Upon Further Review: Believe Tiny Limits

Upon Further Review is an original feature here at Somewhere Only We Know. I have always loved re-reading my favorite books, and I wanted a way to incorporate re-reading into my blog. Thus From the Ashes and Upon Further Review were born. From the Ashes is where I re-read a book that I have never reviewed before and finally review it. Upon Further Review is where I re-read a book that I've already reviewed and see if my original rating stands or not. This is also the time for me to discuss any new revelations that my latest re-read has brought to my attention.

*So I’ve been in a bit of a reading funk lately, right? October was not a good reading month for me. And so I thought that re-reading some books that I already knew what to expect, how they end, and that I knew I would enjoy would be a great way to motivate me and move me out of my reading slump. (*Disclaimer: I did re-read Ten Tiny Breaths well before the reading slump began, but I just hadn’t typed an Upon Further Review post about it and felt like this was the perfect time to include it.)Here's my original review of Believe, my original review of Ten Tiny Breaths, and my original review of Pushing the Limits.

Believe (True Believers, # 3)

By: Erin McCarthy

Published: January 21st 2014 by InterMix

232 pages

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Robin used to be a party girl… until she got black out drunk and woke up in bed with her best friend's boyfriend. Now she's faced with being THAT girl, and couldn't be more disgusted with herself. She can't even tell her friends the reason for her sudden sobriety and she avoids everyone until she meets Phoenix—quiet, tattooed, and different in every way that's good and oh, so bad…

Phoenix is two days out of jail when he meets Robin at his cousin's house, and he knows that he has no business talking to her, but he's drawn to her quiet demeanor, sweet smile, and artistic talent. She doesn't care that he's done time, or that he only has five bucks to his name, and she supports his goal to be a tattoo artist.

But Phoenix knows Robin has a secret, and that it's a naïve dream to believe that his record won't catch up with them at some point. Though neither is prepared for the explosive result when the past collides with the present…

Believe was my favorite from the True Believers series by Erin McCarthy. I loved the way that Robin’s big secret was beginning to be set up at the end of Sweet. And more than anything, I liked seeing a character make a terrible mistake, feel remorseful, and then work towards making things as right as she could. Trying to be redeemed.

The Robin from before this epic mistake is not a Robin that I would have related to at all. I never was a partier and still don’t even really enjoy being around others who are drinking. So I wouldn’t have been able to connect to her. But I most certainly can relate to someone who makes a big mistake, feels awful about it, and then tries to do what she can to fix it.

Phoenix is the perfect counterpart for Robin. Phoenix has made his fair share of mistakes as well. Being fresh out of jail and all. Yet the reason why he went to jail isn’t even one of the things he would consider a mistake. Either way because Phoenix understands, he’s able to offer Robin what she needs—acceptance and forgiveness. He was an easily likeable leading male for this book.

Upon my re-read, I did focus in on how quickly Robin and Phoenix’s relationship progresses. They’re declaring love for each other and moving forward on a physical level at a ridiculous pace. But you know how things like time don’t always translate on paper. I initially rated this book 4 Stars, and the whole point of my Upon Further Review features is to see if this rating still stands for me or not, and well…it does. Believe deserves every one of those 4 Stars. I mean it has to say something that it hasn’t even been a year since my first read through of this book and I’m already pulling it out for a re-read, right?

Have you read Believe? What did you think? Would you consider re-reading it? Let me know!

Ten Tiny Breaths (Ten Tiny Breaths, # 1)

By: KA Tucker

Published: December 11th 2012 by Papoti Books

262 pages

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary

Source: Borrowed from my SNL, Holly @ Words Fueled by Love

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository | Booksamillion.com )

*Note: The above links to Amazon, Book Depository, and Booksamillion.com are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Kacey Cleary’s whole life imploded four years ago in a drunk-driving accident. Now she’s working hard to bury the pieces left behind—all but one. Her little sister, Livie. Kacey can swallow the constant disapproval from her born-again aunt Darla over her self-destructive lifestyle; she can stop herself from going kick-boxer crazy on Uncle Raymond when he loses the girls’ college funds at a blackjack table. She just needs to keep it together until Livie is no longer a minor, and then they can get the hell out of Grand Rapids, Michigan.

