J. A. Redmerski

You can follow the rules or you can follow your heart... THE MOMENT OF LETTING GO 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 . . .

The Moment of Letting Go

Carley Whitehead

Lacey

Originally posted at Booklovers For Life

3.5 STARS

I really liked The Moment of Letting Go – I may not have loved it like I wanted to, but it’s still a sweet, meaningful book that I enjoyed. In this book, J.A. Redmerski writes a heartwarming tale about taking chances, facing your fears, and letting go.

“We’re all stronger than our weaknesses,” he says. “Sometimes we just need someone else to help us find that strength.”

Sienna Murphy lives life by the paycheck. She grew up poor, so she chose a job where she wouldn’t have to worry about money ever again. She’s well-off as a wedding planner, but lately it seems like work has become her life. Her latest assignment takes her to the gorgeous beaches of Oahu, Hawaii, where she hopes she’ll have downtime to relax and expand her photography skills. Sadly, the wedding doesn’t go off as planned and Sienna once again gets swept up in work. It isn’t until she meets Luke Everett, a cute local surfing instructor, that she begins to question what she really wants out of life.

…my life has, for the most part, stayed on one straight course, never risking unfamiliar roads, rarely contemplating change–but Luke makes me feel like I can, that it’s somehow safe to take a chance on something unknown. It’s frightening, yes, but it’s also exciting, and that’s just not something I think I can ignore.

Luke challenges Sienna to take more risks and to discover her true passion in life. Sienna is deathly afraid of heights, but with Luke’s help, she learns to step out of her comfort zone and face her fears. Luke himself is a daredevil and hiding some secrets of his own, so these two characters couldn’t be more different. But Luke and Sienna form a connection from the very moment they meet. There’s attraction, yes, but there’s so much more to their relationship that I really appreciated reading about. The Moment of Letting Go is not just a story of girl meets boy in Hawaii – it’s the kind of story that takes you on a discovery of self, passion, and life.

“Most people never let their feet leave the ground,” he goes on. ”Whether they’re afraid of heights, or afraid of hospitals, or they stay in the same place all their life because they’re afraid of change–so many people go through life on the ground and die without ever knowing that they can fly.”

I really enjoyed experiencing Sienna and Luke’s story – I loved being swept away by the gorgeous Hawaii setting and I adored how Luke took Sienna on an adventure, pushing her just enough to truly experience life. I didn’t really connect with their characters, but I appreciated their story nonetheless. I did get a little annoyed at the secrets Luke keeps from Sienna – we know what those secrets are, since the book is told in dual POV, but for the majority of the book, Luke keeps a huge secret from Sienna that I really didn’t understand why he hadn’t revealed sooner.

Still, The Moment of Letting Go is quite honestly a feel-good read. I enjoyed it for the most part, though it didn’t wring any intense emotions out of me. It was missing that spark for me that would normally make me love a book, but it’s not bad. I think fans of J.A. Redmerski would definitely enjoy this newest standalone of hers.

Quotes are taken from the ARC and are subject to change in the final version.

Thanks to the publisher for generously providing me an ARC to review.

Amazon Ebook: http://amzn.to/11gC9Ax
Amazon Paperback: http://amzn.to/1oX8mYU

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Anna Ureta

New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author J. A. Redmerski brings us a heart-wrenching, stand-alone new adult novel. You can follow the rules or you can follow your heart... 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 . . .

The Moment of Letting Go

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