Project and content management for Contemporary Authors volumes
WORK TITLE: Trusting You and Other Lies
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://nicoleawilliams.blogspot.com
CITY: Spokane
STATE:
COUNTRY:
NATIONALITY:
RESEARCHER NOTES:
LC control no.: no2011195985
Personal name heading:
Williams, Nicole (Nicole A.)
Located: Spokane, Wash.
Profession or occupation:
writer
Found in: Eternal eden, c2011: t.p. (Nicole Williams)
Abbi Glines YA blog (Nicole A. Williams, author of Eternal
eden)
Author's WWW site, Dec. 20, 2011 (Nicole Williams, resides
Spokane, Washington; writes for young adults)
Associated language:
eng
================================================================================
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS AUTHORITIES
Library of Congress
101 Independence Ave., SE
Washington, DC 20540
Questions? Contact: ils@loc.gov
self-published/Amazon books not in LOC:
Series
Eden Trilogy
Patrick Chronicles
Great Exploitations
Lost and Found
Outsider Chronicles
Novels
Up In Flames (2012)
Crossing Stars (2014)
Three Brothers (2015)
The Fable of Us (2016)
Collared (2016)
Stealing Home (2016)
Touching Down (2016)
Hate Story (2016)
Mister Wrong (2017)
Tortured (2017)
Roommates With Benefits (2017)
Trusting You & Other Lies (2017)
Exes with Benefits (2017)
PERSONAL
Children.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Fiction writer. Canadian National Institute for the Blind, program coordinator of career and technology.
WRITINGS
Author has self-published more than two dozen titles.
SIDELIGHTS
Spokane, Washington-based young adult and contemporary romance author Nicole Williams is a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of a number of books, among them the “Crash” series. She grew up in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Williams studies women and work in Russia and is program coordinator of career and technology at the Canadian National Institute for the Blind.
"Crash" Series
In 2012 Williams published Crash, the first of the “Crash” trilogy. In a Romeo and Juliet for the twenty-first century, high school senior Lucy Larson has moved to a new town and a new school. With aspirations of being a ballerina, she nevertheless finds she cannot get bad boy Jude Ryder out of her mind. With a criminal record already and living in a boys’ home, Jude ruins the reputations of good girls like Lucy. Yet somehow they fall for each with hot, racy romance in the cards.
In describing the reaction to her “Crash” series, Williams told Joyce Lamb in an interview online at USA Today’s Happy Ever After blog: “Readers have strong feelings about the series, either seeming to love or hate it. … This is one of my main goals as a writer: to make the reader feel something. Love or hate. Hope or despair.” Reviewing the book at SERIESous Book Reviews, a writer commented that the series is “relatable to its readers. A majority of what Lucy and Jude go through, especially once they reach college, is something that a majority of young adults go through.” At Voice of Youth Advocates, Geri Diorio noted: “Williams’s plots speed along, but her writing can be awkward as she attempts to convey the sweeping emotions in play.”
Book two in the series, Clash, finds now college students Jude and Lucy in an on-again, off-again relationship. With Jude away at Syracuse University, there’s a new cheerleader in his life, and Lucy, in dance school, cannot let jealousy distract her from her ballet ambitions. Jude’s trigger-touch temper may spoil the love they have, so Lucy needs to make a choice. Online at Dark Faerie Tales, a reviewer remarked: “I will have to admit that the plot was very predictable, but I still really enjoyed it. This book really hits on the point that Love isn’t always enough, and there are different levels of love.”
The third book, Crush, continues Jude and Lucy’s romance. Lucy and Jude are engaged, and Jude has become a football star with a professional career—and lots of money—on the horizon. While Jude has seemed to get his life in order, Lucy is conflicted because her life lacks direction. On the Vilma Iris blog, Vilma Iris Gonzalez found Jude and Lucy’s relationship explosive, romantic, and passionate, saying that “Their emotionally-charged and fiery relationship keeps us glued to each page, not wanting this exciting series to end!”
Trusting You and Other Lies
In 2017 Williams published Trusting You and Other Lies. Teenager Phoenix is spending the summer in a summer camp cabin with her dysfunctional family because her father lost his job and the mortgage has been foreclosed. Phoenix is stuck with her brainy little brother, Harry, and her constantly bickering parents. She reluctantly takes a job as a camp counselor to save money for a car. Then she meets Callus, the camp leader, who is as arrogant as he is gorgeous.
In a review in Voice of Youth Advocates, Anne Keller commented: “Readers will be mildly entertained as Phoenix and Callum struggle to balance their relationship as boyfriend/girlfriend with their relationship as boss/employee.” According to a Kirkus Reviews writer, “While the central romance is engaging, the weak plotting undercuts its appeal.” In Publishers Weekly, a contributor observed: “This story is at its best when it’s focusing on Phoenix’s protective relationship with Harry” and the struggles with her parents.
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Kirkus Reviews, April 15, 2017, review of Trusting You and Other Lies.
Publishers Weekly, April 24, 2017, review of Trusting You and Other Lies, p. 94.
Voice of Youth Advocates, April, 2013, Geri Diorio and Holly Storm, review of Crash, p. 669; June, 2017, Anne Keller, review of Trusting You and Other Lies, p. 74.
ONLINE
Dark Faerie Tales, http://darkfaerietales.com/ (March 2, 2013), review of Clash.
Happy Ever After, http://happyeverafter.usatoday.com/ (April 25, 2013), Joyce Lamb, author interview.
Nicole Williams Website, http://nicoleawilliams.blogspot.com (January 29, 2018), author profile.
SERIESous Book Reviews, http://SERIESousbookreviews.com/ (May 18, 2013), review of Crash.
Vilma Iris, https://vilmairis.com/ (January 29, 2018), Vilma Iris Gonzalez, review of Crush.
Interview: Nicole Williams, author of 'Crush'
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By: Joyce Lamb | April 25, 2013 12:00 am
Nicole Williams hit the USA TODAY best-sellers list in September 2012 with Crash. A week later, she did it again with Clash. She probably hit the New York Times list, too, but we here at USA TODAY aren’t all that impressed by that. *wink* At any rate, she hit the USA TODAY list (twice) as a self-published author. Now, she’s traditionally published, by HarperCollins, and the third in her hugely popular Crash series, Crush, came out this week. Nicole joins us to talk about her awesome success, the Crash series and what readers can expect to see from her next.
Joyce: Welcome to HEA, Nicole! Congrats on your amazing success with your Crash series!
Nicole: Thank you so much for having me! It was surreal last summer when Crash exploded, and that whole surreal feeling hasn’t really tapered off nearly a year later.
Joyce: So cool that the series is the first that HarperCollins published in the 16 and up age bracket. That’s quite an honor. How nervous did that make you?
