Book Blurb:
The summer after senior year was supposed to be the best summer of my life.
It was supposed to be full of adventure and self-discovery and making love under the stars.
It was supposed to be about losing myself and finding my way.
Only, it wasn’t supposed to start like this.
I wasn’t supposed to go to that party.
He wasn’t supposed to notice me.
The hot jock with the trust fund and chip on his shoulder.
My ex-boyfriend’s half-brother.
Noah Tedesco is so far out of my league he might as well be playing a different game.
Noah wasn’t supposed to look twice at a girl like me, but he did.
Now that I’m on his radar, my life will never be the same.
Truly is a dark, coming of age romance that explores themes like NON-CON DUB-CON, and happily ever after.
It was supposed to be full of adventure and self-discovery and making love under the stars.
It was supposed to be about losing myself and finding my way.
Only, it wasn’t supposed to start like this.
I wasn’t supposed to go to that party.
He wasn’t supposed to notice me.
The hot jock with the trust fund and chip on his shoulder.
My ex-boyfriend’s half-brother.
Noah Tedesco is so far out of my league he might as well be playing a different game.
Noah wasn’t supposed to look twice at a girl like me, but he did.
Now that I’m on his radar, my life will never be the same.
Truly is a dark, coming of age romance that explores themes like NON-CON DUB-CON, and happily ever after.
As the disclaimer states, this book is definitely not for everyone as there are some scenes that deal with non-consensual/dubious consent sexual acts. I consider myself open-minded and don't get offended by much in books, so this was not a deal breaker for me. My sister has been super excited about this book for weeks and when she managed to win not one, but two eBook copies from Facebook giveaways, I happily accepted the extra one. I'm a huge fan of darker stories so I dove right in.
Truly's story starts with heartbreak at the hand of her current boyfriend Devin when he breaks up with her immediately after their graduation ceremony. He ruined her plans for the summer in one fell swoop. Left reeling, Truly allows her best friend Becca to take her to the popular kids' graduation party. After spending two years with Devin and being ridiculed as the stoner's girlfriend, Truly was less than happy to spend the evening of such an awful day with people who made fun of her. She attempts to have a good time for Becca's sake, but finding out the party is at Noah, Devin's brothers, house, throws her for a loop and she struggles to relax enough to actually have a good time. After being coerced into a game of truth or dare that goes a little to far, Truly panics and attempts to escape the party only to be cornered by Noah. Noah takes advantage of finding her alone and proceeds to sexually assault her. This is a pivotal moment in the story because, despite being assaulted, Truly enjoyed the experience. The rest of the book follows their developing relationship on a 3 week long road trip with Becca and Ethan while they both learn more about themselves and each other.
I would definitely say that Truly and Noah's relationship was toxic - on both sides. Slowly, I began to understand what makes Noah tick and start to see why he is the way he is. They are both damaged and react to the loss they experienced in different ways. Truly feels like she deserves the pain that Noah subjects her to and Noah channels his pain into being a more dominant and demanding sexual partner. Their love story is not all rainbows and sunshine; Truly most definitely makes Noah grovel, prove his love to her and show her that he is not that guy anymore.
Truly ends on happy note, as we would expect with a happily-ever-after, and I was happy with the amount of growth they both experienced in this coming of age tale. I devoured this book in 2 sittings over the course of less than 24 hours, I only put it down to sleep. After reading this book, I'm looking forward to checking out more of Carmel Rhodes' work.
RATING: 5/5 STARS ✰✰✰✰✰
Website: https://carmelrhodes.com/
Buy this book on Amazon or read for free with Kindle Unlimited: https://www.amazon.com/Truly-Carmel-Rhodes-ebook/dp/B087CCCVS7
Happy reading!
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