Review: Gutwrenching & Heartwrenching Yet Ultimately Uplifting!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 10, 2013
Marie Hall's A Moment is a profoundly emotional read that is still on my mind days after I finished it.  Ms. Hall has dealt with some very heavy issues in a sensitive yet touching way that had me hurting alongside her characters as they struggle to find moments of happiness amongst all the darkness they deal with.  What makes this story even more heartbreaking is that the characters are immensely likable and easy to relate to in the way they deal with their lives.Lili's life has been full of one bad thing after another ever since the day she found out she was pregnant at the age of fourteen.  The disappointment led to her father leaving just as her mother was diagnosed with MS.  The final blow was her son being diagnosed autistic which leaves her as his only parent.  Lili is a strong woman as glimpsed when dealing with all of these issues at once.  She has an inner-strength that keeps her moving forward, very rarely dwelling on the past.  She doesn't break down very often but when she does it's for a legitimate reason.  She tries to be a good person, a good daughter, and a good mother and criticizes herself for not living up to how she feels she should be.  She's her own worst critic and I hated to see her judge herself so harshly.  She's devoted herself completely to her family to the exclusion of living her life and I desperately kept waiting for a knight in shining armor to rescue her.  She's not a weak-willed heroine by any means but rather a heroine you admire.  She wants to fix what's wrong and this partially fuels her attraction to Ryan as she senses his darkness and wants him to confide so she can help ease the pain.  Getting him to open up is a battle worth undertaking though as he's a kind-hearted person betrayed by someone close to him.  If anyone can bring him back from the abyss it's Lili.Ryan had a rough childhood too as his parents never really loved him and when he needed them the most they pushed him away.  Ryan was hurt in the worst possible way by someone close to him and no matter how far and how long he's run, the pain and darkness is still with him.  The only time he feels is through self-injury and when he reaches an all-time low on the incident's anniversary he becomes bonded to Lili in a completely unexpected way as he forevermore sees her as his Angel.  She's seen him at one of his worst moments and shows him the love that no one else in his life has shown him before.  He's instantly attracted to her and a relationship slowly progresses over the next few months as he makes a place in her life, almost like a member of her family.  The sexual tension is constantly there but they take their time to reach that level as it's a profound moment for them both and not to be taken lightly.  His pain never truly vanishes though and as the anniversary rolls around again he'll come to realize that only he can heal himself and heart's will be broken before the immensely satisfying conclusion is reached.Along with two remarkable main characters comes a delightful cast of secondary characters that left their mark on my heart as well.  Ryan's cousin Alex especially left me heartbroken as he's struggling with what happened to Ryan just as much as Ryan himself.  He hides his pain behind a facade of fun and flirtiness and I desperately hope to see his story told as he too deserves a HEA.  Lili's autistic son Javier is also well flushed-out and I was touched by Ryan's interactions with him that showed a man worthy of love and family.  This story is told from both Ryan and Lili's perspectives which allow a deep understanding of their hearts and minds.  This style of storytelling fully immersed me in their lives and kept me on an emotional roller coaster that led to an ultimately richly rewarding story.  I was left in awe of the gritty and heartwrencing, yet uplifting, feel of this book and greatly anticipate the next book from Ms. Hall.