Review: One Tiny Lie

I read my first K.A. Tucker book earlier this year. I had heard the novel, and series, Ten Tiny Breaths was awesome and I was curious. I read it back in January and devoured it. I couldn't wait to read the next book but I purposely took a break between them because I knew the next one featured a different character. So, after a nice long break, I finally picked up book two in the series. I didn't think I could love One Tiny Lie more but, oh my god, I did. I couldn't put it down.

Here's the synopsis:

Livie has always been the stable one of the two Cleary sisters, handling her parents' tragic death and Kacey's self-destructive phase with strength and maturity. But underneath that exterior is a little girl hanging onto the last words her father ever spoke to her. “Make me proud,” he had said. She promised she would...and she’s done her best over the past seven years with every choice, with every word, with every action.
Livie walks into Princeton with a solid plan, and she’s dead set on delivering on it: Rock her classes, set herself up for medical school, and meet a good, respectable guy that she’s going to someday marry. What isn’t part of her plan are Jell-O shots, a lovable, party animal roommate she can’t say ‘no’ to, and Ashton, the gorgeous captain of the men’s rowing team. Definitely him. He’s an arrogant ass who makes Livie’s usually non-existent temper flare and everything she doesn’t want in a guy. Worse, he’s best friends and roommates with Connor, who happens to fits Livie’s criteria perfectly. So why does she keep thinking about Ashton?
As Livie finds herself facing mediocre grades, career aspirations she no longer thinks she can handle, and feelings for Ashton that she shouldn’t have, she’s forced to let go of her last promise to her father and, with it, the only identity that she knows.

I wasn't kidding when I said I couldn't put this book down. I started it at lunch at work one day and figured I'd finish it the next evening. But I couldn't stop thinking about it. I went home and did the "Ah, I'll just read for a half hour or so and then get to being productive." Yeah, that didn't happen. I finished the book that night. I actually read during the second last Bones episode of the season. I love that show but I just had to finish this book! 

The novel takes place three years after the first in the series and little sister Livie is all grown up and heading off to college. This was a plus for me. I enjoy books in a college/university setting (perhaps because I want to go back to that time...it was so much easier lol) and I wondered how good girl Livie had turned out. Pretty well, as it happens. I didn't know if I'd really like her but she was an awesome character to read about. She's smart without being nerdy and fun loving without being party crazy. She's so sweet and just a little bit broken. I enjoyed seeing her become her own person and discover what it was that she wanted to do. I was happy with how things turned out for her and will definitely look forward to finding out a little bit more when I read Four Seconds to Lose. 

I couldn't quite decide what I thought of Ashton. It took a long while to really find out what makes him tick (but it worked for the story) and it wasn't until he completely opened himself up to Livie that I really started to like him. My heart hurt when I learned his whole story and I desperately wanted things to work for him. With Livie, yes, but also with life. He had a lot of issues to work through and I wanted him to be happy.

One Tiny Lie earned an enthusiastic five stars from me because I was completely obsessed with it. Sure, there may be issues here and there with it but I'm not dwelling on those because I think that would make my "omgthisisanamazingbook" feeling go away. And I don't want that to happen. Others could tell you what they didn't like about K.A. Tucker's novel. I will tell you that if you enjoy novels set at college, with a bit of angst and sexual tension, this is your kind of book. Read it.

*A copy of this novel was provided by the publisher, Simon and Schuster Canada, in exchange for an honest review.*