It Gets Easier: A Short Tale of Comical Catastrophe

by Justine Avery

He'd never guess that his very courage to commit could be the cause of his own downfall.

Jake's loved and lost, suffered failed relationships and felt real sorrow, but the new girl in his life may just be the one to finally put an end to that life.

His girlfriend Samantha is sweet and kind, full of joy, and the kind of girl Jake can be perfectly content sitting in complete silence with. It's so comfortable, so easy, to fall completely for her. In fact, Jake would do anything for Samantha, anything at all.

Just returned from attending Samantha's family reunion, Jake's high as a kite, basking in the realization that he's been officially accepted as one of the family. He can't believe his luck, especially as he's driving off into the sunset with Samantha herself and so looking forward to those precious, anticipated moments alone with her. What could possibly go wrong?

Thump thump resonates from the trunk of the car as they speed along the highway together.

Thump thump.

He falls head over heels for her... but not exactly in the way he intended.

Start Reading Now...

What are you waiting for? A touch of horror, crimes of passion, humorous murder mysteries, award-winning twist endings, funny suspense, and so much more await you.

Genres: Horror, Humor

20 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 27, 2014

About the author

Justine Avery is the #1 international bestselling and award-winning author of stories large and small, for all. Born in the American Midwest and raised all over the world, she is inherently an explorer, duly fascinated by everything around her and excitedly noting the stories that abound all around. As an avid reader of all genres, she weaves her own stories among them all. She has a predilection for writing speculative fiction and story twists and surprises she can’t even predict herself.

Avery has either lived in or explored all 50 states of the union, over 36 countries, and all but one continent; she lost count after moving 30-some times before the age of 20. She’s intentionally jumped out of airplanes and off the highest bungee jump in New Zealand, scuba dived unintentionally with sharks, designed websites, intranets, and technical manuals, bartered with indigenous Panamanians, welded automobile frames, observed at the Bujinkan Hombu Dojo in Noba, Japan, and masterminded prosperous internet businesses—to name a few adventures. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree that life has never required, and at age 28, she sold everything she owned and quit corporate life—and her final "job"—to freelance and travel the world as she always dreamed of. And she’s never looked back.

Aside from her native English, Avery speaks a bit of Japanese and a bit more Spanish, her accent is an ever-evolving mixture of Midwestern American with notes of the Deep South and indiscriminate British vocabulary and rhythm, and she says "eh"—like the Kiwis, not the Canadians. She currently lives on either side of "the pond" with her husband, acclaimed British film director and author Devon Avery, and other creatures. She writes from wherever her curiosity takes her.

Avery loves to connect with fellow readers and creatives, explorers and imaginers, and cordially invites you to say “hello”—or konnichiwa.

JustineAvery.com
Amazon.com/author/justineavery
Twitter.com/Justine_Avery
BookBub.com/authors/justine-avery
LibraryThing.com/author/averyjustine

Reviews

[Lesley Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yikes. Good, creepy short story.

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this story was funny and scary. Who would have thought? A mother/daughter team of black widows! Also ... if you’re a serial killer ... I suppose you should do the job yourself.

[Bonnye Reed]

TheFussyLibrarian

[Robyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything and everyone may not be exactly as they seem...

If you enjoy a combination of horror and comedy, then this short story is a must-read for you. This is my first time reading anything by Justine Avery, but by the end of the book I wanted to immediately read more of her stories. I was shocked by the amount of content she fits into this short story without being overly descriptive or too concise. This read is a prime example of a fast-paced, yet satisfying short story that leaves the reader wanting to read more!

The reader is immediately introduced to the two main characters, Jake and his girlfriend Samantha. Despite Jake's failed relationships in the past, he is finally capable of opening his heart and letting in the love of his life. Samantha is lively, beautiful, and everything Jake could hope for. Their dialogue is hilarious, light, and a great demonstration of the excitement that comes along with falling in love. This excitement is supplemented by the thrill of flying down the highway and the danger of other reckless drivers. Justine reveals just enough about the characters, setting, and plot to keep the reader satiated, while prompting many questions that get answered as the story continues.

