ARC Review: True by: Erin McCarthy

True by: Erin McCarthy (May 7, 2013)

Publisher: Intermix

238 pages

Genre: New Adult/Romance

Purchase: Barnes and Noble | Amazon

Goodreads 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…

My Review

I’m new to the New Adult genre and although I’m enjoying it so far this book wasn’t as amazing as I hoped it would be. Don’t worry, it is still a good read.  Perfect if you are in the mood for a college romance story. This is my first Erin McCarthy book and I plan to look into some of her other books, that should tell you something about how I feel.

Setting: College. Since I graduated a little over a year ago I loved this setting. At times it made me feel a little nostalgia for the college life. I think it was done well and really realistic. It made me want to find more books with this setting.

Plot: I love a story with a bad boy. However, I felt like this plot line was one that has been a little over done. Good girl falls for bad boy. They get together but things come up that tear them apart, etc. I think you get the drift. It was just a little too predictable at times. But, it was still a cute book and there was a few small things that made it more unique. The ending was done well, although somewhat rushed and could have been slightly longer. There are a few really well written heart warming scenes that were pretty memorable. It also touches on some tough family subjects/issues that I thought were handled well. 

Characters: The main female character, Rory, is a somewhat geeky shy girl who doesn’t think she is pretty. Although I didn’t always enjoy her lack of self-confidence, I still really liked this character. She seemed real, except for one time. Semi-Spoiler in next sentence: When she finds out a horrible thing that her friends did,(the hiring somone to take her virginity mentioned in the synopsis) although she is emotionally affected she doesn’t really do anything about it, which seemed weird to me, no yelling, screaming, anything. It was frustrating. If you read the book you will probably understand what I’m saying. 
Tyler, her love interest, is the opposite of Rory, a “bad boy.” There was just something about Tyler that held my interest. The way he acted and talked and everything was very smooth. He is very complex and was my favorite character.  Did I mention he loves to read? Sold. I wouldn’t call him my new book boyfriend but he was still delicious. Tyler and Rory really fit well together and I liked their chemistry. The main minor characters, Rory’s two friends/roommates, were okay, but I didn’t really feel a whole lot for them.

I really did enjoy this book and suggest that you take a chance on it. It doesn't take long to read and Rory and Tyler’s story is a romance that will make you smile.

** I received a free e-copy of this book from netgalley and Intermix in exchange for my honest review. Thanks! 

RATING 3.5/5