From Goodreads: When Jacqueline follows her longtime boyfriend to the college of his choice, the last thing she expects is a breakup. After two weeks in shock, she wakes up to her new reality: she’s single, attending a state university instead of a music conservatory, ignored by her former circle of friends, stalked by her ex’s frat brother, and failing a class for the first time in her life.
Her econ professor gives her an email address for Landon, the class tutor, who shows her that she’s still the same intelligent girl she’s always been. As Jacqueline becomes interested in more from her tutor than a better grade, his teasing responses make the feeling seem mutual. There’s just one problem—their only interactions are through email.
Meanwhile, a guy in her econ class proves his worth the first night she meets him. Nothing like her popular ex or her brainy tutor, Lucas sits on the back row, sketching in a notebook and staring at her. At a downtown club, he disappears after several dances that leave her on fire. When he asks if he can sketch her, alone in her room, she agrees—hoping for more.
Then Jacqueline discovers a withheld connection between her supportive tutor and her seductive classmate, her ex comes back into the picture, and her stalker escalates his attention by spreading rumors that they’ve hooked up. Suddenly appearances are everything, and knowing who to trust is anything but easy.
Author Recommendation: Mature Young Adults (language, drinking, sexual situations)
___________________________________________________________
I love that this YA novel deals with college-aged characters. Most YA literature looks at teens in the high school setting, but Webber sets her novel apart through the college campus and college situations that the characters face. It’s a nice change of pace that helped me connect more with the characters, especially as they are closer to my age than many YA leads, and I was able to identify with them even more. I also love that Webber’s characters behave like college students; they are extremely real and the dialogue is pristine, making me feel like I was right there alongside the characters, facing the same situations. I just adored this novel!
Lucas is a dreamy character of whom I can’t get enough. I tried to read the book in one sitting, and would have had I not had to go to my evening job, but even though I was away from the book, the characters permeated my mind the entire evening. I found myself day dreaming about Lucas, wondering what would happen next, how he and Jacqueline would pan out, and whether or not Buck and Kennedy would make another appearance… these characters are so real and enticing that they literally became a part of my life. I was, and am still, enamored by them and though the novel ends on a great note and doesn’t need a sequel, I’d love one because these characters are so real and I’m dying to know what happens to them as they continue to grow up, graduate, and join the workforce.
Now, you may have noticed that Webber states that her novel is for mature YA as there is some language usage, drinking, and sexual situations. This is not a book for your 14 year old, but it is a great novel for those who are older and more mature. Yes, there are some sexual situations with more detail than I like in my novels, but Webber does an amazing job working them into the storyline of the plot—it moves the plot along and isn’t just there to add spice to the story, like we see in so many novels nowadays.
Webber is one of those authors that I adore; her novels have always been immaculate, perfectly written gems that I can’t get enough of, and Easy is another masterpiece. I was pulled into the story the moment I began reading, my heart in my throat as the suspense and peril Jacqueline faces from the get go are explained in detail. This novel deals with heavy topics, such as rape, loss, and even murder, but Webber relates them in such a way that it’s not as hard to stomach as it may sound. It actually deals more with gaining self-worth and focusing on the positive than on the negative, and I really believe that all mature young adults should read this book, especially as young women tend to have such a warped belief concerning what rape really is, and how to go about handling it. Now, I hate to give away any spoilers, but I think this is one thing that some readers might need to know… I cannot stomach novels that deal with rape, so potential readers, if you’re like me, rest assured that Jacqueline is not raped. There are attempts, yes, but if you’re scared to pick up this novel based on the potential that the main character is taken advantage of, you can breathe easy, as that doesn’t happen. Overall, this is just a phenomenal piece that I highly recommend. Five stars.
I received a copy of this novel from the author in exchange for an honest review.
