Easy (Contours of the Heart, #1)

by Tammara Webber

Easy is a New York Times bestseller - a must-read in the New Adult genre for everyone who loves Slammed by Colleen Hoover or Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire. Deeply romantic and utterly gripping, this is not to be missed.

"I took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly before turning around. It was Lucas who stood there. His gaze was penetrating, not wavering for a moment, and my pulse hammered under his silent scrutiny.

I couldn't remember the last time I'd been so full of pure, unqualified desire."

Lucas is the stranger who saved Jacqueline from an attack by a fellow student - she'd never noticed him before then, and now he's everywhere.

But can Jacqueline trust him - or will the secrets he's hiding come between them?

• ISBN10: 0141347449
• ISBN13: 9780141347448
• Publish Date: 3 January 2013 (first published 1 May 2012)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 10 December 2015
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Penguin Books Ltd
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 336
• Language: English

Reviews

[Jo]

Originally posted on Once Upon a Bookcase.

Since hearing about New Adult a few months ago, I have been eager to get stuck into this new category. Having heard such buzz around Easy, I jumped at the chance to review it when offered, despite worried about it being a book about sexual assault. Rape has always been something I've shied away from reading about, being a subject I'm not sure I'd be able to cope with. However, I was told that Easy isn't as heavy as I automatically thought it would be, and I should really give it a go. Now, having read it, I'm so glad I have! It's amazing!

Having been with her boyfriend for three years, Jacqueline decides not to go to a musical conservatory as she's always wanted, but to follow Kennedy to his college of choice instead - only for him to dump her a few weeks in. Kennedy wants to have the "full college experience", and all the girls that come along with it. If that wasn't bad enough, she is attacked after a party by someone she thought was a friend. Saved by a mystery guy, Lucas, she soon starts seeing him everywhere - a constant reminder of the attack. Jacqueline can't deny the chemistry between them, but Lucas is battling issues of his own, and Jacqueline is being stalked by her attacker. Will Jacqueline and Lucas be able to overcome their problems with the help of each other?

Easy is such a great book, because it is both a brilliant and powerful story of a girl who has been attacked and how the attack itself affects her, and the most beautiful love story. Let me just say that the love story doesn't push the story of rape aside and brush it under the carpet, it's running along side with it. Which is remarkable. It shows that your life doesn't end when you're raped or attacked, that you can carry on, strive for your dreams, and, yes, fall in love. However, it's not a fall-in-love-with-your-rescuer-because-he-rescued-you love story, it's to do with who they are. But lets look at these two stories separately.

Easy opens with Jacqueline's attack. It's majorly difficult to read. Yet, the book on the whole isn't very heavy, and this is not just down to Jacqueline having a guy to distract her. Because Lucas is anything but a distraction being the guy who saved her. No, it's not as heavy as you would imagine because of Jacqueline's attitude. Sure, she's scared and feels violated, but she wants to move on and get on with her life. She has an amazing support in the form of her best friend Erin. Seriously, their friendship is one any girl would aspire to have with their best friend. Erin gives Jacqueline so much strength just by being on her side when rumours are flying around. She convinces Jacqueline to sign up for a self-defense class, and despite the giggles and laughs that come along with it, it's something they both take extremely seriously. And when there are things Jacqueline has difficultly with, Erin helps her through them. I have so much love for Erin, you have no idea.

However, moving on is a little difficult when you're attacker won't leave you alone, determined to get what he was after before. The immense strength shown by Jacqueline, despite her fear, is something to behold. She is just amazing, determined to save herself any way she's able, no matter how the result makes her look to other people. Jacqueline is most definitely the heroine of this story by saving herself with her strength, her determination not to give in, and by moving forward, slowly but surely with her life with dignity and self-respect. She may not be the toughest of cookies, but I'm pretty sure she's the most awe-inspiring female protagonist I have ever read. You cannot help but cheer for Jacqueline throughout the whole story. And a side note - though only those who've read the book are going to get this - the sorority leader? I felt such a rush of love for her, she brought tears to my eyes. Let's hear it for female solidarity!

