Lengvai

Contours of the Heart #1

by Tammara Webber, Daumantas Gadeikis (Translator)

Su draugu išvažiavusi studijuoti į tą patį universitetą, Žaklina nė nenumanė, kad jau kitais metais jis ją paliks.

Žaklina jaučiasi sugniuždyta: vieniša, įskaudinta, buvę tariamieji draugai jos vengia, be to, jai pirmą kartą gresia susikirsti per egzaminą.

Žaklinai išėjus iš nemielo studentų vakarėlio, ją užpuola vienas studentų brolijos narys. Tik netikėtai pasirodęs nepažįstamasis merginą išgelbsti.

Mergina kimba į mokslus ir trokšta pamiršti nelemtą naktį. Jos gelbėtojas Lukas, per ekonomikos paskaitą sėdintis galinėje auditorijos eilėje, nuolat į ją žvilgčioja ir kažką paišo užrašų knygutėje. Draugės mano, kad šis vaikinas puikiai tiktų Žaklinai atsigauti po išsiskyrimo su draugu, tačiau kol kas juodu skiria nematoma siena.

Užpuolikui nesiliaujant Žakliną persekiojus, jai reikia rinktis: prisipažinti pralaimėjus arba išmokti kovoti ir duoti persekiotojui atkirtį. Lukas pasiryžęs ją ginti, bet jis turi ir savų paslapčių.

„Lengvai į ją panirau ir drąsiai siūlau kitiems. Noriu tokių daugiau. Bet geriausia, kad knygą LENGVA įvertinti, nes nekyla nė menkiausios abejonės – ji man patiko. Nuo pat pirmų puslapių nepajėgiau jos padėti ir labai nenorėjau, kad ji baigtųsi.“

Maryse – Maryse.net

Genres: Romance, New Adult, Contemporary, Young Adult, Contemporary Romance, College, Fiction

280 pages, Hardcover

First published May 25, 2012

About the author

Author of the CONTOURS OF THE HEART series and the BETWEEN THE LINES series.

I'm a New York Times and international bestselling author of contemporary romantic fiction. My novels have been translated into twenty-five languages around the world. Gen-Xer. Feminist. Hopeful romantic. Fueled by coffee, a supportive spouse, and a never-ending feeling that I've forgotten to do something.

Please check my website for book updates. If you have questions, I have an FAQ tab there, and a contact form for anything not covered. :)

Reviews

[Kristin (KC) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I. Love. Goodreads!

If it were not for this amazing social, book-reading-way-better-than-facebook network, I would have never even heard of these incredible books that I've been reading! And "Easy" is a prime example...

I absolutely adored this book! It was sweet, funny, sensual-- with a touch of angst in all the right places. I loved the characters and was able to build a close connection with them immediately. The writing was AMAZING, and the story flowed like a catchy song.There was a cute and wonderful twist that had me smiling like a fool. This story also touches on the subject of rape in a very tasteful and classy manner, all while undeniably conveying the seriousness of this horrid offense. I was pleased to see that this issue was not glossed over and was handled with a delicate but effective grace that kept the story from taking a turn towards the dark side...

Above all things fun and enjoyable in this sexy read was an important message of personal strength, forgiveness, and hope. This book has, without a doubt, become one of my unforgettable favorites! 

Book Stats:
▪ Genre/Category: College Romance/New Adult
▪ Steam Caliber: Mild. Very sexy buildup; fade-to-black finish.
▪ Romance: Slow-building and fun.
▪ Characters: Lovably damaged. Sexy, mysterious hero.
▪ Plot: Slight angst. Sexy, emotional story. Fun twist.
▪ Writing: Witty and engaging.
▪ POV: First person: Heroine
▪ Cliffhanger: None/Standalone
▪ HEA? Yes

[Tammara]

I'm the author of this YA-M/New Adult novel. :)

[Steph Sinclair · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, let's get right down to business: Easy is one of the best books I've ever read. I finished it almost two weeks ago and I still think about the characters because I was on such an emotional roller coaster, fully immersed, while reading. It says something about a book that can do that do you. 

Easy surprised me right from the start with a very troubling scene of Jacqueline being attacked, making my heart jump into my stomach. And I'll admit to being worried about how Webber would handle such a delicate topic. But I think she did it very well and touched on many of the myths that are attached to rape. But Easy showed not only how a victim feels after an attack, but how a family copes and how a community reacts. And if there is anything I've taken away from the story it's that I need to enroll in a women's self-defense class in the near future.

This book was filled with so many moments that just made me sigh inwardly or cheer on. The playful banter between Jacqueline and Lucas during their email exchanges was incredibly sweet. The scene where the sorority leader gave that speech on rape had me in tears. And the entire ending was just sheer perfection! But I will give a warning to some: There are a few disturbing scenes and if this is a trigger for you, it may be best to skip.

It's been a while since I've added a book to my all-time-favorites shelf. This book was so powerful, so amazing, so emotional.

When Jacqueline was attacked in the beginning I was like:



Then she had to endure being harassed by that asshat again and endure shame from the student body, I was like:



Then another girl is attacked and that fucktard RUINED her and people were concerned about his reputation, I was like:



At that point, I needed to take a break, because this book was tearing me up inside. Some of this happened:



Okay, okay. Maybe some of this too:



Then Lucas and Jacqueline get into a spat and I'm like, "WHY??????"

*SORROW*



THEN SHIT GETS REAL... AGAIN and I'm like:



By the end of the book, I'm in a glass case of emotions and I'm like:




So basically, what I'm trying to say: The highest of recommendations.

More reviews and other fantastical things at my blog Cuddlebuggery Book Blog.

[Lisa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well this awkward. Not one single friend rated this book less than three stars and I couldn't manage to rate it more than one. I feel like I read a completely different book from everyone else. The only positive thing I can say about this novel is that it emphasizes the message that rape is never a woman's fault, which is an important message. But having a good message does not excuse awful characterization, unrealistic plot points, or poor writing.

Warning: Incredibly long review that attempts to justify my outlier rating. Brutal honesty ahead.

My chief complaint about this novel is Jacqueline's unrealistic reaction to being sexually assaulted. In short, it doesn't seem to have the kind of impact on her thoughts or behaviors that I would expect. She shows no fear or hypervigilance except when she's face-to-face with her attacker, she doesn't alter her behavior, and she's ready to jump into bed with a guy only two weeks after the assault. Instead of thinking about the assault or struggling to forget about it, she obsesses over her crush, Lucas, and her breakup with her ex boyfriend. Even her emotions directly after the assault don't ring true. She worries that it was her fault but there are no accompanied feelings of misplaced shame or strong feelings of regret about her behavior.

When Buck sexually assaults her a second time she doesn't even think about reporting him or show any more concern for her safety (with the exception of avoiding the stairwell where the second attack took place). She even willingly goes to a party where she knows Buck is going to be, and when he threatens her, she doesn't leave the party. Instead, she proceeds to drink more, putting herself in a more vulnerable position. At one point she admits that the reason she didn't report him in the first place was that she thought that Lucas beating Buck up would prevent him from assaulting anyone again, a ludicrous assumption made even more ludicrous when he continues to threaten her and tries to rape her a second time. Her thoughts are so unbelievably irrational that I couldn't connect with her character.

The other characters also lacked any sort of dimensionality. Lucas, the love interest, is your classic brooding bad boy with a tragic past. He even has tattoos, a lip piercing, and drives a motorcycle. Beautiful women throw themselves at him constantly and crowds part for him like the red sea. Women can't help pointing out how hot he is whenever his name is mentioned, even at inappropriate moments like during a discussion about rape. Following the fold of YA novels, he has never had a serious relationship before, though he's hooked up with quite a few women, and he becomes obsessed with Jacqueline before even having a single conversation with her. He even fantasizes about "taking her away" (his words, not mine) from her ex boyfriend and creepily stares at her in class all without talking to her once.

The side characters don't fair much better. Jacqueline's roommate, Erin, never steps out of the supportive best friend role. Her chief purpose in the novel is to be Jacqueline's friend and encourage her relationship with Lucas. Aside from one other girl, the rest of the females are jealous, catty shrews who glare and smirk at Jacqueline every time Lucas talks to her. Buck is too stupid to live and unbelievable in his actions and motivation. He was downright cartoonish in his villainy. And then there's Benji, the token gay friend whose friendship with Jacqueline springs out of nowhere. They have two lighthearted conversations and suddenly he's confessing that he's coming out to his father over Thanksgiving weekend.

