Wow what an amazing story!
Maura commits suicide by jumping off a bridge but as she jumps she has flashbacks of all hurt, pain, everything in her life that was basically completely miserable.
The book was very emotional and a lot of people will probably be able to relate to it and it was very well written.
It was also saddening that she couldn't come out of that black hole she was in.
I will not say anything further as I do not want to spoil it for those wanting to read it.

I would definitely recommend it. ( )

Six Seconds of Life is about a girl's who throws herself off a bridge, has six seconds to live, and in those six seconds contemplates whether her problems were really that bad to warrant committing suicide. A very poignant story. ( )

Disturbing and emotional. I did not shed a tear but 6 Seconds of Life broke my heart.

My heart ached for Maura. She's insecure and unstable and emotionally abused. What hurt the most was that the abuse came from the people who should be the first to take care of her. I'm not going to enumerate the things that pushed her into wanting to end her own life because those will make a long list. Just know that those things are so horrible that no teenager should be shouldering them, especially alone. When she met Owen, I thought maybe he could help her. Maura thought so, too. And in fairness to Owen, he did try. And I believe there really was something real between him and Maura until college life and Greek society pulled them apart. Speaking of Greek, I just want to say that Maura's sorority sisters were bitches. Sisterhood, my ass. I've never read such a joke of a sorority as this book's Theta Beta. Abandoning a sister is sisterhood? Calling her a whore and a liar in front of everyone is? Gods, I was so angry at those girls. They were really pathetic. Burn in hell, bitches!

What stuck with me the most is that Maura really did try to change. She wanted to be happy and for a time, she was. She found love and a family. She felt that she belonged. At least until the very people who welcomed her betrayed and abandoned her. I didn't like that she resorted to alcohol, but I understand why she did it. That wanting to just forget everything and drown your sorrows even for a moment. Maura's life was just so sad and painful that ending it seemed like the only way out of it.

6 Seconds of Life is a poignant and touching read. It's very well written and I love the flow of the story and the words used. Tonya Fitzharris sure knows how to pierce a hole in your heart. The story's realistic and relatable. These things happen and most of the times, the person suffering from them just chooses to stay silent and keep them all in until they explode. I think what this book is trying to tell us is that we don't have to be alone. We can seek help and there are people who could give it to us if we only let them. Maura isolated herself because she thought she could do it alone. In my opinion, that's her first and biggest mistake.

I was kinda expecting the ending but I still liked it. It was really good and I was glad that Maura survived the fall. It gave her another chance to change and be happy.

I definitely recommend 6 Seconds of Life if you're looking for something heart-wrenching but not too heavy.
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This book is breathtaking, and very realistic. It's also tragic on so many different levels. The way that Maura is treated throughout her life is something I can easily relate to, and I feel a strong bond to her. My favourite part was definitely 0:00 seconds in the book.

Cover/format of book/writing style

Since this book is more contemporary I would've liked to see a more contemporary cover. However this is cute and suiting. The format of the book kept you engaged. It starts in the present, then skips to the past and works its way back up. I like the journal entries she has incorporated. I also enjoyed Fitzharris' writing style, it was in first person, and was suitable for the age range of the book.

Main character..

I really felt depressed for Maura. As I said above, I could relate to some of the feelings that she felt in the book. It is so sad that no one noticed her enough to lead up to that tragic morning.

I really liked this book, and recommend reading it. If you liked Lauren Oliver's Before I Fall, I think you'll like this one too!
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Wow! This was a really intense and gut-wrenching read dealing with depression and suicide. It made me want to cry, made me want to shake the main character, made me want to scream at her parents, made me want to punch out her supposed friend. An author who can make me feel so strongly is doing something right in my opinion.

Maura has just jumped from a bridge in an attempt at suicide. Told in snippets that start in high school and end in college, we see glimpses of the major events that have shaped Maura's life and brought her to rock bottom. There are large gaps in time which may be jarring to some readers, but I found that it enhanced the feeling that Maura is falling and we're just seeing those moments that flash before her eyes.


Maura is one of the best-written characters I've come across in a long time. She is an utterly damaged person. She has a severe lack of self-esteem and crippling depression that overshadow her relationships with every person she meets. She acknowledges that her life is a disaster but has no idea how to make things right. Her attempts to improve her life are really just cries for help. She becomes obsessive and jealous about her boyfriend. She becomes a borderline alcoholic to loosen up and have fun. Despite her desire to form normal relationships and fit in, she continues to spiral out of control to the point where she feels she has nothing left anymore and the world would be a better place without her. This was really quite an amazing and intimate look at a person struggling with their own self-worth.


As for the plot, I found it absolutely compelling. I knew where things were going to end. I'm not giving anything away when I tell you that she jumps. But throughout, I just kept hoping that something would change for her. From one event to the next I wanted more.


This was a very well-written and compelling read. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for realistic fiction that doesn't mind subject matter that's a little bit dark. ( )