Nicole: It’s a huge honor, but yeah, it did make me a bit nervous. Anything new, different, or going-against-the-norm makes waves and I knew the Crash series would. My goal was to create a realistic teenage relationship that portrayed the struggles and pressures of adolescence, and I feel I achieved that.
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Readers have strong feelings about the series, either seeming to love or hate it and, at the end of the day, this is one of my main goals as a writer: to make the reader feel something. Love or hate. Hope or despair. Ideally, something strong enough that it sticks with them long after “The End.”
Joyce: Excellent outlook!
The heroine in the series, Lucy Larson, is the new girl in town. Have you ever been the new girl or are you just making up how she’s dealing?
Nicole: I have been the new girl! It was only fifth grade, but those feelings of not fitting in, and having no idea who anyone is, are still singed into my memory. Lucy is much more of a spitfire than I am, so she figured out how to be the new kid faster than I did.
Joyce: Your agent, Jane Dystel, has said, “Crash has that edgy, dangerous quality that I think fans of 50 Shades of Grey will love.” What is the “dangerous quality” she’s referring to?
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Nicole: For the genre, Crash is edgy and pushes the YA envelope, and Jude is a bad-boy character with a dark past and an uncertain future. The relationship between Jude and Lucy is a complicated love story about an innocent(ish) girl falling for a dangerous guy. It’s angsty, it’s dramatic, and Jude and Lucy go for a roller coaster of a ride at every turn. Jude and Lucy are consumed by their love for each other and I think a lot of readers like to indulge in a story like 50 Shades and Crash where that fascination and passion take over everything.
Joyce: How is your series different from 50 Shades?
Nicole: The issues the characters in the Crash series deal with are teen issues for the most part, and the sexuality is handled differently. There’s no bondage, but there’s a whole lot of steamy passion. The difference between the ages of the protagonists in my series and in 50 Shades is different, too. In Crash, Lucy and Jude are high school seniors. In Clash, they’re in college. In Crush, they are finishing college (I won’t say anymore about Jude’s prospects: spoiler alert!). I’m hoping that readers feel my series is a unique tale of its own merit.
Joyce: Suppose Lucy and Jude got their own movie. Who would you cast to play them?
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Nicole: This is such a difficult question for me! Readers ask me all of the time and no one really pops to mind as YES! these are the actors who could play Jude and Lucy. I suppose I’d really love a couple of talented, unknown actors to get cast because I love going to a movie and being blown away by new talent.
Joyce: Crush is the third in the series and came out this week (April 23). What can readers expect from Crush?
Nicole: Crush is actually my favorite of the three. The story picks up a couple years later and readers will be able to see how Jude and Lucy have matured and come-into-their-own, while still stumbling over their old (and some new) hang-ups and insecurities. A few minor characters from Crash and Clash play large roles in this one, along with a brand new character who really throws a wrench into Jude and Lucy’s world. The steam lever is amped up in Crush, but still tempered with the innate sweetness that’s at the heart of Jude and Lucy’s relationship. It’s a fast-paced read that I hope makes readers sigh over, swoon for, and want to toss their e-readers or paperbacks across the room once or twice.
Joyce: What can readers look forward to from you next?
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Nicole: I write love stories. I always will. I’m incredibly fortunate to be in a profession where I can go whatever direction my imagination takes me, whether that be the soft side of romance, or the darker side. I’ll be releasing my next Mature YA/New Adult novel, Lost and Found, on May 7, and after that, there will be many more to come.
Joyce: Is there anything you’d like to add?
Nicole: Just a huge, heartfelt thank you to all of my loyal readers and the authors who’ve inspired and supported me through it all. Another ginormous thank you to HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster UK, my sublime editor, Phoebe Yeh, and my agents Jane Dystel and Lauren Abramo. I’m thankful to you all in ways I’ll never be able to fully express.
Joyce: Thanks, Nicole!
Growing up in a small suburb of Toronto, I watched my mom leave each morning for a job she hated. I didn’t have to be much older than the age of 10 to understand – really understand – that working in a capacity that’s less than your potential sucks the life out of you. It diminishes your sense of purpose, your feelings of confidence and most importantly, hating your job keeps you from enjoying the rest of your life. This is my personal answer: I made a promise to myself at a very young age that I would never, ever do work I didn’t love.
My “PR” answer has many of the same elements but comes down to the fact that I truly love career development. With over 70% of our waking lives spent at work, I can’t imagine a more important reason to get into the game. Between studying women and work in Russia, to my first “real” job as the Program Coordinator of Career and Technology at the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, I have come to see first-hand that work gives us an amazing opportunity to realize our potential and to fulfill our dreams. Work offers us the opportunity to make a contribution – to put our stamp on the world through our best efforts – and that’s exactly what I am doing with Wildly Sophisticated Media Inc.
Biographies are impossible for me to write without landing somewhere in the realm of lame. Which is ironic since I’m a writer attempting to, you know, do what I do and write. For whatever reason though, trying to sum up who I am is enough to make me rock myself into a psychiatric-something in a dark corner.
I could try explaining what I love: books, writing, adventures, the outdoors, animals, my family, my friends. I could list what I don’t love: hate, needles, narrow-mindedness, pantyhose, celery. I could go into my background and my sources of inspiration, sprinkling throughout witty bits of commentary and the expected author-fare of a few words that make a person scratch their head and reach for a dictionary. But the true biography of who I am is penned on the pages of my books, hidden between the words. Where I’ve been, who I am, where I’m going—it’s all there.
At the end of the day, I’m an open book.
Now that you know who I am, I’d love to get to know who you are. Life is about connections—here’s where you can connect with me:
Williams, Nicole. Trusting You & Other Lies
Anne Keller
40.2 (June 2017): p74.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2017 E L Kurdyla Publishing LLC
http://www.voya.com
3Q * 2P * J * S
Williams, Nicole. Trusting You & Other Lies. Crown/Penguin Random House, 2017. 304p. $17.99. 978-0-553-49877-6.
Phoenix cannot imagine anything worse than being forced to spend the summer before her senior year at summer camp with her family. Her parents have been fighting constantly ever since her father lost his job and they have fallen on hard times. Since their house will be in foreclosure, the camp owner, a family friend, is lending them a cabin for the summer. The only upside is that Phoenix will be working as a counselor in order to save money to buy a car. Callum is the head counselor whose know-it-all attitude about the outdoors frustrates Phoenix, even though she is attracted to him. Callum's emotions are conflicted because he likes Phoenix despite her attitude and rookie mistakes. Phoenix plans on attending college while Callum has no interest. Although their futures seem to be moving in different directions, Phoenix helps Callum realize his potential during their summer romance. The novel follows their relationship's ups and downs while Phoenix deals with her family situation.
