Moment of Truth by Kasie West

“At sixteen, Hadley Moore knows exactly who she is—a swimmer who will earn a scholarship to college. Totally worth all the hard work, even if her aching shoulders don’t agree. So when a guy dressed as Hollywood’s latest action hero, Heath Hall, crashes her swim meet, she isn’t amused. Instead, she’s determined to make sure he doesn’t bother her again. Only she’s not sure exactly who he is.

The swim meet isn’t the first event the imposter has interrupted, but a little digging turns up a surprising number of people who could be Heath Hall, including Hadley's ex-boyfriend and her best friend’s crush. She soon finds herself getting caught up in the mysterious world of the fake Heath Hall.

As Hadley gets closer to uncovering the masked boy’s identity she also discovers some uncomfortable truths about herself—like she might resent the long shadow her late brother has cast over her family, that she isn’t as happy as she pretends to be with her life choices… and that she is falling for the last guy she ever thought she would like.” -taken from Goodreads.com

When I first started Kasie West’s newest book, I figured it would be my last. In the first couple of chapters, I felt a bit of deja vu. That feeling quickly dissipated as I got into Hadley Moore’s story. Yes, there is a romance element to the book but this is really about Hadley’s journey of self-discovery and how she helped herself and her parents begin to grieve over the death of the older brother that she never knew. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Visit Kasie West’s website.

Phantom Limbs by Paula Garner

“How do you move on from an irreplaceable loss? In a poignant debut, a sixteen-year-old boy must learn to swim against an undercurrent of grief—or be swept away by it.

Otis and Meg were inseparable until her family abruptly moved away after the terrible accident that left Otis’s little brother dead and both of their families changed forever. Since then, it’s been three years of radio silence, during which time Otis has become the unlikely protégé of eighteen-year-old Dara—part drill sergeant, part friend—who’s hell-bent on transforming Otis into the Olympic swimmer she can no longer be. But when Otis learns that Meg is coming back to town, he must face some difficult truths about the girl he’s never forgotten and the brother he’s never stopped grieving. As it becomes achingly clear that he and Meg are not the same people they were, Otis must decide what to hold on to and what to leave behind. Quietly affecting, this compulsively readable debut novel captures all the confusion, heartbreak, and fragile hope of three teens struggling to accept profound absences in their lives.” taken from Goodreads.com

This book is full of mystery and heartbreak. Otis is struggling with a lot. His best friend and former love has suddenly come back into his life after three years of silence and has dredged up lots of conflicting emotions. His little brother, Mason, died at Meg’s house. The two families who were very close and are suddenly ripped apart when Meg’s family moves to California. Otis is also dealing with Dara, a girl who has become his unofficial swim coach now that her dreams of a swimming career are shattered because part of one of her arms was amputated. Readers will be captivated not only by the glorious prose that is Ms. Garner’s novel but their desire to unravel and journey alongside Otis as he learns not only the circumstances and the impact his brother’s death had on the two families but more about Dara and what makes her tick.

How did Mason die? What were the circumstance surrounding his death? Why did Meg’s family leave town afterward? How did Dara lose part of her arm? Why is she determined to make Otis a better swimmer? Can Otis overcome the grief he feels over his brother’s death? What happens when Meg comes back into Otis’ life? How will Otis’ story end?

Visit Paula Garner’s website.