Trust by Kylie Scott: Review + Excerpt

Color me excited to be taking part in the blog tour for Kylie Scott's TRUST! Because I seriously loved this one. I was hooked from the first page and didn't want to put it down. Check out my review, check out the excerpt, and by all means check out the awesome book trailer! Hopefully, at least one of these will convince you that you need to read this one! 

 

TRUST
By Kylie Scott
Genre: Mature YA
Release Date: July 18, 2017

Being young is all about the experiences: the first time you skip school, the first time you fall in love…the first time someone holds a gun to your head.

After being held hostage during a robbery at the local convenience store, seventeen year old Edie finds her attitude about life shattered. Unwilling to put up with the snobbery and bullying at her private school, she enrolls at the local public high school, crossing paths with John. The boy who risked his life to save hers.

While Edie’s beginning to run wild, however, John’s just starting to settle down. After years of partying and dealing drugs with his older brother, he’s going straight—getting to class on time, and thinking about the future.

An unlikely bond grows between the two as John keeps Edie out of trouble and helps her broaden her horizons. But when he helps her out with another first—losing her virginity—their friendship gets complicated.

Meanwhile, Edie and John are pulled back into the dangerous world they narrowly escaped. They were lucky to survive the first time, but this time they have more to lose—each other.
 

Amazon US | Amazon Aus | Amazon UK | iBooks US | iBooks Aus | Kobo | Nook

      TRUST by Kylie Scott (Official Book Trailer) from FILM 14 on Vimeo.    

→→→ M Y   T H O U G H T S ←←←

I'll go ahead and apologize now if this is less review and more gush-fest. Because, seriously people, this one did it for me. Edie was a character I was 100% on-board with and John... yeah, I was all about John. So let me tell you why you need to read Trust.

1. A main character that is 100% realistic. 

I want to be best friends with Edie. I loved this girl. She was a tough cookie (even when she didn't think she was) without being hard and closed-off. After being one of only two people to walk away from a robbery gone wrong, Edie is suddenly unable and unwilling to put up with the petty b.s. that makes up high school life. Bullying and stupid drama no longer registers as important. What is important? Speaking her mind, taking chances, not living in fear. Edie's journey - her PTSD, her struggle with unwanted attention, her growing feelings for John - felt completely realistic and relatable.

2. A story that is absolutely gripping. 

Trust starts with a bang. A convenience store robbery turns violent. A known drug dealer tries to diffuse the situation and ends up saving a life. I was hooked immediately, turning page after page, feeling the tension. In the aftermath, despite changing schools, despite a concerned mother, the only one Edie can relate to is John. Not only did he go out of his way to save her life that night, but he's the only one who understands what is was like and what she's going through now. I loved the evolution of Edie and John's relationship and their utter honesty with one another. With a cast of secondary characters that made for an even richer story, I found Trust to be darker and grittier than most YA, and almost impossible to put down. 

3. A hero that starts off as an anti-hero.

Okay, don't expect too much in-depth examination of John's character because basically I just want to flail and swoon and gush about how great this guy is. John was a character who had been traveling down a dangerous road. The robbery forced himself to examine his choices and he was determined to make better ones. Unfortunately his teachers and classmates already had him pegged as a loser and he struggled against their pigeon-holing and worked hard to do better and be better. John not only struggled with PTSD but also with guilt over the death of a classmate during the robbery. I felt so much for him as he fought against getting dragged back into a life he no longer wanted. His openness and honesty with Edie was so refreshing and his willingness to prove himself worthy turned my heart to mush. 

4. A mother-daughter relationship worth mentioning.

This is not a YA novel where the teenager apparently hatched from an egg since there are no parents to be found anywhere. Nope, Edie's mom was in full effect. I loved the fact that even though she worked nights, she was involved in Edie's life and was a concerned and protective parent, particularly since the robbery. And Edie was respectful of her mother, acknowledging that she had worked hard to make it with just the two of them. There were definitely complications and disagreements but they communicated and they listened. Kudos to such a positive portrayal of a mother-daughter relationship.

5. A plus-size heroine whose life does not revolve around her size.

What a minute. A teen girl who is not a size 6 but doesn't starve herself and doesn't fade into the background? What is this madness you speak of? Thank you Kylie Scott for making Edie a girl with a few extra pounds but doesn't feel defined by her size. Yes, Edie has moments of insecurity, yes there are instances of taunting and bullying - but this isn't a story about a fat girl. It's just a story about a girl. Edie has such a healthy attitude and I loved that she made friends, went to parties, and just lived her life without her weight being a major factor. *fist pump*

 →→→ E X C E R P T ←←←

“You were going to give it up to Duncan Dickerson?” he sneered. “Are you serious?”

I halted, staring at him. This was not good. “How do you know about that?”

“Anders overheard you and Hang talking.”

“Bastard.”

“Well?” he demanded, acting all authoritarian. Idiot.

“To be fair, I didn’t know his last name was Dickerson,” I said. “That’s unfortunate. Though, I wasn’t actually planning on marrying him, so . . .”

“Not funny.”

I shrugged.

“You barely know the guy.”

“Um, yeah. None of your concern. We’re not talking about this.” How mortifying! My face burned bright. People should just gather around and cook s’mores. “I appreciate that we’re friends. You mean a lot to me. But this is going to have to fall under definitely none of your damn business, so go away please.”

“We’re talking about it.” He advanced a step.

“No we are not.” And I retreated.

“You were going to let a complete stranger touch you.” Advance.

Retreat. “People do it all the time. You do it all the time.”

“But you don’t,” he said, taking the final step, backing me up against the side of his car and getting all in my face. “Edie, this is your first time we’re talking about. Isn’t it?”

“Yes, and it’s going to be messy and painful and probably horribly embarrassing and I just want it over and done with.” I tried to meet his eyes but failed, settling for a spot on his right shoulder. “You’re not a girl; you wouldn’t understand. Also, last time I checked, you’re not the gatekeeper of my hymen, John Cole. So back the fuck off.”

He said nothing.

Deep, calming breaths. “Look, someday I’ll meet someone I really like and we’ll have a deep and meaningful relationship and go at it like bunnies. But I don’t want to be the dumb virgin in that scenario.”

He slowly shook his head.

“Also, I do not want to die a virgin.”

“What? What the hell are you talking about?”

“Hey, you and I both know death can occur at any time.”

“This is crazy.”

“I’m seeing a therapist!” I told his shoulder. “I don’t know if you noticed, but I’m a little bit messed up these days. It’s hard for me to trust people. That’s not going to change anytime soon.”

He screwed up his face at me. “Wha—”

“I’m just trying to be practical.”

“Well, you’re being ridiculous. None of this makes sense.”

“It does to me.”

Again, he said nothing.

In fact, he said nothing for so long that I finally looked him in the eye. The anger had left him, replaced by an emotion I didn’t recognize. Worst of all, he still smelled like summer. A little sweat and the open night air, everything I loved. Liked. I meant liked.

“What?” I said, finally.

He let loose a breath. “I’ll do it.”

ABOUT KYLIE SCOTT
Kylie is a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author. She was voted Australian Romance Writer of the year, 2013 & 2014, by the Australian Romance Writer’s Association and her books have been translated into eleven different languages. She is a long time fan of romance, rock music, and B-grade horror films. Based in Queensland, Australia with her two children and husband, she reads, writes and never dithers around on the internet. You can learn more about Kylie from http://www.kylie-scott.com/   FACEBOOK | TWITTER | FACEBOOK FAN GROUP | INSTAGRAM | GOODREADS | NEWSLETTER