Now the love story. Oh, Lucas! He's covered in tattoos, he's pierced, he seems to be slacking in their economic class. Bad boy, yes? No. Sure, he might have the bad boy sexy vibe going on, but he is the guy all girls dream of. Not only is Lucas just generally such a nice guy, but he's respectful, he's understanding, he's just so god-damn lovely! He is all about making sure Jacqueline can look after herself, giving her the tools she needs, rather than wanting to smother her all the time to be her hero. He doesn't want her to be a damsel-in-distress, he wants her to be a damsel-who-survives-on-her-own. He isn't her strength, but he makes it his job to fan her flame of strength into a roaring fire. He is supportive and empowering. He is exactly what Jacqueline needs. And, on a similar not, he is also exactly what Jacqueline needs. That chemistry I mentioned earlier? It damn well sizzles! Easy manages to be so incredibly sexy without becoming erotica. There is more than just lust behind every kiss and touch, there's a whole well of emotions that make the physical side of things sexier. Their's is a relationship that's based on mutual respect, support, admiration and real genuine feelings. It's more beautiful than I could ever possibly put into words.

Easy is an incredibly powerful novel, and one that is just up there with my favourites. It's a brilliant story that will leave you breathless and full of admiration and gratitude. I couldn't possibly thank Tammara Webber enough for writing such a beautifully touching story. I will definitely be reading more by her in the future. Easy is not a book to miss.

Thank you to Penguin for sending me a review copy.

[Leah]

If you’re a book lover you will know books fall under different categories, depending on what kind of books you read. Me, I’m a Chick Lit fan. Always have been, always will be. But there seems to be a new, cross-over genre trying to make its mark called New Adult, which is a cross between young adult and Chick Lit. I’m not a big fan of the term New Adult, I’ll be honest, I think it sounds a bit stupid and confusing (what’s a “new” adult?), but I’ll take it for now. So when I was offered one of the New Adult titles to review, which is this book I’m reviewing; Easy by Tammara Webber, I was intrigued. It promised that it wasn’t a Fifty-Shades-type book (proving that, once and for all, that dratted novel and all that is has brought may finally be on its way OUT), but that it was just a pure romance, and, well, I was sold.

I found Easy to be one of those novels I just loved. It had me hooked from the beginning, as we see Jacqueline leaving a Halloween party and being attacked by a fellow student, and we see Lucas saving her (swoon). It got right into the thick of the action, with no prelude to what was to come, it just came, if that makes sense. The novel manages to deal with a very sensitive subject in a very real way. How it doesn’t matter how safe you feel or how comfortable you are, an attacker can come from anywhere and can even be someone you know (which, I think, is way more scary than an unknown attacker). The thing is, the attack isn’t the be all and end all of the book. It’s a mega issue, but it’s dealt with without being overbearing. Jacqueline doesn’t let herself be the victim, and I loved that. She doesn’t let it eat her up or scare her away; instead, she gets in with her life in college as best she can and I loved that.

But what really, really, really made the book for me was Lucas. And Landon. Ohhhhhhh, I love a good sorta bad boy. Because, come on, Lucas wasn’t really a bad boy, was he? In fact he was lovely. I like anybody that saves a damsel in distress, and Lucas did that which just made me fall in love with him even more. He was swoon-worthy. The email exchanges between Jacqueline and Landon were just awesome, you could SEE the chemistry, even via email! I was just totally absorbed with the connection, the chemistry, the everything between Jacqueline and Lucas. It just blew me away. So often, when reading Chick Lit, the romance doesn’t come until the very end, and it’s always so frustrating to wait so long to get the goods. But with Easy, the romance was there on every page, even before they were together! It was aweeeeeesome.

I absolutely adored Easy. I think this New Adult genre could be a hit, and I’ll certainly be checking out Tammara Webber’s other novels, because man, can the girl write. And write well. I had no gripes with the novel, except for one tiny thing which is that I would have like Jacqueline to confront Lucas over his dual identity. I saw Jacqueline as a strong, confident girl, so I expected her to do that, which she didn’t which was a bit disappointing but bar that, I LOVED it. It kept me up reading past midnight because I just didn’t want to go to sleep without getting to the end (never mind the fact, I never wanted to get to the end, period). Easy had everything you could ever want from a novel – a serious bit dealt with brilliantly, fabulous characters (not only Lucas and Jacqueline, but Erin, Jacqueline’s best friend), brilliant chemistry/romance between the two leads (essential) and it just made me smile, despite the serious bits, despite what happens to Jacqueline (and not just once!!). I highly recommend the book, HIGHLY, because I LOVED it, and you will, too.