But when Uncle Raymond slides into bed next to Livie one night, Kacey decides it’s time to run. Armed with two bus tickets and dreams of living near the coast, Kacey and Livie start their new lives in a Miami apartment complex, complete with a grumpy landlord, a pervert upstairs, and a neighbor with a stage name perfectly matched to her chosen “profession.” But Kacey’s not worried. She can handle all of them. What she can’t handle is Trent Emerson in apartment 1D.

Kacey doesn’t want to feel. She doesn’t. It’s safer that way. For everyone. But sexy Trent finds a way into her numb heart, reigniting her ability to love again. She starts to believe that maybe she can leave the past where it belongs and start over. Maybe she’s not beyond repair.

But Kacey isn’t the only one who’s broken. Seemingly perfect Trent has an unforgiveable past of his own; one that, when discovered, will shatter Kacey’s newly constructed life and send her back into suffocating darkness.

After picking up In Her Wake, which is Trent’s version of the Ten Tiny Breaths events, I was dying for a re-read of this book. And re-read it I did--in like a day. So essentially, even though In Her Wake is slightly different, I’ve still experienced Trent and Kacey’s story in some form or other THREE times in the last year. I don’t feel like I have anything else to really add to my original reviews of either Ten Tiny Breaths or In Her Wake, except to say that even after experiencing this story as many times as I have, I still feel like Ten Tiny Breaths deserves the 4.5 Stars that I originally gave it. Knowing what I now know about Trent’s perspective, Ten Tiny Breaths was even deeper, and where his motives and actions didn’t make sense before, they do now. I highly recommend this book.

Have you read Ten Tiny Breaths? What did you think? Is it worthy of a re-read for you? Let me know!

Pushing the Limits (Pushing the Limits, # 1)

By: Katie McGarry

Published: July 31st 2012 by Harlequin Teen

384 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--So wrong for each other …and yet so right.

No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with "freaky" scars on her arms. Even Echo can't remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal.

But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo's world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible.

Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she'll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again.

So I originally read Pushing the Limits a little over two years ago, right? And I loved it. So much so that I couldn’t even really discuss it at the time in any kind of intelligent way. I only seemed to keep repeating “READ THIS BOOK!” Well I always planned to re-read it, but with blogging and reading books for review sometimes books that I want to read for pleasure get pushed to the side, and that’s doubly true for books that I want to re-read. But since I’ve been in this reading funk, I just really wanted to read a book that I knew what to expect and knew I would love. I didn’t want unpredictable. I didn’t want being able to see any train wrecks yet be powerless to stop them. I just wanted to get pulled into a good book and love every minute of it.

And thank goodness, that is exactly what happened for me during this re-read of Pushing the Limits. Because I was able to relax with the story since I knew what to expect and what was going to happen, I was actually able to appreciate Katie McGarry’s writing style better during this read through. I was able to see that she gives you enough information without spelling things out for you that you can begin to form ideas about the characters without being given their entire backstories up front. I was able to see that just picking one word can change the meaning of a sentence (e.g. the difference between using the word walk/stalk/strut) and the impression that the sentence makes. I was able to see that just a sentence or two of description is all that’s needed for me to paint a picture in my head of the scene surrounding these characters. Brilliant.

I will say that Noah’s marijuana usage was more of an annoyance to me in this read than in the first—and it bothered me in the first read as well. It just seemed like he was constantly talking about it almost. Also, I didn’t pick up on this in my first read through Crash Into You (and I can’t remember who said it in a review that I saw), but yes Isaiah’s drug use was entirely too easily explained away in Crash Into You. Of course, I was paying close attention to that in this read of Pushing the Limits. While Isaiah didn’t seem like the instigator, he definitely didn’t seem like he was as anti- as he tells Rachel in Crash Into You. But for me that’s just a minor annoyance.

I totally forgot that Pushing the Limits brought tears to my eyes the first time I read it until I went back and re-read my original review of it. But I say that it did, so I believe myself! (HA!) And that happened this time too. You’ve got to know that a book is really good if it can make you cry (or almost cry) during a second reading. If the emotion is that raw even when you know how the story ends, then that’s some good writing.

I originally gave Pushing the Limits 5 Stars, and I can uncategorically say that I still agree with that rating. I’m so glad that I was able to re-read it. And it only took me about two days to re-read it as well. That’s how much I was hooked even the second time. Plus Breaking the Rules is coming up in about a month (at the time of writing this review--I've since actually finished it) and I’m dying to get my hands on it. So I’m glad that I was able to get a refresher before picking that one up.