Readers will be mildly entertained as Phoenix and Callum struggle to balance their relationship as boyfriend/girlfriend with their relationship as boss/employee. Phoenix eventually becomes a likable character who transforms over the summer. Callum is a complex character with struggles and hardships. Secondary characters in Phoenix's family include her parents and younger brother who add enough additional drama to propel the story forward. Readers get an insider's view of summer camp adventures and this would be a good read for teens who enjoy the outdoors. While there is nothing extraordinary about this novel, readers will stick with it to see how the romance is resolved and if it lasts beyond the summer.--Anne Keller.
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Keller, Anne. "Williams, Nicole. Trusting You & Other Lies." Voice of Youth Advocates, June 2017, p. 74. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A497860364/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=e6b089f8. Accessed 25 Dec. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A497860364
Trusting You and Other Lies
Heather Booth
113.17 (May 1, 2017): p72.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2017 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist_publications/booklist/booklist.cfm
Trusting You and Other Lies. By Nicole Williams. June 2017.304p. Crown, $17.99 (9780553498776); lib. ed., $20.99 (9780553498783); e-book, $17.99 (9780553498790). Gr. 8-11.
Phoenix knows that her parents have been lying for years. Ever since her dad lost his lucrative job and was unable to replace it, the family has been living a life they can't afford. She can't imagine that a summer stay in a friend's rustic "family camp" is a wise or logical move, but with parents unable to face the truth, a little brother whom she feels compelled to protect, and college looming, overachiever Phoenix grudgingly goes along. While her parents' fights intensify and her brainy brother blossoms into an adventurous kid, Phoenix dives into the challenges of being a camp counselor under the instruction of Callum, the aloof teen who makes her knees go weak. As the days pass, their relationship grows and intensifies from playful verbal sparring to mutual support. While idyllic Camp Kismet feels a world apart from their respective problems at home, issues of trust, future plans, and past scars are never far from their minds. This is a charming summer romance with realistic responses and relatable characters.--Heather Booth
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Booth, Heather. "Trusting You and Other Lies." Booklist, 1 May 2017, p. 72. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A495035139/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=ced40900. Accessed 25 Dec. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A495035139
Trusting You & Other Lies
264.17 (Apr. 24, 2017): p94.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2017 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Trusting You & Other Lies
Nicole Williams. Crown, $17.99 (304p) ISBN 9780-553-49877-6
In this summer romance, Williams (the Crash series) banishes 17-year-old Phoenix Ainsworth to an Arizona wilderness camp for families and a summer of roughing it. On top of being stuck in a dusty cabin with her parents and 10-year-old brother, Harry, Phoenix knows that they are about to be evicted--hence her father installing them at his friend's camp for free, with Phoenix working as a counselor. Phoenix's initial anger at her parents abates as she warms to the camp: partly because of how much Harry is enjoying it and partly because of Callum, the handsome head counselor in charge of training her. Williams's novel makes a stronger family story than a romance--as Callum zigzags between being aloof, appealing, and arrogant, it isn't always easy to see why Phoenix likes him so much. This story is at its best when it's focusing on Phoenix's protective relationship with Harry, her anger at and struggles with her parents, and the family's attempts to regain control of their home, finances, and future. Ages 14-up. Agent: Jane Dystel, Dystel & Goderich Literary Management. (June)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"Trusting You & Other Lies." Publishers Weekly, 24 Apr. 2017, p. 94. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A491250919/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=fa742455. Accessed 25 Dec. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A491250919
Williams, Nicole: TRUSTING YOU & OTHER LIES
(Apr. 15, 2017):
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2017 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Williams, Nicole TRUSTING YOU & OTHER LIES Crown (Children's Fiction) $17.99 6, 20 ISBN: 978-0-553-49877-6
A romance between two teens focuses on fixing the wrong issue.Phoenix, who is white, keeps her eyes on her future, since when she goes to college in a year she'll be able to get away from her bickering parents, although she worries about who will take care of her little brother, Harrison, aka Harry. Going to a family summer camp isn't in Phoenix's plans, so even though she's stuck with it, she plans to keep up her running and her SAT prep in between duties as a counselor. From the get-go, the novel has problems with plotting. While her family is supposed to be rebuilding its relationships, their father is barely around; readers may feel that the dysfunction portrayed isn't adequately explained by Phoenix's dad's losing his job and the resulting financial difficulties. And then Phoenix meets Callum, the handsome, white head counselor and reforming bad boy. Callum holds most people at arm's length, and Phoenix has a seriously controlling nature--yet trust issues are presented as the major obstacle to their summer romance. As Phoenix's father finally affects the plot like a deus ex machina in character form, Phoenix and Callum will figure out if their love will last at all, let alone beyond the summer. While the central romance is engaging, the weak plotting undercuts its appeal. (Romance. 14-18)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"Williams, Nicole: TRUSTING YOU & OTHER LIES." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Apr. 2017. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A489268412/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=47f6ebef. Accessed 25 Dec. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A489268412
Williams, Nicole. Crash
Geri Diorio and Holly Storm
36.1 (Apr. 2013): p669.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2013 E L Kurdyla Publishing LLC
http://www.voya.com
2Q * 4P * J * S
Williams, Nicole. Crash. HarperCollins, 2012. 384p. $9.99 Trade pb. 978-0-06-226714-6.
Lucy Larson just moved to a new town right before the start of her senior year. Her father is out of work and clingy; her mother is overworked and distant; and Lucy just wants to graduate and get into a good dance school. Jude Ryder is the baddest of bad boys. He lives at the Last Chance Boy's Home, has an arrest record a mile long, is tortured and gorgeous, and he and Lucy spark immediately. The course of true love never does run smoothly, though, and Jude and Lucy fall for each other despite the blockades thrown up by classmates, wannabe boyfriends and girlfriends, parents, law enforcement officials, and violent thugs.
Everything is heightened in this first novel, initially self published as an ebook---Lucy and Jude's attraction, the violence inflicted on and by Jude, the ultra steamy, nude love scenes that stop just short of intercourse. There are attempted rape, arson, drinking, drugs, and fist fights over Lucy; there is more melodrama than on a soap opera. Williams's plots speeds along, but her writing can be awkward as she attempts to convey the sweeping emotions in play; "... mom saw the bad in everything, the damn in life." The damn in life? Young romance fans may enjoy this archetypal story of a bad boy with eyes only for one girl, but there are better choices to recommend, including Downham's You Against Me (Random House, 2011/VOYA October 2011), Sones's What My Mother Doesn't Know (Simon & Schuster, 2001/VOYA October 2001), or Hafts The Summer I Turned Pretty (Simon & Schuster, 2009/VOYA August 2009).--Geri Diorio.
