any way I can get him. Even if it means my heart will break a thousand times. I know when he kisses me again, he'll put it back together." -Penny"I know it sounds stupid, but I think that's why I never really let myself love anyone completely," he says. "It hurts too damn much when you have to say goodbye." - Mason