Review and Giveaway: Shatter

Shatter (True Believers - Book 4) by Erin McCarthy

Publication Date: 09/02/2014
Publisher: Penguin Group
Imprint: Berkley Books
Genre: New Adult
Pages: 304
ISBN-10: 0425275108
ISBN-13: 978-0425275108

(Received for an honest review from Berkley Books)

Purchase: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, Indiebound

Erin McCarthy on the WEB: website, twitter, facebook, goodreads

Books in the series: 

1. True
2. Sweet
3. Believe
4. Shatter

Coverart: Click the Image for a larger, clearer view of the covers in this series.

Excerpt from, Shatter, courtesy of Amazon's Look Inside feature

Synopsis:

From the USA Today bestselling author of True, Sweet, and Believe comes a tantalizing New Adult novel about finding love in the most unexpected ways…

Kylie Warner prides herself on being optimistic, but after finding her best friend in bed with her boyfriend and flunking chemistry, her upbeat attitude has taken a dive. Even an impromptu hook-up with her sexy new chemistry tutor only brightens her mood slightly. After all, it’s not like she’ll ever see the tattooed scholar again…

While he’s a whiz at complex equations, Jonathon Kadisch has trouble when it comes to figuring out women. So when Kylie tells him that she’s pregnant after their night of passion, he’s at a complete loss. He’s prepared to be a good father—unlike his own deadbeat dad—but he’s less prepared to fall for the genuine and alluring blonde bearing his child.

With emotions running high, Kylie wonders if Jonathon’s devotion is out of growing love or looming obligation. And when heartbreak threatens to tear them apart, Jonathon will have to fight for the only girl who’s ever made him feel whole…

Thoughts:

Erin McCarthy's True Believers series wraps up with book four, Shatter. Readers have followed this group of friends from their first days at college to their graduation. McCarthy shines in the latest book, by wringing the emotions from her readers, taking them on a journey not into outer space or the paranormal but an adventure in real life. What happens when things get complicated, sticky, and altogether messy. New Adult readers will find Kylie and Jonathon's story a bit different from the previous books in the series and yet connected to the characters and stories that have made this series great. A wonderful conclusion to a very intimate and moving series!

What I liked:

There are so many things to like about this series! Readers who have followed the series, have met a group of friends that go through thick and thin together. They weather a ton of storms from bad relationships to unexpected babies and through it all they have stuck together, grown and matured. When I first started reading new adult books that was what I was afraid would be missing: maturity and strong story lines that were more than just typical romance novels, but I was once again wrong. Erin McCarthy's True Believer series has allowed readers to have that excited feeling about beginning life, but it has also shown so much wisdom and understanding about how real life is. It isn't all unicorns and rainbows and I think that's what makes this series so realistic.

Shatter is the fourth and final book in this amazing series and in my humble opinion the best of the bunch. Kylie has been a character throughout the series who has kind of had things easy. She has always been optimistic and full of energy, but in Shatter she is recovering from betrayal. Her boyfriend slept with her best friend and her world has literally been rocked to the core. She is questioning so many things about herself and her insecurities are on the surface. I loved the fact that McCarthy didn't try to trivialize how devastating something like this can be for a young woman. I understood Kylie's struggles, her loneliness, even her suffering grades. To top it all off, she has a one night stand that changes her life forever. She was a great character, though a bit needy at times and I think young women will really be able to relate to her. McCarthy did an excellent job with this character.

Then you have Jonathon, aka Darwin. He isn't your typical new adult hero. He doesn't even fit the profile that McCarthy has established for the series. He's a geek, a genius, a chemistry nerd. Albeit a very sexy, tattooed geek, but certainly not an alpha male lead. I loved that McCarthy decided to switch it up with this character and show readers that the hero doesn't have to be a bad boy, he can be a smart boy, or even a very emotional boy. He was amazing! I loved everything about this character, from his endearing sense of responsibility to his issues connecting to Kylie. I was rooting for these two from the beginning. One night may have changed their lives, but it is the growth and maturity of both characters throughout the book, that is amazing to watch develop.

McCarthy doesn't give readers a typical boy meets girl romance here. There are a lot of other factors that both stand between these two characters and bring them closer. I was happy to get a romance that wasn't just about chemistry (no pun intended) but about life. About the messiness and the way things really are. Not all friends stay friends forever. Not every relationship is easy and happy. Not every happy ending has to be picturesque. I liked the mess, I liked the angst and the insecurities. This story was intense, emotional and just altogether amazing!

Bottom Line:

You gotta read this one! It is the best of the series and epitomizes what the new adult genre is trying to express. The pitfalls and challenges that face men and women who are just coming into their own. Coming of age stories are generally intense and this one certainly is. The characters are truly exceptional and this is just a great book. I loved it!

Shatter is available NOW from your favorite bookseller.

I'm giving this one 5 out of 5 apples from my book bag!

About the Author:

USA Today bestselling author Erin McCarthy sold her first book in 2002 and has gone on to pen more than forty-four novels and novellas in the paranormal, contemporary romance, and young adult genres. She is also the author of the New Adult series, True Believers, including True, Sweet, and Believe. A RITA Award finalist who has been listed on the American Library Association’s Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers list, Erin is a member of the Romance Writers of America, the Horror Writers Association, and Ohioana.

Giveaway Details:

The publisher is sponsoring a giveaway for one copy of Shatter by Erin McCarthy.

~ You must be an email subscriber to participate.
~ US addresses only.
~ The deadline to enter this giveaway is Midnight EST, October 8th.

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