The reader becomes attached to Lucy and company only from a kind of literary Stockholm syndrome born from the first-person perspective. Despite their tragic histories, the characters themselves seem shallow and dramatized. The plot and diction are very predictable, and the constantly histrionic tone becomes tiring. Staunch fans of the teenage romance genre might find this book enjoyable, but only if they are willing to overlook major character and writing flaws. 2Q, 3P.--Holly Storm, Teen Reviewer.
book review code
QUALITY
5Q Hard to imagine it being better written.
4Q Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses.
3Q Readable, without serious defects.
2Q Better editing or work by the author might have warranted a 3Q.
1Q Hard to understand how it got published, except in relation to its P rating (and not even then sometimes).
POPULARITY
5P Every YA (who reads) was dying to read it yesterday
4P Broad general or genre YA appeal.
3P Will appeal with pushing.
2P For the YA reader with a special interest in the subject.
1P No YA will read unless forced to for assignments.
GRADE LEVEL INTEREST
M Middle School (defined as grades 6-8).
J Junior High (defined as grades 7-9).
S Senior High (defined as grades 10-12).
A/YA Adult-marketed book recommended for YAs.
(A) Highlighted Reviews
(G) Graphic Novel Format
Diorio, Geri^Storm, Holly
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Diorio, Geri, and Holly Storm. "Williams, Nicole. Crash." Voice of Youth Advocates, Apr. 2013, p. 669. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A342468483/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=4ed21780. Accessed 25 Dec. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A342468483
Williams, Nicole. Trusting You & Other Lies
Susan Riley
63.4 (Apr. 2017): p160.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2017 Library Journals, LLC. A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/
WILLIAMS, Nicole. Trusting You & Other Lies. 304p. Crown. Jun. 2017. Tr $17.99. ISBN 9780553498776.
Gr 8 Up-As this story begins, 17-year-old Phoenix is seated in the back of the family car with her brother, 10-year-old Harry, as they speed from Santa Monica, CA, to Camp Kismet, in Arizona. Phoenix is highly skeptical that a summer at a "family camp" owned by her parents' hippie friend Ben will have any effect on the past two years' history of parental fighting since her father lost his lucrative job. She longs to spend her last summer before senior year with her friends on the beach but instead is resigned to enforced labor as a counselor for 12 long weeks. As Phoenix and her family settle into their free cabin for the summer, the teen meets 18-year-old Callum, the good-looking, confident head counselor. She is initially thrilled when he is assigned to be her supervisor, but as she makes several poor work decisions, tensions threaten to derail their budding relationship. Phoenix and Callum are attracted to each other but make erroneous assumptions. What elevates this novel above the usual formulaic plot is the witty and realistic dialogue and excellent character development. VERDICT Most libraries serving teens will find this to be a highly circulating and popular romantic coming-of-age novel with relatable situations and believable characters.--Susan Riley, Mamaroneck Public Library, NY
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Riley, Susan. "Williams, Nicole. Trusting You & Other Lies." School Library Journal, Apr. 2017, p. 160. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A488688305/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=9abf0a7d. Accessed 25 Dec. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A488688305
Series Review: Crash by Nicole Williams
May 18, 2013Series ReviewsComments: 9
SERIESous’ Top Book Series: A top New Adult Read
Series: Crash Trilogy
Author: Nicole Williams
# of Books: 3 (Crash, Clash, Crush)
Complete?: Yes
Genre: New Adult, Sports, Romance, Contemporary
Heat Rating: Crash & Clash: warm ; Crush: Really Warm
Thoughts:
This series will forever hold a special place in my heart as it is the first New Adult read I have ever picked up and I credit it with introducing me to the genre. It’s a great series and a great way to get a feel for the New Adult genre but without all the sex that seems to accompany some books in the genre (there isn’t very much in the first two books).
I went into Crash with very low expectations. It was my plan when I started it to finish it ASAP so I could start another book but I quickly got into the story and finished it super quickly anyways 😛 I think the book summary for Crash is a little deceiving (it’s posted at the end of the blog post FYI). I went into this book thinking it was going to be your typical bad boy-good girl relationship but it wasn’t. I also thought it was going to focus more on Lucy’s dancing but it doesn’t–which is a good thing in my opinion, dance isn’t really my thing to read about. There isn’t a ridiculous plot that the characters go through, it’s more focused on how their pasts effect their futures but that is what I liked about the story.
Throughout the series, I had a love-hate relationship with Jude and Lucy, the main characters.
I’ll start with Jude. You could tell her adored Lucy so I liked that. In Crash, he reminded a lot of a young Christian Grey minus the need to dominate his woman (ie no BDSM). He is very possessive which is really attractive and I know that makes girls swoon but it is also scary because it could have been too much. Actually, at some points in the book I felt like the relationship bordered on unhealthy (it’s actually alluded to in later books which I thought was ironic). My mind often drifted to another book I had read this year, The Taming by Teresa Toten, where a teen relationship turns into an abusive one. I really feared that this was going to happen here but I’m glad it didn’t.
I think part of the reason it didn’t border on unhealthy was because of Lucy–which is why I liked her. She was a strong character who was also independent and intelligent enough to realize when Jude needed to turn it down a notch. She freely expresses her thoughts on his actions and makes sure she is heard by him as well. Though sometimes I found her to be a little contradictory in what she said/did so that caused me to like her a little less as the books went on. But to her credit, she does grow considerably as the series progresses so that is nice to see.
Which is another thing I like about this series: it’s relatable to its readers. A majority of what Lucy and Jude go through, especially once they reach college, is something that a majority of young adults go through. The series was definitely a more realistic New Adult series than what I am used to reading which is refreshing.
Clash was great. I read it in a day–which sucked because I had to wait 4 months for Crush. Crush was great also. I always get worried with romance trilogies that follow the same two characters because often times the story gets dragged out and the last book ends up being disappointing. I am happy to say that wasn’t the case here. Crush was a fantastic end to the series.
Conclusion:
For those just starting out in the New Adult world, this is a great bridge to reach there! For those who want a less “sex-focused” New adult read, grab this! Or if you just want to read about a couple growing individually while within a relationship, check this out!
Rating: 4.5/5
Book review – Crash by Nicole Williams
July 28, 2012 by Aestas · 6 Comments
Buy CRASH on Kindle
Buy CRASH in Paperback
4.5 stars
“I’ll be here, each day and every day on, as long as you want me to be.”
LOVED THIS BOOK!!!!
This was exactly the kind of read I needed right now! It was not too long, had a romance that made my heart pound, twists that made my heart race, and a really seriously swoony and tortured bad boy hero! What’s not to love??
The story hooked me right from the first paragraph – I took an instant liking to it and it just immediately put you right inside the narrator’s head and had me flipping pages like crazy!
I absolutely adored the writing style!! It perfectly balanced lighthearted and serious. On the surface, its this classic bad boy meets good girl story but, right from the beginning, you can feel deeper, darker, painful undertones and you just know that when you learn the back stories, its going to be heart-wrenching.
