Book Review: Erin McCarthy’s True

I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

True

by

Erin McCarthy

contemporary romance that was published by Penguin on May 7, 2013 and has 235 pages.

Explore it on Goodreads or Amazon


Other books by this author which I have reviewed include High Stakes, My Immortal, Bit the Jackpot, An Enchanted Season, Fallen, The Taking, Bad Boys of Summer, Bled Dry, Flat-Out Sexy, Sucker Bet, Hard and Fast, Hot Finish, When Good Things Happen to Bad Boys, First Blood, Slow Ride, The Chase, The Night Before Christmas, Out of the Light, and into the Shadows, Jacked Up, A Date with the Other Side, Heiress for Hire, Bad Boys in Black Tie, Seeing is Believing, Believe, Shatter, Sweet, Burn, Gone with the Ghost, Murder Drama with Your Llama

First in the True Believers New Adult romance series revolving around a group of college friends. The couple focus is on Rory Macintosh and Tyler Mann.

I received this as an ARC from the publisher.

My Take

Oh, this was lovely. Much deeper than McCarthy’s usual stories and, oh man, I cried so hard. I absolutely love this romance — the things Rory tells Tyler after that initial scene at his house, what he says to her in return, at least in the first part of their romance(!), oh, it just impressed the heck out of me!

And I want to whine on again about the need to license parents, but then we wouldn’t have someone like Tyler alive. That mother was a real mother in the most negative terms you can imagine. And somehow, four boys result from awful conditions, boys of whom any parent would be proud.

I loved how McCarthy unveiled Tyler in bits and pieces, leaving us wondering about the bet and his true motives. She beautifully created an awkward Rory. Smart, realistic — logical, LOL — and so very cautious about people’s motives. I loved how she depicted Rory’s dad and his attempts to be less than the scientific nerd he is! Too cute.

Rory keeps being surprised by what she learns about Tyler, realizing how judgmental she’s been. But Rory’s dad should be proud of his daughter as well. It seems she’s really learned that lesson, to not judge a book by its cover. McCarthy has done a beautiful job of helping us see that as well. I do enjoy Rory and Tyler’s encounters: she’s so bloody honest and he adores her logic.

Susan is an amazing woman as well. Rory and her dad are very lucky she took up with him.

The hookups the girls keep making are interesting. It’s a reverse roleplay with the girls being the ones who “prey” on the boys. In some ways, it’s a nice comeuppance, gives the girls power in their choices while the affected boys get a taste of what women have put up with for centuries. And it’s what terrifies Tyler.

I love the comment Tyler makes (I am quoting from the ARC, so it may not be exactly this in the published book, but I thought the idea behind it was just so beautiful):

“…we both see beyond what other people see about us. We both know that sometimes the best things are below the surface. When I look at you, I see this amazingly smart, funny, generous, and beautiful girl.”

I want to know why Easton ran.

And I am dying to read the next in the series this fall!

The Story

Rory’s roommates are determined to break her out of her shell, and Tyler Mann is just the guy to

The Characters

The naive Rory Macintosh is more comfortable in the lab with her math and science than she is with people — she is in the Honors Scholar Program and on track for magna cum laude. Her college roommates, Kylie and Jessica, are determined to thaw her out.

Tyler Mann is doing his best to study to be an EMT and keep his family together; Jessica is his friend with benefits. He drinks, he parties, he has tattoos, and he loves. Riley is his older brother; seventeen-year-old U (Jayden is his real name; you’ll cry when you learn how he got his nickname) has Downs Syndrome and ten-year-old Easton are the younger brothers. Dawn is their POS mother. Aunt Jackie seems to be an enabler.

Nathan Turner (he’s madly in love with Kylie) had grown up with Grant and Tyler, and he shares an apartment with Bill.

Dad is a chemical engineer who prefers being on his own, but he’s realized he needs to emerge from his shell. And he worries about his daughter finding a boyfriend. Susan is his girlfriend of three years and a high school English teacher and cheerleading coach. Careful of Rory’s feelings. Bob and Nancy are Susan’s parents. Aunt Molly is “superintelligent wih a PhD in physics” and single.

Joanne works at the animal shelter where Rory volunteers. I think she likes getting away from her rebellious kids!

The Cover and Title

The cover is a black-and-white photo of a young couple caught between knees and necks: Rory is in a vertically “striped” cropped sweater and dark jeans while Tyler is wearing either a thick T or a thin sweatshirt and light jeans. A much more upscale appearance than I would have expected for this pair of characters.

The title will just make you cry once you read this story, for you will learn the True meaning of family.

Related Posts