Have you read Pushing the Limits? What did you think? Could you see yourself giving this one a re-read? Let me know!

Also, please tell me you guys got what I did with the title of this blog post!

*My reading slump really went from October through November. December was definitely a better reading month for me. I usually type my reviews as soon as I finish a book, but I'm scheduled ahead on blog posts anywhere from a month to three months out.

Shatter - Review

Shatter (True Believers, # 4)

By: Erin McCarthy

Expected Publication: September 1st 2014 by InterMix; September 2nd 2014 by Berkley Trade

304 pages

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--From the USA Today bestselling author of True, Sweet, and Believe comes a tantalizing New Adult novel about finding love in the most unexpected ways…

Kylie Warner prides herself on being optimistic, but after finding her best friend in bed with her boyfriend and flunking chemistry, her upbeat attitude has taken a dive. Even an impromptu hook-up with her sexy new chemistry tutor only brightens her mood slightly. After all, it’s not like she’ll ever see the tattooed scholar again…

While he’s a whiz at complex equations, Jonathon Kadisch has trouble when it comes to figuring out women. So when Kylie tells him that she’s pregnant after their night of passion, he’s at a complete loss. He’s prepared to be a good father—unlike his own deadbeat dad—but he’s less prepared to fall for the genuine and alluring blonde bearing his child.

With emotions running high, Kylie wonders if Jonathon’s devotion is out of growing love or looming obligation. And when heartbreak threatens to tear them apart, Jonathon will have to fight for the only girl who’s ever made him feel whole….

I was so excited to get my hands on Shatter. This series has been much better than I expected. The new adult genre has fallen into so many patterns that 85-90% of the books written in this genre (at least that I’ve read) are pretty predictable. And I’ve enjoyed the True Believers series because each book has had an aspect that I found to be a little different than the others in the genre. Believe is still my favorite of the series even after reading Shatter though.

In Believe we find out that Robin slept with Kylie’s boyfriend, Nathan. Granted she was super drunk and has made every effort possible to change her behavior in a way that shows remorse for her actions. But this hasn’t stopped Kylie from having a broken heart. Even when people are remorseful, their actions still have an impact on us that doesn’t just go away overnight. The damage has been done. Relationships will never be the same and hearts have been broken. So we start Shatter with Kylie still reeling from her recent heartbreak. She finds herself struggling in her chemistry class and meets up with a tutor to help her pass her exam. One thing leads to the other and Kylie and Jonathan (aka Darwin) end up having a steamy night together.

As the description says, Kylie and Jonathan’s night together results in an unexpected pregnancy. Both thought they would probably never see each other again, but instead find themselves tied to each other for the next eighteen years at least. Jonathan is determined to be there for Kylie and his unborn child, but that doesn’t mean that anything more will come from this pregnancy. He wants to remain on good terms with Kylie for the sake of their child, but having anything more, even if he might want it, could lead to heartbreak and a strained relationship between them in the future. At the same time, the two find themselves falling for each other. But Kylie needs to know that Jonathan isn’t investing in a relationship with her just because she ended up pregnant. She needs to know that he wants to be with her regardless.

I liked the play on the differences between Jonathan and Kylie. He’s crazy smart with books and science, but he’s often a typical male when it comes to figuring out a woman—clueless. Kylie is a bit lacking when it comes to book smarts. She’s kind of what people refer to as a "dumb-blonde." Yet she’s not dumb at all. She might not get Chemistry or science, but she’s smart in many other ways. I loved how this became a struggle for them in their relationship. Kylie has her insecurities when it comes to being smart, especially with how far ahead of her Jonathan is in this area. And she has baggage from her past and recent breakup with Nathan. But she works to overcome this.

Although, I felt like Kylie and Jonathan’s situation was realistic. It has happened to hundreds and possibly thousands of couples throughout history afterall. I connected to them, yet their story wasn’t my favorite at the same time. I often wanted to get annoyed with Kylie’s waterworks. She cries so much, but then I had to remind myself that she was pregnant and hormonal afterall. I hate that this series is over. But I enjoyed Erin McCarthy giving us a brief update on where all of the couples from this series have found themselves and where they’re all headed in a way that felt authentic to Kylie and Jonathan’s story and not just a random “ten years later” kind of epilogue.

