True by Erin McCarthy
Book One of the True series
Book One of the True series
Publisher: Penguin
Publication Date: May 7, 2013
Rating: 2 stars
Source: eARC from NetGalley
***Warning: this contains adult content, and is for the eyes of mature readers***
Summary (from Goodreads):
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…
What I Liked:
Okay, so, I know this is a New Adult contemporary romance novel, and I've been laying off those for quite some time, but I requested this one from NetGalley back when I wasn't completely sick of New Adult contemporary romance novels (a long, long, LONG time ago). That was months ago. I have read dozens of New Adult contemporary romance novels in the past year, and they all just run together.
I thought this one would be different... for whatever reason. I'm all about giving books a try, even when the craze/hype/wave is sweeping through the book world. What if there is a gem in the midst of all these bland novels, and I miss it?
Well, this wasn't one of those gems. Same old, same old. Literally, the first scene is Rory and some guy trying to have sex with her, even though she doesn't want to have sex with him. Basically, almost rape. The love interest saves her from getting raped, and they fall in lust, and then love. She's a good girl (even when she's not), and he's a "bad boy". Then something troublesome happens to him, and in the end, it brings them closer together.
I DID enjoy the aspect of Tyler's family - his little brothers and his older brother aspect. That was something unique that I didn't expect. I loved how Tyler protected his family from their mother, even though they were all half-brothers, and he was trying to do well in college without worrying about his family. That was nice.
But I wasn't impressed by this book. The plot, the romance, the steamy scenes, the climax of the book... I just wasn't impressed. One more attempt at New Adult contemporary romance... blah.
What I Did Not Like:
Let me just copy and paste what I said above:
"I thought this one would be different... for whatever reason. I'm all about giving books a try, even when the craze/hype/wave is sweeping through the book world. What if there is a gem in the midst of all these bland novels, and I miss it?
Well, this wasn't one of those gems. Same old, same old. Literally, the first scene is Rory and some guy trying to have sex with her, even though she doesn't want to have sex with him. Basically, almost rape. The love interest saves her from getting raped, and they fall in lust, and then love. She's a good girl (even when she's not), and he's a "bad boy". Then something troublesome happens to him, and in the end, it brings them closer together."
I'm so tired of New Adult contemporary romance, especially ALL of them that focus of college life (which, like I said, is all of them). Barf. Can we try New Adult paranormal? Or New Adult fantasy? Or New Adult something-other-than-contemporary-romance?
Whatever. I don't need to elaborate in this section because I disliked this book for the same reasons I disliked most of the other New Adult contemporary romance novels I disliked. And no, I have not disliked ALL of them.
Would I Recommend It:
No. No more New Adult contemporary romance novels. I try and give them a chance, but they always end up being the same skeleton - even the same skeleton with meat! Disagree with me if you do - I respect that.
Rating:
2 stars. Not for me.
Was this review helpful? Please let me know in the comments section!
Sorry this one was a miss for you! Just by the beginning almost-rape scene, I can tell I would not be happy with this one. I don't think NA paranormal / fantasy / sci-fi is popular enough yet for authors to publish in those categories and be successful, which is why I probably won't ever do it. I've published an NA series (contemporary) and I'll let you in on a little secret -- I have only read 2 New Adult books ever (not including my books). There's just a lot of unoriginal plots, and I completely understand avid readers being fed up with the genre. But there are good ones out there. Julie Cross has a great mature YA book that could be considered New Adult (Letters to Nowhere). I hope you're able to find a winner sooner rather than later, Alyssa! I know it's hard with all the choices. The market is almost saturated.
ReplyDeleteHuge miss :\ I know all about your NA books! I haven't read them yet, because I really don't want to fall in the trap of NA contemporary romance books - in which I might dislike your book :( So, I'd rather take a veryyyy long break from NA contemporary romance, and maybe in a few months, I'll read some new ones.
DeleteI've heard that Julie Cross is a great NA author! And she has YA books too. Thank you for the well wishes, Becca! I hope so too. I want to say that there are TOO many books available... but there is no such thing as too many books! :D
I completely agree with you that most NA contemporaries are unoriginal and often completely ridiculous, and this may make me sound totally off my rocker, but that's why I like reading them. I have never read one that is the most amazing book I've laid eyes on, but that's not really what I want when I pick up an NA. I read them because I know exactly what I'm going to get and there are rarely surprises. I use them as my break from all of the creative and complex stories I read otherwise. Don't get me wrong, there have been some NA books that were even worse than my expectations, but I go into them looking for something formulaic and that's usually what I get. I think the market is getting way too flooded right now, though, and I definitely see why you want to stay as far away as possible. There are so many great books out there to read instead :0)
ReplyDeleteWHEW! What a comment! Interesting take on things, Sarah. I think I get what you're saying. I'm at the NA age level - college - and I see what you mean. If you're looking for the repetitiveness, then it makes sense. For me, I want as original as possible. But there are so many other books to read! So, I hope you read some fabulous ones, and I read some fabulous ones! :D
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