In This Moment is my first book by Karma Brown, and it did not disappoint! This was an incredibly emotional read about a woman's guilt over an unexpected tragedy, that she believes that she caused.

Meg Pepper is happy with her life - she has a successful and fulfilling career in real estate, her husband is about to open his own medical practice, and a well-behaved teenage daughter, Audrey. One afternoon, Meg is picking up Audrey from school - a seemingly normal afternoon. They see Jack, the twin brother of Audrey's boyfriend walking home. Meg stops and waves Jack across the road so he can cross, at that moment, an SUV comes barreling down the street and hits Jack. The driver, one of the high school teachers, did not see him because he was too busy texting on his phone.

Meg blames herself for this avoidable tragedy. In her guilt, she absorbs her life into helping Jack and his family as he goes through rehab from the accident. In her attempt to absolve her guilt she begins to alienate her family and friends - she quickly learns the ripple effect of her actions and how they begin to threat everything that is important to her.

This was an incredibly emotional read. Brown was able to portray the emotions and struggle that all of the characters were experiencing. Meg's guilt was consuming her and she was completely unaware that it was affecting her marriage and her relationship with her daughter - even her career was at risk. It was so interesting to read because we never truly understand the ripple effect that our actions can cause, until it's too late. I'd highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a well-written story that pulls at the heart strings.

I give this 4/5 stars!

Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

From my blog: Always With a Book:

My thoughts: Karma Brown is one of those authors that can just do no wrong in my book. Her stories are powerful, pack an emotional punch and leave you with quite a bit to think about, and this latest one is no exception!

This latest story is, among other things, all about guilt - in it's many different forms. While it may not be the tearjerker of her previous books, I still think it just as emotionally powerful, bringing out all the feels. It will also make you constantly put yourself in the characters' places, asking yourself, "What if I...?"

The characters in this book are richly developed, complicated and flawed, which makes them so relatable. They are realistic in their actions, making you sympathize with them and their predicaments. You can feel the characters' vulnerabilities and desperation - it's that palpable at times.

This story is intense and emotional and once it gets a-hold of you, it won't let up until the very end. There is much food for thought throughout this book and it's certainly one I won't be forgetting anytime soon. Karma Brown has certainly proven she is an author with staying power!!!

Bestselling author Karma Brown returns following The Choices We Make (2016) with an with an equally moving, emotional and riveting follow-up.

—IN THIS MOMENT a woman struggles with complexities of tragedy, guilt, and secrets as her life unravel along with those around her.

Meg Pepper is a wife and mom with a real estate career. Married to Ryan, a physician. Daughter Aubrey age fifteen (boyfriend Sam Beckett).

Meg and Aubrey are running late for a dentist appointment and Meg is picking up her daughter at school. She is struggling to balance family and career and has not been completely honest about an event in her past.

They notice Jack (Sam’s twin brother) on the side of the road attempting to get across. His mom is a financial whiz and works at one of Boston’s private equity firms. The boy’s dad Andrew is a stay at home dad, having left a journalism career when the twin boys were born.

Jack has his skateboard on the curb’s edge in one hand waiting for the car coming toward their car to pass so he can cross. His friends are on the other side waiting. Aubrey tells her mom they should let him cross. She waves him across. A life-changing split-second choice.

However, just as she does so, the unthinkable happens. Jack’s body smashes into the windshield of the other car which came out of nowhere, too fast. Aubrey and Meg are mortified. How did this happen?

Sarah Dunn, Audrey and Jack’s history teacher was texting and had to stop too quickly.

However, it is Meg’s guilt, which haunts her.

She was the one who deemed it a safe crossing for this innocent and clearly vulnerable teenager now lying in the road with an injury that will forever change his life. How could she have let the boy cross the street?

The accident turns into a nightmare for all concerned.

Meg is suddenly slammed with a memory from when she was sixteen; from a terrible night where another teen lay bleeding and broken on a road in front of her. She has worked hard not to think about that night because she cannot breathe around her guilt when she does so. But just like that, it was back and she was left sucking in air around the heaviness of the memory—

And like the part she played on that night so long ago, she was the reason Jack Beckett cross the road when he did. It is her fault. With a simple careless wave of her hand, she did this.

Soon they are at the hospital and she faces the family. With her daughter dating the brother, and even though the family may not be close friends they know one another through their children.

Meg becomes overwhelmed with guilt. Her family and Jack and Sam’s family torn apart. Meg becomes close to Andrew as her terrifying dreams continue. The past and present collide. She is thinking about Paige. Her friend from the past. Her face haunts her.

It has been twenty-eight years since that horrible night. Now the dreams surface again. Two days after Ryan slid the engagement ring on her finger. Only a week after her twenty-fifth birthday, when she learned her mom had cancer. Ryan in pre-med. A woman who had to grow up too fast. A sister who had to take care of her little brother and her dad.