The author propels the story through the use of FANTASTIC imagery, perfect comedic timing, and provoking questions that makes readers want to read faster and faster to get answers. I cannot emphasize how great the imagery is in this story. It is concise, yet incredibly powerful and unique. However, what I love most about this read are the twists! Every time I thought I had everything figured out, there was a twist. It was incredibly satisfying to read something with a plot and characters that I couldn't predict. To say I was intrigued and excited about the unexpected turns in this work would be an understatement. This read will keep you on your toes.

The ending was everything I hope for in a short story. Not only did it end with yet another twist, but it left me simultaneously satisfied and hungry for more information about Samantha and her past. Samantha ends up being more interesting than the main character. You'll have to read it to find out why! I would definitely recommend this to anyone, especially if you enjoy perfect comedic timing and the hilariously horrific things in which people are capable. I will definitely be reading more work by Justine Avery.

[Samara Vega · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first piece I've read by Avery, and I was not let down. Although the beginning starts off a bit too sugary sweet for my taste, it is quickly balanced out with the sinister, darker content later on in the story. The darker subtext is hinted at throughout, and I found myself wondering if I'd read the line correctly, or if it was simply my own macabre sense of humor picking up on something that wasn't there to begin with. It was there, and this is where the story really shined for me.

Although I did see the first twist coming, and was grateful for its arrival, the final blow did catch me off guard, and kudos to Avery for that little bit of trickery. I appreciate the subtle POV switch,which is easily overlooked due to its natural feeling shift. This is difficult to pull off, so I particularly enjoyed it and some of the other writing tricks that were employed.

The premise itself was good as well; two young lovers on the road headed to a destination in the woman's mother's car. The man, our main character, spends much of the story fantasizing about his new love and how beautiful and girl-like she is. This is where I had some issues with the writing, but as I stated earlier, they ended up balancing out. We are blasted right from the beginning with this man's love for a young woman with Helen of Troy-esque beauty and allure. The problem is, it offers little depth. It IS possible the author chose to do this to show how naive the young man was, and how he is so head over heels in love with her that he'd do anything, but it felt kind of forced to me. I didn't have a lot of value that I was able to see for myself in their relationship or the girl.Even adding one small paragraph about a date prior to the family reunion would have given more weight to the relationship, and I think therefore the ending would have even more punch.

The story, nonetheless, was very enjoyable, and I found myself chuckling in a few places, especially when the trunk was opened. You can see the craftsmanship that went into it, and I highly recommend it for people that like unorthodox stories.

[Tricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think one of the things I liked best about this story was the title, because the phrase meant different things to different characters, I love stuff like that. The element of suspense was good here. First, I kept wondering what was in the trunk and how it got there, then I thought that Jake was involved with whatever was in the trunk and then I was surprised to find out that Samantha was the perpetrator and was also thrown off-guard that she was killing men for her mother, and how matter-of-fact she was about it. I didn’t like the writing style, it was full of clichés, like “blood curdling scream” and seemed a little choppy. You also had no idea where the story took place, and while there were some clues about what Samantha looked like, you never found out anything about Jake’s appearance. At the end of the story there was no transition from Jake’s POV to Samantha’s, which I disliked. I also thought the trope of the two Hawaiian shirts was unbelievable and contrived. I was pretty stunned by the ending, but didn’t really feel like I knew enough about Jake and his backstory to care very much that Samantha killed him. I felt more sorry that he seemed to like Samantha so much and that they wouldn’t have a future together than anything else relating to his death. The characters of Samantha and her mother intrigued me the most, the mom, who was a woman who had her husbands killed, yet seemed obsessively concerned about her car and Samantha, who worried about getting her clothes messed up, yet killed or helping to kill men for her mom and then offed her own boyfriend. I would be interested in reading a tale featuring those two characters, learning their backstories, and joining their adventures, though I’m curious how these two have evaded the law thus far, surely someone, somewhere has gotten suspicious.

[Denial · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gives a whole new meaning to... passing advice around?