You could just feel the sizzling chemistry/connection that Lucy and Jude had when they first met. I swear I felt like I was meeting him myself – my heart was pounding and just completely melted 🙂
Jude Ryder *squee/swoon* is a true bad boy and I literally loved him from the moment he showed up! He was like Travis Maddox‘s long lost brother – arrogant, cocky, with a bad reputation and a 2-page rap sheet, but so heart-racingly sexy and swoont and HOT but deeply tortured beneath the surface that you really can’t help but fall in LOVE!
“The name’s Jude Ryder, since I know you’re all but salivating like a rabid dog to know, and I don’t do girlfriends, relationships, flowers, or regular phone calls. If that works for you, I think we could work out something special.”
Gah! The nerve on him!! lol. Of course Lucy turns him right down but he’s not one to be deterred. He sees something special in her and is willing to turn his life around for the better in order to win her heart. The road to that isn’t smooth – its drama-filled, with page-turning twists, heart-break and secrets that took me completely by surprise and I loved every minute of it!
“…it’s hard not to notice something special when life’s thrown a lotta shit your way.”
But seriously, my heart just broke for Jude and his past 🙁 Seeing someone who clearly has such a good heart be haunted by these demons and be made to think so little of himself was heart breaking. He’s “a boy with beautiful eyes and an ugly past”, a total and complete bad boy with a bit of a temper (especially triggered when people attack or insult his girl) who has led a very rough life, but has a heart of gold and is just totally into his girl! *SWOON* and I loved that he had a deeper side to him – life taught him some hard lesson, perhaps far too soon, but with Lucy’s help, he tried so hard to overcome his past. LOVED HIM!! <3 “This guy was every kind of wrong on the surface, but there was something more there, something I’d seen in that flash of vulnerability that sucked me in.” And I loved that Lucy was no pushover. She stood up to her parents, she didn’t let gossip get the better of her, she had a huge heart and took a chance on Jude when all the signs were pointing against it. Jude and Lucy have a lot of roadblocks in their path, but I just loved that neither of them really denied their affections for each other. They struggled through some pretty tough times, but throughout it all, their hearts belonged to each other… really a story of two people from different worlds finding a way to be together against all the odds. “…I’ll need you to promise me something…If I ever mess things up again, whether it’s a missunderstanding or shit luck, or I just do what I was created to do and screw everything up… I want you to promise me you’ll leave. Drop me like a bad habit and don’t look back, because god knows, it can’t be me that walks away since I’m incapable of it.” What is it about swoony tortured player bad boys that just fall head over heels for their girl that is just so heart-melting? 🙂 “Who, in all God’s Gracious green earth… Is that?”… “Honey, a girl cant keep a man like that as a friend. He’s a lover or an ex-lover, but never a friend. Men like that weren’t created to be a woman’s friend – they were created to make a woman hit high C three times in a row.” This book was a wonderful balance of squee-worthy grin-enducing scenes and tortured characters, and despite it not being a long book, it made you care so deeply for the characters. The only thing I would have wished for was an epilogue. It had a HEA but I still wanted more. Fans of Beautiful Disaster are almost sure to love this book as well. Its YA with very light steamy (mostly some seriously HOT kisses). I am absolutely hooked on this author’s style – she has some serious story-telling talent – and look forward to reading more of her books.
Review: Crush (#3, Crash) by Nicole Williams
Explosive, romantic, passionate and captivating! Lucy and Jude do not disappoint! Their emotionally-charged and fiery relationship keeps us glued to each page, not wanting this exciting series to end! But when it does, the ending is perfect!
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Stars: 5 red-hot stars!
Main Characters: Jude Ryder and Lucy Larson
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Mature Young Adult
What I ♥ The Most: The relationship between Jude and Lucy is one of my all-time faves! Why? Because I love the way they love each other … passionately, completely and without abandon. They can’t stay away from each other despite all the challenges they continuously face. Love like that is always worth fighting for! ♥
If You Like This Try: Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire – both books feature sexy bad boys and have relationships brimming with angst and passion and love.
Immediately once upon starting the book, it hit me just how much I had missed Jude and Lucy! I absolutely love their fire, their combativeness, their fight for each other. This is the final installment in the Crash series and book 3 was just as intense as the two books before it.
“With a guy like Jude Ryder at my side, the lows in life were lower and the highs were higher. That was our reality, our story … our love story. We fought; we made up. We messed up; we apologized. We lived; we learned. Jude and I had made a lot of mistakes in the history of our relationship, but one thing we always seemed to get right? Our all-consuming love for each other.”
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Last we saw Lucy and Jude, Jude proposed on the 50-yard line. Three years later, they are still engaged and in love, with no wedding date in sight. Jude has become a big football star and is getting ready to be drafted into the Pros. In the meanwhile, Lucy seems lost … trying to pave her own way. When Jude becomes an instant millionaire after being the #1 draft pick and then moves to San Diego to play with the Chargers, Lucy feels conflicted. She’s happy for Jude and all that he’s accomplished, sad for herself and her lack of direction and empty as the lack of Jude’s physical presence weighs heavily on her heart.
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She’s afraid that money and fame will change Jude and everything she loves about him.
“Money changes people, Jude.”
“The only thing that could change me is you, Luce… No matter what happens tomorrow or how many millions they throw at me, I’m the same guy I am right now.”
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Jude is frustrated because Lucy refuses to set a date for their wedding and he is desperate to make it official. All Lucy can say is “soon.” Things continue to spiral downwards when Jude splurges with expensive gestures to show Luce how much he loves her. Tensions continue to mount and we find ourselves in the classic Lucy and Jude showdowns that make our pulse race and our heart ache.
“I can’t leave you like this… I’ve walked away from you too many times when I shouldn’t have. When you needed me. I won’t do it again.”
Ugh. This quote totally takes me back to book 2, Clash, when it was almost unbearable to read when they were apart. And in this book again, my heart hurts for Jude because he tries SO HARD to make Luce happy. He loves her so deeply and she is everything to him. I will say that Crush is a lot steamier than the other two books and I loved that! They’re older, they’re more in love and their desire has only grown over the years.
Things get worse before they get better of course and they find themselves at a crossroads. I don’t want to spoil it for you guys, but know that these two are meant to be together and this book ends PERFECTLY! Ultimately, this book is about fighting for true love and being brave enough to take the next step. Jude and Lucy have grown up in the pages of these three books and what happens in this last story forces them to make a decision on whether to go all in or not.
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One final note … I found myself really nostalgic … thinking back to the day Jude and Lucy met on the beach and how far they’ve come. I love these books whole-heartedly and I hope you love them as much as I have! Go read them!
“The name’s Jude Ryder, since I know you’re all but salivating like a rabid dog to know, and I don’t do girlfriends, relationships, flowers or regular phone calls. If that works for you, I think we could work out something special.”
