Review: 6 Seconds of Life by Tonya Fitzharris

Author: Tonya Fitzharris
Title: 6 Seconds of Life
Publication: September 1, 2012
Publisher: CreateSpace  
Rating: 3 out of 5
Source: Blog Tour
Synopsis
Maura has just jumped.

 Now she has precisely six seconds until she hits the water below her—just six more seconds until she is finally freed from her mundane and aimless existence.  Freed of all of the regrets and disappointments that have haunted her throughout her nineteen years.

 She just needs to be free.

 But as she falls, the most pivotal points of her life start to replay like a movie in her head: her family falling apart, her first love, her first heartbreak, her first true friends, and her first betrayal.  As she remembers these moments that brought her to this point, will she feel a sense of peace?  Or will her death be her greatest regret?

Thoughts: Maura is an extremely broken individual. She's withdrawn internally never truly letting anyone get close to her though that seems to be the one thing she desires. Then one day, someone actually sees her and she just begins to trust him, even moves to another side of the country to be with him. Owen, her boyfriend, encourages her to join in the rush activities while in college as he thinks it will get her to be more social. He couldn't be more wrong as things start to turn sour in every aspect of Maura's life. Can she pull it together and pull through or will she call it quits and jump. 

6 Seconds is an emotional, raw and infuriating story about suicide. This poor girl endures so much in this book; I want to cry for her. I also wanted her to stop holding everything in and talk about how she felt. Maura comes off as a shy, mousy and crazy young lady but she doesn't know how to cope well in strenuous situations. I was curious the entire time trying to understand what event initiated her emotional downward spiral. My conclusion, absolutely everything contributes to her decision to consider suicide. She does try to fit in college by joining in the sorority scene yet I don't know how partying and drinking makes someone belong. One moment in this book truly made me angry, when Maura attempts to seek guidance from someone she thinks her friend only to see the true ugliness the lies beneath the surface. Overall, my heart went out to Maura, everyone she trusts just ends up disappointing her and she concludes that no one cares about her and she is truly alone. This is a sad story that touches on family issues, infidelity, rape, alcohol abuse and suicide. So load up on tissues.

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Promo: 6 Seconds of Life by Tonya Fitzharris

Young Adult / New Adult
Author: Tonya Fitzharris
Title: 6 Seconds of Life
Publication: 9/1/12

Synopsis

Maura has just jumped.

 Now she has precisely six seconds until she hits the water below her—just six more seconds until she is finally freed from her mundane and aimless existence.  Freed of all of the regrets and disappointments that have haunted her throughout her nineteen years.

 She just needs to be free.

But as she falls, the most pivotal points of her life start to replay like a movie in her head: her family falling apart, her first love, her first heartbreak, her first true friends, and her first betrayal.  As she remembers these moments that brought her to this point, will she feel a sense of peace?  Or will her death be her greatest regret?

Excerpt

I think deep down, I’ve always known it was going to end this way. I was never meant to live a long life. I accepted this fate a long time ago. I was just waiting for the right moment.
I wanted to fall in love first.
I wanted to experience what it was like to have a real family first.
I wanted to know what it was like to be sincerely happy, even if it was short-lived.
I got all of those firsts.
And now I’m ready to move forward.
I inch my feet closer to the open sky. And closer. Until my naked toes are peeking over the edge. The water cracks violently below me, begging for me to join in on all of the fun.
Just a few more seconds before it’s all over. Until I’m free. I’m totally relaxed. This moment, it’s all mine. No one can take it away from me.
I close my eyes. The sounds of high heels clicking on the walkway and cameras snapping and preserving memories and street musicians begging for spare change surround me. I breathe in their music and let it be the soundtrack to the closing credits of my life.
I raise my arms up to my side, reaching for the skies that surround me.
And I step into the air.
I’m flying now.