You could also say that it highlights the point that the same words can change meaning completely depending on who/how they are said. But I don't think I can say more on that without give the story away...Of course the blurb does a fairly decent job of that anyway...
But blurb aside I was willing to give this a chance.
First I thought the early use of the title was clever but then I started to reason *why* he'd use it as a mantra when it was followed by some really weird comments that mixed right in with what the blurb alludes to urged me to jump to certain conclusions that didn't alight with “humorous murder mystery” though they did with “horror” and the more I read the more I was increasingly suspicious of a certain type of story (or it might be better to say the direction of it) but I held out because this is suppose to be funny (it has comical catastrophe in the title for pete's sake), or so I thought. Nope. This isn't funny unless it's in an ironic evil villain sort of way. It also failed to really surprise me beyond not being funny. I'll praise that it's well written and tries to mislead with the ending of the blurb more focused on Jake (and once read I'll also concede *that* is almost funny) but overall this is just meh and left me thinking no more than “yeah, that makes sense. Who didn't see it coming?” Maybe it left me with a bit of a chill but nothing closing the book didn't solve. Not horrible for something that I snagged for free as a short but otherwise just meh. So I give it a forgettable 3 stars and I'l end this review with what I thought was one of the overall creepiest lines:

It gets easier, his beloved Samantha said it would.

[Elizabeth Beadles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Samantha could be "the one", consequently, Jake is willing to go above and beyond to prove himself worthy. Feeling protective of her, he does his best to be a defensive driver as they spend quality time together completing a task for her perfectionist mother. Everything was easier with Samantha at his side, even as the reminder of their chore thumps in the trunk of the car ominously. Convincing him that this will bring them closer and solidify their relationship isn’t difficult, as Jake hangs on every word that Samantha provides. "It gets easier, repeated in his thoughts. His beloved Samantha said it would." While these words ring true for Samantha, it's still unclear if they will be enough to carry Jake through this task.

Creatively striking an effective balance between narration and dialogue, Justine Avery, transitions It Gets Easier from a romantic drive to a ruinous discovery followed by an ironic ending. Plot twists are introduced subtly at first, as the reader learns that the couple may not know one another to the extent that is originally portrayed. Each change builds upon another in such a way that once the reader forms any type of conclusion Justine Avery quickly snatches it away with a perfectly timed twist. Jake appears to be the main character, however, the surprises that Avery introduces in the last few pages of this 20-page story thrust Samantha into the spotlight.

Effortless to read and dark, Justine Avery executes perfectly timed comedy and plot twists that deliver shocking revelations in It Gets Easier by showcasing the style of writing and storytelling that will draw readers in and bring them back for more.

[Ben Gregory · Rating 3 out of 5]

"It Gets Easier" by Justine Avery is a short, sweet, funny story about a new young couple. Avery's general prose is admirable and her dialogue is very well-done, but I found myself enjoying the first half of this story more than the second. A mystery develops alongside the reader's understanding of the relationship between Jake and Samantha. We can see that Jake is head-over-heels in love with Samantha and that he will do anything he can to impress her or make her smile. Avery's descriptions of Jake's feelings towards Samantha are excellent and really drew me into Jake as a character. But at the same time, we can tell that something is going on between the two of them that we don't know about. In an effort to not spoil the book, I will be vague and say that the twist that came halfway through, and the one that came at the end, were both very predictable. I can tell that Avery was attempting comedy and that she was going for a goofy sort of feel, but it didn't quite land for me. The 180 that the story takes is obviously intentional--it's supposed to shock the reader--but I really feel like it was nothing but jarring and threw what was becoming an interesting story into a tailspin. The dialogue felt less genuine and the prose was rushed. In short, the shift in mood that Avery wanted to be comedic, really just ended up feeling tacky and cheap. Overall, I enjoyed the story enough to give it three stars, but wish that Avery had transitioned more smoothly between the two parts of the story and executed her desired twists more carefully.

[Trudy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Justine Avery's short work of fiction titled "It Gets Easier: A Short Tale of Comical Catastrophe" is a twisting yarn of mystery and intrigue that will keep you guessing all the way up to the end. Then, if you are like me, you'll immediately start fresh at the very beginning to re-read the tale and see if you can see all the twists and bends coming, only to be even more delighted upon finishing it the second time around. The best short stories are the ones that leave you wanting more, keep you engrossed to the last word and make you want to find another one from the same author immediately, without haste. "It Gets Easier" fills all of those requirements and then some. Because this is a short work, telling you the plot will likely give away some of the excitement I felt as a reader. I do not want to do that. If you haven't already been convinced to pick it up… keep reader. Otherwise, what are you waiting for?

