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Review: One Tiny Lie by K.A Tucker

10 Feb 2014

by K.A Tucker
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Australia
Release Date: January 14th 2014
Format: Paperback


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.


One Tiny Lie was a surprisingly spectacular read. Its predecessor, Ten Tiny Breaths was at times addictive, but overall I felt it used lust and sex as its main driving force behind the plot. This was what I expected from One Tiny Lie- lust at first sight, sex scenes, some emotionally charged scenes then sex again…and eventually the two characters fall in love – but what I got was shockingly the opposite. The love between Livie and Ashton developed and strengthened as they became more acquainted with one another. I can proudly say One Tiny Lie was a vast improvement from Ten Tiny Breaths!

One Tiny Lie could have potentially received 5 stars from me, if not for the cheating that continued throughout the book. I’ll admit that the cheating here didn’t have an effect quite as profound as the ones that exist in some other books, but I still didn’t like how it was happening. All I can say is, Livie is exceptionally talented at making terrible decisions.
SPOILER:
She should have just broken up with Connor after she cheated on him with Ashton. I mean, I understand her mentality to find an ambitious, “perfect” guy to live a steady and ordinary life with, but it is NOT right to continue dating him when she’s clearly crossed the friends-boundary with another guy. Having Connor find out her relationship with Ashton was beyond cruel for him. BAD DECISION LIVIE!!!! END SPOILER

Livie undergoes extensive growth and self-discovery throughout the book. Uni/College isn’t just a robotic cycle of simply studying, partying and working. Most of us will go through periods of self-evaluation and career-evaluation- this is exactly what Livie experienced and I found that to be realistic. Sometimes we have to find a balance between making our parents proud (in Livie's case following her dad's footsteps) and doing something we're passionate about.  Having an unknown career path after one year of Uni is also quite common so I liked how there were certain characters who did not have a set goal in mind. 

One Tiny Lie is, in my opinion, one of the better NA novels out there. While a better part of the book is dedicated to romance, I liked how the romance wasn’t overwhelming nor excessive. One Tiny Lie can be read as a stand-alone so for anyone who enjoys reading NA (and doesn’t mind cheating) , I highly recommend this jewel J


A massive thank you to Simon & Schuster Australia for providing a copy of One Tiny Lie for review!

2 comments:

  1. I didn't read the spoiler- but I love that this book took you by surprise! I am curious about this one now, even though I didn't read the first one! Thanks for sharing. :)
    ~Jess

    ReplyDelete
  2. Aww no, I absolutely despise cheating novels. And yes, I read the spoiler so I'm even more disappointed in Livie. The only way I would enjoy a cheating character is if they own up to their mistake - which I see was not the case. The cover is gorgeous, but I don't think I can read this without throwing the book across the room. Poor Connor. :( Thanks for the AWESOME review Shirley, unfortunately I don't think I'll be giving this a go.

    ReplyDelete

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