The setting also seemed unrealistic, partly because Webber gives almost no locational information. The university is never given a name, and the city and state where the university is located are never mentioned, only that it's in the South, which is a very large and diverse region. The reader is also given little information about the characteristics of the university. There's no indication of the university's prestige, the size of the university, the size of the town where the university is located, the size of the campus, or the make up of the student body in terms of diversity, socioeconomic factors, etc. It's these sorts of details that make a setting come alive and they were sorely missed.

I also couldn't identify with Jacqueline's college experience because her university didn't sound anything like any I've ever heard of. She goes to a university where engineering majors are required to take economics, where professors assign seating in large lectures with two hundred students, where professors accept bad break ups as an excuse for missing a midterm, where a single professor can pull strings to a get a failing student into the school, where music majors take algebra. There may be colleges where any of these things happen, but they're not typical, and taken together it was just hard to believe Jacqueline's college was real. There was a distinctly high school vibe about the school experience.

Pacing was also an issue. There were far too many unnecessary scenes, which did nothing to move the plot forward and the plot felt very disjointed. Plot points were brought up or alluded to but never fully explored, explained, or resolved begging the question of why they were included in the first place. Different plot points would be dropped at awkward times and forgotten about instead of being present throughout.

Lastly, the writing was very unpolished. There were a lot of awkwardly worded sentences, and a few punctuational and grammatical errors. I also thought many of the chapter breaks were oddly placed and some of the scene transitions were hard to follow, particularly those leading up to the emails. Also distracting was Webber's tendency to recap action that happened during a time jump between scenes. While the dialogue wasn't terrible, there were quite a few instance where the characters would over explain things. At one point, a character speaks for four Nook pages straight with only a one sentence break. The novel was definitely in need of professional editing.

I would not recommend this book to anyone, although clearly it was enjoyed by many. There are far better books out there that portray the effects of sexual assault and trauma in a more realistic fashion.

[Blacky *Romance Addict* · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful! Amazing <3
I'm sorry everyone, but this review will be full of gushing and little hearts and me being all crazy about a book I absolutely loved





So, there are like a million reviews for this one, and I don't really feel like writing an extensive one, because honestly, YOU SHOULDN'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THIS BOOK BEFORE YOU START IT!!!!


That's how it was for me, I went into this totally blind, I had absolutely no idea what the book was about, I think I read the blurb but it still gave me nothing.
And I am so glad for that! Everything was a surprise and I loved it from page ONE, which was a surprise because this was my first NA book, and I didn't think I'd even LIKE it, let alone LOVE!








Anyway, I'll try to go through the most important things in the book.
Prepare for a gush-fest!!!!!





1. First scene in the book




Lucas saves Jacqueline from an attempted rape, and that was insta-love for me <3
He was all heroic and sweet and just awesome <3



2. The classes they take together




She sees him in class all the time and there are stolen glances everywhere and he keeps sketching things.
Yes I know the stolen glances are so high-school, but they were sweet and they made me smile until my cheeks hurt like crazy :D



3. The dance in the disco




That was swoony and hot and I think I totally fell in love with Lucas there! Such an awesome scene, I'd kill to see it in his POV!!!!!



4. Something you need to know about Lucas




There isn't one thing about him that I don't like. I know he's written that way, and sometimes it bothers me when the have no flaws, but here it just didn't!
Anyway, he bites his lip a lot and rakes his fingers through his hair and has this half-smile going on all the time. For those of you who get irritated with those things, you'll probably be so here, but me, NOPE!! I loved it all, even with the lip biting and hands through hair and that half-smile that rarely went into a full one.
He has a lip piercing and is tattooed over his arms and has a bike and he draws/sketches/paints, and teaches self-defense class and is just UBER!!!!!



5. Something you need to know about Jacqueline




She really DIDN'T go on my nerves! At all! It is pretty unbelievable because she's so young and well, I am not a fan of reading about young people in books, but there you go. No getting on nerves from her. So that's another reason I love this book!
She does cry a few times, that I wish she didn't, but oh well, if I was 20-ish and went through attempt of rape and several other things, I'd be a mess as well.
Anyway, she just broke up with her boyfriend with whom she'd been for three years, so she's a mess there too. She starts noticing and avoiding Lucas at the same time LOL



6. The sketching




I loved every single scene that involved him sketching her, especially the first one!!! OMG it was amazing and wonderful <3



7. Her ex and the bad guy




Her ex is a total jerk and I want to hit him in the balls like they did in the defense class.

The bad guy is a total jerk and I want to rip off his balls like they did in defense class.



8. Lucas and Jacqueline are so wonderful together <3




I loved every single scene between them. Every. Single. Scene!



9. There is something sad in Lucas's past




Gosh I felt so bad for him :(((
I thought it was one thing, but it turned out something completely different and even more terrible!!!
I want to hug him like crazy!!!



10. The ending is great and amazing and wonderful and all sorts of mushy things I can think of!




Well, I don't think I need to say more about it :D
Oh yes, it made me cry <3






And so, end of gush-fest :DDD
I completely and totally loved this book (shocker, right????)
Considering I am NOT a fan of either YA or NA, I am surprised I loved it so much, but I am also glad because this book made it to my best books ever!









Vishous - thanks so much for recommending this to me! Yes, you have created a monster!!!

[Samadrita · Rating 1 out of 5]

EDIT 21/05/2013:-
I am putting up this teeny little paragraph up here since lately I've been getting a few semi-irate to mildly disapproving comments expressing opposition to my thoughts regarding this book.

If you have been a victim of acquaintance rape or been sexually harassed/assaulted by someone you were familiar with and this book helped you heal in any way whatsoever or you could relate to Jackie's actions, then those are your personal feelings. And it is perfectly okay to have your own opinion.
But since this is my review, I take the liberty to judge the subject matter at hand from any and every angle I wish to. And my problem lies with Jackie's unrealistic reactions to certain events, behavior and her acute sense of low self-worth. Such heroines in any kind of literature do not help to boost the morale of our kind, especially the ones who fall victim to sexual violence or violence of any sort.
Hope that clears up why I hated this book.

Now begins my former review.
Caution:- Read at the expense of having to respect someone else's views.

---------

Reasons why you shouldn't read this book or why if you do, you might get an overpowering urge to bang your head against the wall every 2 minutes while you're doing so:-

[Spoilers ahead but I'm not bothering to use the spoiler tags since unsuspecting readers should read this and stay the hell away from this book.]

i)The female protagonist is a shining beacon of stupidity and lack of common sense. She is conspicuously lacking in self-respect and a sense of self preservation.
She is nearly raped in the parking lot while returning from a frat party one night by a drunken bastard. But does NOT report that to the police in fear of the party getting busted. And her peers blaming her for it.
Goodbye logic.

ii)Said female has second encounter with the piece of shit where he again tries to rape her, but she still does not have brains enough to get off her ass, walk to the police station and report the matter. Because apparently in this author's world either there's no law enforcement agency or the heroine isn't intelligent enough to figure out the use of one.
Instead she enrolls herself in self-defense classes. That's pretty good and all. BUT JUST GO TO THE POLICE STATION ALREADY.

iii)She basically lets a potential rapist walk all around campus with his head held high without doing anything about it except snivelling to herself. She does not even tell her room mate what happened.
Instead of doing the obvious she is busy pining for a random hot stranger with tattoos and piercings all over his body and makes out with him without even knowing him properly. Apparently when it's him she forgets all about her attacker and the trauma of the assault.
And adding to the preposterousness of it all, this random hot stranger is not only her economics class mate but also her econ tutor(who is supposed to be an upperclassman) with whom she exchanges flirtatious mails but does not know they are one and the same person. Uh what? He is an economics genius, looks like a badass with a motorcycle, works at Starbucks, can beat the shit out of creeps and play the knight in shining armor to this brainless bimbo in distress. I have never never come across anything so disgustingly cliche-ridden.

It is at this point that I gave up hope for this book. It seems that 'rationale' is not the author's favorite word. And I cannot believe that it has been nominated for Best YA novel of the year and Best Goodreads author.
Had it been possible to give it a 0 star I wouldn't have hesitated at all.
I wonder if the person who tagged this as 'realistic fiction' was being sarcastic.