Still here? Spoiler… you won't see it coming. It will grab hold of you and flip you you upside down. What begins like a soft romance between a hopeful boy repeating the mantra, "It gets easier, it gets easier…", helplessly flirting with his girlfriend in the passenger seat, slowly shifts into a black comedy about the pitfalls of dumping a body. There. I didn't ruin it, but I wish you would have just picked it up and read it a paragraph before.

Highly recommended! Loved this story!

[Marisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I could I would give this 4.5 stars. While there may be room for improvement at the beginning the ending makes it worthwhile.

The last story I read by this author I complained that the plot was too obvious and the twist too predictable.

Not so for this book,

This is a 'short tale' for sure, a very quick read. As such I would once again say that it doesn't leave a lot of room for deep character development.

This story relies heavily on the twists to keep you interested, and it accomplishes this task. While you may see the first surprise coming you will be unprepared for what follows.

It starts off on a light joking note, two young people embarking on a relationships as well as a literal excursion out onto the dangerous road. The young man's assertion that he was going to protect his new girlfriend may have felt a bit over the top, but it is part of Avery's craftsmanship. The author does an excellent job of drawing you in to a leisurely, mundane trip and then quickly hits you with several twists in close succession. Hold on to your seat and prepare for several gasp-out-loud roller coaster worthy drops.

I continue to be impressed by Avery's ability. Despite the limited pages the author delivers a solid piece of storytelling that manages to draw you in. After reading this story I am very interested to see what Avery's other works have in store.

[Efsane K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first piece that I read from Justine Avery and I’m glad that I did. It’s my type of story and I really liked it.

Overall, this is an easy read and surprising story that gets your attention right away. However, if we dissect the parts (beginning, middle, and end), I can honestly say that the beginning is weaker than the rest of it.

The tension is always there in the story, but the dialogue at the beginning is too repetitive and meaningless, not to mention the confusing relationship status. Therefore, at some point, I thought that this was a badly executed romantic story. Then it turned into something else; something that overthrows your expectations, something that was unforeseen. Especially the end leaves you speechless, and makes you want to go back and read it all over again.

What I loved the most about this is, how ‘It Gets Easier’ motto turns around and sticks to different characters, and makes a different sense to each of them. It’s a great title and successfully reflect the essence of the story.

Throughout the pages, you see how far people go for the sake of the person that they’re obsessed with, and try to understand the motivations of the characters while feeling different emotions toward each of them.

And in the end, the story leaves you with one question: ‘What would you do?’ Good luck with answering that!

[Joanna Armstrong · Rating 4 out of 5]

In just 14 pages, Justine Avery manages to pack in two explosive plot twists. The author strikes a nice balance between exposition and detail, immediately throwing you into the thoughts of the protagonist Jake. Avery's attention to detail when describing his thoughts sets the scene in a beautiful and delicate way. In the same way, she effortlessly pivots into the second character's thoughts toward the end in a way that feels completely natural. The second half of the story can feel a little rushed at times, but the plot is so enveloping that you almost don't seem to care. Additionally, some of the dialogue seems stilted as the story flies at break-neck speed toward the end. As the plot begins to feel a little more frantic, the dialogue suffers slightly and seems less realistic. Since the story is plot driven, it doesn't pose too much of a problem to the overall feeling of the story. This had a lot of good points, especially in the way the author was able to establish her characters in such a short span of time. While the dialogue could use a little tweaking, you really get a sense of protagonist's thought process, and then near the end, a small peek into the other character's mind - a very important thing in such a short story. The plot twist was dynamite and kept me reading.

[Katherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

'It Gets Easier' seemed to be centered around a young man who had once given up on love but then found who he thought was "the one." If a woman wants to know what goes on in a mans mind when he is interested in her, Justine Avery provides a great depiction. The story starts off with the young couple spending quality time together. While Jake has had many failed relationships, he is sure that he and Samantha will work out because, 'It Gets Easier' as she says.

