True (True Believers, #1)

by Erin Mccarthy

A New Adult novel from USA Today bestselling author Erin McCarthy, for fans of Colleen Hoover!

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 has told Rory that he’s not good enough for her. 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 seem to stay away from her, and even when Rory knows she should push him away, something about him makes it nearly impossible for her to resist—even though her heart is at stake…

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…

• ISBN10: 0425274462
• ISBN13: 9780425274460
• Publish Date: 1 April 2014
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Penguin Putnam Inc
• Imprint: Penguin USA
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 320
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780425274460

Reviews

[Rowena]

This book follows Rory and Tyler on their journeys to finding themselves and coming together as a couple. They’re both in college and they’re both going through different issues but I really liked the both of them, together. I didn’t not like them apart but I thought that together, they were pretty fantastic.

It was kind of heartbreaking, getting to know Tyler and seeing into his background. Seeing the person that he was and the issues that he faced on a daily basis. To come out of all of that as a genuinely good person, I really liked. In fact, Tyler was probably my favorite part of this entire book. His life was raw and it was real and he wasn’t perfect but he made do with what he had and he tried every day to make life a little better for his brothers, who were stuck with his no-good mother. I really liked that Rory embraced Tyler’s family and wanted to do her part in helping U and Easton have a bit more sunshine then they were used to.

As much as I liked this book, there were a few things that rubbed me the wrong way. Like, when we first meet Rory- she’s almost raped while she’s waiting for her two friends to finish getting their bang on with their friends (Tyler was one of the guys that was getting laid by Rory’s friend and roommate which bothered some of my friends but not me.) and when Tyler steps in to save Rory, he tells the friends what happened and they get all pissed off on Rory’s behalf (as they should) but when Rory wants to go home, they don’t go with her. They’re like, “Oh, well I’m going to crash here but you go home and get some rest.” WTF? Rory is visibly still shaken up about what happened and they’re sending her home…ALONE? What’s wrong with them? Over the course of the book, there’s no denying that her friends love her and want what’s best for her but they’re completely selfish and it was hard for me to like them. Which should be interesting, considering the next book in this series is Jessica’s book…with Tyler’s brother? Interesting, indeed.

Overall, I enjoyed this book but it didn’t come without it’s share of frustrations. I’m not at all mad that I read this book but it’s not my favorite read either. Still, I liked it enough to still be interested in reading the next book.

[Angie]

I received an ARC through NetGalley.

I absolutely adore Erin McCarthy’s adult Chick Lit novels, so I knew I had to read her new New Adult title, True. I’m happy to report that I loved it even more! True follows pre-med student Rory who, to the shock of her roommates, is still a virgin at the age of 20! They take it upon themselves to get Rory laid and hopefully bring her out of her shell a bit. Of course, their idea doesn’t go according to plan, but I’m super glad that it didn’t blow up into a huge dramafest. This is in thanks to Rory’s very logical, level-headed, and mellow personality. She was a very nice change from the normal NA heroines.

I actually really enjoyed Rory. She may come across as stiff and uninviting to other readers, but I 100% get her. She reminds me a lot of myself. She’s great at math and science, but struggles with literature, which is actually partly how she bonds with Tyler. They exchange tutoring services. Rory also has pretty weak people skills, and has trouble making friends, let alone meeting a boyfriend. I totally identify with this. People are confusing and full of drama! Anyway, I loved that Rory never turned anything into a huge deal. She took everything in stride, even when she learned that Tyler was paid to take her virginity (not a spoiler, this is in the description). She thinks everything through logically instead of jumping to conclusions. This made it easy for me to root for her and hope she gets her man!

There were only two stand out problems that I had with True. One being more frustrating than the other. That one would be the opening chapter. Rory is sexually assaulted after kissing this guy she’s had her eye on. Of course, it’s Tyler who comes to her defense and drives her home. After this initial scene, it’s never brought up again in any significant capacity. Her assault is a plot device to kick start the romance, and that just made me uncomfortable. Tyler could have offered her a ride because it was getting late, or because her original ride was too drunk, or any number of reasons. She didn’t need to be nearly forced to give a blow job then kicked by that asshole! My second issue is less serious, but has to do with the ending. At about 80% in I was excited that True was turning out different in that there was no overly dramatic and unnecessary break up that would be rescinded in a handful of chapters. I hoped too soon.