Meg throws herself into helping the family and drawing closer to Andrew. Shutting out her own family in the process, especially her own husband. He knows the truth about the accident long ago, but he has never understood why she holds herself responsible. She carries it inside. She is spiraling out of control.

Andrew turns to Meg for support, and the two bond over the tragedy, putting at risk her marriage, family and her own moral compass.

Will these two families ever be the same?

As the past secrets and guilt collide with the present, Meg is at her breaking point. Emotional and heartbreaking, a picture-perfect life comes shattering apart in the blink of an eye. A wife and mother striving for perfection and balance with personal, career, and family.

She is searching for answers yet she cannot trust herself, to be honest through her grief with the weight from the accident of long ago and the one in the present.

Once again, Brown delves deep, exploring the intense emotions and pressure of guilt, grief, parenting, marriage, accountability, and responsibility. However, in the end, family comes first and that has to take top priority. If we let that slide, all will begin to unravel.

Brown has proven herself a strong voice representing the trials of the modern-day contemporary woman. I enjoyed reading about the inspiration behind the novel. Publishers Weekly interview. Spotlight on Karma Brown.

A cautionary tale. This scenario could happen to anyone. My heart went out to Meg and the author does an exceptional job with the character development.

If you have read Karma’s previous books, she has a way with domestic suspense, tragedy, emotion, grief and aftermath – which hits on every cylinder. She holds nothing back and you get inside her character’s heads. You feel the emotions. Their desperation. Their vulnerabilities. The character’s emotions are real, heartbreaking, raw, and painful.

The past tragedy and present storyline enhanced the overall tension and suspense, keeping you glued to the pages while demonstrating how guilt can hold you down and shape your life years later.

For today’s contemporary woman who sometimes strives too hard to be perfect. Thought-provoking in our fast and furious world today. Learning to forgive yourself in order to move on with your life.

For fans of Amy Hatvany, Jodi Picoult, Diane Chamberlain, Liane Moriarty, Karen White, Heather Gudenkauf, Sarah Pekkanen, and T. Greenwood.

Highly recommend!

A special thank you to Park Row Books and NetGalley for an early reading copy.

JDCMustReadBooks

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Sue Roberts's review May 24, 2017 · edit
it was amazing

I loved Karma Brown's first two books and was excited to find her new book was as fantastic as the first two. Karma's books show how one event can take even the best life off track and create a ripple effect that resonates through the family.

The characters in this novel - especially Meg - are so well written that many of us can identify with them. Meg works as a full time realator while trying to be the perfect wife and mother. She is stressed and takes care of everyone but herself. When an accident happens at her daughter's school, she is consumed with guilt even though the accident wasn't technically her fault. The accident brings back the unresolved guilt from an accident that happened when she was 16 that she had never forgiven herself for. As her guilt begins to alienate her from her husband and daughter, she sees her family life slipping away.

This is a wonderful novel by a fantastic author who is able to create characters that the reader identifies with and cares about. Be sure you clear your calendar before you start In This Moment because you won't want to put it down until the last page.

Thanks to netgalleywho provided a copy of this book for a fair and honest opinion.

Karma Brown came on my book radar with her previous book The Choices We Make --- a book I really enjoyed. Brown doesn't shy away from hard issues that waver somewhere in the gray area of right/wrong and blameless/guilty but you know that she'll always give her readers food for thought and topics for book club debates.

While The Choices We Make hit me hard in the tear ducts with it's emotional build-up and ending, In This Moment is different in that its big event happens early on with readers getting a bird's eye view into the aftermath of one fateful decision. It wasn't as emotional of a read as I was expecting but it brings up some timely topics.

I related to the main character, Meg, early on and felt that Brown accurately described her internal dialogue as a mom trying to do the best for her teenage daughter. I can relate in varying degrees to Meg's second guessing her parenting decisions, her need to show everyone she can 'do it all' and Meg's desire to hold her daughter close yet knowing that she must begin letting go.

The book focuses on the intense, guilty feelings that Meg holds onto from the accident.
I didn't always agree with Meg's choices but I could see why she made them. My head kept saying it wasn't her really her fault but my heart could understand why she'd hold herself partially responsible, her inability to move on and feeling stuck in the 'what if ...' downward spiral.

Brown gets to the heart of the issue of long-held secrets, insecurities and doubts. Guilt is a complicated, nasty thing and issues are rarely black and white. That said, there's a lot going on in this book with various relationships and issues - underage drinking, distracted driving, infidelity -- some topics working better than others. It verged on almost too many issues for one book.

