One Tiny Lie by K. A. Tucker

One Tiny Lie by K. A. Tucker
Release Date – January 4, 2014
Publisher Website –  Simon and Schuster
Publisher Social Media - Twitter
Pages - 336 pages
My Rating - 4/5
**received in exchange for an honest review from the publisher**

Here is the Goodreads 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.

New Adult, when done right, can be a perfect way to explore that scary, life changing time between highschool and becoming an adult. K.A Tucker not only does it right, but she writes a compulsively readable story as well. Part sexy, all plot, One Tiny Lie, delights in showing how a good girl becomes a little bit bad.

Livie is the quintessential good girl. Perfect grades, straight laced, driven, determined. Making a mistake would shatter her world. Failure is not an option. She's seen someone self destruct and, as a result, is sure that she can't veer from this path she's started down. As much as I loved Kacey in Ten Tiny Breaths, I couldn't see myself in any part of her. Livie connected with me much more because I could see parts of myself in her. The need to please people, following the path of what someone else wanted for you, protecting yourself by pushing others away. She's someone who needs to be okay so that she can fix those around.

Ashton is infuriating. He's infuriating from the moment you meet him. The most infuriating thing about Ashton, however, is that as much as you want to, you can't hate him. Livie can't hate him. There is something there that allows him to work his way into Livie's heart (and the reader's heart too) in spite of how maddening he is. He's reckless, impulsive, and a little self destructive. He pushes Livie and it's not hard to see why they rile each other up. Livie is used to broken, and Ashton is as broken as they come. It reminded me of how loyal, and how patient, she was with Kacey. It made sense that Livie would find someone like Ashton.

This novel looks at the different ways people have a hold on us. The different ways they influence, and the restrains it can put on us. Breaking from from them, whether self imposed or otherwise, is part of growing up. It's part of find out who you are. This is perfect for the people going through this. It allows a reflection of what they are going through. Holding a mirror up to the various ways you come to terms with this, and deal with it makes for a compelling read.

The issue of therapy and how beneficial it can be is at the core of this series. It is painted in a positive light. The need for a perfect fit between therapist and patient is shown in the interactions between the characters. I found it refreshing to have it incorporated in such a way that it wasn't the focus, and that the therapist doesn't have all the answers. It shows that mistakes are part of what it means to be human, and that we can live and learn from them.

A novel that shows the potential companion novels have to allow a reader to immerse themselves back into a beloved world. This is one that surpassed the original for me. A sexy, and engrossing story of letting go, growing into yourself, and stumbles we take a long the way to adulthood.