Rumor Has It

Rumor Has It #1

by R.H. Tucker

Carter Dixon deals with rumors every day. That’s the way he likes it. One little hookup, combined with a bathroom scandal during his homecoming dance, sent the rumor mill into overdrive. Now he’s The Man. At least, as far as everyone believes. Who cares if he’s not really what everyone thinks. But when he accidentally texts the wrong person, he starts to wish he’d never let the rumor mill run rampant. Emma Sanchez couldn’t care less about high school drama. Senior year is halfway over, and she's only focused on applying to a good art school, graduating, and not getting involved. Okay, there is the occasional boy talk with her best friend. Then she gets a text message from an unknown number and starts to think maybe there is a guy out there, unlike every other high school boy. Especially guys like Carter Dixon. One wrong number can lead to the right person.

Genres: Romance, Young Adult, High School, Contemporary, Enemies To Lovers, Sports, Teen

234 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 25, 2018

About the author

RH Tucker writes cute & edgy YA romance, and drinks too much caffeine.

I’m a firm believer that Rocky Road is the absolute best flavor of ice cream in the world, although if I must, I will settle for Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough.

You can sign up for my newsletter and get the FREE short story, One of a Kind, at:
https://www.subscribepage.com/rhtucke...

You can also find me on instagram at: instagram.com/rhtuckerauthor

Reviews

[Yoda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Definitely not worth the read. It´s a typical high school instant love book.

[Somia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Meh Stars

The main characters (popular sports player and the girl who doesn’t care for school politics) fall in love through texting one another.

This was ok, a predictable YA romance. Some of the scenes and interactions between the main characters reminded me a little of the movie ‘A Cinderella Story’ (2004) starting Hilary Duff and Chad Michael Murray.

No driving urge to read any of the other books in the series (one is on my kindle since it was a freebie), won’t be leaping on it anytime soon.

Acquired via KU.

[Jacob Proffitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great YA romance. I engaged with both characters almost immediately and really enjoyed seeing them navigate issues of reputation and intimacy and authenticity. I liked how Emma didn't care about some things but couldn't get out of her own way with boys until she had the buffer of anonymity (or anger). And I liked how Carter didn't care about some things until he found that some things carry a higher cost than he had expected and that maybe he should care, after all. And I liked how well Tucker handled the anonymous relationship turning into a secret-keeping one turning into making the choice to reach for something better (for both characters, though in completely different ways).

The only real problem I have with the story is Emma falling for Carter a little fast, even before she has all the facts in. Her turn-around didn't quite gel with me until she gets the full disclosure. I think it ended up in the right place but there were a couple of chapters where I just rolled with it because I really wanted them to be together and was willing to suspend stricter characterization to get there.

There were two additional issues that felt just . . . cheap. One was how poorly copy-edited the book is. It's almost all missing or added words that show evidence of an edit gone wrong. And there are a lot of them with some sections having multiple instances on a single page. The other was the "Epilogue" that wasn't an epilogue, like, at all. It shifted to Carter's friend's PoV and amounts to a preview/tease for upcoming book with him as lead. I felt robbed because though we see a little of Carter and Emma, it isn't the kind of closure/HEA that I expect when I see the word "Epilogue".

So this doesn't have the Oomph to get to five stars, but I'm happy to give it four. I'm definitely interested in more from the author, but I hope he does better with the copy editing and my expectations for what Epilogues are.

A note about Chaste: These are modern teens, so sex is a topic of discussion and some of it is frank, though not terribly detailed. Neither main character is the type to be frivolous about sex, however, and this story ends with them deciding to be together, so there's nothing on page but some great kissing. So I consider it chaste, though the talk around and about sex may be more than some want to include in that label.

[Jamie (The Kansan Reader) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This isn’t a typical, high school relationship forming, where the homecoming king is dating the popular cheerleader girl. This is something more. Something real.

Carter is needing to find out an assignment for class to get it done. If he falls below an A in any class, his mom won’t pay for a graduation trip. He gets a number from his best friend. The number doesn’t turn out to be the person he thinks he’s texting.

Emma gets a random text. From there it starts a relationship through texting with some rules. They keep their names anonymous. They can talk about their classes without saying which period it is. Talk about likes and dislikes as long as it doesn’t give their identity away.

Emma and Carter’s story is cute. It seems to be like most wrong number type stories. But it was done in a good way and like I said it was cute.

[ضحى الحداد · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG OMG OMG !!!
that was sooo cute <3 <3 sooo in love with this book :D, I loved everything about it, if you liked Geekerella by Ashley Potson and the movie You've Got Mail you love this book .. so so adorable, it's short and really sweet and fluffy no drama at all

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was just looking for a quick romance read on kindle unlimited and this is what I found. Satisfied the romance need but the writing itself was not great. Also they fell in love over texting for a few weeks which just annoys me

[Kim Leroux · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was so cute! I was gasping and smiling throughout the whole thing! I can’t wait to read the next one!

