4.5 stars ( )

Sit down, buckle up and hold on - this is one thrilling ride. ( )

This review is gonna be really short. The reason? Basically because there is nothing much for me to say except this...."Read this book!"
If you are a fan of Gone Girl like I am, you will definitely LOVE Center of Gravity by Laura McNeill. I stayed up until I read the last page knowing that I had to get up for work in a few hours! And, I think I held my breath through chapter 60 until the end of the book! THIS is the kind of book a reader like me searches for. So read it...today. ( )

The book is not your typical feel good , perfect life kind of book. What it is though, is a story of a husband and wife and their unraveling marriage. It starts out with Ava , Mitchell, Sam and Jack. They seem to be a normal family with a nice house. The husband works hard and the wife who utterly adores her family. But lurking, deep in the dark hole of Mitchell, the husband , is a man who craves control. He is eerily chilling in his diabolical ways and explosive in his need to have the upper hand . As the story begins to explore their life, we find Mitchell start to become this meanicing , scary person who thrives on power.

The story is told from several characters perspectives . It was a great way to envision what each person perceived as the author wrote the story through their eyes. As I began to get further into the story, I felt a sense of tension and chills run through my body. The book has many layers to it, but as you peel away the layers sheer terror abounds. Mitchell is a devious , unstable person who seems to believe that no woman can be trusted. Out of nowhere one day, he decides to take the children , leave Ava and file for divorce.

As Ava starts to fight for custody of her sons, Mitchell begins his plan of complete destruction of Ava . The author gives us chilling glimpses into an evil, heartless man who will do anything to keep his kids. It's like a cat and mouse game, where only the strong survive. It's a thriller at the top of its game, with graphic almost unthinkable acts of terror aimed at those who get in Mitchell's way.

There are a couple of really great words spoken by characters in the book. . The first was from Dr.Bennett , who is trying to determine who is best suited to have the children. As she is talking to Ava she says, " Everyone has a center of gravity. Every family too. It's the tangible things that make us feel grounded and whole. "
All of us want a stable life, to feel secure and not to have to walk on egg shells around your spouse. We want the hero to come in and save the day. As Jack say, " Some heroes are made, not born. They don't wear costumes or special amulets. They are mothers , men, kids, and regular people. They might get bruised , broken , or beaten down. But they don't give up."
I received a copy of this book from Chicklit Plus for an honest review ( )

At the beginning of the novel, Ava and Malcolm have a perfect marriage. She is a stay at home mom with 2 kids - 8 year old Jack (from Malcom's first marriage who she has just adopted) and baby Sam. Her husband was a widower when she first met him and he was her dream man. He is a successful college executive and treats her like gold. She loves her life, her children and her husband. And then the cracks start to appear. Malcolm becomes very controlling and manipulative and is often angry with the children. Ava explains to Jack and truly believes that it's due to his pressure at work. She thinks that her marriage can be saved until the day that Malcolm moves out and gets custody of the two children. He doesn't really want them but he knows what will hurt her the most is the loss of the children.
The novel is about her quest to get her children back against overwhelming odds.

I absolutely loved this book. It's told in alternating chapters by Ava, Malcolm, Jack and Ava's attorney. That sounds like it might be confusing to have so many voices telling the story but what the reader gets is a well told story from different angles that create a total view of what's going on. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a story that you can't put down until the end - and even after that, the characters stay in your mind. ( )