Trigger warning: rape.

Let’s start this review by saying that this book is simply outstanding.
The story this book tells is not an easy one, but it manages to do so in a very admirable way.
All the characters are very well crafted, Grace especially. Her story and her bravery truly moved me. The emotions the author describes are raw and real, something that I appreciated very much considering the fact I was reading a YA novel.
“The leading edge of now” is filled with pain, trauma, loss and so much more but in the end there’s also a little ray of hope, something that keeps all the characters going, something to believe in.
I applaud Marci Lyn Curtis for being able to write such an authentic and important story.

I received a copy of this book for free and voluntarily chose to review. This story has a good plot but I just couldn't get into it. From what I read though it seems like it's young adult appropriate.

This may be the best YA book I've read yet this year. I LOVED how fierce and strong of a character Grace was, and how well written her story was. Her growth through death, moving, friendships lost and found, all while dealing with such traumatic life experiences was incredible to read.

Thank you Netgalley and Kids Can Press for allowing me to read this title in exchange for a review, I thoroughly enjoyed this title!

TRIGGER WARNING: deals with rape.

This book was absolutely beautiful. It was hard to get into at first but after the first few chapters it was absolutely amazing. So gripping, highly recommend.

I want to thank NetGalley and the author for letting me read this.

This book is incredibly raw. It gripped me and dragged me in. I sat almost crying in the park. I would highly recommend this one, but there is frequent mentions of a rape. However, the story is beautiful and the bonds that develops are strong. Real emotions are portrayed and I am very glad I have read this one.

The Leading Edge of Now is a coming of age story where, Grace learns to deal with more than her fair share of tragedy. Since her father’s death two years ago, she has been an orphan. Rusty, her only living relative, finally steps up to become her guardian. While Grace is grateful to have a “home,” she doesn’t want to go back to her uncle’s house. Something happened there that she wants to forget, but Grace realizes to move on she must face her past and find it the truth. However, finding the truth may ruin her life. I didn’t love this book, but I may be a little biased. This book hit a little too close to home and at times I felt emotionally exhausted. However, knowing that this book made me feel that way, demonstrates what a great writer Marci Lyn Curtis is. I enjoyed that we were able to see multiple glimpses of Grace’s past. Not only were the characters multidimensional but I could see people I knew in them. While the content of this book isn’t for everyone, I certainly think this will be talked about. I recommend this book for readers that enjoyed Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson.

TRIGGER WARNING

CONTAINS DISCUSSION/FLASHBACKS SURROUNDING RAPE, PTSD, ALCOHOLISM 

Contemporary isn't my go to genre but The Leading Edge of Now caught my eye on NetGalley and I was very please to have a chance to read it - I went with my gut, just like Faith, and I am glad that I did.  This is a stunning example of how a YA contemporary novel should be written.  It was engaging, heart breaking, thought provoking and uplifting and I loved it.  

Grace Cochran is a well likeable protagonist and her inner monologue is very well written, she is humorous and complicated and quite obviously suffering from some emotional trauma.  Her relationships with the other characters in the book are well done, and the side characters were very three-dimensional, you could tell that alot of thought had gone into them - I especially liked Rusty and Owen.

Overall a very well written novel which shows the aftermath of rape and grief, and how she begins to finally heal.  The big reveal I found was quite shocking, to the characters as well as myself.

Would I Recommend It?

Yes definitely – I read it in one sitting.  I honestly couldn't put it down.  Read it, I don't think you will regret it!  I did cry a couple of times, so tissues are a must.

5/5 ✰

This was an eye opening read and it made me laugh and cry. We follow Grace through her ups and downs and watch her grow. I want to caution those of you that may be sensitive towards certain material. There is a trigger warning for rape in this book. Overall I think the book was clever and fun and sad and surprising all at once. Let me just tell you when I got to one specific part, I did not see it coming. I would recommend this definitely

DNF. While the writing was okay I found the start slow and hard to get into. I look forward to try more from this author.

When you walk into a book that seems like it's going to be just another young adult contemporary romance story, you get completely blown away by what's to come. Because, while the romance is a little heavy in the beginning and still serves as a plot device throughout the book, this is really about a girl who faces the aftermath of sexual assault. And right now, this story feels more important than ever.

