Review: Better than the first!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 07 6, 2013
While I really enjoyed Ten Tiny Breaths, I have to say that I liked One Tiny Lie much better! It certainly has its faults, but overall I found Livie's story to be much more relatable than Kacey's. It's three years later, and Livie is starting her freshman year at Princeton. She's also been having weekly chats with Dr. Strayner who has encouraged her to try new (and embarrassing) things to get her out of her shell and crack that perfect image she's so carefully assembled. Her first week of college does not go how Livie expected at all, but she has let loose and caught the attention of the campus's super sexy, womanizing, rowing captain. After a drunken hook-up, he wants to pretend it never happened, and in comes his best friend, Connor, who might be more of the right guy for Livie.Holy sexual tension, Batman! Seriously, every single interaction between Livie and Ashton is dripping with sexual tension, and wanting, and lust, and dang! Being a virgin, Livie is super nervous about any physical contact that occurs between them, but she's also very aware of how much she may want to experience it. She may have agreed to take it slow with Connor, but there's just something that draws her to Ashton. Livie isn't one to just jump into something that she's not ready for, but she is open to the possibilities, and Ashton certainly knows how to show her how things could be without taking it too far.Let's talk about the love interests of One Tiny Lie. Connor is essentially a waste of words. It's obvious that Livie won't end up with him, and he really has no personality to speak of. He's there for conflict and that's it. Ashton on the other hand is the typical "man whore" who is not what he seems. I did find that I liked Ashton, despite his cocky nature. He is a good guy under that facade. However, I was annoyed at the fact that his hidden, tragic past is used as an excuse for his behavior, and that Livie buys it. He uses sex as a coping mechanism and that's fine, but don't have a girlfriend if you know this about yourself! Of course there's a reasonable explanation for having a girlfriend, too. The author found too many convenient solutions to make Ashton not be the bad boy that he appears to be. I didn't find this believable at all, but at least the big dramatic blow out made sense. It wasn't some made up melodrama, but something that actually happens frequently and causes people to break up.I really enjoyed Livie's story. One Tiny Lie starts off with a girl who has every aspect of her life planned out, with perfect grades, no boyfriend to distract her, and absolutely no fun to speak off. By the end, Livie has learned that she doesn't have to please everyone and be perfect. She hasn't discovered who she is yet, but who has at 18? She's on the right path though, and has come to term with making mistakes along the way. I was also super happy that she didn't start making decisions based on her relationship with Ashton, but what felt right for her.*Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher through NetGalley for review. No compensation was offered or accepted.