[Hayley Schrock · Rating 1 out of 5]

I debated writing a review for this book. I usually never review books because I just don’t have the time. But I didn’t want to just give this book a 1 star rating without explaining. As this book stands, it’s not worth the read. Yes, it’s your typical high school instant love, but my problem was that I didn’t know or care about any of the characters. Who cares if they are head over heels in love if they are paper cutouts of fake characters. I remember this travel vlogger giving tips on how to make a better travel vlog “show, don’t tell” and I think that applies here. Develop the characters or the romance never has a chance.

[Isabelle | Nine Tale Vixen]

DNF @ 19%

This is just so tropey and the characters so archetypal, I am wholly uninvested in what happens next because I know exactly what happens next. I'm also not a fan of the writing — there's at least one sentence per chapter (so far) that starts with "Rumor has it, ..." and I've found multiple grammatical errors (including at least two too/to mixups).

[Angi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute first book in the series. I liked both main characters and I thought the way they started up was clever. It was interesting to see a rumor mill backfire the way it did, it was a good take on the ridiculousness of high school.

[Laura E. Mackey · Rating 5 out of 5]

The things we don't correct can be the lies that tear us apart

Is it a lie to let people believe that you did something you didn't? I am not sure, but as this story shows allowing people to believe lies, even if you were not the one to tell them, can cause all sorts of problems. Sometimes the problems are from those who do not like you because they believe the lies that you allow. Sometimes the problems come when people find out the truth and are hurt. This story is about reputations and all that happens when we allow people to believe we are something we are not.

[Mariela · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book kinda bores me a bit. If you saw the movie “you’ve got mail” with meg Ryan and Tom Hanks well this is the. Book for you. It’s basically the same story but through text messages and it’s based in high school. I had to skim through the whole book just to get to the text messages they exchange with eachother. I’m glad the boom is over it was cute but could have been way better.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute deasr

I really enjoyed this book! I actually read it all in one day. The storyline was great. I loved the main characters. But I do have to say I disliked all of her friends they were bossy and noise. Felt like a hey wouldn't let her live her own life.

[Coco.V]

🎁 FREE on Amazon today (3/25/2019)! 🎁

[Emmahlovesbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adorable YA romance. Can't wait to read more.

[Danah]

DNF......lost interest and didn't feel the chemistry between h and H.

[Alicia &#x1f33b; · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75*

I sped through this. Amazing. Perfect when you want a super quick, fluff-tastic read.

[Kayleigh Brooking · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cutsey

Good story enjoyable read. Well written with a few twists and turns look forward to reading more of your work

[Nancy Salazar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun Read

The book is a quick fun read. I enjoyed the two main characters. Definitely worth reading if you just want a first love feel good story.

[Shh... One More Chapter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rumor Has It starts with a mix-up in phone numbers and falls into a comfortable trope from there. I'm not mad at it, it was cute, but the characters didn't have that much chemistry. In fact, when all the L-bombs were dropped I was pretty shocked. I mean, they talked maybe a couple of weeks? I've been having a big problem with YA books making everyone in love in a matter of weeks instead of in like which is more realistic.

Anyways, it was cute but not my favorite. I think if the characters had more interaction and the fall was a smoother I would have liked it better.

[Marissa Chavez · Rating 5 out of 5]

😊😊😊😊

Emma and Carter had me smiling throughout the whole book! I was rooting for them since they first started texting each other. I loved the little mystery there was in the beginning. Not knowing who was who. I loved getting to know them! Emma and Carter were absolutely awesome! 📲🎨🏀❤

[Edie L · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read.

This is my first book by this author and I liked it. So far it was ok nothing extraordinary but good let see what the next one is about and what I think of this author still.

[Shannyn Schroeder · Rating 5 out of 5]

There aren’t words kind enough

I loved this book. I spent half of the time either squealing in excitement and happiness or screaming in frustration. These two characters dance around each other consistently. I loved the story and am so glad that MATT gets his own tale, YAY!

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

For the most part this was pretty good, but it had a few too many flaws for me to rate it higher than three stars. First, there were a number of typos, which I caught by just reading through the book. I'm not sure if this was a self-published work or if it went through an editor, but there's really no excuse for some of them as they were pretty silly, easily catchable errors (I'm also an editor for a living, so maybe it just seems more important to me). Second, I skimmed a lot through the non-Carter-and-Emma-talking-to-each-other parts, so that could have been a bit more engaging. Third, I thought a lot of the underlying dynamics and storylines fell flat. We meet the parents maybe two times, but it wasn't enough to do anything, especially considering only having a mom was Carter's big secret. Fourth, the epilogue didn't really fit. An epilogue, to me, is more of a wrap up for the characters the whole book was about. This epilogue was more of a preview for Tucker's other companion novels in the "Rumor Has It" world. I will admit, I'm intrigued about Matt's story and his secret nerd-dom, but introducing his story there didn't really fit. Maybe a few super subtle hints during the Carter/Emma story plus a sneak peek at the next book would have worked better.

