{Review} The Truth About Letting go by:Leigh T. Moore
2:48 PM
Publication date: February 21, 2013
Genre: YA, Contemporary
Ashley wants to smash everything in her once-perfect life.
Charlotte wants to walk in Ashley's seemingly charmed shoes.
Colt wants to turn Smalltown USA on its ear--with Ashley at his side.
Jordan wants to follow his heart... but Ashley is the one sacrifice he never expected to make.
Ashley Lockett has always followed the rules. She's always done the right thing, played it safe, gone to church. And then 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. She rejects safety, rules, faith,
and then she meets Jordan.
Jordan 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.
Charlotte wants to walk in Ashley's seemingly charmed shoes.
Colt wants to turn Smalltown USA on its ear--with Ashley at his side.
Jordan wants to follow his heart... but Ashley is the one sacrifice he never expected to make.
Ashley Lockett has always followed the rules. She's always done the right thing, played it safe, gone to church. And then 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. She rejects safety, rules, faith,
and then she meets Jordan.
Jordan 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.
I've been using a way of reviewing that I saw over at Making the Grade. It breaks the book down and makes it easier to rate. The way it works is each category gets a score out of ten points. Then you add them all up + 50 (50% automatically for each book) and that's your score out of 100.
8/10: This book could not have come at a better time in my life personally. If you've been following my blog you know I was recently diagnosed with Crohn's Disease which has put me on bedrest for months. Much like the main character Ashley, who has lost her father in the beginning of the story, I'm left wondering why did this happen to me?
Ashley's journey to understand faith, love, grief, and acceptance really hit home and was almost a comfort to know someone else, even if they were fictional, had gone through the same thoughts when dealing with something so difficult.
7/10: Enough about me. Let's talk about the characters. Ashley, the popular semi rich kid, got under my skin from page one. I wanted to slap her at one point to get her out of her funk, which I guess is kind of hypocritical. She accused her mom and brother of not caring about her father's death. And she basically used everyone around her so she wouldn't have to feel upset anymore without caring how they felt. But by the end of the book I grew to understand her and...even like her!
Charlotte, her new friend, was one of my favorite characters. She felt so real. I kinda wish she had been in it more. I just felt bad everytime Ashley thought mean things about her being overweight. Oh and her brother. I wanted to see more of him too!
Colt is the bad boy we've all dated at some point. He's hot and rude, but we over look that because it's a thrill to date them. At some points though I really questioned why Ashley would put up with him. But in the end of the book, when I understood him more, again I kind of liked him. Gasp!
Mandy was the typical popular best friend, but she was a really good friend by sticking up for Ashley even if she was really rude to others.
9/10: Aside from the first novel, The Truth About Faking (this is a companion), I hadn't read anything in a town like this lately. It's a small, safe, tight nit community. It feels realistic and not too far off from home. I love the creek that so many good scenes took place by.
9/10: The pacing was pretty steady throughout the whole novel. I love that right from the first chapter drama is already starting.
8/10: I loved Leigh's first novel and I'm so glad I read the companion. While this had some hard issues in it, it was still a pretty light Contemp read which I love. Her writing always leaves me thinking a little and ultimately at the end, smile. Will there be another companion maybe?!
If you're a fan of Sarah Dessen novels that aren't afraid to deal with hard topics like death and religion you should definitely pick this one up. It almost felt more like New Adult than YA for me so if you're a new fan of New Adult it might be a good transition book for you. Also, look at that gorgeous cover!!!
91/100
"I’m not sure if he’s going to kiss me until he does. His mouth covers mine, and energy mixes with the alcohol flooding my body. Our tongues slide together, and I grip his shirt so I don’t collapse.
Every single bit of this is wrong, and there’s no way I’m stopping it. It’s back, that good feeling. The sadness has been pushed out again, and in its place is this rush, this rush of adrenaline like Colt said.
He pulls back and smiles at me. “We’re going to start dating. Now. You’re my partner in crime."
Every single bit of this is wrong, and there’s no way I’m stopping it. It’s back, that good feeling. The sadness has been pushed out again, and in its place is this rush, this rush of adrenaline like Colt said.
He pulls back and smiles at me. “We’re going to start dating. Now. You’re my partner in crime."
Don't forget to check back March 1st when I interview Leigh for Harley's Hall of Bookish Fame!!!
5 comments