Review of “Crash”, “Clash”, and “Crush” by Nicole Williams
Posted on 08/16/2013 by rhapsodyinbooks
This is a trilogy that is being marketed as YA, and in the first book, the two main characters, Lucy Larson and Jude Ryder, are in high school. By the third book they have graduated to college and the author has graduated to big time erotica. There are quite a few descriptions not only of sex but even of phone sex (using Facetime video interaction on smart phones). But it’s between two people in love and the language isn’t as explicit as it could be.
Crash_series-1
The plots of the three books can be summarized as:
Crash: When will we have sex?
Clash: What sexy things will we do to each other when we get each other alone?
Crush: When will we get married?
Underlying themes for all three: fear of being hurt; jealousy; temper problems and impulse control; growing up.
Side themes: Lucy loving to dance; Jude loving to play football.
The series begins as if it is about a good girl mistaking a bad boy for a good boy, and vice versa, sort of along the lines of Pride and Prejudice. But once Lucy figures out what is what, or who is who, she admits her attraction to Jude, and they move on to the next theme: a hormonally challenged, stubborn, and often irritating girl trying to resist giving in to an intensely passionate and romantic boy who loves her to distraction. Finally, something happens to help Lucy – at last – to figure out what really matters. We the readers already knew, and had been shaking Lucy through three books.
Evaluation: This is a nice romantic story. It doesn’t always seem realistic, but what the heck. Take these books to the beach. Be prepared for lots of sex. … in the books, at any rate.
Rating: 3.5/5
Published by Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins, 2012, 2012, and 2013
Review: Clash by Nicole Williams
March 2nd, 2013
Posted in Review | 1 Comment »
Title: Clash
Author: Nicole Williams
Genre: YA/NA Contemporary
Series: Crash (Book 2)
Publication Date: September 1, 2012
Format: Paperback, 273 Pages
ISBN-10: 0062267159 (Harper Teen)
ISBN-13: 978-0062267153 (Harper Teen)
Reviewed by: Bridget
Synopsis:
The only easy thing about Jude and Lucy’s relationship is their love for one another. Everything else is hard.
Especially when it comes to reigning in Jude’s trigger touch temper and Lucy’s increasing jealousy of Jude’s Spirit Sister on the cheer squad who’s attached herself to him in just about every way a girl could. Feeling the stress of trying to hang on to her quintessential bad boy while becoming the foremost dancer in her class, Lucy knows something’s going to break. She wants both. She needs both. But if she doesn’t make a choice, she risks losing everything.
For Lucy Larson and Jude Ryder, love might be the thing that just isn’t enough.
Quick & Dirty: A sweet contemporary book with lots of romance and drama.
Opening Sentence: You know how they say it’s always darkest before the dawn?
Excerpt: Yes
The Review:
Lucy couldn’t be happier because she got into her number 1 choice for dance school and against all odds she is together with Jude. Jude is attending Syracuse University and is their star quarterback. They live about five hours apart, but they try to get together every weekend. Lucy and Jude are doing great but doubt and jealousy start to tear apart their relationship. A gorgeous cheerleader has her eye set on Jude and she will do anything to get him. Lucy is insecure and starts to doubt Jude and how he feels about her. Then she starts to doubt their whole relationship. She knows that she loves Jude, but is that enough. They have so many ups and downs and they fight all the time. Is there enough good to outweigh all the bad? Lucy really just doesn’t know, but if she doesn’t figure it out soon she could lose the only boy she will ever love.
Lucy was interesting in this book. I totally adored her in the first book and I fell in love with her spunk and attitude. I felt a little disconnected to Lucy at times in this book which made me sad. Lucy was very indecisive in this book, which I understand adds drama to the story, but I just thought it was a little overdone. I can understand that she needed space but she kept going back and forth and she put Jude through more pain than he deserved. I mean that poor boy has already been through a lot in his life and now the girl of his dreams keeps breaking his heart over and over again. That being said, by the end I felt that Lucy finally figured things out and I still did really love her as a character.
Jude Ryder is still the sexy bad boy that I fell in love with in book one. He is charming, beautiful, and has a mean temper. He grew so much through the series and I love seeing the man he has become. Yes, he is still an emotional basket case at times, but I felt that he was always trying to improve himself. He loves Lucy more than anything and he always puts her first. He respects Lucy which I really love about him. When she asks for space — he gives it, and he stays very constant with his feelings for her. I loved Jude and Lucy together they are so perfect for each other even though their relationship is not perfect.
This was a fast easy read for me. The flow was great and the writing was very well done. Yes, some of the things Lucy did annoyed me a times but overall the characters were great. I will have to admit that the plot was very predictable, but I still really enjoyed it. This book really hits on the point that Love isn’t always enough, and there are different levels of love. If you are willing to fight for a relationship you can work through pretty much anything, you just have to want it bad enough. The ending to this book was so sweet and I can’t wait for the final book to come out. I would highly recommend this series to any fans of YA/NA contemporary — it will not disappoint.
Notable Scene:
Another sound slid up his throat, this one so loud it caused his chest to vibrate against mine. “Hell with it,” he said no hesitation or uncertainty in his voice. It was as firm and resolute as his body thrumming beneath mine.
With one flick of his fingers, my bra snapped open, sliding down my arms until it landed on the floor beside Jude’s feet. His mouth covered mine again, hot and unyielding. I couldn’t breathe. I didn’t want to if it meant not being able to kiss Jude like he was kissing me right now. How he could make me feel his passion, his love, and his possession in one kiss was inexplicable. But he could. Jude’s body expressed his feelings better than his words did.
Crash Series:
1. Crash
2. Clash
3. Crush (April 23, 2013)
FTC Advisory: Harper Collins provided me with a copy of Clash. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
Crush by Nicole Williams
Series: Crash #3
Published by: HarperCollins on April 23, 2013
Genre: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance
Pages: 389
Source: Purchased
Buy the Book • Goodreads
Rating: 4.5/5
Football glory. A giant diamond. A wandering eye.
Jude and Lucy are happily engaged . . . but that doesn't mean life's a bed of roses.
Once again, Jude and Lucy are torn apart by football training and a summer job that creates new tensions. This time Jude's the one with trust issues. Will Lucy's life-changing news bring them back together or end their relationship for good? Can love triumph forever?
Oh my god oh my god oh my god!!!!!!
I have to talk about the ending of Crush first (no spoilers) because it’s all I can think about!! I just finished it and I was bawling, sniffling, crying, smiling, and giggling. I was am such an emotional wreck! This was a fabulous conclusion to the Crash series and everything I hoped it would be!
Okay.. Phew. Deep breaths..
“Baby, football isn’t my dream,” he said, kissing my forehead. “You are.”
