Book review: The Moment of Letting Go by J. A. Redmerski
4 Sep
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 is the first book by J. A. Redmerski that I’ve read but having heard such good things about her previous novels I was keen to read this one. The beautiful Hawaiian setting and promise of a handsome surfer lead might also have played a part too 
Workaholic event planner Sienna is sent to Hawaii to organise a high-end wedding and during her two days there she meets surfer Luke who teaches at the hotel that she is staying at. The spark between them is immediate and in a very uncharacteristic move Sienna decides to take some holiday and extend her stay in Hawaii so that she can get to know Luke better. I loved the spur of the moment, spontaneous storyline and this book appealed to my sense of adventure and romance.
Both Luke and Sienna are in their early twenties and young, free and single which made Sienna’s sudden change of plans plausible and I thought the story was an original take on the New Adult romance theme. I liked Luke and Sienna as characters although I did find myself suspending my disbelief a little that Sienna could be so successful in her job so quickly! I liked the initial contrast between her cautious character and Luke’s as laid back adventurer and as as the story progressed I thought both characters developed well to show that they were much more than their initial impressions.
The dual narrative kept the story interesting and I loved that we got to see both sides of the relationship as it developed. The theme of letting go is a strong one throughout the book as Sienna confronts her fears and Luke comes to terms with the events of his past. The mix of holiday romance, adventure and fun with more serious themes worked well and although this was a quick read I found that I cared about what happened to both characters. There’s also a strong supporting cast and I particularly liked Seth and Kendra’s story too.
The Moment of Letting Go is a fast paced whirlwind romance that I enjoyed a lot. It’s the perfect end of summer read and will definitely leave you with a warm glow!
4/5
The Moment of Letting Go is out now in paperback and ebook formats.
I’d like to thank Piatkus for providing a review copy of this book.
Find out more about J. A. Redmerski and her writing at: http://jessicaredmerski.com/
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