Trust

I’m not generally a YA fan anymore (I’ve aged out of the system 😉), but reading Trust doesn’t feel like reading a YA novel, as many of the other reviews point out. I suppose that’s because Edie and John are shoved, unwillingly, into the harsh truth of the world, forcing them to grow up in an instant.Before the robbery and her near death experience, Edie is an overweight 17 year old attending an all girl school, where she is consistently harassed by the “popular” girl and John, working with his older brother Dillon, sells weed and sleeps around. After seeing people senselessly murdered before their eyes and very nearly dying themselves, they are forced to asses their lives, the people in them and what is really important. Edie comes to some very different conclusions about life from John, but they are also the only ones who actually understand each other and what they went through.I highly recommend this book whether you’re a YA fan or not. It has humor, heart ache and love, the hallmarks of a good book.

5 stars -- I received a free copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review/opinion.Well shit. That was just awesome. I'm so sorry people, but this is going to be a fangirl review. And not because I'm a Kylie Scott fangirl, b/c to be honest? This is actually my first read of hers, even though I have been collecting some of her other books since they sound like my bag. It's a fangirl review b/c I just loved this book so much. I was sucked in and just freaking enthralled. It's funny, b/c I really do rate just on overall pulled-from-the-gut feeling. So was this book perfect? Nah. But by the time I finished, I had 5 star glasses on my face... I don't think that even makes sense.I've been having a hard time staying focused on words lately, and I will admit that right at the very beginning I was having a hard time focusing as well. But Edie's voice just pulled me in, and the intensity of what she was going through in the robbery had me paying more attention to the book and forgetting to adjust my bike resistance (bad for my physical health, but good for my soul). I just felt all of her emotions with her, even if I didn't always understand them all.And the book is about so much more than the robbery; it's more about watching Edie struggle to deal with the aftermath and changes those events wrought in her personality and attitude. All of which is conveyed in the blurb, but I guess I just never imagined what that would entail. It's not just about dealing with PTSD type symptoms (though those are there). It's that she honestly had a hard time finding importance in so much of life. I will admit that I didn't find her new self to be that wild. Wild for her maybe, but not actually *that* reckless...or maybe it's that her new friends and John helped to temper that wildness.Edie was just everything for me. You know how as a reader you just gravitate towards certain types of heroines? Edie embodied so much of what I gravitate towards. I could see some of myself in her. She's a bigger girl, and she was this perfect mix of content with her size most of the time (and how the choices she's made in her life led to that, and not wanting to change those) and yet still damaged by her experiences being bigger (low self esteem, believing she wasn't good enough, basically allowing the bullies to affect her). I can totally vibe with that. It's a bit schizophrenic in some ways, b/c you're both confident and insecure at the same time. I thought those elements of her personality were portrayed beautifully, and that the development of her character as she navigated her relationship with John moved at a realistic pace. And it wasn't really the focus of the book AT ALL, but it was an element that just existed and influenced things. I liked that.And she was so beautifully snarky and sassy!! GAH! Love that so much. I can't tell you how many interactions I highlighted b/c they just delighted me to no end. And part of that is that she ended up surrounding herself with some fabulous people. I LOVE when a book has a great secondary cast (and a diverse one at that). From her new BFF Hang, to Carrie and Sophia, to Anders...I just wanted them all to be real. I was so glad that Edie had them in her life, even if it took her awhile to trust them and let them in.I enjoyed the fact that there could have been incidences of horrible slut-shaming, but that the girls tried to cut it off at the pass. I actually liked that the opportunities were presented, b/c I think it's really hard as a society to change and get past slut-shaming, so the girls weren't perfect, but they tried to adjust their attitudes. It made them more real.And then we get to John. Oh what I wouldn't give to be in his head...PLEASE LET THERE BE A BONUS SCENE FROM HIS POV, please please please!! He was swoony in such a weird way. He definitely wasn't perfect, there were times when I thought he was a bit harsh on Edie, even if his heart was in the right place. But my heart just broke for all that he had to struggle with. I can't imagine how hard it would be to overcome your own reputation and keep striving forward when everyone already judged you and painted you with one brush. And even though it was only from Edie's POV, you could really see how her friendship and love changed him...how unused to it he was, but how he craved it in some ways.And their romance was just butterfly inducing. Epic slow burn, but it really allowed you to become invested in their friendship as it developed and grew. And there were lots of tummy tingles when things started to heat up. *sigh* *swoon*So yeah. Did I convince you? You should totally read it before you get attacked by a rabid Pekingese. :P Insider book joke for the win.