There was some seriously hot and delicious sex in this book. Honestly, it was so hot and descriptive that it had me thinking, “Was it like this in the other books??” It’s honestly been a while since I read Crash and Clash but I swear the sex has been amped up big time. I am not at all complaining because it was hot and naughty and oh my god I loved it! But just keep that in mind if you don’t like super descriptive sex scenes.
Even though this book gave me all the swoony giggles in the world, it wasn’t perfect. There were two distinct things that bugged me.
First, Lucy is super anal about money to the point where it made me want to rip her head off. Jude lands a wicked football deal that has him raking in the millions. Suddenly Lucy is all uptight about how “Money doesn’t buy happiness” and refuses to let Jude buy her ANYTHING. He wants to buy her a nice gift and she freaks the fuck out. I literally wanted to tell her to sit down, shut up, and chill out.
Second, Jude has a few really awful “jealous and controlling boyfriend” moments. Some people might REALLY not like this book because of them. I really didn’t like two of the scenes in particular, but once they were over I mostly forgot about them and enjoyed the rest of the book. But I’ll lay them out for you so you can decide for yourself:
In one scene, Lucy is at the beach in a bikini. Jude meets her there, sees her bikini, and demands that she put on a sweatshirt because it’s “too skimpy” and he “doesn’t want guys jacking off to her later.” This seems to be a really common thing in NA books (like Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire) and it drives people—myself included—up the wall.
The next scene is when Lucy is out to lunch with her male boss because it’s her first day at work and it’s tradition at the company to take new employees out to lunch on their first day. Jude calls her during lunch, finds out the situation, and demands that she put her boss on the phone so he can talk to him bitch at him and lay down his territorial claim over Lucy. This is just another one of those “Seriously, Jude?” moments. Quit being a jealous bastard and trust your girlfriend fiancée.
View Spoiler »
Crush by Nicole Williams
But, as I said, these moments were kind of fleeting and although they made me rage, I quickly kind of glanced over them and continued with the book. If you take out those moments, this book was PERFECT! It turned me into a crazy, giddy girl. And oh my word, the sex was delish.
I think that fans of the Crash series will adore this book. It’s just as good as the others! If you don’t already like the series, then I’m not sure why you’d read this anyway, but in that case it’s probably not for you! I’m kind of sad to see Jude and Lucy’s story come to an end, but I’m really pleased with how things turned out! So many emotions, all of the feels—perfect.
“It doesn’t matter why I ran,” he said, staring at me without blinking, “because I came back. I’ll always come back, Luce. No matter how many rip-roaring fights we have and no matter how many miscommunications we have. I’ll always come back because you’re where I belong.”
The Verdict
lovedit
In Review: Trusting You & Other Lies by Nicole Williams
Posted July 14, 2017 by Kim in 5 Stars, In Review / 1 Comment
In Review: Trusting You & Other Lies by Nicole WilliamsTrusting You & Other Lies by Nicole Williams
Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publication date: June 20, 2017
Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers
Format: eARC, 306 pages
How I got it: NetGalley
Add it: Goodreads
Buy it: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iTunes
My rating:
Phoenix can’t imagine anything worse than being shipped off to family summer camp. Her parents have been fighting for the past two years—do they seriously think being crammed in a cabin with Phoenix and her little brother, Harry, will make things better?
On top of that, Phoenix is stuck training with Callum—the head counselor who is seriously cute but a complete know-it-all. His hot-cold attitude means he’s impossible to figure out—and even harder to rely on. But despite her better judgment, Phoenix is attracted to Callum. And he’s promising Phoenix a summer she’ll never forget. Can she trust him? Or is this just another lie?
I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
I don’t read a whole lot of YA books these days, but Nicole Williams is one of those authors whose books I will *always* read, no matter the age group or genre. I love her writing, her characters and the story she tells with them. She never disappoints. Trusting You & Other Lies is the latest in a long list of books written by her that I’ve loved.
This book was of the “read in one sitting” variety for me. It was fun and pretty light, but with a deeper message about trust that didn’t get TOO angsty. I really liked Phoenix and Callum. They were both fairly complex characters and neither one was perfect. I love a character with flaws. It makes them easier to relate to — even when there’s a pretty big age difference. I enjoyed watching each of these characters really come into their own during their time at summer camp. It’s probably worth mentioning I do have a particular weakness for camp books. I’ve not read a ton of them, but the ones I have I loved. But, I digress.
I’d say Trusting You & Other Lies is just about the perfect summer read if you’re looking for a YA book to add to your TBR pile. I found it both charming and beautiful. I loved the romance and found the dynamic between Phoenix and her family. It made me smile — and gave me a few feels. I can’t ask for much more than that!
FAVORITE QUOTES
I didn’t do boy-crazy, I reminded myself. I didn’t do weak-kneed and tongue-tied and starry-eyed. I did Miss Independent. I did my own thing. I did guys-were-a-nice-perk-but-not-the-pinnacle. That was my MO.
“Our destiny is always waiting for us. It’s right in front of us, all the time. Sometimes we just need a place and a time to be reminded of that.”
“In my world, you start out with my trust. What you do with that is up to you.”
Callum might have been odd sixty ways to Sunday, but in the Teenage Girl’s Bible of Boys, he was the holy trinity of hot, aloof and available.
He tasted like sunshine and a storm, and he kissed like we had forever and had run out of time. He kissed me like I’d wanted to be kissed my whole entire life—like I was everything.
About Nicole Williams
I’m the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of the CRASH series (HarperTeen, S&S UK), LOST & FOUND series, UP IN FLAMES (S&S UK), The EDEN TRILOGY, and a handful of others. I write stories about everyday kinds of people who find themselves in extraordinary kinds of situations. I tell love stories with happy endings because I believe in making the world a better place, and that’s one tiny way I can make it so. I’m one of those people who still believe in true love and soul mates, and would rather keep my head in the clouds any day over having my feet firmly on the ground.
Book review: Trusting You and Other Lies by Nicole Williams
April 16, 2017reviews, standalone
Title: Trusting You and Other Lies
Author: Nicole Williams
Daniela’s rating: 3.5 stars
Daniela’s review
**Arc provided by Netgalley in exchange for honest review.
USA Today and New York Times bestselling author Nicole Williams delivers a seductive summer romance worth swooning over. Perfect for fans of Sarah Dessen and Stephanie Perkins.
Phoenix can’t imagine anything worse than being shipped off to family summer camp. Her parents have been fighting for the past two years—do they seriously think being crammed in a cabin with Phoenix and her little brother, Harry, will make things better?
On top of that, Phoenix is stuck training with Callum—the head counselor who is seriously cute but a complete know-it-all. His hot-cold attitude means he’s impossible to figure out—and even harder to rely on. But despite her better judgment, Phoenix is attracted to Callum. And he’s promising Phoenix a summer she’ll never forget. Can she trust him? Or is this just another lie?