Grace is a stronger YA protagonist than most. She's hardened by her past, but she never truly wallows in it or lets it own her. She isn't the stereotype of characters whose actions define them, who never move past what has happened to them. She even asks whether she'll always be "The Girl Who Was Sexually Assaulted," but she's strong enough to answer that question for herself: <i>no</i>. While she's unraveling the case, she has no problem admitting that she isn't okay, that she's not in the best place - but she's "carrying on," which is the best she can do in the moment.

The rest of the characters are good in their own ways. The love interest obviously serves a purpose to the romance subplot, but he's also a genuinely good person who tries to help Grace uncover the assault because he cares. Much like every other character, he acknowledges the situation for what it is, and I think that's important to see in this novel. Grace questions whether it's her fault, and Owen says it's his fault for leaving her alone that night, but ultimately they, and everyone around them, have no problem accepting the issue for what it is and blaming only the rapist, which isn't always what happens. But rather than seem like an impossible situation, this book is churned in a way that can give hope to girls: that they will have a community to support them, that reporting cases is the right thing to do, that they won't always be That Girl, and that they are not alone.

I recommend checking out this new YA novel, it deals with important topics that need to be talked about more in society.

***Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a complimentary copy of THE LEADING EDGE OF NOW by Marci Lyn Curtis in exchange for my honest review.***

Holy unexpected awesomeness, Batman.

What if your father died and you spent two years languishing in foster care right after you were sexually assaulted by your boyfriend Owen while you were passed out on Ambien? What if you spent those last two years blaming yourself, unable to talk to your best friend, because she’s Owen’s sister? What if you’re now living with your uncle, and Owen lives right next door? What if you were wrong and Owen wasn’t yikes rapist?

Marci Lyn Curtis gave Grace a haunting, memorable voice, steeped in raw pain and gorgeous words. I can’t remember when I highlighted so many beautiful phrases.

The blurb for THE LEADING EDGE OF NOW doesn’t begin to capture the specialness of this gem. The story is so special I’m not sure I can put all the reasons why into one review.

Grace’s character is imperfect and complex and messy and completely understandable. She’s tough on people and slow to trust, but who wouldn’t be after losing her only parent and waiting for two years for her only relative to seek custody. She’s wounded, but who isn’t after sexual assault, grief and abandonment. And she’s not so hurt that she’s a trope of the victim/survivor who pushes everyone away only thinking of herself until a Hero breaks through her shell. Grace is her own hero, with support.

I want to read every book Curtis has written and want her to write more books as quickly as possible. #TheLeadingEdgeOfNow is a book I will reread and perpetually recommend.

Wow. This book was so incredibly powerful and took me complely by surprise. I was so emerged by it that, once the plot twist came, I just couldn’t stop reading..

Trigger Warnings: rape, death, and grief

I cannot remember the last time a book made me cry, but this was emotional and beautiful and fantastically written. I’m so grateful to have read this.

The beginning hooked me immediately, and I kept reading for the amazing story that unfolded. Primarily, I loved the way Curtis wrote the book. Her words, pacing, and ability to create such dynamic characters all added to the quality way in which she formed such a poignant novel. The twist was definitely unexpected as well, and I couldn’t stop reading.

Also, all of the emotions associated with PTSD and grief were described so well, which many authors seem to struggle with, but this story was as realistic as it was heartbreaking.

Beyond what little I mentioned above, I could not hope to do this book justice through a review, so I urge to please add this to your TBR.

My heart ached with and for Grace from "The Leading Edge of Now" as I read her story. Grace was raped, then her dad died, and she spent two years in foster care. When her uncle gains custody of her the world changes to black and white to an ambiguous gray. Who was responsible for the rape? Why did it take Grace's uncle two years to seek out custody?

Marci Lyn Curtis did an excellent job of portraying Grace's Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and the symptoms of that disorder. Interwoven with the pain and PTSD was Grace's grief over losing the one parental figure that she had known in her life. This book moved me to tears multiple times. As someone who was sexually assaulted, I understand the triggers, flashbacks, and avoidance all too well. Sexual assault is a much too common story in our society but still a fairly taboo topic of conversation. Thank you, Marci, for boldly engaging with such a difficult topic.

There are no clear-cut answers in life and Marci reminds readers of that again and again as Grace seeks out things that are maybes. Sometimes you have to take the initiative and see what happens: good, bad or ugly. I appreciate that the ending wasn't a cookie cutter happily ever after. Life doesn't work that way. But it's still okay and there are good times mixed in with the hard days.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Trigger Warnings: sexual assault, breakups, death, grief, alcohol abuse