Cover Image: The Leading Edge of Now

The Leading Edge of Now

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Member Reviews

This book definitely went a little deeper than I initially thought it would. Overall a good and quick read and I would recommend.

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The Leading Edge of Now was a quick read and thoroughly enjoyable. I would suggest it to any readers looking to break out of a reading slump!

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This book is a hard read due to the the topic and what Grace goes through. However the book is written really well and deals with the topic in a very moving way. I didn't enjoy the book due the heavy subject but I did find it very emotionally moving

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Although Curtis is an excellent writer and this topic is exceptionally important, I did not have a chance to finish reading it. I think it hit a little close to home for some of the teens I work with and my personal world view. That being said, I am sure there are many who would find this story deeply affecting and impactful.

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I really enjoyed this book, I have read a few similar to this title however this came out at the better end of the spectrum. I was shocked and enthralled. Will certainly look out for other books by this author

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2021 is the year of being realistic and realistically I just do not foresee myself finishing this book despite picking it up time and time again which is really sad because this cover is drop dead gorgeous!!

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Read Oct 19

TW: Rape

Grace has just moved in with her uncle after her father’s death and going back to the place she grew up is starting to awaken memories long buried. Moving back is also giving her the chance to reconnect with best friend Janna, and her ex-boyfriend Owen, Janna’s brother. Being back and remembering that awful night, Grace’s priority is to find the truth about the attack she initially blamed Owen for but there are half-truths and blocks everywhere. This is an intense, emotional novel that is not easy to review. Just read it.

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This book was heartbreaking and emotional. It is definitely a must read. It is a book that you want to have a journal next to you if you have been raped. I would say practice self care when reading this book and after.

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Good day! Before anything else, I would like to extend my deepest, sincerest gratitude for sending me a digital review copy of this book (via NetGalley). Thank you very much for the opportunity!

Unfortunately, I am sad to say that I have lost interest in this particular title, and consequently, I have decided against finishing it. Forcing myself to finish a book I am disinterested in (solely for the sake of finishing it) can only negatively impact the entirety of my reading experience, which, in turn, could result in me writing an unfairly negative review. That is a circumstance I hope to avoid. With that said, I believe that the best course of action is for me to simply not read it and to refrain from publicly posting any feedback regarding this book.

I hope you understand where I'm coming from. Again, thank you for the lovely opportunity!

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I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher. This in no way impacted on my view.

This book just blew me away, completely! I read it back in 2018, and honestly couldn't put words down about how good it was. I will admit I went into this book with no idea about what it was about, and requested it probably just because of how gorgeous the cover was.

In The Leading Edge of Now, Grace is struggling with the death of her father, and the fact that she is now an orphan. When her estranged uncle comes to claim guardianship, she finds herself facing the return to New Harbor, which once had such good memories, but since the last time she was there, has been tainted with the awful fact that she was raped. Every summer used to be sent in New Harbor, with her best friend and boyfriend living there, and all she can remember from that horrific night is saying goodbye to her boyfriend. The longer she is in her uncle home, the memories swiftly return, and she finds herself facing the reality of the fact that she was raped, even if she never spoke about it, and through flashbacks, and reuniting with her old friends, the truth finally comes out.

Obviously this book is hard hitting, and it really was. The content was difficult to read at times, but the author did it in such a way that it was cathartic for Grace, and also that it was respectfully done. Grace's character was so well done, and I just found myself falling more in love with her as the book progressed. I felt what she felt, and was with her until the end. Some of what happened in the book was unexpected, but I was just gripped, and this book really stayed with me for months after I finished it. Definitely a book that everyone should read, if they are able to.

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I don’t know why I’m so drawn to foster/adoption stories, maybe for the potential of a found family and second chances at finding where you belong. Bring tissues while you read and prepare for your heart to break and mend while reading.

Included in the list: "Book Buying Recommendations for Mood Readers" on The Young Folks: https://www.theyoungfolks.com/review/140005/book-buying-recommendations-for-mood-readers/

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This book caught me with surprise. It had twists and turns that I wasn't expecting at all. I liked that Grace was kinda solving a puzzle, trying to connect all the pieces in to a big picture of the night that was so baneful to her and her family.

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Very emotional read. Especially with all the #MeToo stories in mind, I couldn't help but cry. Such an amazing story.

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It took me a while to get around to reading this one, but what I found was an intelligent YA novel with heart. It delves into some difficult topics, but I thought they were handled well and sensitively. I look forward to what this author next writes.

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Thank you NetGalley for the ARC and the publisher for the ebook in exchange for my honest review.


Trigger warning - deals with Rape.

This was an extremely emotional and intense read. Grace has a lot to handle. Her father recently died and she isn't too sure what excatly happened two years when she was passed out. She has an idea and that scares her even more. This book deals heavily with survivor guilt especially the guilt that the victims of sexual abuse sometimes go through.

I did finish this a few weeks ago, but really needed sometime to recover and gather my thoughts.