After attending a family reunion with Samantha, Jake believes that this could turn into something long term during their car ride home. All seems to be going well, enjoying one another's company. Jake thought he would never feel this way about anyone, that he would never find love again. Jake is so desperate for love that he is willing to do anything.

Then it happened; Samantha is not who she seems to be and neither is her mother. They are keeping some deep and dark secrets that Jake has willingly become a part of it. Jake's quest for love has landed him in high water this time.

'It Gets Easier' is a compelling read and is sure to grab your attention. With rousing characters and an intriguing plot twist, this book pulls you in and leaves you wanting to read more! I definitely recommend this book as a good read.

[Kellie · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a fan of Justine Avery's work, this short story finds itself lovingly out of place (seemingly) among the rest of her literary canon, however, once you keep reading, you realize it's a true Avery work. Jake and Samantha are cutely flirting and getting more and more serious--a typical light romance blended with the pace of short storytelling that says just enough to keep you interested. However, with one quick turn of the page, Avery pulls the rug out from under the reader and quirky little romance turns into...well, you'll just have to see for yourself! I never thought 20 pages could keep me engaged so well, and turn a romance into a suspenseful tale like that, however, that's what Avery does best. Knowing she's the queen of the twist enables you to take on the variety of genres she tackles with the anticipation of an out of the blue turn that keeps you engaged. As a first time reader, one could easily get into reading all of her books in order to witness just how skillfully she blends genres and keeps you guessing. You'd think that a writer who relies on twists would start to run out of interesting ways to play them up, however, Avery seems to have a whole bag full and I hope she keeps writing more and more!!

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yet another incredible book by Justine Avery! It Gets Easier, like Justine's other books, is a simple but expertly delivered short story. It starts out lighthearted and almost fluffy, but quickly takes a dark turn. Later, just when you think that the surprises are done, this story gives the reader one more dark element.

In essence, the story is about a boy who thinks that his new girlfriend is perfect. He thinks she might even be the one that he ends up with forever. He is willing to do anything to gain her and her family's approval. All of these thoughts and concerns take place over a harmless drive to an abandoned reservoir. Upon arrival, something very different than the boy's expectations happens.

All around, this piece is well planned and masterfully told. It is comical by its abruptness, and has you laughing even as it shocks you. It Gets Easier is a very short story, but just like Justine's other works, is still fun to read. Its lack of filler and simple style is a joy to read.

Despite the dark shocks towards the end, I recommend that you read it more than once. It gets easier.

[Peachykeen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Plot Twist Got Me

This is the second book I've read from Justine Avery and I enjoyed it much more than the first one. It was a funny short story that had good flow. The dialogue was believable and easy to follow. I thoroughly enjoyed it and that's why I gave it five stars.

It starts off so unassuming with the young couple driving down the road. Boy crushing on girl and girl enjoying his attention. When the noises start from the trunk, it drew me in further and compelling me to want to finish the story. I wanted to know what was going to happen.

Having read another Justine Avery book, I was prepared for there to be a twist at the end, but it still definitely caught me off guard. I thought I knew where it was going given the thumping from the car trunk, but it turns out I was only halfway there. Nice plot twist at the end!

While it was a short story, I thought the characters seemed to be fairly well developed. She captured the feelings of excitement between the two young characters quite nicely and it translated well to the reader.

Overall, it was definitely a much better read than the first story I read and I'm looking forward to reading the next one.

[Ali Raza · Rating 5 out of 5]

“When the hidden masks of The Known, dwell inside the unknown corners of your life.”
Justine Avery’s “It Gets Easier” is a book that is impossible to put down until its resolution. Like Avery’s previous works, the text is able to make the reader stick till the very last word leaving them wanting more. The story is full of plot twists and the way Avery slides between Romance and Thriller is remarkable.

The story opens with Jake taking his girlfriend on a drive. It gives the readers the comfort of reading romance as Jake appreciates his girl’s laugh and her other imperfect perfections. He concludes that he might fall in love with her but little did he know that life had something else planned for him. Nothing is actually the way it seems, is it?

