Ashley Lockett has always followed the rules. She's always done the right thing and played it safe until her ideal life is shattered when her dad dies suddenly.
Fueled by anger and grief, she vows to do everything opposite of how she lived before. Then she meets Jordan. He has big dreams, he's had a crush on Ashley for years, and he's a great kisser. But he's also safe.
Enter Colt. He is not safe, and he's more than willing to help Ashley fulfill her vow.
Fueled by anger and grief, she vows to do everything opposite of how she lived before. Then she meets Jordan. He has big dreams, he's had a crush on Ashley for years, and he's a great kisser. But he's also safe.
Enter Colt. He is not safe, and he's more than willing to help Ashley fulfill her vow.
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Thank you to netgalley for letting me review this book :D
The Truth about Letting Go follows the story of Ashley, a high school senior living in small town USA, who is suffering from the tragic loss of her father. She has a shitty home life; her brother is absent, her mother is emotionally distant - and she chooses to deal with the loss of her beloved father by abandoning her faith in the Lord.
I loved Jordan, personally. He's the type of guy that rarely ends up being a winner in Young Adult novels; he's the type of guy who sticks to his guns, no matter what, always does the right thing and wishes to save himself until marriage and I liked how the writer painted this favourably. Colt on the other hand, was a douchebag and treated Ashley in a horrible manner - some of the intimate scenes with Colt/Ashley were a little uncomfortable to read - but Ashley's time with Colt gave her the opportunity to figure out and decide what she really wanted, which was Jordan. I'm glad this story wasn't one of those cliche stories where the girl dumps the nice guy for being too nice and ends up with the douchey bad boy. I did have a gripe though, because I think the twist at the end was to make us sympathise with Colt or something which I found unnecessary because in reality, most "bad boys" don't have some tragic sob story or whatever, they're just... not nice.
I didn't like Ashley. After her father's death, it seems like she's hellbent on treating everybody like crap. Her friends and especially Jordan. Especially Jordan, I really didn't like how she kept trying to force Jordan to have sex despite his wishes to remain a virgin until marriage, but luckily we were able to see some character growth by the end.
I thought the story was fine, it wasn't a groundbreaking new story in the YA premise but it was an easy enough and accessible read that is easy to get into, though I do think the author's writing style was a little bland for my tastes. The story was slow-building with a plot that moves smoothly which I commend. This book actually has quite heavy religious content which I was unaware of (surprisingly I didn't really mind it, despite not being religious) but I liked the seemingly subtle symbolism, and everything is handled very tastefully - I like how the religion aspect wasn't shoved in your face, and it lends an extra realistic edge to this story, especially since this is small town America we're talking about, and religion does play quite a big role in a lot of people's lives.
But yeah, to sum it up; I thought this story was fine. Just fine, not extremely good but not bad either, it did not particularly stand out and like I said, it was an enjoyable enough read. It covers a lot of topics; religion, grief, suffering - but it is just mostly about a broken girl (I personally did think she was unlikeable though) trying to discover who she is and putting herself back together.
RATING: 3/5 stars
Thanks for the review. You should warn for spoilers next time though. :[ Overall, this book sounds good, I like how she will end up with the good guy in the end, and you're right- that does NOT happen enough.
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