Favorite quotes:

-“I’ll be really happy when these”…”skinny jeans go out of style.”

(Me too Darwin...me too!)

-Nothing like having to tell your chem prof that you’re pregnant with his grandchild.

-It was amazing to me that suddenly, within the span of an hour, my whole future had changed.

-For the first time, I realized the gap that would grow between my friends and I as surely as my baby would grow.

-I didn’t know how to play the game with someone like him, because I didn’t think that he knew that games existed.

-You’re not supposed to admit that your greatest ambition in life is to have a family.

Shatter gets 3.5 Stars from me. I enjoyed it. It was a quick read. I connected. But none of that particularly blew me away. It was a nice end to the series, but not my favorite of the series either. Have you read Shatter? What did you think? Let me know!

Waiting on Shatter

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Shatter (True Believers, # 4)

By: Erin McCarthy

Expected Publication: September 1st 2014 by InterMix; September 2nd 2014 by Berkley Trade

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--From the USA Today bestselling author of True, Sweet, and Believe comes a tantalizing New Adult novel about finding love in the most unexpected ways…

Kylie Warner prides herself on being optimistic, but after finding her best friend in bed with her boyfriend and flunking chemistry, her upbeat attitude has taken a dive. Even an impromptu hook-up with her sexy new chemistry tutor only brightens her mood slightly. After all, it’s not like she’ll ever see the tattooed scholar again…

While he’s a whiz at complex equations, Jonathon Kadisch has trouble when it comes to figuring out women. So when Kylie tells him that she’s pregnant after their night of passion, he’s at a complete loss. He’s prepared to be a good father—unlike his own deadbeat dad—but he’s less prepared to fall for the genuine and alluring blonde bearing his child.

With emotions running high, Kylie wonders if Jonathon’s devotion is out of growing love or looming obligation. And when heartbreak threatens to tear them apart, Jonathon will have to fight for the only girl who’s ever made him feel whole….

I've really enjoyed this series so much more than I expected to. What are you waiting on this week? Let me know!

Happy 3rd Blogoversary - TO ME!

That's right. It's my 3rd Blogoversary today! I can't believe I've been blogging for three years. It's been a great ride--so much more than I ever thought it would be. Thank you to everyone who has made this a great experience. Thank you to my husband who first suggested that I blog. Thank you to my friends and family who first signed up to follow me. Thank you to all of my fellow bloggers who have offered advice, inspiration, and support over the last three years. Thank you to every single person who has followed Somewhere Only We Know in any format. Thank you to every person who has every read a blog post, commented, or shared a post. Thank you to the publishers and authors who take a chance on letting me review their books. Thank you to my SNL and fellow blogger, Holly @ Words Fueled by Love for doing this whole thing with me. Thanks to my friends and family and share their books with me. I could keep going. This experience just wouldn't be what it is without every single one of you. And so, to share the love in the best way I know how....I'm giving back!

These are my favorite reads so far of the year and that ones I'm most excited to get my hands on. The winner gets the choice of one (1) of the following options. Please see my giveaway policy for full contest rules.

Reason to Breath (Breathing, # 1) by Rebecca Donovan
Believe (True Believers, # 3) by Erin McCarthy
Cress (Lunar Chronicles, # 3) by Marissa Meyer
Saving Quinton (Nova, # 2) by Jessica Sorensen
Dark Triumph (His Fair Assassins, # 2) by Robin LaFevers (review coming soon)
Undeclared (Woodlands, # 1) by Jen Frederick (review coming soon)
Shatter Me (Shatter Me, # 1) by Tahereh Mafi (review coming soon)
The Evolution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, # 2) by Michelle Hodkin (still reading)
Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover (can't wait!)
Ruins (Partials, # 3) by Dan Wells (can't wait!)
The Winner's Curse (The Winner's Trilogy, # 1) by Marie Rutkoski (heard good things)
Half Bad (Half Life Trilogy, # 1) by Sally Green

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Believe - Review

Believe (True Believers, # 3)

By: Erin McCarthy

Expected Publication: January 21st 2014 by InterMix

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon )

*Note: The above link to Amazon is an affiliate link. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Robin used to be a party girl… until she got black out drunk and woke up in bed with her best friend's boyfriend. Now she's faced with being THAT girl, and couldn't be more disgusted with herself. She can't even tell her friends the reason for her sudden sobriety and she avoids everyone until she meets Phoenix—quiet, tattooed, and different in every way that's good and oh, so bad…

Phoenix is two days out of jail when he meets Robin at his cousin's house, and he knows that he has no business talking to her, but he's drawn to her quiet demeanor, sweet smile, and artistic talent. She doesn't care that he's done time, or that he only has five bucks to his name, and she supports his goal to be a tattoo artist.