TRUSTING YOU AND OTHER LIES by Nicole Williams was a light read for me. I enjoyed reading it, though there were a few things I just got bored or was annoyed by.
This book is all about trust. We have a girl, Phoenix, who discovered her parents are keeping this huge secret from her and her little brother. They set up all this plan to take them all into a family trip, but she knows it’s just a way to distract them from the reality that’s about to hit them right in their faces. So of course, she’s developed some trust issues, because if you can’t trust your parents to tell you the truth, who forces other to do that? Phoenix reluctantly embarks on this family trip and realises that it might not be as bad as she thought, as long as she stays away from her parents’ way.
When I first started reading this book, I kind of understood Phoenix’s frustration and anger towards her parents because should you be able to rely on them, right? They’re supposed to protect you no matter what. But after I got more time to read and started to get to know her a bit better, she started sounding too whiney for my taste. I understand her situation was not the best, far from it, but I guess there are worst things in the world. She actually ended up sounding kind of like a brat more than anything else.
On the other hand, we have Callum who’s as awesome as they get. He’s the reason I enjoyed the book as much as I did. Him and Phoenix’s little brother. Callum is the kind of guy that earns your trust and makes you earn his. It’s not easy, but once you have it, it’s there, always. I loved his way of thinking and living. He’s simple and knows the difference between rights and wrongs. He understands mistakes but has no room for them. I found I could relate more to him than I could with Phoenix.
If you’re looking to have a light read, you might want to check this one, I mean, I enjoyed it, but it left me with a couple of loose ends I couldn’t shake off.
Trusting You and Other Lies by Nicole Williams
Annike: Hey guys, I’m here today with another review of a book that I got off Netgalley which I was really grateful for. This book is called Trusting You and Other Lies and I really loved it. I thought it was super cute but also really deep underneath so let’s get onto the review!
32441709.jpgPhoenix can’t imagine anything worse than being shipped off to family summer camp. Her parents have been fighting for the past two years–do they seriously think being crammed in a cabin with Phoenix and her little brother, Harry, will make things better?
On top of that, Phoenix is stuck training with Callum–the head counsellor who is seriously cute but a complete know-it-all. His hot-cold attitude means he’s impossible to figure out–and even harder to rely on. He’s promising Phoenix a summer she’ll never forget. Can she trust him? Or is this just another lie?
So this book was a really fluffy read, that took us into the lives of Phoenix, a girl from California who was dreading going to a family summer camp but was ultimately forced to by her parents. I started out not really liked Phoenix much at all. She seemed rather snobby, a bit annoying and ultimately was super negative. But the important thing was that as the book went on I found myself really liking her more and more and by the end I was convinced that she was a really good character.
Then there was the character of Harrison otherwise known as Harry, Phoenix’s ten year old brother. The dynamic between Harry and Phoenix was really fun to read about. Not only where they just so nice to each other but they really had to be because Phoenix’s Mum and Dad were really removed from their lives and were caught in their own problems which left Phoenix pretty much being Harry’s mother as he needed someone to support him. It was great to see Harry branch off to find friends but stay the really clever boy that he was. It seemed that over the camp, the leash that his mother had kept him on was loosened so he could really be the 10 year old boy that he was.
I also really loved the dynamic between Callum and Phoenix. From the very beginning you could tell that Callum was really standoffish, and had a lot of his own issues but through the book he opened up really well and became really important to Phoenix. It was also great fun to get to see the two of them develop as characters and together through their running, studying or camp activities. One of the things that really helped me to like Phoenix was her drive and passion something you could see especially in her running and her exercise which she was aiming for a scholarship to college with.
Another thing I loved about this book was the dialogue. It was super funny but also really well thought out and some of the lines between Callum and Phoenix were hilarious. They always seemed to be repeating each other or bringing back something from earlier in the book which is something I really like. One of the things that I think let the book down were all the assumptions made from Phoenix and Callum which ultimately led to fighting and then after that I felt like making up with each other wasn’t explained enough but more just accepted which I though could have been changed a little.
Overall, I really loved this book. It was a really quick read for me as I read it in only 1 day. It comes out on June 20th so I definitely recommend you pick it up or have a look at it because it is both super sweet and really eye opening. So yeah, that’s it. We’ll be back later in the week for another review!
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Posted in Book Review and tagged Contemporary, nicole williams, trusting you, trusting you and other lies, YA, Young Adult, Young Adult Fiction on April 19, 2017.
Review: Trusting You and Other Lies by Nicole Williams
Monday, June 19, 2017
Phoenix is a teenager who is more than a little unhappy about spending the summer at Camp Kismet with her family after her dad lost his job. Things with her family haven't been all that great so this is supposed to be a way to sort of work through it all. The silver lining for Phoenix is that she got a job as a camp counselor, so she can save up for the car she's been wanting and possibly avoid her parents at the same time. She didn't plan things being so hard, and meeting Callum along the way.
This book had a cute romance, but I felt like it actually took a backseat to the tension between the family members. I wanted a little more romance, if I'm being honest. There was a nice slow build between the two main characters but it felt like it took FOREVER for either of them to mention the attraction/feelings. I did really love the sibling bond between Phoenix and Harry. He looks up to her a lot and Phoenix has definitely cast herself firmly in the role of his protector. The parents (mostly the mom because the dad was absent for most of the book) were a little bit frustrating, but I could tell where they were coming from. They didn't want to worry their children about their financial situation, but I hated that they pushed them away in the process. I really loved the growth in all of the characters involved in this story. That is one thing that I believe the author did really well.
Another thing I enjoyed about this one was the setting. Just about the entire book takes place at summer camp, and it was really fun atmosphere. I'm an outdoorsy girl so I can connect with a lot of the fun activities and things like that. I was a little disappointed that we didn't see the parents interacting with Phoenix and Harry more since that was one of the reasons for going to the camp in the first place. I know the biggest reason was just to escape problems for a while but I would have liked to see the family bonding a little more.
While I thought the characters were written well, I didn't actually love any of them. The ones I enjoyed the most were Harry and Callum. I really didn't care for Phoenix much. She seemed to spend most of the first half of the book acting really immature with her parents. She is a very intelligent and driven character but she never confronts her parents once on what she's truly upset about? She's pretty outspoken (in typically snotty teenage fashion) with them most of the time, so I found it hard to believe that she didn't demand answers from them at some point.
I have never read anything from Nicole Williams before this but after hearing so many great things about her, and seeing this super adorable cover I decided to give her a try. Honestly, I felt a little underwhelmed by this book. I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it either. It's very middle of the road for me. I feel like I spent the book waiting for something big to happen and then it never does... I don't know. Maybe that's just me. All of that being said, I would probably still give another Nicole Williams books a chance.
* I received an ARC of this title via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. *