P.S.:- Dear ladies who found this a really 'inspirational' story, please don't be foolish enough to let all the sexist 18th century crap get to you. There will never be a random, sexy stranger who comes out of nowhere to rescue you from danger. Use your brain and GO TO THE POLICE. Never give your tormentor a second chance to attack you. And keep a pepper spray bottle or a taser in your bag.

[KristenReviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Huge 5 stars

I really loved this story but not for the reasons I expected. What I expected was an angst filled, all consuming, volatile romance between the hero and heroine. What the author gave me, however, was far from that and much better.

Overall this book is more about the heroine's journey to self-awareness than about her romance with the hero. Typically, I prefer romance centered plots to storylines involving the heroine's relationships with multiple characters. However, this book not only delves into the heroine's personal growth and her relationship with other characters, but also has one fantastic love story with a hot yet tortured tattooed hero, who is also extremely endearing. In addition, the story is amazingly mature in dealing with sensitive subjects for a Young Adult book.  

Easy is a realistic, captivating, and simply fantastic book! I highly recommend this wonderful story.

[Kat Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

So some­body told me this book was like Beau­ti­ful Dis­as­ter but not com­pletely hor­ri­ble, woman hat­ing and non­sen­si­cal. I snorted, thanked them for the rec and went on my merry way.

So let me express this in the most calm and rea­son­able way I can. Easy by Tamara Web­ber is fan­tas­tic and won­der­ful and that per­son was 100% right.

I have to admit, the book and I didn’t get off to a great start. It begins with Jacque­line at col­lege, bummed from get­ting dumped by her longterm boyfriend, almost get­ting raped before Lucas res­cues her. So, for some­one who is adamantly against rape being used and glossed over just to fur­ther a plot or have the hero seem heroic, I was decid­edly unimpressed.

But it soon becomes clear that Web­ber has taken the topic of rape extremely seri­ously. In fact, by the end of the novel I was cheer­ing and punch­ing the air because this book was the best I’ve ever read an author han­dle the sub­ject for con­tem­po­rary readers.



Nor­mally, in books where the female MC is almost raped and saved by the hero, the rapist gets beaten up and left behind and the hero­ine goes on her merry way. And some­times the rapist harasses her and the author cov­ers the trauma for the hero­ine until the rapist is killed by the hero in the final bat­tle and those two get to run off into the sunset.

What a freakin’ relief that Web­ber takes it really damn seri­ously – even though the begin­ning of the novel would lead you to believe that she wouldn’t. There was a point near the end of the novel where Jacque­line has to talk to a bunch of soror­ity girls about rape and I wanted to cry and cheer and do a lit­tle girl power dance.



So I loved Jacque­line, I loved Lucas, I loved most of this book. I thought it was well writ­ten and rea­son­ably well-paced and you know what? Seemed like it was actu­ally writ­ten about col­lege kids who actu­ally do col­lege things. I’m really glad I picked this one up. It was, indeed, a really fun, lovely read that I highly endorse. Also, Jacqueline’s slap down on Kennedy was epic – right to the end. She kicked seri­ous butt.

[♡Karlyn P♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5! Wow, really enjoyed it. A kind of deja vu of 'Beautiful Disaster', but improved on all levels and without all the WTFery. Better writing, more likable H/h, smarter story line, a hero who uses his fighting skills for good, and a far more fitting ending, IMHO.

Lucas


Easy was such an emotionally deep story, realistic in nature, and had a wonderful steamy romance between a tortured hero who is obsessed/possessive over Jacqueline, and a heroine who must now come to terms with the choices she made.

Lucas was AWESOME. A hot tortured guy who was obsessed and possessive of Jacqueline, but in a way that never crosses the line. He defends and protects her from a violent sexual rapist on campus, and gives her reason to believe that her decision to attend the college that her now ex-boyfriend chose might not have been a bad decision after all. If you like a hero with some tats, a small lip piercing, and rides a motorcycle, you'll love Lucas.



After the altercation,Jacqueline finds herself drawn to Lucas. He is a student in her economics class, and oddly one of a few she truly trusts. Because she is so drawn to him, she lets her girlfriends convince her to play hard to get with him in hopes he could be a rebound man from her ex-boyfriend. Too bad he didn't take class very serious, he spends his time sketching images instead of listening and taking notes.

Jacqueline


She soon finds herself a bit torn between Lucas and her online tutor Landon. Landon and her have never met, but he is smart, motivated and interesting. They exchange a ton of emails, and he becomes an invaluable resource and help so she doesn't flunk out of economics.

Campus Party Life


The author did a great job portraying the reality of college life. Partying, studying, flirting as well as the risks and how to protect oneself. As much as I didn't agree with Jacqueline's decision early in the story, I do realize (sadly) how common that is.

The story has quite a few twists and kept me fully engaged all the way through. While the subject matter is rather dark at times, it never gets bogged down with the drama. The main focus remains on Jacqueline and her building attraction and relationship with Lucas. The romance story was the best part, and it never goes overboard on angst and self inflicted drama, as BD was notorious for.

In a nutshell, this story really is about Jacqueline's journey after making her rash decision to follow her boyfriend(now ex) to his college. Wonderful things happen for her too, including meeting some great friends and the oh-so-hot Lucas. She was a very likable character, smart and deserving of good things. Her chemistry with Lucas felt real.



I rarely read YA, but this one is actually considered more adult in nature, and I agree. Think of this as a blend of YA with more adult material and some steamy sexual scenes mixed with some fade-to-black moments. The make out scenes get super steamy hot, but when it is more than that it will fade to black. The relationship is right for their age and maturity, too. I am so glad I took the chance on this one, I highly recommend it.

[Ari · Rating 5 out of 5]

.. So easy to like, so easy to get lost into the story, so easy to get to the last page and wish for more...



4.5 stars.
Sometimes you don't really  think  if a book is good or not, it just works for you. You simply start reading it and the action feels so natural that you don't stop until you reach the last page. This is one of those stories.
It's hard to think of the reasons  why i liked it  so much, and I'm not even sure if it matters because usually what i like about a book is not what others might like - some books just work while others don't and I am always happy when i get to enjoy what I read.

This being said, I am not sure if these are my reasons to love it, but I am pretty sure that you will enjoy them all:

Jacqueline is my kind of character.
I liked her voice (smart and funny), her strong personality - after what almost happend to her in the beginning of the book she still could pretend that her life was (almost) the way it used to; she still managed to keep her head up and confront whatever it was to confront. Yes, she needed a bit of time to recover, but that only makes her human and that only makes me like her more.

If I had to describe her in a few words I would say that she was really stubborn and she almost always knew what she wanted (and how to get it).

Even though she still had some feelings for her ex she wouldn't have left him back in after that embarrassing break-up (that's the spirit!).
She also has a great best friend (Erin), a bit crazy but lovely nevertheless, and this made me happy because I love to read about good friends that can be there for each other. There was a lot of humor involved and that was also great because some topics were pretty hard to digest and my heart needed a few happy moments here and there.

Lucas - He is so sexy and mysterious and I loved how he seemed to play the same game Jacqueline was playing (that her friends made her play). I liked that he was spontaneous and at times not as predictable as Jacqueline wanted him to be. Not to mention that he is very talented at drawing - and I find this even more sexy than his dark, bad-boy-ish look.
His secret broke my heart, I could imagine his younger self suffering so much and not being able to change a thing, to help. It still gives me goose bumps, I didn't expect it to be so horrifying, but it was and I wanted to keep him safe, to hold him in my arms forever and make him forget all the bad things in his life. I guess I am saying a bit too much, but I can't help it. He is the main reason I loved this book and he deserves every single thought I have about him.

Landon - Oh my, I want to go back to school. I need a tutor to flirt via email and I think that this smart guy might be just perfect for the job. I loved the e-mails between the 2 of them - they were so fun and flirty and cute.. and I found myself smiling more often than I thought I would.

“Love is not the absence of logic
but logic examined and recalculated
heated and curved to fit
inside the contours of the heart”

This story comes in a very big package - there is a lot of humor, there is some (hot) romance, but there are also some though subjects like rape and death. There is the need to move on, there is the need to forget, there is the need to start over, and what makes this story special is the fact that all these things fit so perfectly together. You are not overwhelmed by them, but you can understand them, feel them.