[Kelly]

Really enjoyed the empowering storyline, a great read.

[Ashley]

booknook — Young Adult book reviews

The first chapter I was raging at Jacqueline. She almost gets raped, an amazing white knight rescues her and offers to call the police, and she says "No I just want to go home." A man tries to rape you and you'd rather leave the scumbag out there to prey on other women?? I know I shouldn't judge almost-rape-victims, but ugh! She should have reported that guy when she had the chance!

The next chapter, I was giggling. Giggling because Jacqueline is failing macroeconomics. I took that class in college and absolutely hated it to my core! I think I did pretty badly, but I didn't fail!

Okay time to get serious. Easy was an incredible, heart-pounding, intense romance book that I absolutely adored! I don't usually read the Acknowledgements in books. If I love the book, sometimes I do, and that was the case with Easy. I'd like to share one part because I thought it was amazing and really shows how much emotion went into the book:

I couldn't have written Easy without the help of my husband, Paul. The creation of good fiction begins with raw, honest emotions—whether the author is penning a story about a mouse who wants dessert, or a sprawling epic of Tsarist Russia. The subjects touched on in Easy come with an even deeper obligation to remain true to those emotions. Paul encouraged me constantly to fearlessly portray my love of hidden connections, and my belief that our close relationships with family, friends and lovers—any and all of those, if we're lucky—are capable of healing the trauma all of us experience in our lives.
Tammara Webber, author of Easy

Isn't that awesome? That's what I love about Easy. Tammara Webber put her heart and soul into this book and it really, really shows. This book is about love, rejection, loss, fear, trauma, and daring to fall in love again. It is so empowering in so many different ways. And Easy totally has me wanting to take some self-defense classes!

It was so easy to love all the characters in this book. Lucas is a mysterious, drop-dead-sexy sweetheart; Jacqueline isn't perfect but she's sweet, vulnerable, but also has a little kick in her; and Erin.. I LOVE Erin! Erin is that "Best Friend" character that I absolutely adore in books! She's the fiercely loyal roommate, the roommate who comes up with "Operation Bad Boy Phase", and the girl who just had me flat out laughing.

I made the mistake of starting this book later in the evening.. then I was so hooked that I was reading through the night. Soon it was 3:30am and it took every ounce of will power I had to put the book down and finally go to sleep!

Jacqueline and Lucas have such incredible chemistry! It's mouthwatering.. it's HOT! Girls, it is FREAKIN' HOT! This is a new adult book so things do get a little hot and heavy.. and it's awesome. But it's not all just sexy lust. Lucas and Jacqueline had a really sweet relationship. I love the phase where Jacqueline isn't sure if Lucas likes her. The "not knowing" is so much fun! And since Jacqueline has a crazy rapist guy stalking her, Lucas really gets to play the "knight in shining armour" role and he gets to rescue her a few times. Swoon!

Tammara, you are a freakin' mastermind genius! What I wouldn't give to read Easy from Lucas's point of view!

"The night we met—I'm not like that guy." His jaw was rigid.
"I know tha—" He placed a finger over my lips, his expression softening."
"So I don't want you to feel pressured. Or overpowered. But I do, absolutely, want to kiss you right now. Badly."
Easy by Tammara Webber, Page 89

[Kelsenator]

Originally posted on my blog Kelsey's Cluttered Bookshelf

Jacqueline’s life kind of sucks right now. She followed her high school sweetheart to college instead of doing what she wanted, and then he breaks up with her so he can sleep with other women. She’s only been with him and known his life for the last few years, so she becomes lost. Her friends were mostly his and left her side, her only companion is her roommate Erin.

Then at a party, she almost gets raped (hence the mature warning on this book). She gets saved luckily, by a guy called Lucas. He seems to know her and she has no idea why. She didn’t even notice until later that she has him in her one economics class, which she skipped weeks of after the breakup. And she has to make up the time and the midterm, or she’ll fail. She’s the kind of perfect student that never fails. Her professor gets her in contact with Landon, whom over email helps her get back on track, while flirting a tad. But she has no idea what he looks like.

