Review: True by Erin McCarthy

Summary
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…

Review
You know the kind of book that you start reading but are not sure where it's going but as you keep reading you get hooked on the plot like one of those old time soap operas? Well, this is one of those books. When you read the summary, you might think in your mind the plot is going to be somewhat predictable. As you read, you will see that predictability veer off into another direction where it becomes more deeper than what you might had initially expected. Considering this is the my first book in this new adult genre that I read, I was pleasantly surprised.

The book was definitely easy to read. The pace of the book I think was very quick, which was great for a story like this. It was one of those stories that you can easily get hooked into and once you are, you have to keep reading because you want to know what is going to happen. The characters were definitely easy to follow. This book I really think can appeal on multi levels. If you are a younger reader who might be approaching the age where you are experiencing love for the first time or beginning to start dating than many of the experiences or feelings of the characters you will be able to relate to them easily. If you are older, I think this book will have a deeper emotional appeal because many of the experiences or feelings will resonate with you as you may have gone through them in your life which would enable you to connect to the characters on a different level. 

Here is a little bit about some of the characters:

Rory - She is definitely the sort of girl that I think any parent would want. She is smart, kind, responsible and has an innocence and sincerity about her that you don't find today. She lost her mother at a young age and didn't get to have many of the experiences she would've had personally and socially. Her and her dad got a long but it wasn't emotionally available to her. She is currently in college living with two of her friends Kylie and Jessica which is very interesting because they are polar opposites. As you get to know her character, you can't help but to fall in love with her. She meets Tyler. He is one of Jessica's "friends".  On the surface any parent would say stay away from but as their story develops you experience her journey together of a "real" boy meets girl, not the fluffy stuff. 

Tyler - On the surface, he looks like your typical bad boy. He is the type of guy that if you brought him home, your parents would not be please. The thing is, you should never judge a book by its cover. Sometimes many people miss out on some amazing people because you judge them on the outside. You never know what or who someone is until you get to know them. As you will see, he's had life pretty hard but like so many others just finds a way to make it through. While the initial reason Tyler was interested in Rory might not seem that nice and you probably will be skeptical about him for a while, that all changes once he gets to know Rory. As you get to know him, you will start to change your mind about him and really fall into their journey and find that you will feel sorry for him. 

Kyle & Jessica - These are the girls that Rory rooms with at her school. They are completely different than her and they are her only friends. Trying to have good intentions, they proposition Tyler to be with her but little did they know their plan backfired but ignited the spark that led something no one ever expected. 

True completely defines the story in everywhere. Whether you are young or old, life isn't all rainbows and sunshine, it can be but generally its not. Without sharing anything that will ruin it for you, it has everything that will make this such an amazing read. It has real love, not the running through the meadow with flowers but the kind of love that makes you cry because it hurts so much, friendship, struggle, tragedy and life for what it really is not what we pretend it to be. The characters are amazing and the story is addicting because you really can emotionally connect. Even though it says new adult, I felt a times it had a touch of young adult. I really that is what makes it appeal on a broader level. So, if you are a YA reader or a new adult fan, I really think you will like her book. For everyone else that may not have read a book like this, this was new for me and I enjoyed it. Give it a try because this might be another genre to add onto your reading list!

Reviewed by Michelle Bowles

Book Information
Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
Release Date: 5/7/2013
Pages: 240