There was one tiny thing I didn't particularly enjoy:
Buck - It's not only because he is the 'evil' character in the story, but because his personality was a bit inconsistent - he was there at the beginning, just a bit by the middle and then a bit near the ending. But between these moments he was mostly absent. I couldn't fear him, he didn't seem to be a threat... and oh, I wanted to kick his ass so damn badly!
Also I don't understand why didn't Lucas just called the police in the beginning (I understood why he didn't kill the bastard, even though in his state of mind he was pretty close to do it and I can't even judge him for that)... Still, without this fact we wouldn't have had a story to read, so I'll just let this go. But I didn't like him, just so you know.

I guess this is it; these days I am not too good at expressing my feelings for the books I like, but "Easy" is really good and easy to love, so I am sure that you will like it. Pick it up, read it, love it, and come back to talk more about it ;)

Happy midnight reading!

** This review can also be found at ReadingAfterMidnight.com
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[Abbi Glines · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Tammara's Between the Lines series. I've read all three books in the series more than once. So, when I found out she was writing a book with college aged characters, I was thrilled. Easy did not let me down. From the moment I began reading it I couldn't walk away from it. I cried, I laughed, I yelled and I cheered. It's an emotional journey that I wasn't expecting. I suggest you READ IT. This is one that will keep you up reading all night long.

[♥Rachel♥ · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading this story, I had to ask myself, why have I never read a Tammara Webber story before?!! This story was UNPUTDOWNABLE!

Jacqueline Wallace followed her boyfriend of three years, Kennedy, to college and then unexpectedly, he dumps her to sow his wild oats. Jacqueline is devastated and for two-weeks she can't bring herself to face him in the economics class they share. She finally realizes that no guy is worth failing a class and trashing her GPA. So Jacqueline goes to the teacher and throws herself on his mercy, begging for a chance to catch up and pass the class. He connects her with the class tutor, Landon, and they begin emailing back and forth working on retrieving her grade. She starts to connect with Landon through the emails and wonders what he looks like. In class, Jacqueline notices another boy, Lucas. When he's not sketching in a notebook, she catches him staring at her, many times. Jacqueline never noticed Lucas before, but now he seems to be popping up everywhere. Now that she's not with Kennedy anymore, she can't help but see that he's gorgeous: clear gray-blue eyes, lean and muscled body, and bad-boy tattoos snaking up arms. Jacqueline doesn't know if she's ready for any relationship so soon after her break-up. Also, she's not sure if someone who is clearly just sketching and not listening in class is someone for her but she can't deny that she's attracted to him. Should she choose a guy who satisfies her body or her mind? Add to all of this, Jacqueline is getting very unwanted attention from Buck, a frat-mate of Kennedy, who suddenly after their break-up, is all about bullying and stalking Jacqueline! This guy is beyond creepy, and his type is the reason I carry pepper spray in my purse!

This story starts off with a bang! My heart was literally pounding in my chest from the opening scene! I won't say what happens but it was some start. As I said in the opening I could not put this book down. I read it in one day! I just loved everything about it. I liked that Jacqueline doesn't let the events in her life drag her down. She grieves over her break-up but then dusts herself off, and gets back to living. Her friend and roommate, Erin was the best sort of girlfriend. It's the type of relationship all us girls yearn to have, someone who is loyal and helps to empower us against what trips us up in life. It was a nice change from the usual "mean-girl" plot line in so many books now. Now let's get to Lucas, he is easily the knight-in-shining-armor of this book. He's so respectful, protective and just plain HOT! Some of the scenes in this book had me wiping off the steam gathering on my glasses many times! Let me tease you with a snippet:

"So I don't want to you to feel pressured. Or overpowered. But I do, absolutely, want to kiss you right now. Badly." He trailed his finger over my jaw and down my throat, and then into his lap. I stared at him. Finally comprehending that he was waiting for a response, I said, "Okay." ----As he leaned over me, I felt a heightened awareness of every part of my body that touched a part of his--the edge of his hip pressed to mine, his chest sliding against mine, his fingers tracing from wrists to forearms and then framing my face. He held me in place, lips near my ear. When he kissed the sensitive spot, my breath shuddered. "You're so beautiful," he whispered, moving his mouth to mine.

Oh.My.Goodness!!! That's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the steam written in this story! There is so much more to this story than the romance but I don't want to give anything away. Stay away from spoilery reviews if you can. This story is best discovered by reading it yourself.

I highly recommend this story, just writing this review makes me want to read it all over again! I'm definitely reading anything else written by Tammara Webber.

You can find this review and more at The Readers Den

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars

“Choosing to be with you, isn't a difficult decision, Jacqueline...It's easy. Incredibly easy.”

It was so 'Easy' to get caught up in this story, I loved it and loved Lucas. Tammara Webber’s writing is fantastic and this is an unforgettable story! I highly recommend it.

[Jessica's Totally Over The Top Book Obsession · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy has been on my tbr list for a while now. So when I was looking for something new to read I came across this and thought it sounded like a good emotionally angsty read. Though this was a good read, it wasn't as deep or emotional as I thought it would be. It dealt with some ugly, dark themes. Like rape in college and others trying to cover it up. I was really glad that they pressed charges on the rapist. I was also so glad the author wrote the friend Erin as a strong supportive friend. I really loved that the president of the women's sorority was like press charges, and support your sister! But for such dark subject matters, this seemed like a lighter read. I loved Jacqueline and Lucas. Apart there was a nice amount of character development. It was their relationship that didn't go deep. It was what was lacking for me. There was so much time apart and they didn't really do a ton of connecting, talking, dating, etc. Still it was a nice read that could have been better if there had been more meat to Jacqueline and Lucas' relationship.

[Stacia (the 2010 club) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love is not the absence of logic but logic examined and recalculated - heated and curved to fit inside the contours of the heart

This might be my favorite book of Webber's to date. There's something about the stories she writes which makes me throw out my preset ideas of what I wouldn't like in a book. She rearranges my reservations and makes me want to know more about her flawed characters.

"When I registered for econ, I had no idea that I'd be in for this level of reality-show drama. It's like a big fat bonus."

My love affair with drama books turned cold when drama started to morph from 'truly shocking' to 'nothing but drama for the sake of shock value.' I've been wary to even go near books which might end up invoking my wrath by trying to force me into fraudulent emotions. Even though there were a few 'tried and true' plot points that are guaranteed to bring out the screaming fangirls, I didn't feel bamboozled (you just can't stop my love for weird words) into going along for the ride.

So what does this make me? Have I turned into the OMG YOU HAVE TO READ THIS BOOK!!! eleven!11one!1!!!11agghhhh!!! type of fan? Hmm..maybe not exactly. But I'm not going to hide my admiration for a love story that did just so happen to make me feel a little bit warm and fuzzy inside. It was a sweet read. I would have fallen for Lucas myself if I was Jackie.

How could you not?

"What's wrong?" His hands gripped my elbows as I stared up at him. He was wearing drawstring pajama bottoms and a dark t-shirt, the sexy lines of his tattoos spilling from his sleeves to his wrists. He also wore thin, black-framed glasses that accentuated the blue in his eyes and his dark lashes.

Lucas was kind, protective, smart, artsy, and caring. Yes, he was the entire package. Maybe a bit too much at times. He could kick your assailant's ass, work several jobs, draw an incredible life rendering of you, cook you a fabulous dinner, and help you get your econ grade up, all before making your head swim at his lovin' skills. I had a few flashbacks of the hero from Extreme Exposure. I'm hardly complaining though. Lucas was the hotness, even if he was too good to be true.

Mild spoilers ahead but they really only tie to things you'll end up finding out pretty early on in the book, so I'd say it's okay to read them anyway.

Here's what I liked :

The email exchanges. They were fun.

The friendship banter. It was realistic. I know some people might be upset at one girl calling another a slut, or seeing two girls scheme how to catch a guy by acting 'interested, yet still indifferent' (yes that is a contradiction, but I understood it)...but this is how I would have acted with my friends when I was younger, so it was cute to me. If you're friends with me long enough, at some point you will be called a hooker. It is my term of endearment.

The emphasis on how rape is serious and needs to be reported so other people aren't hurt in the future.