But Phoenix knows Robin has a secret, and that it's a naïve dream to believe that his record won't catch up with them at some point. Though neither is prepared for the explosive result when the past collides with the present…

After finishing Sweet, I had to jump right into Believe, and I was so glad that I had it already available to pick up next. Erin McCarthy has sucked me into these characters. She started planting little bits and pieces of Robin’s story into Sweet, and it was easy to see that Robin was going to be next to get her story told. However, I hate cheating books. I hate cheating period. The very idea of it makes me sick to my stomach. So to see that Robin’s story involved this topic I was a little wary of it. But Erin McCarthy didn’t glorify it. She didn’t excuse it. And neither did Robin.

As a matter of fact, Robin is pretty much disgusted with herself after waking up from blacking out one night from partying. Robin is so shaken by what she’s done to her friend that she goes into a bit of a depression. She pretty much hates herself. She doesn’t understand how she could do something so far from what her sober self would have done. And because of this, Robin makes a conscious decision to quit drinking. She wants to be sober and know that she’s in control of herself. While again, I doing enjoy reading cheating stories, it was nice to see a character feel so guilty about her own behavior and the step she takes to make sure it never happens again.

Phoenix is Tyler and Riley’s cousin. We’ve met their aunt before so we had an established tie there. But we find out that Phoenix is fresh out of a stint in jail. Obviously we don’t know why he was in jail for a while. But Phoenix and Robin connect over a shared love of art and simply wanting to be around someone who has no expectations of them. I loved seeing how their relationship grew. Robin makes a conscious effort (along with not drinking) not to play any games with Phoenix. She decides to be honest with him whenever she can and whenever she can’t, she stays silent. Neither push the other to discuss things they would rather not because they both understand what it’s like to not want to talk about a particular topic.

Like Riley from Sweet, Phoenix doesn’t fit into the typical new adult leading male pattern and I loved that. It’s so refreshing to get not one, but two guys who aren’t trying to sleep their way through town. And even though Robin is a bit of a party girl and she made a huge drunken mistake, she’s not fast and easy either.

I found myself highlighting up a storm whenever I was reading this book. Some of my favorites quotes:

Of course, I was never going to find that guy at a keg party. Another reason I had stopped going to the frat house all-nighters. I didn't have the stomach for the so-called living-in-the-moment fun since I had woken up next to Nathan.

I wanted to say that she wasn't good enough for him anyway, that she was a liar and a cheat and a [crappy] girlfriend who didn't deserve him, but did I really know that? And if I was no better than her, did I have any right to say anything?

Sometimes we needed forgiveness.

At eight, I just knew there was something wrong with both of us because I was supposed to have the drugs but she was the one who couldn't go a day without them.

I just wanted someone to look at me, in all my pale, non-drinking glory, and think I was someone they wanted to talk to. That's all.

For some reason, that touched me. The guy that old ladies shied away from at the drugstore was worried about inconveniencing me. Me. I hadn't felt worthy of consideration lately.

"'The bluebird carries the sky on his back.' That's Henry David Thoreau."..."'No one is free, even the birds are chained to the sky,'" Phoenix said. "That's Bob Dylan."

"'There is no remedy for love, but to love more.' That's Thoreau," I mummered. Phoenix kissed the corners of my mouth. "'The future for me is already a thing of the past. You were my first love and you will be my last.' That's Bob Dylan."

I will say that I was disappointed with the ultimate conflict of the book. I had been so proud of Robin and Phoenix up until this point that the decisions and reactions they made to the major conflict (or more accurately, that CAUSED the major conflict) was a letdown. It felt out of character, and it felt almost like Erin McCarthy took the easy way out there. I did enjoy the character growth and the effort that both Phoenix and Robin put into making themselves better people and into their relationship as a whole.

