Review: 'One Tiny Lie' by K.A. Tucker

One Tiny Lie by K. A. Tucker

(Ten Tiny Breaths #2)

Publisher: Atria Books

Publication Date: June, 11 2013

Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance

My Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

Buy Links: Paperback | Kindle | Nook

Goodreads

Synopsis:

Livie has always been the stable one of the two Cleary sisters, handling her parents' tragic death and Kacey's self-destructive phase with strength and maturity. But underneath that exterior is a little girl hanging onto the last words her father ever spoke to her. “Make me proud,” he had said. She promised she would...and she’s done her best over the past seven years with every choice, with every word, with every action.

Livie walks into Princeton with a solid plan, and she’s dead set on delivering on it: Rock her classes, set herself up for medical school, and meet a good, respectable guy that she’s going to someday marry. What isn’t part of her plan are Jell-O shots, a lovable, party animal roommate she can’t say ‘no’ to, and Ashton, the gorgeous captain of the men’s rowing team. Definitely him. He’s an arrogant ass who makes Livie’s usually non-existent temper flare and everything she doesn’t want in a guy. Worse, he’s best friends and roommates with Connor, who happens to fits Livie’s criteria perfectly. So why does she keep thinking about Ashton?

As Livie finds herself facing mediocre grades, career aspirations she no longer thinks she can handle, and feelings for Ashton that she shouldn’t have, she’s forced to let go of her last promise to her father and, with it, the only identity that she knows.

My Review:

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved Ten Tiny Breaths and couldn't wait to read this book. I loved the character of Livie and was excited for her to have her own book. I was most definitely not disappointed. There is just something about Tucker's writing in both of these books (Ten Tiny Breaths and One Tiny Lie) that just sucks you in right from the beginning. Her stories are great escapism, yet somehow manage to also ring true. I couldn't get enough of this book and I can't wait to read the third book. This is the second book in the series, but I feel like you could probably read it as a standalone novel, though it wouldn't hurt to read the first book to understand Livie a bit better.

This novel tells the story of Livie, the sister of Kacey who is the main character from the first book. Livie is younger than Kacey and has always been the mature one, while Kacey went through a bit of a crazy, out of control phase. She has always been a bit of an old soul ever since her parents' death. She is about to start college at her dream school and has everything figured out. She does everything right; no drinking, no partying, no sleeping around. She knows exactly who she wants to be and what she wants to do with her life. That is until one night when she finally gives in and goes out for a night of partying. She blacks out on Jello shots (why do they have to be so delicious and deadly?) and ends up with two new guys in her life: Ashton and Connor. They are best friends and completely different. Connor is exactly the type of guy she should be with; dependable, smart, and solid. Ashton on the other hand is a bit of a man-whore and tends to live a less serious life. Livie wants to fall for Connor, but she can't seem to stop thinking about Ashton. She senses a darkness in him and is pulled to him by a force she cannot understand, while he keeps trying to push her away claiming he's no good for her.

I must say I absolutely love Ashton. I always have a tendency to fall for the bad boy and this book was no exception. He's everything I want in a male lead: hot, tortured by his past, and trying to do what he believes to be the right thing at the cost of his own happiness. I couldn't get enough of Ashton and Livie together. They are so perfect for each other in a weird way. I also love that their story isn't one of insta-love. Nothing pisses me off more than insta-love in a book. They both had to grow to truly love one another and they fought for each other. 

K.A. Tucker reminds me a little bit of Katie McGarry (whom I ADORE) as far as excellent writing & pacing and their amazing love stories. To me K.A. Tucker is the Katie McGarry of the new adult genre and if you know my taste or read my reviews you know that might be the best compliment I can give an author. K.A. Tucker has that special something in her writing that is incredibly difficult to put into words, but keeps the reader enthralled and begging for more. I tend to get a little sick of contemporary romances after a while. If I read too many they start to all run together and become very boring, but the Ten Tiny Breaths series is a category all its own. These books stand apart from the pack of bazillions of contemporary romances that seem to be coming out in droves these days.

This book, along with Ten Tiny Breaths, are must reads. Once I started this book I couldn't put it down. The characters and the story are both fabulous. I was rooting for both Livie and Ashton the whole time. Livie pissed me off from time to time, but I love her still. And the story is beautiful and real. I adore Tucker's writing style and she paces her stories perfectly. It's easy to take pacing in writing for granted, but it's writers like Tucker who remind me exactly why it's so important. I gave this book four and a half out of five stars only because I loved the first book so much and it's impossible not to compare the two. This book stands on its own and is incredible, but I'm not sure I will ever love one of these books quite as much as the first one. The bottom line is: read this book; you will not be disappointed.