The suggestion of therapy to a character who wasn't healed from a past hurt. Not all hurts go away. Long-term effects can haunt people their entire lives. I want to see serious issues being taken seriously, so this was something I appreciated.

Here's what I didn't like :

Secrets took too long to be revealed.

Lucas probably could have taken a more proactive role in getting Jackie into self defense classes or even talking to someone about what had happened.

Should you read this book?

If you'd like to read about a sweet and intense love story that just might make you feel a little giddy inside, I'd say definitely check this one out.

I was shocked, and a little embarrassed, but once glance at his face told me he savored my body's response, and his ability to trigger it.

[Wendy Darling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, what a huge surprise this was! Unexpected layers, a heroine who develops over the course of the book, and a seriously, seriously crush-worthy guy.

[UniquelyMoi ~ BlithelyBookish · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, this was such a great book. Sweet but not cheesy or immature... mature but not too adult... the perfect cross-over book. I'll definitely be looking for more by this very talented author!

I might write more of a review if I can think of some way to do this story justice. For now, this must suffice.

[Karla · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 HUGE STARS!! When I picked up this book I was hoping to get an angst-filled young adult romance, with a swoon-worthy dreamy boy, that would propel me back to my youth…make me feel young… and give me that floating on a cloud feeling. I got all that and SO MUCH MORE!!

I’m not going to delve in the plot, because there is much to be said about the element of surprise and the impact it holds. So much is better just left unsaid. However, I will say that this is a book about choices, the nasty and the sweet side of life, empowerment, and friendship. Jacqueline and Lucas are brought together for a reason…to save each other. When you know its right, grab on, hold on, reach out, be patient…“good things come to those who wait”.

Tammara Webber did a wonderful job depicting the college setting, and unfortunately, what can also be the sad reality of campus life. Just beware, there is delicate subject matter addressed in this book, and the picture painted isn’t always pretty, this is more than just a light YA romance.

As for Lucas, he was once a bad-boy, still had the bad boy “image”, was fierce and protective when need be, but he was also a sweet gentle soul *sigh*! He is the stuff YA romance novels are made of, every girl’s dream. Jacqueline was a little naïve, but with some nudging from her awesome, brazen, loyal roommate and friend Erin, she empowered herself with the knowledge and skills that allowed her to take a stand. Yes!!!

The story is well-written, compact, but complete. Initially I didn’t think that the length of the book would allow the story to develop properly, but it did and the epilogue finished it off nicely. It left me very satisfied. This is the fourth book that I’ve read from Tammara Webber and I look forward to seeing what this gifted author has in store for us. I highly recommend this read and the other books she has to offer.

“Choosing to be with you isn’t a difficult decision, Jacqueline,” he breathed, pulling back one final time to stare into my eyes. “It’s easy. Incredibly easy.”

LUCAS -Unusually clear gray-blue eyes, messy hair, wayward bangs, and a ghost of a smile

[Aestas Book Blog · Rating 3 out of 5]

Le sigh.... I wanted to love this book. I really did. But the characters frustrated me to no end. I did however, love Lucas and Jacqueline - the parts of the book where they were actually interacting were by far the highlights of the story for me.

The hero and heroine just did not make what I'd call smart relationship decisions. I was really rooting for them and they WERE utterly adorable together, but they just didn't seem to be very functional for a vast majority of the book.

I felt like they kept making the wrong calls - not choosing the smart, functional path. I really just wanted yell at them... No, don't ignore her. No, don't play games with him. No, don't go to your ex's house. No, don't lie to her. No, the solution is not that 'we can't be together'. No, don't be passive when you know he's hiding something, call him on it. And just tell each other how you feel!!!!

They spent so much of the book ignoring each other! Gah! They'd interact, then go days without speaking, then interact again, go back to ignoring, or deciding things wouldn't work out, then talk again, then ignore more... sigh. It got frustrating. There was a lot of stupidy. A lot of 'hot-cold'. Kinda made me want to bang my head against a wall and then just lock them both in a room together until they communicated more.

I basically felt it would have been very easy to have avoided most of the problems and angst of this book by simple communication.

This being said, I didn't dislike the book at all, there were definitely good parts to it and it did keep my attention.

I really did love Lucas - what a gorgeous tortured character! I was totally swooning over him! As the best friend said, "Holy fuckburgers. Who was that hot guy?" lol. He was so respectful, so protective, and quite the gentleman while still being a total kick ass, tattooed and pierced bad boy college hottie.

Jacqueline though... I was kind of on the fence about her. I didn't like how she played games with Lucas in the beginning, or would ignore him for days on end (SO frustrating!). But she wasn't a bad heroine, I just didn't really connect with her or agree with her decisions always.

And I absolutely loved Lucas and Jacqueline together - when they weren't ignoring each other, they were a seriously CUTE couple!! They had great dialogue, swoony interactions and some very steamy moments!

And let me tell you, Ms Weber can write one helluva hot kiss! Seriously!

"I pressed against him and he groaned into my mouth and wrenched his mouth from mine, breathing raggedly. "I have to go now, or I'm not going."

Honestly though, if it wasn't for how much I liked the parts where Lucas and Jacqueline were actually together, I might have put the book down. I felt I was reading only to get to those parts.

Here's how I see Lucas and Jacqueline:

[Jaclyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love is not the absence of logic,
but logic examined and recalculated
heated and curved to fit
inside the contours of the heart

AHHHHH *squeals into pillow*

I LOVED THIS BOOK!!!!

It was so easy to devour, get lost, and fall in love with every single word on that page.

And Lucas....
*swoons*

This is about a college girl named Jacqueline (internally cheers because OMG ITS MY NAME IN A BOOK) who just had her boyfriend of three years break up with her and decides to go to a Halloween party with her friends. As she's leaving the party, she gets attacked and then rescued by Lucas *fans self* They begin to grow closer...and that's all I'm going to tell you! It's so much more fun just to go in blind and read it!

"The night we met- I'm not like that guy." His jaw was rigid.
"I know tha-" He placed a finger over my lips, his expression softening.
"So I don't want you to feel pressured. Or overpowered. But I do, absolutely want to kiss you right now. Badly."

I loved, loved the romance of the college setting! How he would sit in the back and sketch her, and how she would try not to look over her shoulder at him. So sweet! He was like in love with her before he met her and ahhhh it was adorable!

As for being somewhere you're not supposed to be--Maybe you're here for a reason, or there is no reason.

Jacqueline was so strong! I loved how she didn't let what happened to her get in the way of her overall happiness and how she slowly started to tell people about it. Obviously she should have gone to the police right away but in that moment, in the state of shock, she was so scared that I felt for her so deeply. I loved the way that serious issue was talked about in this book. It was raw and real and horrifying but handled perfectly. And I loved when she told Erin and the two of them started taking self-defense classes! I really enjoyed those interactions and this whole story makes you want to take self-defense classes and be just as strong as Jacqueline!

Apologies could come too late.

And in the midst of dealing with the post trauma from that night, she is also dealing with the repercussions of a break up from her boyfriend of 3 years!

Time would not change what I was feeling-or not feeling. I'd had time and though the ache from his desertion hadn't disappeared, it was decreasing. My future was blurry, yes, but I was beginning to imagine a future when I would no longer miss him at all.

There was definitely a sense of empowerment from this book, both from Lucas and Jacqueline. It's clear that Lucas is also trying to overcome a heart breaking past and I loved seeing them be there for one another and come together...

As he leaned over me, I felt heightened awareness of every part of my body that touched a part of his--the edge of his hip pressed to mine, his chest sliding against mine, his fingers tracing from wrists to forearms and then framing my face. He held me in place, lips near my ear. When he kissed the sensitive spot, my breath shuddered. "You're so beautiful," he whispered, moving his mouth to mine.

*clutches heart*

THE ROMANCE.

LUCAS! He's so mysterious, so hot, and so fantastic to read! Ahh I fell completely in love with him! He's sweet, sexy, and smart. What more could a girl want? I loved how he was so protective over Jacqueline and yes there was some back and forth but then you get to end and all of it just clicks and then your heart breaks all over again.

He brushed my tears from my face.
"How did I find you?"