True is one New Adult novel that you won’t want to miss out on. It’s funny, sexy, smart, and has a totally relatable heroine. It’s not without it’s faults, but overall they’re pretty minor. I just wish the ending had been a little less cliche and that Tyler didn’t smoke! I do not find smoking sexy, and I had an “ew moment” when he and Rory start kissing right after he finished a cigarette! No thanks! However, Erin McCarthy has cemented her place on my list of favorite authors.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

[EBookObsessed]

I really loved these characters and watching them bond. Tyler is a damaged hero, my favorite kind. He is the kid from the wrong neighborhood that you judge poorly when you first see him with his t-shirts and mass of tattoos. His drug abusing mother calls him a loser and after years of being subjected to that, living in the poorest neighborhood with little money after his mother buys her drugs, and struggling to keep is younger brothers safe, he doesn’t feel worthy of someone as smart as Rory. Tyler likes her odd sense of humor and to him she is absolutely beautiful. Tyler just wants to be near her, even if she only wants to be friends, and it is a miracle to him when she tells him that she loves him. Rory’s quiet nature is a calm haven in his stormy life.

This is an official New Adult book which “features characters who are at the stage of figuring out who they are.” Generally that is post-high school, and is either entering college or just entering the work force. Rory hasn't dated much and has never had a boyfriend. She still has some leftover teenage angst, but it is tempered by her linear thinking. She is shy and socially awkward so her angst comes out by her being afraid that the interest Tyler is showing in her is just going to set her for heartbreak as she falls for him, since what would he want with a girl like her. She is upset when she learns that her friends offered Tyler money to sleep with her so she could “get over the shy virgin thing,” and although she does cry about it, before she rails at him, she thinks things through and is confused that for someone who is supposed to be getting her in bed, he’d rather just spend time with her.

Once Rory and Tyler establish a relationship, it is Tyler’s drug abusing mother and Rory’s overprotective father who become the antagonists in this story, interfering with the lives of their children and doing their best to destroy everything.

I enjoyed the building of the relationship and the romance between these two slightly unusual characters.

My only complaint here is that I believe this story needed to have an epilogue. Rory’s father doesn’t want her involved with Tyler because of all his family problems. He is afraid of her being around the drug abusing mother and the issues that come up and that Tyler will be burdened with raising his younger siblings, and that is all drama that Rory doesn’t have to get involved with and that she should find a “normal” boyfriend. In the end, of course, they decide they want to be together, which is easy to say at that point in the story. I do believe that even their difficulties could have been worked out with a little determination to be together. In the end, I would have like to see, for example, by the time Rory graduated from med school (6 years later), how the dynamics of Tyler and his older brother would have worked out caring for the younger siblings; how Tyler and Rory’s relationship would have evolved around their more grown up responsibilities and her med school; would Rory’s father look past Tyler’s family issues and tattoos to see what a good man he was for his daughter; etc.

See more at http://ebookobsessed.com.

[Cocktails and Books]

I really liked the story and I loved Tyler and Rory. My only problem was the way it started out with a hint of humor and then turned to try and have that grittiness a lot of the New Adult books have. The humor at the beginning had me chuckling and wishing my Kindle App on my iPad would let me highlight text in a PDF, but it seemed to clash with where the author was trying to go.

After rescuing Rory from the unwanted advances of one of his drunken friends, Tyler and Rory strike up a friendship. For Rory, he's a hot guy who's couldn't possibly be interested in the shy virgin amongst their group. But when he starts hanging out with her their relationship blossoms into something much more. Something both of them desperately want. Rory sees Tyler for who is, despite the secrets he's kept or where he's from. But when Tyler's home life bleeds into what he has with Rory, they both have to make a decision about exactly what they want.

I liked both Tyler and Rory. Tyler for the way he stepped in to make sure his little brothers had what they needed, despite their mother. And the fact that he was willing to sacrifice himself for the sake of his family. Then there was Rory. She too was willing to sacrifice herself for someone she loved. In this case it was Tyler. She fought with her family and sometimes disagreed with her friends because of him or his situation. At their age, sometimes certain situations are just too big to deal with together. That was almost their case. Luckily they found a way to move forward together.

I did wish for the story to be a bit longer so it could get a bit of a proper ending instead of the somewhat abrupt (while happy) ending that we were served up.