Moment of Truth

by Kasie West

[Sam@WLABB]

Hadley was laser focused on her goals, and wouldn't let anything or anyone get in her way. When fake Heath Hall disrupts her swim meet, and she loses the race, she sets her sights on unmasking him. As she searches for the culprit, she uncovers some hard truths about herself, and is forced to face her fears.

The state of the world is pretty intense right now, and it was a pleasure to lose myself in this wonderful book. It was cute and sweet and touching, and it was exactly what I needed at that moment.

I won't lie, I picked up this book solely based on the fact, that Kasie West wrote it. I have had great success with her books, and therefore, don't even hesitate to add them to my TBR. I saw many things in this synopsis, which also drew my attention. It eludes to this fun little mystery, and yes, that was a big part of the story, but I found myself more drawn to the family drama.

Hadley was known for her drive and ambition to be the best. She excelled in school and in the pool, though it was not totally due to intrinsic motivation. Hadley pushed herself to her limits, because she was competing with the ghost of her late brother. This was such a tricky situation for her, as she struggled with the sadness of having lost the opportunity to know her brother, while feeling some resentment for playing second fiddle to him. No matter how many perfect grades she earned or how many medals she won, her parents continued to choose him. This was heartbreaking to me, and like Hadley, I struggle with conflicting emotions. I could only imagine how devastating the lose of a child could be, and I understood her parents' grief, but at the same time, I was frustrated with them for putting their living child's needs on the back burner, while they continued to drown in their grief. I definitely had a keen interest in this part of the story, and was happy with the way it played out. It was an important part of Hadley's personal journey, and I thought West did a great job guiding her through it.

But, this is a Kasie West book, so as expected, there was also fun, friendship, and romance. It was a delight chasing Heath Hall all over the place. He engaged in some interesting activities, which forced Hadley out of the pool. Though the search resulted in some great moments, I really like who Heath Hall ended up being. There was a lot more to him, and I liked how he pushed Hadley to examine herself, and how he fit into the book as a whole.

Not only did Hadley deviate from her norm in her search, she also made some new friends. One of those friends was Jackson. Hadley was not a Jackson fan, because she thought he just coasted along, while she worked her tail off. She saw him as a clown, but there was a lot more to him, than met the eye. I found him quite charming, and liked how he never gave up trying to push Hadley out of her comfort zone. As she began to see him differently, she also began to view many other things in a different light.

In her search for Heath Hall, Hadley found so much more, and I loved every second of her journey.