Autumn Doughton

"This time I'm not looking for oblivion. I don't want to get lost. I want to be found."

I absolutely LOVED this!!!

So, when I first started it I was worried. I've been a little jaded about New Adult lately. I'm still trying to understand the genre and I've been stumbling around with some books that are either too close to porn (eww!) or are so choppy and have so many typos and errors I want to pull my hair out (or a red marker!)

But this one was pure genius.

Ellie isn't annoying or awful. She's show more just your average girl trying to find a medium between pushing herself through school (getting good grades, living up to parents expectations!) and having fun and not letting college life pass her by.

Her roommates are loving and fun but also have their own life - so they are all about taking care of each other but also about living life. The perfect mix.

And....Mark...LOVE him! Everyone should have a best friend who says "We're home team. Everyone else is playing on the guest side." Love this guy!!!

And Ben. Walking sexy rock guy. But he's not self absorbed or angry possessive or any of the strange quirks I tend to find in a badboy type rocker. He's sweet and sensitive but isn't going to take crap either. he's been through enough, he doesn't need another Lily.

And these characters are all so real! Ellie shows irrational anger and jealousy (but mainly only struggles in her head) and Ben isn't punching and fighting every guy that talks to Ellie (because honestly, that's weird!)

and their story is very real and honest and I fell in love with it. The writing was lyrical and easy and just wonderful!

Please [a:Autumn Doughton|6573700|Autumn Doughton|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1362834702p2/6573700.jpg] write more and more! I could read your stories all day long!!!! show less

If I had to describe The Bright Effect with one word, it would be WOW.

Without warning, this book ripped my heart apart. I felt sadness, anger, and disbelief. Out. Of. Nowhere. All after I spent more than half of the book getting to know and falling in love with three key characters. But then Doughton and Cope did something extraordinary. They slowly put my heart (and one of the characters) back together again.

During the first half, we are introduced to twins Amelia and Daphne Bright. While show more both girls are popular, Amelia is serious and studious, and Daphne is fun and the life of the party. These characters are so well developed, each with distinctive personalities and mannerisms. I loved both and felt as though I was right there next to them when they joked around and when they shared more tender, sisterly moments. We also get to know Sebastian (Bash), who has taken a step back from the social scene due to responsibilities at home. When Amelia and Bash cross paths, sparks fly. To my delight, their relationship develops slowly, and everything they think and say and do while they get to know each other is sweet and gives me butterflies. Knowing these three characters so well is what makes what happens midway through unbearable in so many ways.

At the beginning of the second part, I had no idea what to expect. And to be honest, the shift in mood was jarring, so I worried that I would not be okay with the ending. Well, it turns out I didn’t need to worry because Doughton and Cope knew exactly what they were doing. Bravo for handling such a sensitive topic with depth and for not glossing over the pain involved.

I should also mention how much I enjoyed the writing style of these two authors. I don’t know who wrote what, but it doesn’t even matter because the style was consistent throughout. The dialogue was great too. It was realistic and flowed beautifully.

*Many thanks to the authors for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book. show less

In This Moment is the perfect title for this story because it's so full of those moments in life that can either pass you by, leaving you scarred and a wreck or you can grab ahold of them, cherishing each and everyone of them, no matter how painful they may be because in life all we have are these moments. Aimee has moved away to go to college. She's running from her past and one tragic moment that has defined the rest of her life when she literally runs into (or falls into) Cole Everly. show more Cole is athletic, gorgeous and knows his way around women. Like Aimee Cole has a past too that he's trying to escape yet unlike Aimee he finds his escape in the arms of other women (lots of women) and he never allows himself to get too close or to fall in love. Aimee and Cole keep running into each other and despite their own fears they both become closer over the course of the book. Aimee is afraid to relive her past and to let anyone know the truth about her. She's withdrawn and feels like she doesn't have the right to experience joy or love while Cole doesn't want to ever experience love. He has never been in a real relationship but since running into Aimee he can't get her out of his mind and the more he's drawn into her the scarier it gets for both of them. Cole and Aimee are runners, it's what they do. when things go bad they run the other direction as far and as fast as they can but sometimes you can't outrun you past and sometimes, just sometimes running can be more painful than staying because some things are worth fighting for.

Both characters have their hang ups, neither one of them is perfect and both make plenty of mistakes. They are well fleshed out along with the side characters like Aimee's new best friend and Cole's roommate. This is just one of those books that grabs your heart and chews it up, spitting it out before super gluing it back together for you in the end. You can't help but feel for Aimee and Cole and when both relive their pasts and tell their stories you just want to be there to hug them. If you're like me and love stories about love and redemption, of hope when everything seems hopeless then you'll love In This Moment. I've seen this book compared to The Sea of Tranquility and the themes are similar so if you enjoyed that one then you'll love this book. Both have slow building relationships that aren't perfect and don't just happen overnight and both deal with loss and love. Heck even if this isn't your genre of choice give it a try anyway. I'm pretty sure if you're human then you'll love this book. Actually I'm pretty positive that space aliens would enjoy it too. It's just too good of a book. show less

"Willow, it's never too late. And there's always a way to begin again." ~ Alex

OMG I loved this!! Willow is a wonderful, average girl. And we are plopped into her world as it's falling apart - her boyfriend of two years dumping her.

I love that Willow is so easy to relate to. She isn't goodie-goodie, she isn't "the most popular girl in school" but she also doesn't suddenly throw raging fits or punch everyone in sight. She has reactions that are realistic and true.

And Alex. What a wonderful show more treasure it was to read about them reconnecting and catching up.

"You're the bright spot in my day." ~ Alex

OMG, you melt me. show less