Overall, I was hooked on this story and these characters. Despite the topic cheating having a prominent place in the storyline, I found myself enjoying most every aspect of this book. Believe was also less graphic than most new adult books that I’ve read—as I’ve found to be the case with Erin McCarthy’s other books in this series—and I always appreciate that. I’m giving Believe 4 Stars. Have you read Believe? What did you think? Let me know!

Sweet - Review

Sweet (True Believers, # 2)

By: Erin McCarthy

Published: October 15th 2013 by InterMix

257 pages

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary

Source: Personal Kindle Library

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository | Booksamillion.com )

*Note: The above links to Amazon, Book Depository, and Booksamillion.com are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Jessica Sweet thought going away to college would finally make her free of her parents’ constant judgments and insistence she play chastity club role model for their church events, but if anything, the freedom has made her realize she can’t go home and be a hypocrite anymore. Tired of dodging their questions, she stays at school over the summer and lands in an unexpected crash pad: Riley Mann’s house.

Sarcastic, cocky, and full of opinions, Riley is also sexy personified with tattoos and biceps earned from working as a roofer all day. Not the right guy for her even if Jessica was looking for a relationship, which she is definitely not. But Jessica knows that Riley hides the burden of having to raise his younger brothers behind that grin and as she helps him get his house in order for a custody hearing, they begin to fall hard for each other, and she is forced to question what she’s hiding herself.

....

I was pleasantly surprised whenever I read True. Erin McCarthy’s first installment was much deeper than I expected. I enjoyed the characters and their stories. And so I was excited to read the other books in the series. I got denied for Sweet whenever I requested it for review, but that didn’t stop me from finding another way to pick it up and find out what happens next. I have to say based off of True only, I wasn’t sure I was going to like Jessica and Riley’s story. Riley seemed a little on the mean side and Jessica was known to be a party girl bordering on slut. However, as with True, Sweet surprised me with its depth.

One of the first things I want to discuss is how Riley doesn’t fall into the cookie cutter, cliché new-adult male character, and I cannot fully tell you the happiness that brings me. The leading male of most new adult novels sleeps with a different girl every night, and Riley isn’t like that—AT ALL! Not only does he not understand sex with someone who he doesn’t care about, he also puts off having sex with Jessica despite how often she might throw herself at him. He’s taking his time and trying his best not to skip any steps which I cannot rave about enough. Kudos Riley, and kudos Erin McCarthy. Thank you, thank you, thank you for giving us a different leading male. Because of this, Sweet isn’t as graphic as many new adult books, but that was also a win for me.

Jessica fills some of the slack there though. Just because Riley isn’t ready to skip steps doesn’t mean that Jessica isn’t. She’s used to skipping steps, and so even with Riley she reverts back to what she knows. She brings baggage from her past sexual experiences into their relationship wondering if Riley is rejecting her because he doesn’t want her at all. Had she not been as “experienced”, these questions wouldn’t have been an issue.

In True, we met Tyler and Riley’s younger brothers, Easton and Jayden, and we saw how fiercely protective of them both Tyler is, but Sweet shows an even deeper side of that because Riley is the one actually fighting for custody of them. Tyler messed that up when he took the fall for his mother’s drug charges. A convicted felon probably isn’t going to be awarded custody of an eleven year old. I love this family dynamic. Despite Riley, Tyler, and Jayden's father having left, Easton having a completely different father, and their mother having a drug problem, these boys stick together, they love each other above all else, and they fight to stay together—doing whatever it takes and sacrificing whatever is needed to reach the desired end result.

Jessica comes into the picture needing a place to stay during the summer. She wants to do something to not only thank Riley and Tyler for giving her a place to crash for a week, she also wants to leave her mark on the house and on their family. Rory (Tyler’s girlfriend) cooks and has been accepted by all of the boys as an honorary family member, Jessica wants the same. So she starts a home improvement project. It starts out as a way to thank Tyler and Riley and grows into trying to help Riley improve the living environment in an effort to better his custody chances. Of course, working together and living so closely is how Jessica and Riley’s relationship begins to develop.

