From This Moment

By Lauren Barnholdt

Each book in The Moment of Truth trilogy is told from the perspective of former best friends Lyla, Aven, and Quinn. When they were freshman, they wrote emails to themselves about one thing they hoped to accomplish before they graduate. Over the course of the series, which takes place on their senior trip, each girl tackles that email all while learning about life, love, and the truth about the fight that ended their perfect friendship.

In the final book, Aven must decide if, when it comes to deciding between friendship and true love, she is able to listen to her heart. For the past four years she has shared everything with her best friend, Liam . . . except for the secret she knows would ruin their friendship. The one about how she's loved him since the first time they met.

But now everything is about to change.

With the end of high school drawing near, and the seniors headed to Florida for a class trip, Aven is determined to tell Liam the truth. Even though he already has a girlfriend. Even though Aven's finally met a great guy who likes her back. Even though Liam reciprocating her feelings is as terrifying as him rejecting her. Because no matter what he says, Aven knows that once the truth is out, things will never be the same.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Jul 14, 2015
• ISBN: 9780062321442

Lauren Barnholdt

Lauren Barnholdt is the author of the teen novels The Thing About the Truth, Sometimes It Happens, One Night That Changes Everything, Two-way Street, Right of Way, and Watch Me. She is also the author of the middle grade novels The Secret Identity of Devon Delaney, Devon Delaney Should Totally Know Better, Four Truths and a Lie, Rules for Secret-Keeping, Fake Me a Match, and the Girl Meets Ghost series. She lives in Waltham, Massachusetts. Visit her at LaurenBarnholdt.com.

Reviews for From This Moment

[brandileigh2003 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

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.