Overall, this book was highly addicting, emotional, beautiful, heart pounding and so wonderful to read. The writing was fantastic, the characters were real, and it was such a joy to read. I can't recommend this book enough. All I feel when I want to talk about is just GUSH and squeals because ahhhhh LUCAS AND JACQUELINE! I loved every single aspect of this book and highly recommend! Especially if you're looking to get into New Adult, this is a good one to start with! So much love!!

"Choosing to be with you isn't a difficult decision Jacqueline," He breathed, pulling back one more time to stare into my eyes. "It's easy. Incredibly easy."

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Huh. So this was a lot more fluffy than I was expecting.
Like everything else I've broken down and read lately, this was one I'd been avoiding for a long time. I kept hearing the word rape when someone mentioned this, and it sort of put me off.
I figured Easy would be all tear-jerking & angsty, and that's not something I actively seek out in my reading material.



And then I read the blurb.

When her attacker turns stalker, Jacqueline has a choice: crumple in defeat or learn to fight back. Lucas remains protective, but he's hiding secrets of his own.

So, I'm thinking that maybe Lucas played a part in her getting attacked or something!
Ewwww! Nooooo!
I don't wanna read a romance with THIS dude as the love interest!



I'm mentioning this, because if you're weird like me, then I want to put your mind at ease. Lucas' secret isn't that he's sneaking into her laundry basket to sniff her panties, or hiring guys to attack her so he can play hero. Sure, his dark past haunts their relationship at some point, but it's nothing he did. Which means, he's not a creeper, he's just a bit damaged.



Anyhoo, if you're fond of the fixer-uper (read: Tragic Hero), then you will most likely loooove Lucas, because usually my crusty heart isn't swayed by these types of guys, and even I (grudgingly) found him somewhat adorable.
So. Yeah.
Short, sweet, and it tackles some dark subject matter without getting too heavy.



It also made me realize that I need to make sure my girls have taken a good self defense class before they head off to college, and I need have a few more talks with my boys about stepping in and putting a stop to any hinky behavior from other guys.
And if you're looking for something to show your boys, I really like this one:
Tea and Consent
It's a (can't believe I'm saying this) fun way to talk about sex & consent with tween and teen boys.

[Mo · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 sweet stars.


First off, I am not sure how I missed this gem of a book when it was first released nearly 2 years ago. A lot of my friends have already read it and I saw all the four and five star reviews. I think it came to my attention as the 2nd book was released yesterday….

He watched her, but never knew her. Until thanks to a chance encounter, he became her savior…

The attraction between them was undeniable. Yet the past he’d worked so hard to overcome, and the future she’d put so much faith in, threatened to tear them apart.

I did not read any of the reviews…. Sort of skimmed just to see the star ratings. Think you are better off going in blind and experiencing the book yourself.

“The night we met-I'm not like that guy." His jaw was rigid.
"I know tha-" He placed a finger over my lips, his expression softening.
"So I don't want you to feel pressured. Or overpowered. But I do, absolutely, want to kiss you right now. Badly.”

I dip into NA now and again but feel that the characters are just too immature for an “old” lady like me to read about…. Don’t want to read about the antics of kids the same age as my son.

“As for being somewhere you're not supposed to be--Maybe you're here for a reason, or there is no reason.”

Now, most of you know I LOVE my asshole alpha male. But now and again I do like to read about a nice guy. And was Lucas nice? OMG, he was perfection. Seriously, I wanted to take him away and take care of him forever. Husband bedammed!



This wasn’t an angst filled tale of woe and young love. Yes, there were some sad parts, some happy parts, some sweet parts… overall, a great read.

“We talked--recent history only--and Lucas relayed the story of how Francis came to be his roommate. "He showed up at the door one night, demanding to be let in. Napped on the sofa for an hour, then demanded to be let out. It turned into a nightly ritual, with him staying longer and longer, until at some point I realized he'd moved in. He's basically the most brazen squatter ever.”

Obviously, I did not attend University in America. I still don’t get these fraternities … they seem alien to me, and to be honest, seem to have a bit of a snob element. I could be completely wrong in this matter. Please feel free to enlighten me but any of the books I have read with such in them have the members acting that they are better than the non-frat members.

“He brushed my tears from my face. "How did I find you?”

“Please touch me. I need you to touch me.”

[Bibi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Webber is, undoubtedly, a talented and skilled author; and from front to back, this book packs an emotional punch.

[Samantha Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Just wow. I'm actually pretty blown away by 'Easy'. This wasn't your average 'boy meets girl' story at all. Unbelievably well-written, 'Easy' kicks ass for so many reasons. Dealing with subject matter that is raw and stark, Tammara Webber effortlessly balances gritty reality with touching sensitivity. The dialogue is perfect (it makes me go all fangirl) and every moment between Lucas and Jacqueline is so authentic I defy anyone not to feel some kind of attachment to these two characters. The romance plays out perfectly, from their first awkward yet sexually charged encounters through to the taut, spine-tinglingly delicious journey of revelations between them. Although the romance is fantastic, I think what makes 'Easy' so special is Webber's ability to highlight an important message by weaving it through both characters’ story - a necessity considering the subject but done with beautiful subtlety.

By far one of the best books in its genre, if not the best, 'Easy' slips into the top of my favorites pile without any difficulty. In fact, it was 'incredibly easy' to put it there.

Out of the box, ten out of ten stars!

[Katerina · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Now don't laugh 'cause I just might be the soft curve in your hardline.”

Easy is a story of understanding,trusting and healing.Not your typical contemporary romance,it's not only about finding love but also about finding yourself,embracing your scars,showing humanity and playing with the cards life dealt you in the best way you can.

“As for being somewhere you're not supposed to be-Maybe you're here for a reason,or there is no reason.”

The truth is,most of the times the belief that there is a reason is the only thing that keeps us from falling apart,from looking back at our past and the mistakes that have piled up without cursing ourselves for our stupidity.The only thing that lets us hope.Jacqueline put her dreams aside in order to follow her boyfriend,attending a college that did not focus on her passion for music.When said boyfriend broke up with her because he wanted to sleep around,she found herself in a difficult position.And to make matters even worse,she was almost raped by her ex's rival and miraculously saved by a stranger that happened to witness this moment of utter horror and despair.This stranger,Lucas,kept showing up,infiltrating her thoughts and messing up her predictable life.But Lucas had secrets of his own,and a life full of pain and guilt.They were both afraid of opening up their hearts,becoming vulnerable and sharing their burdens.But one of them had to make that leap of faith.

He brushed my tears from my face.
“How did I find you?”

I must admit that guys with lip piercing and tattoos are not very high in my book boyfriends list,but Lucas is one of the few exceptions.I looked beneath his appearance and saw a young man struggling to survive and I wanted desperately to hug and comfort him.The romance was all-consuming and devastating,it was such a unique exprerience to watch the heroes getting over their issues and falling in love.My heart kept pounding in my chest and I could not help but think that if every girl met a boy like Lucas and every boy a girl like Jacqueline,relationships would be wholly different.Nothing was perfect,there were lies and broken trust involved,but in the end it all comes to the ability and the will to let someone who has the ability to hurt you become a part of you.Tammara Webber painted vividly some very realistic characters and proved that she is a talented author.Besides the wonderful romance,she passed some very powerful messages about rape.I get nauseous every time this terrible act is mentioned,and Tammara showed the ugly face of it and the consequences,as well as the way it affects a person's social status and the tendency to blame the victims and wrap things up.I was really upset when Jacqueline refused to report the attack on her,but I felt very proud of her when she decided to take some action.

“The way he kissed me felt like a brand.Like he was tattooing himself under my skin.”

The way Easy is tattooed on my soul.This is not a book that I will ever be able to forget.

[Amy | Foxy Blogs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Re-read on 11/04/2022
Listening Length: 8hours 48minutes.
It's been almost 10 years since I read this book and it is as good as I remembered! 💗
_______________

I read this book twice! The first time was this past summer and the second time was with my husband. Both times were great.

Love this book!

[Rose · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pre-read thoughts: I was in a lengthy debate with myself over the measure of whether I wanted to read it or not, but I've decided to just give it a go. I'll admit I'm critical because many NA titles have left me burned as a result and I can't say I've had many to speak fondly of considering some of the issues they have and how they've approached them. I'm going to approach this with an open mind and see if it surprises me, though.