Overall, this was a good, quick read but probably not one I'll go back to again, as it was essentially a book version of You've Got Mail, and there are some other similar stories I enjoyed better (see: Alex, Approximately).

[Elaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

An update of "You've Got Mail" for the 'teens. I appreciate that unlike in You've Got Mail, the male lead (who, like in You've Got Mail, knows from early on that the female lead is the girl he's been corresponding with, while she is ignorant of this) does not cause any direct problems in the female lead's life. (It has always pissed me off that Joe Fox put Kathleen Kelly's bookstore out of business and she still decided he was the one.) Her antipathy for him stems from her perception of the kind of person he is and of how she thinks he acts towards girls in general, but not because of anything specific that he's done to her or anyone close to her. Once he recognizes that letting rumors shape his public perception leads to problems he hadn't anticipated, he recognizes that he needs to make a change, and in the process takes steps to make himself a better person. The romance between the two leads is a little thin, but otherwise I thought this was reasonably good.

[☠︎︎༒︎✞︎ ѕℓιм ☠︎︎༒︎✞︎ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carter <3 Emma


>>>Just a few spoilers here and there><

This book was really good. I stayed up all night reading this book knowing that, I needed some sleep, but I had to finish this book.

https://ladiikeiii.wordpress.com/2018...

There story Carter and Emma, the story was adorable. They were both polar opposite but still one in the same. I was hoping he would've told her who he was by chapter 20-25, but she didn't find out until the end of the chapter which was in the 30s. I ass glad Emma wasn't mad once she found out who he was. I was glad of that because she knew that she was DEAD WRONG when he did come and didn't stand her up like she thought he did. I wouldn't have told her either if I was Carter, the way she spits and chews him out. I see why he aborted the mission and took a long time to tell her. But he was giving Emma so many clues to who he was, and she did know who he was and he knew her. But she wasn't getting any of the clues. But now I want to read the story I hope that is about Matt.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story really brought back those teen angst moments! This was a retelling of The Shop Around the Corner/You've Got Mail scenario, with a bit of the artist heroine from She's Got Mail thrown in. You'll know the plot, but the characters are new and worth reading. Emma and Carter are both really likable characters. Each character was different seen through the other's eyes. Emma sees herself as a nerdy girl, incredibly shy and awkward around guys, with only a few friends. Carter sees her as a confident girl who doesn't conform to any standards, talented and kind. Carter sees himself as the boy abandoned by his dad, with a reputation he doesn't deserve. And Emma sees his confidence and charisma. I really liked that contrast. I'd recommend this story for young teens on up.

Read through Kindle Unlimited.

[Chicken · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐

This story was such a fun read! I loved the romance and the characters and pretty much everything about it. I loved the back and forth banter between Carter and Emma. The IRL Carter and Emma. I liked the texting at the beginning, but after Carter planned to make Emma fall in love with him and not the texting version, I stopped liking texting Carter. That’s confusing, I know. There are hints of A Cinderella Story but this one has its own twist. First, the characters are way different. Second, the book itself has a different atmosphere around it. Third, the hero isn’t a complete nugget and actually does become better as the story goes on. Besides all that, this story is a cute YA romance and is worth reading.

I received a review copy and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[SCBookAddict · Rating 4 out of 5]

Carter and Emma are as different as night and day. Carter is the high school jock who has a reputation to uphold and Emma is the artist that could care less what people think of her.

Their story begins when Carter mistakenly texts Emma for a homework assignment thinking he was texting someone else. They continue their anonymous text exchanges and both develop feelings for the other.

What happens when they finally decide to meet face to face? Read the book!

I really enjoyed the book. This was a sweet high school story. It's told in dual personalities which makes the build up so much better. There isn't a lot of heat in this book, so if that's what you need, look elsewhere. If you like a good story that is full of high school crushes, drama and cliques - I highly recommend it.

[Abraham Muniz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like the book mainly because of the content. I also liked that one character Carter Dixon knew that he was texting Emma but he wanted her to like him so he showed the good side of him and not the rumors that are not true about him. Their relationship begins with just a text about homework and excalates and they both become connected to each other and can't wait to meet each other but when they do it doesn't go as planned. I liked the Tuckers writing on how he makes the setting of the book and how it sounds in your mind very related able. Many high school readers and some middle school readers could relate to this.