Welcome back to Reading, Reading, Reading!

If you read my October Wrap-Up, you know that I read “The Leading Edge of Now” by Marci Lyn Curtis during the middle of October, thanks to NetGalley! It is out in bookstores everywhere, and I am so excited to share my review with you today!

Synopsis (Goodreads.com):

Just when Grace is beginning to get used to being an orphan, her estranged uncle suddenly comes forward to claim her. That might have been okay if he’d spoken to her even once since her father died. Or if moving in with Uncle Rusty didn’t mean returning to New Harbor. Grace once spent the best summers of her life in New Harbor. Now the place just reminds her of all she’s lost: her best friend, her boyfriend and any memory of the night that changed her forever. People say the truth will set you free, but Grace isn’t sure about that. Once she starts looking for it, the truth about that night is hard to find — and what happens when her healing hurts the people she cares about the most?

I found myself reading the acknowledgments when this book was done. I don’t think I’ve ever wanted to continue reading a book that badly in my entire life. This story is tragic. A combination of new and old love, as well as new and old tragedy. Rape is not something I typically read about, and it is not something I ever gravitate towards to as a reader, especially when choosing books to request and review. However, something drew me to this book when I found it on NetGalley, and I don’t think I’ve read a better contemporary novel in my life.

All of the characters in this book seem so real. They were written exquisitely, and I connected with them in an instant. All of the characters went through a fantastic amount of development throughout this story, which made them that much better. Grace had already gone through so much in her short life. When we find out about the horrible truth regarding her rape, it sends her and her closest family members and friends in a state of shock. Even though she had already gone through so much, she showed a lot of strength in this novel, and I truly admired her for it. Owen and Janna were the closest people she had in her life, besides her uncle, Rusty. They played such a huge role in this novel, and I enjoyed their characters more than you can imagine. Owen and Grace’s relationship was very different than any other relationship I have read in YA. They never officially got back together in this story, but I think that made the story that much better. They didn’t need to be together, even though they still felt a very deep connection with one another. While I didn’t like Grace’s real family (Rusty, Faith, Eleanor) at the beginning, by the end of the book I grew to love them and what they had done for Grace. She was finally part of a family, and finally found her home. 

The plot in this book is very tough and can be triggering. While there was not a very graphic rape scene written in this book, it is mentioned very frequently, since it is the main point in this story. Marci talks about Grace’s story very clearly, and makes sure not to say anything than can be translated in the wrong way. Writing stories about rape and/or anything similar to it, must be very difficult for authors to do without much backlash, but since Marci shared that she based some of this book off of her own life, she knew how to execute it and what people would want to read. I cannot imagine going through a story even the slightest bit similar to this. To all of you that have gone through something similar, I am so sorry and if you ever need someone to talk to, I am here for you.

If you have gone through a tramatic experience, click here or call 1(800)-656-4673 today. You are NOT alone.

Thank you for reading my review of “The Leading Edge of Now”. This is such a great story about such a sad topic, and I encourage you all to read it. I rated it 5/5 stars.

Good Night Book Owls!