Jessica has her own family drama to contend with. Her father is a preacher and her parents force church, religion, her major—pretty much any aspect of her life that they can control—on her. Otherwise they’ll cut her off financially. Of course, these parents were crazy and hypocritical Christian characters—the only kind that appear to be in mainstream literature these days. That was a bit cliché and annoying to me, but luckily they didn’t have a huge part in the book. Jessica does eventually stand up to them. But I never understood why being cut off financially was that big of a problem—plenty of people don’t have their parents' financial support and they survive college all on their own. Of course it isn’t easy, but it’s totally doable.

Overall, I was hooked into Sweet easily, quickly, and I read it until I knocked it out. It was such an enjoyable read. Even though it had moments that weren’t completely original, the biggest parts felt original to me. And that’s a win. I was emotionally invested which is one of the biggest compliments I can give a book. Sweet gets 4 Stars from me. Have you read Sweet? What did you think? Let me know.

My favorite quotes:

I had put on the tight red tank absently, then had wondered if more cleavage would be better for what I had in mind, then had been disgusted with myself for even thinking such a thought. So then I had decided no cleavage was necessary to my self-respect and pulled a Union Jack shirt on over the tank.

I wasn't completely useless. Just a product of my environment.

Want to go to the hardware store with me?
Is that a new club?

"Never ask someone to tell you who you are. You tell them."

"I'm too heavy," I said, because that's what we say as girls. We love the thought that a guy can carry us, but then we worry that he'll start thinking with each step that you were way heavier than he expected and that maybe you should lay off the ice cream. It's also maybe a slightly passive-aggressive way of seeking the reassurance we need. Toxic, sure, but it slipped out before I could stop myself.

"It's not a pretty place on the ground. Life gets a little ugly in the details, but up here, taken as a whole, you realize the world can be pretty awesome."

Waiting on Sweet

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Sweet (True, # 2)

By: Erin McCarthy

Expected Publication: October 9th 2013

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary

( Goodreads | Amazon )

Goodreads description--Jessica Sweet thought going away to college would finally make her free of her parents’ constant judgments and insistence she play chastity club role model for their church events, but if anything, the freedom has made her realize she can’t go home and be a hypocrite anymore. Tired of dodging their questions, she stays at school over the summer and lands in an unexpected crash pad: Riley Mann’s house.

Sarcastic, cocky, and full of opinions, Riley is also sexy personified with tattoos and biceps earned from working as a roofer all day. Not the right guy for her even if Jessica was looking for a relationship, which she is definitely not. But Jessica knows that Riley hides the burden of having to raise his younger brothers behind that grin and as she helps him get his house in order for a custody hearing, they begin to fall hard for each other, and she is forced to question what she’s hiding herself.

....

What are you waiting on this week? Let me know!

Don't forget to enter the Summer of Love Giveaway.

Top Ten Authors Who Deserve More Recognition

Top 10 Tuesday is a post hosted by The Broke and the Bookish and this week's topic is Top Ten Authors Who Deserve More Recognition.

1) Carrie Ryan - Granted I've only read her The Forest of Hands and Teeth series, but I really enjoyed the voices that she gave to her characters--specifically Gabry, in book 2, The Dead-Tossed Waves. I know there are quite a few people who have read her stuff, but not enough man. Not enough.

2) Jessica Sorensen - Everything I've had a chance to read by her has been really good. I believe she self-published a lot of her novels and so they don't get as much press as the books from the bigger publishing houses.

3) Priscilla Glenn - Seriously, I couldn't put Back to You Down. I've recommended it, but I don't know that anyone I've recommended it to has actually picked it up. PICK IT UP PEOPLE!

4) Erin McCarthy - I've only read True by her, but I enjoyed it so much more than I expected. I've only seen a couple of people review this one. But it's worth checking out for sure.

5) Jay Crownover - I enjoyed Rule, but Jet was even better for me. I finished Jet over a week ago and I still can't get it out of my head. I want more.

6) Sophie Jordan - I've only read her Firelight series, but Sophie Jordan hooked me with book 1 and her unique look at dragons. I haven't seen many people fawn over these books either. Shame.

7) Katja Millay - The Sea of Tranquility was awesome. And I've seen tons of praise for it, but I want more--maybe I'm just anxious for her next book or something.

8) Cath Crowley - This Aussie author really impressed me with Graffiti Moon. I don't know how come more people aren't all over both Cath Crowley and this book.

9) Gina Holmes - I've only read one book by her, Crossing Oceans, but it was majorly emotional. She deserves much props and for me to check out more of her work.

