Publisher: InterMix
257 pages
ebook (Trade Paperback publishing June 3rd, 2014 by Berkley Trade)
Synopsis from Goodreads:
Jessica Sweet thought going away to
college would finally make her free of her parents’ constant judgments and
insistence she play chastity club role model for their church events, but if
anything, the freedom has made her realize she can’t go home and be a hypocrite
anymore. Tired of dodging their questions, she stays at school over the summer
and lands in an unexpected crash pad: Riley Mann’s house.
Sarcastic, cocky, and full of
opinions, Riley is also sexy personified with tattoos and biceps earned from
working as a roofer all day. Not the right guy for her even if Jessica was
looking for a relationship, which she is definitely not. But Jessica knows that
Riley hides the burden of having to raise his younger brothers behind that grin
and as she helps him get his house in order for a custody hearing, they begin
to fall hard for each other, and she is forced to question what she’s hiding
herself.
Jessica has never had a problem
getting naked with a guy, but when it comes to showing Riley how she truly
feels inside, her fear of rejection may just ruin the best thing—the best
guy—to ever happen to her…
_______________________________________
Some books blow you away with description, others with
dialogue. "Sweet" is definitely a book that blows you away in the dialogue
department.
When I first started reading Sweet, I didn’t realize that it was book two in the True Believers
series. While I don’t think reading the books in order is absolutely necessary,
reading them in order gives you more context about the characters backgrounds,
and a stronger sense of flow from one story to the next. Sweet is one of those novels that grabbed me from the first page
and didn’t let me go until the last. I started reading just before bed, and while
the logical side of my brain told me ‘go to sleep, you have to work in the
morning’, I was so into the story and so in love with the characters that I
couldn’t help but finish the novel in one sitting.
Jessica Sweet’s voice is what drew me in right away. She is one
of the wittiest, funniest, most sarcastic, and completely no nonsense characters
that I have ever read. I connected with her in a way that I don’t connect with
many characters.
Even though there’s a lot of lightness and fun and games to
her character, there is a serious side that we slowly become privy to as the
story progresses. Jessica feels so human, relatable and real, that you
emotionally connect and care about everything that goes on her life, as you
would if your best friend were in her shoes.
As awesome as Jessica is, Sweet wouldn’t be the same without Riley. The bickering and banter
between Jessica and Riley is just fantastic. Going from practically despising
each other, to where they end up at the end of the novel, is only possible
because of how much their bantering challenges them, and helps them gain an
understanding of the other in a pretty freaking adorable way. For every ounce
of distained sarcasm Jessica is able to drop on Riley, he is just as capable of
dishing it back. The result not only makes you realize just how perfect they
are for each other, but keeps you thoroughly entertained while they figure that
out too. Riley is loveable even when he’s being a cocky inappropriate jerk, and
he’s really the perfect opponent to Jessica’s straightforwardness. The banter
drives the story, and as dialogue, completely blew me away.
Even though at times I laughed myself into stitches, the
serious aspects of the story are what make you connect fully with the
characters. The entire reason
Jessica and Riley are forced together is because they are separately dealing
with family issues. While Jessica seems to never do or say anything that isn’t
100% genuine, she’s actually hiding from the expectations her highly religious
family have placed on her. Riley’s families’ complexity is a feature throughout
the entire series (one of the reasons reading them in order gives you a much
stronger sense of flow), and his battle to stay part of the family helps you
see the vulnerable side of a guy constantly showing off his bravado.
What I love about the series and McCarthy’s writing is how realistic
her characters are. There is no insta-love, or damaged girl needing to be saved
by a boy. Instead, Sweet gives you
the story of two realistic people, dealing with realistic problems, who are
bettered by a relationship. There are real highs, and real lows, just like in
real life. In my opinion Sweet represents
New Adult at its best. I
absolutely couldn’t get enough of Jessica and Riley’s story. I definitely
recommend the True Believers series.
Rating 4.5/5
*** I received a copy of the novel from the publisher to
read and honestly review. I was in no way compensated.
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