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Center of Gravity Laura McNeill 9780718030902 Books

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Center of Gravity Laura McNeill 9780718030902 Books

Wow! This is really a very compelling and exciting book. I read this in the space of one evening as I found it impossible to put down.

For anyone who has had issues with a crazy ex--this book will remind you why you were lucky to get away. I loved the relationship between Sam, Jack and Ava. The way the author portrayed the selflessness of the main character and her desperation to be with her children was so on target. I found myself wishing I could jump into the pages and fix the situation for her.

This story unfolds rather quickly, and after the first few chapters there is no way you can put it down without thinking about it when you walk away. The writing is excellent, the conversations seem realistic and the emotions that the characters display are genuine. This is an author who knows how to captivate her readers.

I did find in some places that Jack seemed a bit advanced for his age. Particularly in one spot where he is using a computer, it seems he has knowledge of how things operate way beyond his years, whereas the rest of the book he appears as an intelligent, yet appropriately minded young boy. I wanted to hug him.

Still, this was a nearly perfect book. It grabbed my attention early on and gave me a reason to keep turning pages--I even found that I missed the characters when the story was finished.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a great read. Fast paced, witty and well planned.

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and Netgalley. All opinions are my own.


Tags : Center of Gravity [Laura McNeill] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. <strong>The truth could cost her everything.</strong> Her whole life, Ava Carson has been sure of one thing: she doesn’t measure up to her mother’s expectations. So when Mitchell Carson sweeps into her life with his adorable son,Laura McNeill,Center of Gravity,Thomas Nelson,0718030907,Custody of children,Domestic fiction,Domestic fiction.,Family life;Fiction.,Family violence,Man-woman relationships,Suspense fiction,AMERICAN MYSTERY & SUSPENSE FICTION,Christian - Suspense,Contemporary Women,FICTION Christian Suspense,FICTION Thrillers Suspense,FICTION Women,Fiction,Fiction & related items,Fiction - Espionage Thriller,Fiction-Christian,FictionChristian - Suspense,FictionLiterary,FictionWomen,GENERAL,General Adult,Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945),MysterySuspense,TOPICAL Christian Interest,Thrillers - Suspense,United States

Center of Gravity Laura McNeill 9780718030902 Books Reviews

Let's just say you won't read this book casually. One character in this book was so maddening I wanted to throttle him, which somehow only increased the tension when his wife, wife's lawyer, and son found the self-control to either stuff it down or play it cool. Sadly, I've known enough characters like this in real life to find the story believable, and the author does a great job at bringing her characters to life, even eight-year-old superhero Jack. High stakes, high tension read that will keep you returning to the page just to relieve the tightness in your chest and in hopes that anyone who acts that way will get his comeuppance.
Wow! Could not put this book down. Lots of intense emotion throughout the pages. I liked how the chapters focused on a different character's viewpoint. So you got a good idea of what each person was thinking and feeling. Great approach!

This one was a little more difficult to read on a personal level. While my ex-husband never went to the extremes that Mitchell did, he did spend the last month before he left me for the woman with whom he was having an affair, telling people lies about me...convincing them I was a horrible person. That way they would feel he was justified in leaving me.

So it was hard to experience these same betrayals as I turned the pages. Will people finally realize they are being manipulated? Guess you'll have to pick up the book and discover for yourself!
This book was so amazing that I read it in one day! Ava and Mitchell are the parents of two sons. Ava is a stay at home mom and Mitchell works at the university. Ava is beginning to realize how controlling her husband is, as his behavior becomes more and more erratic and unpredictable. But she is blindsided when he files for divorce and takes away her children. Ava knows that she must find the strength to fight Mitchell, and discovers earth-shattering secrets of her husband's in her quest to get her children back. The tension builds and builds in this book, compelling you to keep turning pages until you reach the surprising climax. The story is told from several points of view, including Mitchell's...it's always intriguing to hear a story from the "bad guy's" point of view. But it's the chapters narrated by 8-year-old Jack that are so poignant, as he tries to understand the actions of the adults in his life.
Center of Gravity ended up being so different from what I expected when I started listening to it. I expected it to be a behind-the-scenes look at a "perfect family" that isn't as perfect as we first expect, however it was so much more! The reader (or listener in my case) gets to see inside the heads of these characters which, in the case of Mitchell, is quite disturbing.

The story is told through the point-of-view of numerous characters, namely Ava, Mitchell, Sam, Graham, and a court-appointed psychologist. I loved this as it gives such a rounded view of this disintegrating marriage and family and allows us to see the various characters grapple with the sometimes insane-seeming situation before them as well as view how they try to justify what is happening. In the case of Mitchell this is quite chilling as we discover, quite early on, that he's rapidly coming unhinged. I found it fascinating to see how far he would go - lying, scheming, planting false evidence, and so much more - in his quest to get what he wants and ruin Ava after he's convinced she's been unfaithful to him. Watching Ava try to rationalize what is happening around her (surely this couldn't be happening to her happy little household, could it?) as well as come to terms with the increasingly horrific facts she finds out about her husband was also so interesting.

With such a host of appealing (or disturbing) characters, my favorite would definitely be Jack. His point-of-view is so endearing and it broke my heart to watch him wrestle with loving his mentally abusive father, take care of his baby brother Sam, and try to figure out how to make his family whole again. He wants so badly to be like the superheroes he loves so much, which is a lot of pressure for an 8-year-old. He's such a sweet, smart, and brave little character and I just ached watching him go through so much at the hands of his own father.

The pace of the narrative was great as well. In the beginning the pacing was somewhat slow as this world slowly begins to unravel, but then it picks up and continues to build intensity, reaching near breakneck speed at the end. I found myself unable to stop listening until I could see how it would end and discover if all of our characters would make it out alive.

Being an audiobook I should comment on the narrator as well. Lisa Larsen was an excellent narrator and did a fantastic job of changing up the voices of the characters, which is especially impressive given the large cast. She also did a great job of altering the tension and pacing to keep the listener invested in the story and making it hard to turn it off.

Center of Gravity is a great peek into the home of a psycho husband who convinced so many - including his wife! - that he was the perfect family man. You won't be able to look away as the plot unfolds and the illusion of perfection tumbles down. I highly recommend it for those that enjoy a suspenseful listening experience!
Wow! This is really a very compelling and exciting book. I read this in the space of one evening as I found it impossible to put down.

For anyone who has had issues with a crazy ex--this book will remind you why you were lucky to get away. I loved the relationship between Sam, Jack and Ava. The way the author portrayed the selflessness of the main character and her desperation to be with her children was so on target. I found myself wishing I could jump into the pages and fix the situation for her.

This story unfolds rather quickly, and after the first few chapters there is no way you can put it down without thinking about it when you walk away. The writing is excellent, the conversations seem realistic and the emotions that the characters display are genuine. This is an author who knows how to captivate her readers.

I did find in some places that Jack seemed a bit advanced for his age. Particularly in one spot where he is using a computer, it seems he has knowledge of how things operate way beyond his years, whereas the rest of the book he appears as an intelligent, yet appropriately minded young boy. I wanted to hug him.

Still, this was a nearly perfect book. It grabbed my attention early on and gave me a reason to keep turning pages--I even found that I missed the characters when the story was finished.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a great read. Fast paced, witty and well planned.

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and Netgalley. All opinions are my own.