Post-read thoughts: I'm just going to copy verbatim what I said in my last status update: Good messages, but contrived presentation and unrealistic characterization. I'm quite disappointed, sadly. It's definitely not the worst I've read in this genre or in general, but I have a lot of words.

Full review:

Tammara Webber's "Easy" is a rather inaccurate, formulaic, and juvenile portrayal of the emotional consequence, debate, and coming to terms in the aftermath of rape/sexual assault in a college environment.

I could end the review right on those notes alone, but the unspoken question (aside from whatever projectile objects might be thrown at me for making such a statement) might be why I say this about the novel. It's difficult enough for me to speak against the grain when there have been so many people, in my reading circles, friends, among those who have read this book, who have sang its praises. I don't really feel pressured in reviewing this and speaking my mind, but dangnabit, I have to wonder why not very many people saw the very rampant problems that were in this book that counteracted its respective messages. I think there's something to be said in the individual reading experiences we have and what we are able to see or not see in that measure. I'm totally respectful of that, and I recognize that in other works that I perhaps loved, but others disliked, I may have been more forgiving or seen certain angles of a story very differently. I think that's fine. Unfortunately, for my experience reading "Easy", I saw many, many problematic elements here.

To be blunt - where was I during the heart-wrenching, tear jerking events, sing its praises purported feminism, and "OMG squee" worthy moments of this book? I don't think they ever arrived. I don't think there was a single moment where I saw this as a multidimensional story with multiple stakes, or a coming to terms for ANY of the characters here, especially the heroine. I struggled on the part of caring for the characters because they were so one-dimensional, cookie cutter caricatures lacking the kind of depth and flesh to make them matter as people dealing with real trials and tribulations. More on that a little later in this review.

"Easy" had some positive messages in spells, which I liked because it's leaps and bounds better than some of the peer books in this category. However, the book features a plethora of problematic elements to counterbalance the positive statements.

Where do I begin? I suppose it's worth saying that the first chapter begins with a graphic sexual assault scene. Trigger warning to anyone who picks up this book. I'll admit it hit me hard as I listened to the audiobook version, not just for the graphic nature of it, but the formulaic notation. I know this book was written and published before Erin McCarthy's "True", but I have to give "Easy" the same criticism: starting a book with a rape or near rape scene as a tie linking the two leads together isn't my idea of romantic. A measure in which someone is either raped or nearly raped is a horrifying experience.

Sure there's a trope in literature where the damsel is distress is saved by the hero in a moment of peril. It's a common one, I understand there are some who don't seem to mind it or actually like that trope for preference. But when you hinge a story like this with such a heavy backdrop of rape/SA and how the heroine comes to terms with it, do you really want to play up the romantic angle against the psychological angles, completely shortchanging the latter on behalf of the former?

That latter notation is exactly what this book did. I'll admit that was the moment I knew this book could either go in a really bad direction or not really amount to as much as it likely could've done.

This story is from the perspective of a college sophomore Jackie (I'll call her this because it's easier, but in the story, she prefers Jacqueline) who has to cope with the aftermath of being nearly raped at a party. She's saved by a stranger (Lucas) who just happens upon her and her would be rapist (Buck). Lucas and Jackie have a tentatively developing relationship following said event, and while Jackie does have reactions of fear in the aftermath of her encounter with Buck, whom she claims she's known for a year, I found it difficult to believe. Her fear is quite threadbare. I won't go so far as saying that a rape victim perhaps wouldn't have felt some of the same things that Jackie goes through (saying that she wouldn't call the police and disrupt the party and blaming herself, even when Lucas tells her she shouldn't), but it's hard to read, because mentally I'm telling myself the right thing to do where she didn't act upon it. Rape victims go through many different motions depending upon their experiences, backgrounds, knowledge, mental assertions among other things. To assume that there's just one reaction to a rape/sexual assault is limiting at best, so I'm glad when an author can explore a character's mindset as to what they think, feel, fear, and bargain in the aftermath.

I could probably get behind the author doing that with respect to Jackie for realism considering in the aftermath of a traumatic event, there are people who do think that way. But then, the narrative continues on like she doesn't have any sexual triggers stemming from the event in the aftermath. She flinches when Buck threatens her and she's in his presence, but to assume that it doesn't have an affect with her relationship with Lucas? Not so much. To top it off, I was actually annoyed with the instalove that's woven into Jackie and Lucas's encounter. The characters themselves are set pieces, really.

Benji, the gay friend/sidekick who edges Jackie's relationship on and comes out to his parents, but there's not a thing the reader learns about him otherwise (I actually wanted to know him more because I liked his character voice).

Erin, the best friend, who thankfully doesn't slut shame or blame Jackie for what happened, and she does drop her boyfriend when he supports Buck on the allegations of rape, but I still found it difficult to delve into her character. She keeps encouraging Jackie to make her relationship work with Lucas, and I felt like I was in the middle of reading a chick-lit novel that emphasized the romance rather than the very complex stakes that the heroine endures.

Lucas, the tattooed hero who not only has a contrived conflict with the heroine considering a double identity he has, but also has a past which could've been handled with so much better weight than what the narrative provided. It was supposed to be "shocking", but the way the heroine discovers the truth is so...so darned annoying. I hated Jackie's jealous streaks and how that pertained to Lucas, and I hated that she didn't trust him enough And it felt like a way to milk the conflict rather than an actual coming to terms for Lucas.

Buck, who I honestly have to say that I'm really disappointed in how his character came across as pretty much as nothing more than the "evil rapist". Not a lick of realism. It felt like he was either the villain in a Gossip Girl episode or a formulaic Lifetime movie, as if he wanted to leap from the bushes at some point to tackle and torment the heroine. It felt like such a blatant display of conflict that would not necessarily happen in real life. He tries to assault Jackie three times. THREE TIMES. In at least one of those times, Jackie willingly shows up in the same place she knows he's going to be and doesn't feel the least bit anxious about it. It just wasn't shown well, and it felt contrived. And I feel like the morality play here was milked a bit because there's the overt measure that Jackie (alongside Erin, with Lucas being an instructor) learns self defense and just so happens to be able to *use* that self defense when he encounters her for the third time. It's too darned convenient.

Don't get me started on the professor/former officer who just so happens to be Lucas and Jackie's instructor. That was also too convenient for the latter conflict of the novel regarding Lucas's past. I also sincerely doubt that a professor in a college would be so forgiving of a student who missed two weeks, including a major midterm, on the front of "romantic problems." Jackie was unceremoniously dumped by her former boyfriend Kennedy in the beginning of the novel.

Speaking of Kennedy, I hated him as well, but at least he was intended to be hated on the part of the way he dumps the heroine by making the excuse that he wanted to see other women and that he was dumping her for the sake of preserving his future. Not only that, he totally victim blames a girl who was raped by Buck AND makes the comment that he at first thought Jackie was fabricating her story just because she was upset for breaking up with him. I mentally told him to go screw himself so many times in the course of this novel (to Jackie's credit, so did she). I didn't necessarily think his inclusion as a character was a bad one because it did give many opportunities for the author to knock down these stereotypes, but it still felt like he wasn't more than a set piece in this overarching novel.

Then there's one character (Note, just ONE character) who makes an impassioned speech against the "mean girls" of the sorority that Erin is a part of (Buck rapes another girl who is a member there. Apparently it was shown that many of the girls totally didn't believe either the girl that was raped or Jackie's near attempt, but this character actually come across in a prime scene to knock down the slut shaming/victim blaming that goes on because of her personal experiences. I thought that was one of the more potent aspects of the novel, but it felt like it wasn't enough for the narrative, nor did her character really have that much scene time to really make it count in the overarching narrative.

There are other characters I could name that fall into these cookie cutter roles, but I'm going to double back to Lucas because for a "bad boy" hero who saves the heroine and knows she was nearly raped - I have to question some of his particular actions towards the heroine, including touching her as he's trying to sketch her when she's obviously uncomfortable with it, and while he may ask her in certain spells whether she's comfortable doing something, he negates asking her in others. Plus there's one scene where he touches her, but when she goes to touch him, he dismisses it quickly. Argh. He wasn't a swoon-worthy hero to me at all, and he lacked the dimension/definition of his character to really bring me into his experiences and character.

