A Review of Center of Gravity by Laura McNeill

The truth could cost her everything.

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, the ready-made family seems like a dream come true. In the blink of an eye, she’s married, has a new baby, and life is wonderful. When her picture-perfect marriage begins unraveling at the seams, Ava convinces herself she can fix it. It’s temporary. It’s the stress. It’s Mitchell’s tragic history of loss. If only Ava could believe her own excuses. Mitchell is no longer the charming, thoughtful man she married. He grows more controlling by the day, revealing a violent jealous streak. His behavior is recklessly erratic, and the unanswered questions about his past now hint at something far more sinister than Ava can stomach. Before she can fit the pieces together, Mitchell files for divorce and demands full custody of their boys. Fueled by fierce love for her children and aided by Graham Thomas, a new attorney in town, Ava takes matters into her own hands, digging deep into the past. But will finding the truth be enough to beat Mitchell at his own game?

From the very first page, I just KNEW I had to read this book by a true gem of a writer. Reading about what happened to Jack at school, I felt as if it were happening to me that very second. I didn't really have an opinion of Mitchell until he was showing off his dark side; then I wanted to scream in his face and ask him why he was treating Ava and the boys the way he was. There is always two sides to every story but Mitchell never gave the chance for Ava to tell her side. I felt like a character in this book and was rooting for Ava the entire length of the book. Graham Thomas (the lawyer that has Ava's back) is a likeable character and you know he just truly cares for Ava and what the aftermath will entail for her and her boys. Center of Gravity is a book that you need to read in one sitting. Every chapter you finish, you want to continue and read till the very last page. If you don't, you'll be wondering what's going to happen next to Ava, Jack, Sam and even Mitchell (even if you don't really care about what happens to Mitchell). I can't even believe this is a book and not a real story because it is THAT great of a book. I would really like for this to be a movie.