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Publisher: Penguin
Release Date: 3rd January 2013
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Abuse
Rating: 4/5 stars
Source: Received from the publisher for review
Goodreads Summary:
"Jacqueline seems to have a knack for making the wrong choices. She followed her boyfriend to his choice of university, disregarding her preference. Then he dumped her. She chose a minor she thought she could combine with her music studies, but she's falling behind. And then, leaving a party alone one night, she is attacked. If it wasn't for the timely intervention of a stranger, she would have been raped. Now she must make a choice - give up and give in, or toughen up and fight on. Only the support of the man who is tutoring her and the allure of the guy who saved her from the attack convince her that it's worth fighting on. Will Jacqueline now have to make a choice between them too? And can she make the right decision? It's not easy..."
Review
New Adult is a genre that is receiving a lot of love lately and so being this genre’s target audience I figured it was high time I gave one of the genre’s big guns a read and was recommended to start with Easy. Because this is my first New Adult book I’m going to talk about my experience with the genre as well as my thoughts on this book.
Easy starts off with an attempted rape scene which is pretty much like jumping into the deep end of the pool! This could have been too much too soon but as this book is set around the subject of abuse it sets the story up well, is tastefully handled, and important to the rest of the novel.
One of the things I loved about Easy is how it sets an excellent example for young women. In my opinion there are too many books out there at the minute that glorify abusive relationships not just the physical kind but the mentally unhealthy ones too. All too often absolute psychopaths that I’d want a restraining order against are portrayed as misunderstood irresistible bad boys who simply need love to save them. After being in an abusive relationship myself I can’t help but wonder what kind of example these books are setting? A potentially dangerous one if you ask me with these sorts of relationships on the rise. I feel like Easy sets the world back to rights with women telling somebody, learning self-defence, standing up for one another, and perhaps most importantly of all calling abuse by its name.
Our heroine is Jacqueline and I really liked her voice. It’s much more mature than a YA character but just because she’s older doesn’t mean she’s perfect, she still makes mistakes and grows throughout the book. At the start Jacqueline is getting over her three year relationship. I feel like this will be something I enjoy about NA books. Getting over your first serious relationship is something I’ve always wanted to read about but is never offered in YA as the characters are usually at the stage of finding that first big love. It was interesting to watch Jacqueline go from high school romance to her first adult relationship and was something I could really relate to as a twenty something reader.
Jacqueline’s love interest Lucas was such a swoon-worthy guy. Not only is he intelligent, gorgeous and artistic but he also teaches self-defence class and is all for women knowing how to protect themselves. I adored Lucas from the start and only loved him more when we find out what skeletons he has in his closet. I also loved how Jacqueline and Lucas’s stories tied together nicely creating a strong message to this story. Their romance not only has substance to it but is also incredibly hot and steamy without being full out erotica, another thing I think I’m going to love about New Adult Fiction.
Overall my first experience with this genre was definitely a good one and thanks to Easy I have already bought some other New Adult titles to try! If you’re new to this genre I’d definitely recommend giving this book a go. Steamy, romantic and empowering this is a book about things not ending up as you might have originally planned, only to find that you’re exactly where you’re meant to be.
