There Will Come a Time Carrie Arcos *Review*

**I received an arc via On The Same Page--@galsonthesamepg--(formerly Literary Lushes) ARC Tours in exchange for an honest and fair review**

This is going to be a rave-tastic review because man, was this novel brilliant. 

My sentiments toward There Will Come a Time can be summed up in one sentence: I LOVED IT. Arcos delivers everything a reader is looking for in a novel: from the characters and plot to the theme, it's compelling, relatable, and believable (and funny...and heartwarming...).

I enjoyed virtually everything about this book. The plot is fascinating, following a somewhat dual storyline that switches off between The Accident and The Present. I loved the idea of the Top 5 list as a plot device to move Mark forward, and the dash of romantic interest was a nice touch. 

And the CHARACTERS! Gah. I love when you can stand in a virtual room with a cast of characters and actually meet them. Arcos shaped her characters so well that I can picture each of them as well as hear their voices—and this still holds true as I write this review (I read this novel about a month ago :/ and due to external circumstances didn't write the review until now). Connecting with them was easy.

That said, I particularly felt a kinship with Mark. His voice is so easy to resonate with. It's laid back with just a touch of seriousness and a somewhat reverent, heartfelt sense of honesty...and as someone who suffers from PTSD, I found Mark's experiences and viewpoints to be especially cathartic. Arcos really Got It—the fact that PTSD isn't logical (and yet, in many ways, is), that the people around those who suffer from it really struggle with and largely fail in understanding it, and that it's just as baffling to the one suffering from the ailment as everyone else around him/her.

I appreciated Arcos' ability and willingness to explore the subjects of grief, suffering, and loss with honesty and compassion. I'm a total sucker for redemptive themes in action :)!

The only thing I found slightly unrealistic/bothersome was the time frame of Mark's recovery. Of course I realize that he isn't “fully recovered” by the end of the novel; “full recovery” is an impossibility. It's wonderful that Mark comes to accept and properly grieve the loss of his twin sister by the end of the novel because this is what the synopsis hints at with the glimmer of promise. However, I thought the pacing of that recovery toward the second half of the book was a bit rushed. (It was still enjoyable, though!)

Bottom line: If you're looking for a phenomenal read that's refreshing, funny, evocative, poignant, piercing, and/or cathartic, I *highly* recommend 

There Will Come a Time.

Final Verdict: 

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About the Author

I live in Los Angeles, Eagle Rock, to be specific, though I can’t claim myself a native. Not many can. I’m from Albany, NY–which means I’m Italian and Irish on Dad’s side and English on Mom’s side. And most of the time this information may seem incidental, except that people tell me I feel more East coast than West. What they are trying to politely say is that I at times exhibit the New Yorker sass or attitude. This is fine by me.

I married a handsome Latino man, hence the last name. We have three children: boy, girl, boy. All have curly hair. All want to be artists someday.

I have worked as a sandwich designer, health food connoisseur, tutor, refugee resettler, citizenship instructor, and camp director. But the best job, other than writing, has been that of a teacher. I taught High School English and coached Cross Country and Track for a few years in primarily urban environments, and man, I miss those kids. Although it was always a little rough to get through early American literature because there was a piece we had to read with the word seaman in it. The boys lost it every time.

I ended up getting my masters in English and Creative Writing, which really was an excuse to write. But this eventually allowed me to teach college students. My husband was happy until he realized that there really isn’t any money in it, and I should go back to teaching high school, but not many schools will let you work part-time.

I love teaching college students. They’re kind of like high school students, but older.

I’m represented by the lovely Kerry Sparks of Levine Greenberg Literary Agency and am a member of SCWBI. I’m also a National Book Award finalist for young people’s literature, which is pretty awesome for my first book! 

You know when you’ve wanted something for a long time and then it happens? What do you do with that? Say thank you.

You can find out more about Carrie on...

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