One Moment

Memorial Day weekend was supposed to be perfect for Maggie Reynolds - Dutton’s blow-out party, cliff-diving with her life-long friends – a prelude to the carefree days of summer before the group would take over as seniors. But then something went terribly wrong.

Maggie remembers standing on the cliff, hand-in-hand with her perfect boyfriend Joey, ready to jump into the water below. She remembers that last kiss, soft, lingering, and meant to reassure her. But why can’t she remember what happened in that last moment, so she still stood on the cliff, and Joey ended up dead?

As memories start returning in brief snatches, they just lead to more questions: Why were Joey and his best friend, Adam, fighting at the party? Where did Joey go after dropping her off? And what other secrets was he keeping form her?

With everyone pressuring her to share what happened, her friendships on the verge of collapse, and Adam (who seems to know much more than he’s willing to tell) drifting away from the group, Maggie has never felt so alone.

McBride’s sophomore novel is a searing look at how one moment can alter someone’s entire world.