Finally, as if these fundamental problems with story and characterization weren't enough, the college environment is pretty inaccurate on a number of levels. No specificity to the school, contradicting information about the classes the characters attend, and just a general lack of immersion in the environment itself - I'll admit some aspects were okay in terms of Jackie being concerned about her grades and working on homework, but it feels like the scope was too narrow with respect to this being a story set in a college environment. It's proposed to be a large university measure, but I didn't really feel like it was that significant to the story, and aspects of it, like Erin McCarthy's "True" and even Jamie McGuire's "Beautiful Disaster" - felt more like a secluded high school environment. I get that the sorority/fraternity segments were clique-ish and somewhat isolated compared to the rest of campus, but it still felt like the tone of this story communicated this overarching acceptance of the strife that Jackie among some of the other characters endured with Buck's actions, but the story made it seem like the characters affected were the only ones speaking out against it.

If you've followed some of the cases in the media about rape/sexual assault on a college campus shown here, it's a more complex issue with multiple sides and dimensions, and with people striving to figure ways to approach the issue - administrators, students, instructors, campus groups, etc. I got angry with this book for narrowing it in such a scope in comparison to the "love" story here. It could've been a much more constructive, dimensional story, but it didn't go as far to show it in a realistic fashion.

Long story short, this narrative didn't really wow me or bring me into its respective relationships, conflicts, among other dimensions. It not only limits the discussion and presentation of a tough issue, but also delves into formulaic, problematic romantic cliches, doesn't present the matters in a realistic spectrum, and doesn't necessarily delve into a coming to terms on a number of levels. Even for some moments of construction for what it provided, it wasn't enough, and sometimes even contradictory or inaccurate.

I'll leave you with a song that came to mind when thinking about tattooed tormented heroes (which this book tried to show, but it didn't necessarily show Lucas's story all that well, nor with respect to the heroine's actions), people who lose their way or experience great deals of strife. It came to mind as I wrote this review. Pat Benatar's "Somebody's Baby" is a punch gut song, and I think of the opening scene where it shows a 29-year old father - shirtless and sporting tattoos, standing with his son. The video puts a brief statement of his story alongside the fact that he loves his kid. I actually felt more for the stories of the men in that video than I did for any of the males in this book, Lucas included.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rhUHD...

Overall score: 2/5

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I was told that this book was a lot like Beautiful Disaster... Hmmmm no because it didn't suck. So thanks for almost making me not read this book (you know who you are!).

When I first started reading this I was a little underwhelmed. We have our gloomy leading lady Jackie, who is being all gloomy because she gets dumped by her long time boyfriend, and then almost gets raped at a Halloween party... (Insert leading male rescuer here) When Lucas stops the attack from happening. After this scene all I could think was "Oh its gonna be one of these reads, sigh". I'm sure you all get what I'm referring to and if you don't then you probably don't read enough Ya... Anyways after Lucas rescues her we start actually getting into the story and characters. Jackie is a pretty average character. I only liked her to a certain degree, but I found myself never fully being engaged with her character. Some of her choices throughout the story were a little ehhhh in my opinion... Like willing going to places she knew her attacker would be. Also with a lot of situations she was put in I didn't get why she was so compelled to just cave in and go along with things.

Lucas however I favored a little more. I particularly like that he wasn't the typical looking male ya dude. I overall have no true negative to mention about him. The only thing I have to say about him is that sometimes I felt like he became a little too convenient... Having him have so many jobs was really unrealistic. BUT, I liked his presence and the way he fit into the story. His background story was something I would usually complain about, but how Webber put it into the book actually had me liking it. For the most part I really enjoyed him.

The plot is a little scattered and at some points does feel a little rushed. However I really liked this book and the way the story turned out. I liked that the plot did focus a lot on women standing up, banding together, and learning to stand on their own. The best part of not just the plot but with the story was that it did have a very addictive pull to it. I found myself wanting to come back to it after having to set it down, and wanting to know where it was headed.



Even with a few small fumbles, I was really surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. I might be a little late to jump on this wagon, but better late than never right. If you're looking for a fun, quick read, with the perfect amount of romance this is a book for you

[Alexis *Reality Bites* · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spoiler Free Review
5 STAR Read
Genre: Mature YA-Romance

" Ooh, J, he's got ink, too. Just when i didn't think he could get any hotter..." Erin in Easy

3 WORDS- "Future Professional Standing"...
1 Phrase- "As a heart attack"...
And a horny boyfriend change Jacqueline's life as she knows it

Jacqueline has just started her sophomore year in college when she finds her self being dumped by Kennedy her boyfriend of three years. Kennedy decides that this is the time of his life where he should take advantage of the campus lifestyle which includes girls, parties, girls, drinking and did i say girls. Jaqueline takes the breakup bad she is devastated she only came to this school because it's where Kennedy chose to be. After loosing friends b/cause most of them are originally Kennedy's friends and members of his fraternity Jaqueline turns into a hermit; and only comes out when pushed by bestfriend and roommate Erin.

After coming out of her breakup coma Jacqueline finds herself failing
her Economics class. A class she failed to attend since its a class she takes with Kennedy. Now after missing two weeks of her Economics class Jaqueline finds herself in Dr. Heller's office at his mercy. Dr. Heller takes pity and decides to assign her to a tutor. Due to Jaqueline's busy schedule her and the tutor Landon can only meet via email. While Flirting with the tutor via email and finding a cutie
seated in the back row of her Econ class sketching in a notepad things start to look up for her.
Especially when Lucas(cutie) tells Jaqueline he would like to sketch her. As things move forward with both Landon and Lucas, Jaqueline finds out the two suitors share more than a few things in common including their feelings for her. Of course this is when Kennedy decides that he wants Jacqueline back.

Thoughts
Jaqueline and Lucas are so cute together even when he pulls away unsure of the relationship. I like how Webber connected Landon and Lucas i also loved his emotional struggle to have a real relationship.
I fell out laughing at the witty banter btwn Jaqueline and her vivacious roommate Erin. Awesome job Tammara Webber i very much enjoyed this read!

My Ratings
Characters- Lovable
Writing Style- Genuine, Solid and Witty
Plot/Storyline- Excellent and at times Emotional
Overall- A YA MUST READ!!! Easy Read it!

Now go forth and read. Then tell us about it on Goodreads!

For more reviews go to http://realitybites-letsgetlost.blogs...

[Tough Critic Book Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Where the magic happens http://toughcriticbookreviews.blogspo...

Ever since I read Tammara Weber's Between the Lines series I have been obsessively counting down the days, the hours, the minutes, the teeny tiny nanoseconds until her next release. I was beyond intrigued with her writing style in Between the Lines and even though I was a little indifferent (the story just wasn't for me, but her writing was absolutely phenom--wait for it...enal) I wanted more, I craved more and reading between the lines of her first few books (kick ass pun, I know) I new greatness was on the way; I needed more. More! More! MORE!! I knew her future books would be completely smothered in greatness sauce and sweet baby Jesus that future is here. That future is NOW!

Easy starts off with a colossal mind shattering BANG! There's no verbose introduction or ad nauseam plot setup; no typical "it took me a few chapters to get into the story" reaction. The story will get into YOU! The first few pages will grab you and never let go.

After the intro heard round the world, the plot took a turn that came extremely close to ruining my book buzz. I assumed I had the plot all figured out; I assumed the "thing" I figured out would be annoyingly dragged out throughout the entire book. I assumed! I assumed! I ASSUMED!! Well, you know what they say about people who assume...I'M AN ASS!!!! Tammara Webber makes you think you know what's going on until you don't! I've never been more relieved to be wrong in my entire life!

Yes there's language, yes there's drinking, and OH MY GOODNESS yes there are sexual situations. You spend a great amount of time (sweet agonizing time) waiting for Lucas and Jacqueline to um..."connect". However, the wait is made bearable by a lot of "foreconnecting"! It's steamy Divinyls hot! It'll drive you absolutely wild! My one and only complaint was after all the toe curling "foreconnecting", the actual "connecting" was a little disappointing. The climax was a little anticlimactic (*giggle* and puntastic).

Greatness knocked and Tammara Webber answered and the answer was Easy. Easy to fall in love with the characters, easy to get hooked on an amazing plot, easy to agonize over the fact there was only 10 pages left, and easy to be left wanting more! And that's exactly what I want from Tammara Webber, MORE!