Avery seems to have found a way of knitting Thriller and Romance together in a satisfying way and the story is full of potential. A good read altogether.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Justine Avery does it again - she has come out with another short story that amazes me with its depth. Even though this is a short tale, it is full of detail and provides a good read. You can tell that the author takes a lot of pride in what she does and it comes through in the care she takes with crafting each work. The great thing about a shorter piece of work is that you can read it in one sitting - on your lunch break and while commuting to work on the bus.

As for the story itself, the dialogue was written with a very natural flow as if the characters really were having the conversation as they drove along. It all sounded very true-to-life. I loved the plot twist during the middle of the tale. It gave me quite the chuckle and was certainly an unexpected surprise. Then the twist upon the twist was hilarious!

I can't wait to read more of Justine's work. This is the second piece I've read by her and even though both were so very different, they were both enjoyable.

[Amy Lilly · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first, I thought I was reading a sweet teenage romance and heaved a sigh. Determined to read through this short tale, I found myself drawn into Jake and Samantha's budding romance. I began to suspect that Jake was a little too enamored of the bossy Samantha. I wondered if perhaps he was so in love with her that he would do anything to keep her. The tale became a bit darker with the repeated thump thump thump coming from the trunk of the car. I started to worry that Jake is a serial killer with a victim in the car - Samantha's mother's precious car. I was thinking to myself what kind of sicko kidnaps someone, throws them in the trunk of the car with beautiful, wholesome Samantha sitting in the car with them? Needless to say, the tale twists so far away from what I initially imagined that by the time I got to the end, I had to say Whoa! I didn't see that one coming! I don't want to give away the ending, but I will say that it was a nice twist.

[Kerrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first glance, you'll think It Gets Easier by Justine Avery is a cute little love story about a broken boy who had finally found love again, but with in these short pages, you will see how completely and utterly wrong you are.

Samantha is the perfect girl, and after meeting her family Jake is happy to finally be in a relationship that he sees going somewhere. As the couple drives off into the sunset feeling truly in love, until things go way way bad.

Shock, confusion and disbelief will be the three main words that you will feel as you read this short story. I'm not much of a short story lover myself, but Avery knows how to kick it in gear very quickly, and the twists pop off like fireworks keeping you intrigued the entire time.

The ending is one you won't see coming, but you will thoroughly enjoy the ride there. I give this book 4 out of 5 stars, I think Avery could work on character development, but other than that this was a winner in my book.

[Iris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story has a great opening. It catches me immediately, introducing our main character without any fuss.

As it goes on to describe the relationship between Jake and Samantha I was further sucked in, however as it continued, regaling us with every thought Jake has on the subject and how he loves Samantha's every move I found myself thinking, "Okay, we get it, he loves her."

I also found the idea that a woman who would invite a man to a family reunion wouldn't already know what he did for a living extremely jarring and unbelievable. That's a first date question. However that seemed less unbelievable and just less important once I got to the end. It clearly set up a situation in which you would be suspicious of Jake.

Because of that, I was expecting some shenanigans. But -without spoiling the ending- I was expecting it to go the direction it did, but not the way it did.

I feel bad for Jake. Definitely a good short story. I recommend it.

[Ifrah Akhtar · Rating 3 out of 5]

This short story wasn't bad. It had quite an interesting build-up from the shift of the initial character's point of view.
It was comical in the sense to how far people go sometimes to please others. I liked how the author built up the subtle twist in the story and that it wasn't like a "surprise, grab you by the face" kind of twist. In the beginning, the initial narrator's thoughts on dating paralleled the second narrator's thoughts on killing. The guy at the beginning took 'It gets easier" and applied it to the way he's gone from girl to girl throughout his life. At least, that is my analysis. Meanwhile, the girl interpreted those words as stated by her mother, to mean that killing and moving on with life gets easier. I found this to be interesting. Although many details weren't given to us about the characters, enough was stated that this story seemed like a small snapshot into someone's life. It makes for a good read to pass the time.

[DAVID.FASANYAYAHOO.COM · Rating 3 out of 5]

The beginning of this short story was very fluffy in a way that was off-putting.It possible that Justine intentionally adopted this writing style as it seems like each twist that come up in the story led to a more descriptive writing style both in terms of the imagery and the context of the situation that these two characters are in.