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This was such a surprise! I didn’t know anything about this going in, except that it may be an emotional read. And that it was. It definitely hits the feels pretty hard. This is a very powerful read and really made me think.

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My sister and I got another great opportunity to read and review Marci book for her Book Tour and we couldn’t have enjoyed it more. Her first book The One Thing was amazing and her second book The Leading Edge of Now was just as good.

She has this way of developing such a remarkable story that as you’re reading you can’t help but feel as though you are part of the story yourself. She has very well developed characters, so that they each feel as though they are their own individual person.

We couldn’t have been more excited for the opportunity to read her book, she is a phenomal author and if you have the chance to read her books you shouldn’t hesitant. Her books are amazing!! :)

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The Leading Edge of Now is not your typical romance, so if you’re looking for a swoon worthy read, this is not it, however, that doesn’t mean you should not read it, just be expecting a story that goes a bit deeper than the typical teen romance.

Grace’s story is one that unfortunately needs to be told. A story of a girl who is orphaned and who later comes out about the sexual abuse she endured and has lived with quietly for years. Sadly, too many girls so through this and are too scared to speak up about it. In Marci Lyn Curtis’ The Leading Edge of Now, you go through the struggle and mental wear-down that Grace goes through everyday of holding this secret in, and the relief she finally feels when she speaks up. It’s a powerful story with some very powerful messages that girls and boys alike should read and learn.

I don’t know if my review words can do this book justice, and so, instead, I’ll leave it with a couple of my favorite quotes - and lessons - from The Leading Edge of Now:

"Because life is hard and it’s messy, but it deserves to be lived. And if you’re always turning away from it, you aren’t really living it. Living, really living, is standing on the very tip of the moment - right on the leading edge of now - no matter how heartbreaking or beautiful or terrible it might be."

"I’m crying again, everything inside me ripping open and spilling out, the humiliation I’ve clutched so tightly the past couple of years, the anger I’ve stuffed into my rib cage, the fear that’s cleaved to my cells. God - fear of everything. Of living and dying, of loving and desertion, of friendship and loneliness. The stupid truth of it all is that day after day I’ve been trying to protect myself from things that have been out of my control. I’ve been worrying about getting hurt or getting sick or getting abandoned. But the fact is, people like me get raped every day. People like Dad die every day. People like Owen are involved in accidents that are out of their control every single day."

The world, with all its beauty and wonder and love, is a frightening place.



Dani's Score out of 5: 📚📚📚📚📚 (5/5)

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Review

Trigger Warning: Foster Care/Trauma/Rape

This book starts off with Grace who has lived the last two years of her life in foster care after her father had passed away. Now her only living relative, her uncle, has finally signed the guardianship papers and moves in with him. She’s angry, hurt and has developed habits that come from past trauma. Even in Grace’s brokenness she stands up for herself even when it’s hard.

The Florida beach town she moves to is one she grew up visiting regularly, so it feels like home even though there’s so much hurt associated with it. Grace also finds out a boy who has hurt her moved in next door. There is romance in this book but I appreciate that it feels genuine.

I loved the positive light it showed for receiving and seeking help and counseling. As someone who has adopted kids from foster care, counseling has been a place of healing for them and is something GOOD.

The characters were real and raw and I love them!

Overall:

I see this book as a great place of healing for girls and women who have been victims of sexual assault. The emotions and experiences were very well done and I’m glad to see a book give voice to all those who’ve suffered alone or silenced. I gave this book a solid 4 stars, I loved it!

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I swear through out the book I was scared for the lead so much, worrying that she is going to be scared for life even though she already is.

Disclaimer: I was provided with a ARC of this book by Netgalley so I could give an honest review.
Also the book contains trigger words like abuse and rape, so if you are not ready to read something like this, I would suggest you think twice before picking up this books.

Grace Cochran once living the perfect life filled with love and family now struggles as every day ends. With her father gone and her uncle missing from her life, she has no way to find her way back to the once happy life she lived.

Just as she begins to adjust to her foster care life, two years after her father's dead her unreliable uncle Rusty signs her guardianship papers. Uprooting her life once again. Too many reason why she does not want to return to the place that scared her the most, took her best friend, love and more.

The book heavily plays on the mystery around who Grace's rapist while she has been believing her Boyfriend and childhood crush aka best friend's brother is responsible. As much as painful that sounds I don't even want you to image what happens next.

As she deals with the aftermath of all kinds of losses and picking up the pieces Grace beings to find comfort in the old familiar New Harbor.

What bothered me the most in the book is its structure a bit , in which the mystery lasted 3/4th of the book we got very little time to actual deal with the culprit. I am aware that's not what the book is about but after seeing grace go through all of it I just wanted her to be angry more angry.

I thought she'd be more angry, I dont even want to think about what she goes through. It is a tough topic and harder to write about. Let alone let the world read it.

I did like how Marci Lyn Curtis manages to deal with the topic in a very serious and subduded manner, focusing on Grace her life and moving forward.

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