Review : Easy by Tammara Webber

Summary (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)

Personal Thoughts

Books like Easy remind me why I love reading YA contemporary books so much more than YA paranormal ones. Easy is the first book, after Stephanie Perkins' books, that I have loved so much. Ever since I laid my eyes on that breath-taking cover, I've been pining to read this book. To say that I was happy by the outcome of the book would be an understatement.

Jacqueline follows her high school boyfriend, Kennedy to college, only to have him dump her during her sophomore year. To top that off, Jacqueline had the potential to go to a music school since it's her dream to study music, but because she wanted to be with her boyfriend, she attended a traditional high school. One night, after leaving a Halloween party, something drastic happens to her. Fortunately, a boy she's never seen before saves her. Moreover, she's failing her economics class, but her professor offers to help her pass her class by providing a class tutor. Soon, she finds herself being interested in both Lucas, her savior, and Landon, her tutor. Who will she eventually choose ?

Jacqueline was a wonderful main character. She wasn't perfect at all, yet I found myself loving her. She made a very stupid decision following her boyfriend to college, but I thought it was great that she eventually realized the error of her ways. Moreover, she was an emotionally strong girl. After her break-up with her long time boyfriend, she felt upset, but she didn't wallow in self-pity. Not once did she turn into one of those female characters that act all depressed. In fact, she gathered herself and became someone independent. She went through a heck of time after her Halloween party and in my opinion, she held herself together very well. Being a strong character doesn't always mean being kick-ass and sarcastic. It's a lot more than that. Jacqueline was vulnerable inside, but she also was courageous and admirable. Over the course of the story, she grew to  become an even better person than she was. Once she realized the impact of her errors, she immediately tried to resolve them. I liked that about her character. At the core, she was someone very innocent, who wanted to experience love. I found myself easily relating to Jacqueline and I'm sure that many readers will also identify with her character.

Lucas was one of the hottest male characters that I've ever come across. OK, scratch that. He IS the hottest male character I've ever come across. I've never had a thing for tattooed and lip-pierced guys before, but Lucas was like the epitome of hotness. (Please excuse the over-use of the word hot, but I don't have a choice here. :P ) He was smart, sexy, artistic, sweet, caring,  protective and swoon-worthy. Who wouldn't want someone like him ? However, Lucas was scarred by his past. Learning about what he had to endure during his past life was heart-breaking. Because of that, he was a little broken and had some trust issues. Eventually, he slowly learned to accept and trust Jacqueline and I couldn't be happier for him.

The romance in Easy was delicious. It was sweet and sexy at the same time. The chemistry that Lucas and Jacqueline shared was intense. You could feel the heat between the two characters. Seriously, they shared some very hot moments. I thought that they were a complementary couple since they balanced each other out. In a way, they helped each other grow and mature during the course of the story. According to me, the romance was healthy, unlike so many relationships in YA. Lucas listened to Jacqueline. He never pressured her to do what she didn't want to do. He respected her and I think that's the most important part of a relationship between a couple. I also devoured the emails that Landon and Jacqueline shared. Their banter was adorable. Overall, I thought that the romance was very satisfying.

Out of all the secondary characters, I enjoyed Erin, Jacqueline's roommate and best friend the most. Erin was the kind of friend everyone should have. She had all the qualities that you look for in a friend. Supportive and encouraging, she was a huge help to Jacqueline. She was an important pillar in Jacqueline's life and Jacqueline owed her for helping her get through her difficult moments. I also enjoyed the other secondary characters since they were all a delight to read about.

At the core, Easy is a romance story, but there's so many different important themes in the story as well. The message that the book sends out is one that is very critical, in my opinion. I also think that that Tammara Webber did an excellent job at depicting college life. I found myself transported into Jacqueline's world. For a self-published book, Easy was very well edited. The writing flows beautifully and smoothly. [Also, do read the acknowledgements section once you're done reading because the author writes a very important message at the end.]

Easy was a story about growing up. Realistic, the story was very easy to love. The complex characters, the beautiful romance and the intense situations that the characters face will make you fall for this book. If you're looking for a good solid romance story that will give your butterflies in your tummy, I highly recommend Easy.

(NOTE : This is a book for mature young adults and adults since it contains sexual situations and alcohol use)

Rating

Cover : 5/5

Plot : 5/5

Characters : 5/5

Writing : 5/5