The Moment of Letting Go
ARC provided by publisher to facilitate this review.
Sienna Murphy never does anything without a plan. And so far her plans have been working. Right after college, she got a prestigious job and gained the stability she'd always craved--until work takes her to the sun-drenched shores of Oahu and places her in the path of sexy surfer Luke Everett. For the first time, she lets her heart take control. Drawn to his carefree charm, she makes a spontaneous and very un-Sienna-like decision to drop everything and stay in Hawaii for two more weeks.
Luke lives fast and wild. When he meets Sienna, he's convinced that some no-strings-attached fun is just what she needs. As their nights quickly turn from playful to passionate, Luke can't deny the deep connection he feels. But there's a reason Luke doesn't do long-term. He can't promise Sienna forever, when the enormity of his past has shown him just how fragile the future can be.
It’s a 4-Alarm read!
J.A. Redmerski has done it again! She’s made me fall hopelessly, inexplicably in love with the journey of falling in love. For me, that’s exactly what The Moment of Letting Go was…a journey. Told in dual POV (my absolute fave!), this book is more than just a girl-meets-boy love story. It’s a wonderfully told story of two people finding themselves while finding each other. While the connection between Sienna and Luke was immediate, Redmerski tells the story in a way that allows this connection to feel natural, and even though their romance could be considered “whirlwind”, it doesn’t feel rushed, and it really worked for me.
The characters of Luke and Sienna feel so real, with their flaws and their scars and the traumas of their past making up the people they are in the present. You can feel how good the couple is for the other, and you’re rooting for them from the very beginning. I REALLY appreciated the fact that there wasn’t any drama thrown in there just for the sake of drama, but still, it’s not always a smooth ride for them. The development of their relationship, the ups, the downs, and the in-between, all felt very authentic and mature.
The Hawaiian setting of this book is almost a secondary character, with Redmerski’s gorgeous descriptions of the scenery and the character’s adventurous exploits help bring this story to life. The cast of character was a lot of fun, and I would love to get to know them better in possible spinoffs or sequels.
All in all, I’d say this is a perfect lazy weekend read. It was easy to get lost in the story, and I finished this book (after a FABULOUS) epilogue with a big smile on my face and flutters in my heart.
Q&A With J.A. Redmerski
Do you have a song or playlist that best fits THE MOMENT OF LETTING GO?
A Fine Frenzy ‘Almost Lover’ is the main song I listened to while writing this book.
Is there a lot of meaning behind the names of your characters and how do you go about selecting names?
Selecting names is so hard. I spend a lot of time researching them: origin, name meaning, etc. (though I don’t choose names based on these things much). But mostly I try to choose names that just sound right on the tongue. It’s sort of like naming a child, but a lot more complex because with a character, he or she already has a personality and a life story.
If you could trade places with anyone for just one day, who would you want to be?
I would never want to be anyone but myself, but if I could place myself into a different life, I probably would without thinking about it. As long as it was a life of my choosing.
Do you have a favorite quote/scene from the book?
My favorite scene would have to be the one where Luke breaks down in Sienna’s arms. Emotional scenes like that one come from my core, and I feel like I connect with them more intimately.
Giveaway
Meet J.A. Redmerski
J.A. Redmerski, New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author, lives in North Little Rock, Arkansas with her three children, two cats and a Maltese. She is a lover of television and books that push boundaries.
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