This was another good read by Brown that focuses on the sometimes complicated relationships between parents and children, spouses, friends and how one brief decision can sometimes gravely effect the rest of our lives.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to Harlequin for providing me with a complimentary e-book copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

I loved " Choices We Make " by Karma Brown and I loved "In This Moment" even more. Karma did an absolutely fabulous job of making one wonder "what if." a certain moment had happened differently. I truly felt the main character, Meg's angst. I highly recommend this novel as a much read book.

Now I really liked this book. The author's style of writing is so appealing to me. Meg Pepper has a fulfilling career and a happy family. Most days she's able to keep it all together and glide through life. But then, in one unalterable moment, everything changes.

This is my first book by KARMA BROWN and it definitely will not be my last.

IN THIS MOMENT by KARMA BROWN is a cautionary tale that explores one woman’s overwhelming guilt, grief, love, balancing responsibilities and the consequences of split-second decisions that can ultimately affect you and your family.

Special mention to The Cookbook Club that was included in this storyline as I am a cookbook collector and really love the idea of a club that gets together and prepares meals from a unique and different cookbook each time they get together. I would love to be in a club like that!

KARMA BROWN delivers a well-written, original, and believable story here that had me wondering and pondering what I would have done if I was put in the same situation as our main character, Meg Pepper. Although, normally I am a person that really thinks of all the consequences that might happen from a certain decision or situation that I have made or come across. I have also been known to make split-second decisions that weren't the best choices and have regretted them and wished that I would have thought it through better. Nothing as profound or tragic as Meg’s though. But, I think that is what made this story so enjoyable for me as it was so realistic and had me sympathizing and caring about the outcome of the decisions Meg made and the quilt she is harboring from those decisions. My stomach was in knots a few times while I was reading this story.

IN THIS MOMENT is a powerful, steady-paced, and an emotional read with a realistic and hopeful ending. Would recommend!!

Publication date: May 30, 2017

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Karma Brown, and Harlequin Books for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book for a fair and honest review.

Review will be posted on Two Sisters Lost in a Coulee Reading blog:
http://www.twogirlslostinacouleereading.wordpress.com

I would like to thank Karma Brown, Harlequin and Netgalley for giving me this amazing book for my honest review!
Review By Stephanie
4.5 Stars
I am a fan of Karma Brown, she is a talented writer. She creates characters that you will instantly be drawn too. She also is my go to writer for an emotional and intense story that will leave you wishing for more! So In This Moment is no different from all her other books. I loved this book!
Meg Pepper has it all, a great career and an amazing family. She is able to handle it all but the one day everything changes!
While drive one day she swerves to miss a teenage boy crossing the street, but another car isn’t so lucky and hits the teenager. Meg is full of guilt even though she wasn’t the one who hit the boy. So she forces her life to helping the boy and his family. While she is focusing all her attention on this other family she is closing herself to her own family. Then she starts feeling drawn to Andrew…the boy’s father!
This book was great! The twists and turns of this story left me breathless at times. Everyone is always questions the “what ifs” in their lives and this book echoes that. I highly recommend this book and I can not wait for more books from Karma!

I received an advanced copy of this book from netgalley. Thank you to netgalley, the author and the publisher. This is the second book that I have read by Karma Brown. I really enjoyed this book. It was a quick easy read, which is perfect for reading on holidays. The storyline was interesting, and well written. I will definitely see what other books Karma Brown has.

In this reader’s humble opinion, In This Moment is Karma Brown’s strongest work to date. With each of her books, my appreciation for her writing has grown incrementally. What keeps me coming back is the fact that she doesn’t shy away from the tough topics, from the very things you wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy. Instead, her stories delve deep and pack one heck of an emotional punch. Meaning, this story will make you feel, so be prepared.

In this instance, the author overwhelms the reader with the feeling that tends to creep in after a mistake or something you wish with all your heart you could change - guilt. She brings to the forefront the power that icky feeling has at overshadowing sense and chipping away at the rational side of your brain. And let's not forget, the dreaded ‘what if’ questioning that naturally ensues and runs through one's mind on a continuous loop.

For me, what stood out the most was Meg and, if you’ve read the book, it’s probably not for the reasons you might think. I’m not walking around harboring some guilt-ridden secret from high school and thankfully, I haven't witnessed something as tragic as her and her daughter did. Sadly, not realizing the possible ramifications, Meg waves her daughter’s boyfriend's twin across the street, right in the path of a driver who’s more focused on sending a text than actually driving. Talk about life changing in the blink of an eye.

Meg forgetfulness and her suckiness at adulting cemented my connection with her, as silly as that sounds. I know this might come off as an excuse, but there's those of us that try to take on too much and naturally, things suffer along the way. Luckily for me, my husband picks up the slack quite a bit (have I mentioned how lucky I am?) . . . for instance, running down the driveway last week at 6am to let me know I left my work computer and my much needed coffee on the kitchen counter, as I’m headed off to work. Crappy day avoided, thanks to him. Or the thousands of times I’ve said to myself, “nah, I don’t need to set a reminder in my phone, I’ll remember.” Yeah, right. Will I ever learn my lesson or always be that person running around at the last minute scrambling to get things done? It was similar little hiccups for Meg, along the way, that spoke to me and lent a more relatable quality to her character.