I think the author did a good job unraveling the twists in that most of them were clearly referenced before being revealed, but were still surprising when they came to light.
One of the particular twists I thought was implausible but it was still quite amusing when it was revealed and make me think about how we generally skip over words when reading descriptions, not always paying attention to the adjective describing the thing as much as the thing itself.
I'd say the twists were the strongest part of the story, could've been better with just a touch more of character development.

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this story very unique and interesting. I like how Justine set the stage. I felt like I was flying in the sky, I look down and see this peculiar man driving a car and all of a sudden, I am flying in the car with his newly found girlfriend in the middle of their conspiracy. I was a fly. I was able to go into Jack's mind. It was a dip in and dip out. Of course, these are my thoughts after I finished the story because when I first started listening to the conversation, I was disoriented and trying to figure out why this guy is totally obsessed with this girl. Justine's approach in sketching out Jake's character and giving him a creepy and stalkerish demeanor is the entire premise behind the plot of this story. I was able to pull out my own interpretation and view my own insightful life lesson. This image is now burned in my mind the next time I see this in life. Thanks Justine!

[Mercury · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was recommended this by a friend. The first page, the mantra Jake repeats to himself sets up tension. I liked it and thought I was in for a really good thriller. But if you think this will be a normal story you're in for a shock. You're in for a lot of shocks actually.

A twist occurs in the middle of the story that you don't see coming. It makes the story completely interesting. But from there it went downhill for me.

Very soon another shocking twist and then the story becomes really simple and silly, as if the author is just trying to top the prior shock. The entire story almost seems like a gag. It seems this is a new type of genre? If so, it's not for me. That doesn't mean I think it's awful or others won't like it. Many people do. But my personal taste likes something more genuine and believable.

The author has potential as a writer but just not with this short story.

[Faviq · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bought this book with an epectation of being slightly ambivalent with the story. Admittedly, as was told by many reviewers before, the beginning was quite a touch and go for a bit there, but I think it was meant to be that way. Very surprising pleasant story that has a quite a twist to this love story. And let me just say that Jake is really Samantha's soul mate, through and through.

It Gets Easier starts out with a slightly over the top corny scene, which is a bit too sweet for my taste, but it mellowed out throughout this short story, culminating in a hilarious miscommunication of a boy's willingnes to be everything for his girl-to-be. Although it is still in the beginning stages, I would not be surprised by there were other adventures by these two lovebirds in the future.

I would definitely recommend people reading it, just for the ride itself

[Deanna Angelo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was eager to read It Gets Easier. After reading a quick synopsis of the book, I was thinking this book could really relate to a current personal experience I was going through. One where, you do something based on a hardship in life. I was so off track from this. The book starts off making you believe, its a love story between the two main characters. The description of this attraction is beautifully written and can really make you relate to how these two individuals feel. Just as you are falling in love with what appears to be a love story, an amazing twist in the plot takes place. The twist gives the story line a whole new perspective into this book.

Even though this is a short story, it is well written and full of surprises. I absolutely loved it and wish it was longer!

[J.S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

It Gets Easier is a humorous tale about young love and the lengths one would go to find it. The tale revolves around Jake and Samantha as they travel towards a secluded spot to spend some time together. Their relationship is cute and has all the hallmarks of an early romance to include the idealized thoughts of their partners. Of course, like all relationships, this one has a few hurdles as well.

This was a quick and fun read. The twists in the story are not that surprising and fairly easy to see, much like the winding road our couple takes. The twists are there, they are just predictable. The fun in this story is the destination. It is a good little story for a dollar, and if you find that you did not enjoy it, well...it gets easier.

[Breanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent short story with well-written twists that shock you until the very end!



While It Gets Easier by Justine Avery is a really short story, it has multiple plot twists and elements of a full size novel making it an enjoyable read.



In the very beginning readers are introduced to the main characters: Jake and Samantha. It starts off sweet, Jake is really trying to make it work with his girlfriend, Samantha, and they are riding in a car together. Both of these characters are relatable and seem innocent in the beginning. Then, start the twists. They were unpredictable and added an element of dark humor to the story.



Overall, this story is a quick and easy read and you will enjoy every minute. I'm looking forward to reading more from this author.