Oh, the angst! And such shallow characters. This was a meh read for me 1.5-2 stars. There’s a new genre in town and it’s called New Adult. Now, New Adult is supposed to encompass the coming of age stories, stories about college-aged kids, and the like. It’s supposedly for readers who have graduated from the traditional young adult fare and who are looking for a little bit more. Perhaps they are looking for all those “firsts” when someone goes away to college, experiencing freedom for the first time.It’s been a long time since I was that age and perhaps that’s why this book did not appeal to me. However, I must say that I enjoyed other books in this genre like Easy, Pushing the Limits, and Sea of Tranquility. So what made me dislike this book? Here it is, Exhibit A:“Oh. My. God. I sucked in my breath. I couldn’t help it. My roommates had paid Tyler to have sex with me. For whatever creepy, misguided reason. And he had been willing to take it.”Are kids really THAT shallow? A small, unscientific poll of a college-aged male (my son) confirmed that yes, this could be in the realm of possibility in his group of friends. But really? What kind of friends do something like this? Has virginity become a condition that “needs to be taken care of?”Also, what is it about tattoos and piercings? Why does the “good” girl always go for the “bad” boy who is inevitably covered in tattoos and piercings? (NOTE: I am not saying that tattoos and piercings are wrong or bad, it’s the stereotype of bad boy covered in tattoos and piercings that I have a problem with. You can have clean-cut non-tattooed, non-pierced jerks, too).Looking through my notes on the book, I noticed a lot of “meh” moments punctuated by “meh, I don’t get it,” and “meh, too angsty.” I know that a lot of people loved this book. I am not one of them. Your results may vary.So there you have it – True by Erin McCarthy – my recommendation would be to Read With Caution.Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for a review copy of this book.Review posted on Badass Book Reviews.