Trust is Kylie Scott’s first foray into the Young Adult genre and is nothing short of spectacular. Riveting reading from beginning to end, Trust is a delicious tale of first discoveries, love and friendship unfolding with real, harrowing and gritty moments that give this incredible story life.Life is all about firsts; first love, first kiss….first time you’re held hostage as part of an armed robbery. All seventeen year old Edie wanted to do was buy snacks for a night of tv with her equally socially awkward best friend when she finds herself with a gun to her head in a convenience store. Held hostage by a drugged out madman, Edie barley escapes with her life thanks to the quick thinking of fellow teenager John who is also inside the store. With her attitude about life drastically altered, Edie decides to escape the snobbery at her private school and enrol in the local public high school, putting her in close proximity to John. Known for his history of partying and dealing drugs with his older brother, John is desperately trying to turn his life around. John and Edie should be leagues apart, but as they bond over the traumatic experience they both endured, their strong friendship begins to blossom into something more, bringing them as close as two people can be. But with danger hanging over John, will Edie be drawn back into a dangerous situation she won’t be able to escape this time?Largely known for her brilliant adult romances, I truly believe Kylie Scott has really outdone herself with Trust. There is really nothing I can say that will do this book justice, nor can I fault the way Kylie Scott has written this story. Trust was perfectly paced, featured teen characters who were relatable, believable and true, and managed to weave together all my favourite aspects of an authentic contemporary story dealing with hard hitting teen themes.Though Trust is classed as a YA novel, I do think it’s more appropriately a NA tale, or at the very least an upper class YA as it does deal with some strong topics, includes some realistic violence and depicts sex scenes. That being said, Kylie Scott explores these topics so very beautifully and in an authentic, believable way. These teens felt real. They experienced emotions and insecurities all teenagers experience at some point or another; trauma, body issues, insecurity, uncertainty, embarrassment, sex, drugs, alcohol, relationships and betrayal---the whole kit and caboodle. It was there; Trust explored it and managed to do so through the eyes of a genuine down to earth seventeen year old girl who embodied so much of who today’s teenage girl really is.Breaking away from your typical jock/cheerleader school dynamic or tales where the ‘plain Jane” still manages to entrance every boy she comes across, Edie does break the mold in the sense that she is what a lot of teenagers seem themselves as. She’s junk food addicted, awkward, chubby, bitter and somewhat jaded. She’s been bullied and betrayed, but as Trust unfolds Edie finds her own happiness amongst a great group of friends and thanks to a teenage boy who is determined to help her with all her “firsts” and who comes to adore her for all she is; seeing in her what Edie can’t seem to see in herself.I mean John; John has been a “bad boy”. He’s dealt drugs and dabbled in his fair share of teen shenanigans, but in his final year of high school he’s determined to turn things around. He’s Edie’s savior during the robbery and quickly becomes a very focal point in her life as a friend, a confidant and eventually a lover. What I adored about John—aside from the fact Scott writes him as a fantastic specimen of a man—is that he cares so deeply for Edie. He’s a typical guy, but he’s also a loyal friend. He’s kind and protective of her and thinks the world of her. John thinks she’s hot and there’s nothing sexier than a man who adores his girl for everything she is.So in saying that, I absolutely adored the relationship between John and Edie that Kylie Scott has written. They developed such a beautiful friendship on the back of a tragedy and managed to truly help each other. The kindness between them, seeing them really care…about the small things and the simple things with each other was wonderful to witness unfold. And then there’s the romance that develops.....No spoilers where this is concerned as we all just knew it was going to happen, but that didn’t make the burning attraction any less addictive. The small touches and emotions that developed as they crossed the bridge from friends to lovers in an honest way was perfect and so alluring. Sex is messy and awkward and difficult under the best of circumstances, and Kylie Scott doesn’t shy away from making the intimate moments between Edie and John as realistic as possible. And props to her for writing Trust this way and being truthful in her writing. The sex scenes were sexy and appealing in their honesty and were perfect with the rest of the tone within the story.Gritty and raw, Trust is a real beauty, perfect for those who love Colleen Hoover and Abbi Glines. Kylie Scott has created something wonderful with Trust and even though I’m sad to say goodbye to Edie and John, I will definitely revisit their story again and again…..

It has been a very long time since I found a book that really caught my attention. Normally I read before bed and many books I am struggling to get through a couple chapters but this one made me want to curl up on the couch for the whole day. It caught my attention right from the start and kept it right until the end. I am already looking forward to another book from Kylie Scott.

FINAL DECISION: Incredibly engaging story that doesn't let up from the first page. I loved that this book felt so real with all the traumas and difficulties of young love and teenage relationships. Edie and John are so sweet and yet their relationship feels authentic even with the incredible drama which moves the plot of this story.THE STORY: A robbery threatens the life of seventeen year old high school senior Edie Millen. Saved by the actions of John Cole, Edie finds her world turned upside down as she tries cope with the traumatic events of the robbery. Edie becomes more wild, wanting to try things for the first time in response to her near death experience. Leaving her private girls school, Edie comes to the local public high school and finds new friends and John Cole. John and Edie become friends and then things become weird between them as John's offer to help Edie lose her virginity results in emotional turmoil between them.OPINION: This is a book that grabs the reader from the first page as there is no wait for the action to begin. The scene is raw and scary and emotional. Seeing the events through Edie's eyes made the fear more immediate and thus more enthralling. This book may take place among high school students but it is raw and frightening and doesn't pull its punches. It is also violent in parts.Edie is the heart and center of this book. And I loved her. She is intelligent, snarky, overweight and insecure, and funny. Even thirty years her senior, I could identify with her character and I had great empathy for her. As she struggles with both the normal crises of high school -- boys, classes and bullies -- she also is dealing with the aftermath of the robbery and that changes her whole perspective on life. And makes her a risk taker when she wasn't one before. Sometimes I find depictions of teenage girls annoying but here she is perfectly balanced in that age of becoming an adult but still making silly choices. And that was one thing I really liked. Both John and Edie are changed by their experience and in that shared experience the two are able to talk through their choices.John ends up being an incredibly sweet guy. He wants to protect Edie, but he is also willing to allow her to fight her own battles. It was also interesting to see how the robbery changed John's life as well since he has similar but also different battles as result. While we do not get John's point of view during this book, Edie and John talk enough that his perspective is adequately represented in this book.I really enjoyed the development of the relationship between Edie and John. Their relationship evolves over time and I thought the entire progression was well done. I also liked the complications about sex between these two. There are no sugar sweet glasses in this book. While Edie and John are sweet together, there is also something raw and real about them.I didn't think I would like this book when I first approached it, but it ended up being really good and I only wish I knew more about what happens between Edie and John in the future.WORTH MENTIONING: TRUST is a young adult novel with characters ages seventeen and eighteen in high school.CONNECTED BOOKS: TRUST is a standalone.STAR RATING: I give this book 4.5 stars.NOTE: I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in order to provide a review. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions contained herein are my own.