Title: True
Author: Erin McCarthy
Genre: Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Romance, New Adult 
Publisher: Intermix (an imprint of Penguin) 
Publication Date: 7th May 2013
Pages: 238
Rating: 5 stars

Synopsis (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…

My Review:

For book smart Rory watching TV shows about human anatomy is her idea of the perfect Saturday night. But her two room-mates and closest friends think Rory needs a social life . This explains how Rory finds herself on the sofa contemplating losing her virginity to a guy she doesn’t even know and doesn’t particularly like. Things go from bad to worse and Rory finds herself being rescued by a shirtless. He may be sleeping with one of her room-mates but within weeks Rory finds there’s more to the surprisingly deep tattooed bad boy than she ever would have suspected.

On the surface this novel seems to be rather similar to many of the New Adult books I’ve read in the past year. But True is different. The characters have a lot of depth. The plot has twists and turns. And I found myself falling in love with the characters and the story with every page I read.

Rory is logical and analytical – two things that I absolutely loved about her. She doesn’t (or at least she tries not to) let her emotions get the best of her. When things don’t add up she goes back and reconsiders the facts before jumping to conclusions. Tyler is shockingly sweet. His heart is exceptionally big – with him always trying to do the right thing by everyone no matter what the consequences will be for himself. His relationships with his brothers and Rory are lovely to read.

The supporting characters are all fun and flawed in their own ways. I’m excited to see that a book about one of Rory’s room-mates is going to be written that will include Rory and Tyler moments.

If you’ve tried New Adult fiction and not liked the over emotional, angsty drama – I’d give True a try before giving up on the genre. This is still a little angsty but these characters make sense together and the journey to the destination is worthwhile.

Thanks to NetGalley and Intermix for the digital ARC.

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