Review: One Tiny Lie by K.A. Tucker

One Tiny Lie

(Ten Tiny Breaths # 2)

By: K.A. Tucker

Pub. Date: June 11, 2013

Publisher: Atria Books

Pages: 256

Source: Netgalley

I received this galley in exchange for an honest review.

Livie has always been the stable one of the two Cleary sisters, handling her parents' tragic death and Kacey's self-destructive phase with strength and maturity. But underneath that exterior is a little girl hanging onto the last words her father ever spoke to her. “Make me proud,” he had said. She promised she would...and she’s done her best over the past seven years with every choice, with every word, with every action.

Livie walks into Princeton with a solid plan, and she’s dead set on delivering on it: Rock her classes, set herself up for medical school, and meet a good, respectable guy that she’s going to someday marry. What isn’t part of her plan are Jell-O shots, a lovable, party animal roommate she can’t say ‘no’ to, and Ashton, the gorgeous captain of the men’s rowing team. Definitely him. He’s an arrogant ass who makes Livie’s usually non-existent temper flare and everything she doesn’t want in a guy. Worse, he’s best friends and roommates with Connor, who happens to fits Livie’s criteria perfectly. So why does she keep thinking about Ashton?

As Livie finds herself facing mediocre grades, career aspirations she no longer thinks she can handle, and feelings for Ashton that she shouldn’t have, she’s forced to let go of her last promise to her father and, with it, the only identity that she knows.

I was a huge fan of last years, Ten Tiny Breaths, and was very excited to hear that the follow up would be about Livie, Kacey's wise-beyond-her-years younger sister. One Tiny Lie is set three years after the events in Ten Tiny Breaths and follows Livie on her first year of college at Princeton. Since her parents died, Livie has done everything she could to be a good girl. She never drank, smoked, or even had a boyfriend. She did her homework and anything else she needed to do to get into a good school and become a doctor. But Kacey wants her to be a teenager for once and actually live a little. With the help of an unorthodox therapist, Livie is finally going to start living. Her first night of her goal was hilarious, and I think many people can relate to it-even the "I was so drunk, I got a tattoo" part.

Things get a little more complicated when she meets roommates-Ashton and Connor. Ashton is the one who she has an undeniable connection with, but he can be an infuriating jerk sometimes. Plus there is the little problem of him having a girlfriend. Connor is the boy she starts dating. He is sweet and intelligent, and everything she thinks she wants out of life. But let's face it-they had absolutely no connection. It was so bad, that it was painful to read at some parts.

I spent the first half of the book not being able to stand Ashton. He was a stereotypical rich and privileged jerk. But the more time you spend with him, the more you realize he is fiercely loyal to his friends, smart and holding in a lot of pain and sadness. I couldn't wait for Livie to peel all of his layers to find out the man Ashton really is and boy, was I impressed!

I always loved the sister dynamic between Livie and Kacey, and it was a lot more interesting now that Livie was older. Kacey was absolutely hilarious and some of the things she did was so embarrassing for Livie. But you can tell how much the two of them love each other. I also loved seeing some of the other characters from Ten Tiny Breaths. I didn't realize how much I had missed them!  

I am so glad that I read One Tiny Lie. I definitely recommend both of these novels!