Her friend Erin and another girl decide that he needs to be her rebound, since he’s gorgeous and looks like the bad-boy type. While trying to lure him in like they suggest, she notices that she’s starting to really like him even though she hardly knows a thing about him.

Buck, her attacker, tries to come onto her again, even cornering her at one point. Jacqueline didn’t tell anyone else about the attack at first, fearing no one would believe her. She has to learn to be strong as an independent woman which she’s never done before, all while working out her feelings for Lucas and if it’s just a rebound or more.

I ate this book up and couldn’t put it down, there was just something about the characters that drew me in. Erin for instance was awesome, especially when she comments on kicking junk in a self-defense class, one of the funniest parts! The romantic scenes were steamy up to a point (not over the top which was nice), and the determination from Jacqueline in defending herself and not being taken advantage of again were definitely important in her growth.

One of the most important parts of the book, was the author’s message that it’s not your fault if something like rape or being attacked happens to you. She keeps mentioning that it’s important to tell someone, and report it, even having a blurb in her acknowledgements page at the end of the book. I think this is very important, and I’m glad the author included that in her book.

Recommended for a more mature young adult audience, and fans of contemporary.

[e_rodz_leb]

Oh my! What an awesome book (*you can’t see me, but I’m doing a happy dance right now*)! I purchased a copy of Easy after seeing in many blogs and I cannot tell you how good this book is. A gentle warning applies here: This book is for mature young adults as it contains language and has sexual scenes.


Jacqueline was a great character. She is obviously heartbroken and at a loss when her boyfriend of three years dumps her, but she quickly recovers from the shock and tries to go on with her life. She goes through a very traumatic event as well and tries to do the right thing about it. Jacqueline is smart, loyal, understanding and, at the end, brave and compassionate.


Lucas is probably one of my favorite male characters ever. Only a strong human being can overcome so much and come out shining on the other side. He is so considerate, tender, loving, talented, and so on and so forth (really, I can write a page about Lucas alone!). Amazing.


Other characters are well crafted and contribute significantly to the story. Erin, Kennedy, Dr. Heller, even Buck have their own, well defined personality. Overall, very good characterization throughout the story.




The plot was simple and surprising at the same time. It is easy to guess what is going on at the beginning, but then we are confronted with an even bigger twist later. Ms. Webber is an amazing writer. Take for instance this quote:


“Love is not the absence of logic but logic examined and recalculated heated and curved to fit inside the contours of the heart”


Awesome, right?


I also give Ms. Webber credit for touching on many difficult topics, especially when it comes to rape. This was done in a highly effective and tasteful manner. Good job!


Easy is a book that will stay with me for a long time, and one that I will probably re-read many times. PLEASE try this amazing story, you will not regret it. For my part I plan to read Ms. Webber’s books forevermore :)


About the cover: Very appropriate cover, with both Lucas and Jacqueline in such a tender moment. Beautiful!

[lizarodz]

Oh my! What an awesome book (*you can’t see me, but I’m doing a happy dance right now*)! I purchased a copy of Easy after seeing in many blogs and I cannot tell you how good this book is. A gentle warning applies here: This book is for mature young adults as it contains language and has sexual scenes.


Jacqueline was a great character. She is obviously heartbroken and at a loss when her boyfriend of three years dumps her, but she quickly recovers from the shock and tries to go on with her life. She goes through a very traumatic event as well and tries to do the right thing about it. Jacqueline is smart, loyal, understanding and, at the end, brave and compassionate.


Lucas is probably one of my favorite male characters ever. Only a strong human being can overcome so much and come out shining on the other side. He is so considerate, tender, loving, talented, and so on and so forth (really, I can write a page about Lucas alone!). Amazing.


Other characters are well crafted and contribute significantly to the story. Erin, Kennedy, Dr. Heller, even Buck have their own, well defined personality. Overall, very good characterization throughout the story.




The plot was simple and surprising at the same time. It is easy to guess what is going on at the beginning, but then we are confronted with an even bigger twist later. Ms. Webber is an amazing writer. Take for instance this quote:


“Love is not the absence of logic but logic examined and recalculated heated and curved to fit inside the contours of the heart”


Awesome, right?


I also give Ms. Webber credit for touching on many difficult topics, especially when it comes to rape. This was done in a highly effective and tasteful manner. Good job!