There's no way around it, you can’t avoid asking yourself if Meg's feelings of guilt are valid. If she's somehow responsible for what happened to her best friend all those years ago or what her daughter's boyfriend's family is going through, right now. In the midst of all that, there’s one other weighted question Meg’s actions might force you to ponder - would you fight back against that awful feeling or sink into the guilt and let yourself head down a path with consequences so harsh, you just might lose everything? Or, better yet, what if . . .

After the emotional carnage that was unleashed in COME AWAY WITH ME (Hey, 3-hour ugly cry! Remember me?!) and being forced to consider the unthinkable in THE CHOICES WE MAKE, Karma Brown has knocked it clear out of the park and into the stratosphere once again, with her third novel, IN THIS MOMENT. True to form, she makes you feel all the things and usually all at once, but she does it in such an organic way, it always feels genuine, never forced.

She has created characters that are so realistic, so genuinely flawed, and so richly developed that you immediately become invested in their issues and the messy, oh-so-very-messy outcome. Each of her main characters has always felt familiar to me and I consistently have an overwhelming sense that I would be friends with the women that are presented in her narratives.

Brown masterfully explores the rough edges of Meg Pepper’s misplaced guilt, both over a horrific event in the past and one in the present.

"I’m suddenly slammed with a memory from when I was sixteen; from a terrible night where another teenager lay bleeding and broken on a road in front of me. I have worked hard not to think about that night anymore, because I can’t breathe around my guilt when I do. But just like that, it’s back, and I’m left sucking in air around the heaviness of the memory, a fish out of water." (Loc. 325)

Our experiences shape us, no doubt. But what happens when we don’t find a way to make peace with the past? It can take over our lives, make us live in and act out of a place of fear. It can make us try to create the image of the perfect life because maybe that will make up for the train wreck moments that we are trying to escape. Then, just when we start to believe our own hype, the parallels that we draw between our past and our present can overwhelm us and destroy the “everything’s ok here” façade that we’ve worked so hard to cultivate and project, for so long.

How do you heal your past (or your present) if you don’t even think you’re entitled to your own feelings about it?

"What right do I have to be upset? I can feel responsible, sure. Guilty, you bet. But I don’t get to be “not okay”—that’s reserved for those who suffered the most, like Jack. And Andrew. Even Sarah." (Loc. 1587)

While her choices in the present were not completely driven by either accident, she over-identified with Andrew and that shared experience exacerbated problems/issues that were likely just hiding just below the surface, all along. I think that she got lost inside the pain and guilt that had been just barely contained until now - the pain and guilt that was re-awakened and compounded in the present - and she underestimated how much those feelings influenced her decisions. I wondered if she was too close to her own situation to be able to make an accurate assessment of her emotional state and true motivation.

Apart from the superbly-crafted narrative, Karma Brown holds on to her “Most Likely to Emotionally Gut You With The Fewest Words Possible” title:

"It didn’t occur to me to buckle her seat belt." (Loc. 1816)

These 10 words led me to identify with Meg in an unexpected way. No, I’ve never put someone in a car with a drunk driver and I’ve never felt responsible for something as serious and traumatizing as a friend’s death, but every stupid thing I’ve ever said or done - or not said or done, when I should have - is burned into my brain in spectacularly vivid detail. Carrying the baggage you were never meant to carry is exhausting and can wreck you, if you let it.

Remember when Dorothy told Jerry Maguire, "You had me at hello"? You can have your very own book nerd version of that moment when you start reading Karma Brown's work. Just be prepared to want to read. all. the. things.

So, run. Run to your local bookstore and grab this one. Better yet, pre-order it so that you can get your little book-nerdy hands on it the second it is available and you don’t have to give your bookstore the stink eye until they unlock the door on the morning of its release (not that I’ve done that…). And if you haven’t read her previous two books, we can still be friends, but you have homework! Get on it!

Excellent story! Looking forward to reading more by this author!

An ordinary life is turned upside down when a woman does a good deed. Meg Pepper is returning home after a school pick up when she stops to let a teenage boy cross the street. A car coming the other way doesn’t see the boy and runs him down. Meg feels partly to blame and spends more time with the family of the injured teen than she does her own family and it’s not long before she developes feeling for the boy’s father. Now her entire life is upended and she’s at risk for losing everything she holds dear. Anyone who’s ever been involved with a car accident will sympathize with Meg. This is a compelling family drama that had my stomach in knots