10) Francis Chan - I know he has tons of fans out there, but I think many more people could be inspired by him if they gave his work a chance. Start with Crazy Love.

I tried to really focus on authors that I haven't seen the love that I think they deserve. Which authors do you think deserve more recognition? Let me know!

True by Erin McCarthy - Review

True

By: Erin McCarthy

Published: May 7th 2013 by Penguin Group (USA)

238 pages

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon | Booksamillion.com )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Booksamillion.com are affiliate links.

Goodreads description--When Rory Macintosh’s roommates find out that their studious and shy friend has never been with a guy, they decide that, as an act of kindness they’ll help her lose her virginity by hiring confident, tattooed bad boy Tyler Mann to do the job…unbeknownst to Rory.

Tyler knows he’s not good enough for Rory. She’s smart, doctor smart, while he’s barely scraping by at his EMT program, hoping to pull his younger brothers out of the hell their druggy mother has left them in. But he can’t resist taking up her roommates on an opportunity to get to know her better. There’s something about her honesty that keeps him coming back when he knows he shouldn’t…

Torn between common sense and desire, the two find themselves caught up in a passionate relationship. But when Tyler’s broken family threatens to destroy his future, and hers, Rory will need to decide whether to cut her ties to his risky world or follow her heart, no matter what the cost…

I really should have made notes when I was reading this book, but honestly, I didn't want to stop reading it to jot stuff down. I just wanted to keep plowing through. But I suspect that I'm going to forget some of the better thoughts I had while reading it since I didn't write them down. Oh well. Here goes...

In the very beginning, I went back and forth on this book. First of all, Rory's roommates' casual sex-lives is something that I just can't wrap my head around. And the fact that once they find out that Rory is a virgin they make it their mission to help her lose her virginity? Really? I just don't really want friends like that. The paid transaction they make to a guy to "help Rory out" was a bit overdone as a concept and even dare I say unrealistic. I guess just overall I didn't really like either of Rory's friends.

Rory herself...I was torn between picking apart her flaws and relating to her. She loves math and science. I love math but HATE science (with a passion, thank you Ms. Sands, my first grade teacher). I was slightly annoyed that people expect every person who loves math to also love science. The two aren't mutually inclusive. But that's just a pet peeve of mine. I very much relate to Rory's logical side because I'm constantly fighting my practical and logical personality. So I related in this way. It was a bit upsetting to me that Tyler was one of the casual partners with Rory's roommate and friend and that Rory could get over that. In my day, you did not under ANY circumstances hook up with someone that your friend had hooked up with. Flirt, sure. Move passed that, no way. But I ended up rooting for Tyler.

Speaking of Tyler, I did move past the above mentioned issue, and I grew to really like Tyler a lot. Seeing what his home life was like and how he stood up to take care of and protect his younger brothers was really awesome. Who wouldn't fall for a guy like that? Even the way that he loved and protected his mom despite what a crap mother she was to him and his brothers. The one thing about Tyler that annoyed me was his self-sacrificing antics to "protect" Rory from a crappy future with him. I just don't go for stuff like that. While I respect the gesture, let's just forget that you're an idiot and move passed this already. (Side note, Tyler has a brother who's seventeen, but acts more like a thirteen year old. What was up with him?)

I found myself swept up in the emotion of this story more than anything. I wasn't expecting to. And despite the flaws that I saw in the book, I really enjoyed it. I even teared up a time or two. I'm not even sure this point was part of the author's intention, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was, but I loved that Erin McCarthy worked this in. Chalene Johnson says in her book Push that she tells her kids that no one can make you feel anything (Ex: So-and-so made me feel bad. He/she made me feel stupid). Essentially, you either agree with the assessment of the person in question or you don't. So you either feel that way about yourself or you don't (either you secretly fear you're stupid or you don't). Erin McCarthy definitely played that up in this book. Rory has her own fears and insecurities about herself, she fears that others will see those same things in her, and if they do then it means what she fears about herself is true. This is life and I've never seen this concept illustrated so well in fiction before.

I enjoyed True much more than I expected to (seems like that's been happening a lot lately). It was more emotional than I was expecting despite the flaws that I saw in the book/story/characters. I'm giving True 4 Stars. Have you read True? What did you think? Let me know!