Easy is a book that will stay with me for a long time, and one that I will probably re-read many times. PLEASE try this amazing story, you will not regret it. For my part I plan to read Ms. Webber’s books forevermore :)


About the cover: Very appropriate cover, with both Lucas and Jacqueline in such a tender moment. Beautiful!

[Cocktails and Books]

Jacqueline finds herself unsure of her next steps when her high school boyfriend (and reason for her to be at the college she's at) dumps her because he wants to explore other girls, days shy of their three year anniversary. What she doesn't expect is to be attacked by a fraternity brother of her ex's or to have a dark knight save her.

While Jacqueline struggles to come to grips with what happened to her, she finds herself having to catch up in her Econ class, the only class she signed up for with her ex and the one that threatens her GPA after their break up. She embarks on an email relationship with her tutor, Landon. After a rough start, she begin to find an inexplicable draw to him. He seems to be able to see a part of her that shouldn't be possible through email communication. But Jacqueline is further confused when she finds herself unable to keep her eyes off Lucas, the boy who sits in the back of her Econ lecture hall. She recognizes him as her dark knight and can't help but be captivated by the quiet, sexy, confusing man.

This was one of those books I'm glad I picked up. I figured it would be a quick book with some teenage angst. I love it when a book proves me wrong, in a good way.

We got the teenage angst part out right away, since Jacqueline's boyfriend, Kennedy, decides to dump her. She closed into herself, skipping the class they shared and then discovered her circle of friends was significantly reduced because of the breakup. But that is where the teenage drama that I was expecting ended.

Jacqueline must deal with not only the emotional upheaval of her break up, but also the attack and the subsequent run-ins with her attacker. She keeps a lot to herself in the beginning and I think a lot of that was because she didn't know where she fit in now that she was no longer "Kennedy's girlfriend". But as Jacqueline steps outside that label (reclaiming her name was the first step in that process) she finds out who her true friends are, as well as discovering some new ones. But none of that holds a candle to what she finds in Lucas.

Lucas is a man with his own set of issues. They've molded him into who he is today and made him more sympathetic to what Jacqueline is going through. He has a way of knowing exactly what Jacqueline needs and his actions work toward rebuilding her trust in herself. But we soon discover that while Lucas may have a way in helping Jacqueline move on, she has also made it possible for Lucas to believe in his own happiness again.

A surprisingly read from an author that was not known to me, but one I will definitely be looking for in the future.

[Raven]

Ever notice how once someone enters your life, they are everywhere?
Jacqueline follows her longtime boyfriend, Kennedy, to the college of his choice just to have him break up with her so he can play the field. While at a party in attempts to get her spirit back, she is attacked by her stalker and rescued by the mysterious and handsome Lucas. Lucas seems like the perfect person to help her forget about Kennedy, but her feelings grow quickly. At the same time, in attempts to not fail Econ, she begins emailing the intellegent tutor, Landon. Their email exchanges are fun and witty and she quickly begins to wonder about the man behind the emails. Now she has to dodge her ex, steer clear of her stalker as he spreads rumors of them hooking up, and try to see who she can actually trust as a connection between Lucas and her tutor arise.

I really loved this book. The story was well written and paced well. Usually, I am not a fan of drama, I like things to be fluffy and sweet. This book contains rape triggers, but it isnt the main focus of the story. The rapes werent graphic either. The most graphic of them was the first, and it was only an attempted rape. It went on to mention that it wasnt the girl's fault, and included a message of empowerment for the victim.

I enjoyed all of the characters except for Buck, but I think that was done purposely as you want to see him for the monster he is. I thought the characters were well developed. There are times where Lucas feels a little too good to be true, but you do learn his flaws as the story develops. Ive known guys like him so I cant say that he isnt a real possibility for a person.

Jacqueline and Lucas are perfect together. Their banter and interactions are wonderful to read through. Lucas is hot, you cannot deny that. He leaves fire where he goes, all men in novels should be so hot. It can almost seem like they fall for each other too quickly, but when two people are so perfect for each other, I cant see why time should matter much. I was weary about them getting together, a victim and her hero seldom work, but I feel that since she wasnt actually raped when he saved her that it worked out well. I wouldve been more worried had she clung to him after having actually been raped.

The story was perfect. I laughed, I cried, I wanted to reread it as soon as I was done.