Jessica Linden

4.5 stars.

Letting Go is a very charming new adult romance by Jessica Ruddick. This debut novel is a sweet, fun read with minimal angst or drama. The characters are endearing and the plot is refreshingly unique.

Cori Elliott is a type A personality whose second year of college is not beginning under the best of circumstances. She is scrambling to cover her tuition after her financial aid falls through and she is devastated to learn her boyfriend Tyler's death the previous spring has been ruled show more a suicide. Cori makes an impetus decision to go to a frat party where she acts even more out of character when she gets drunk and makes out with a hot stranger, Luke Evans. Luckily for Cori, Luke is actually a really great guy, but her inability to be honest about her past becomes a huge stumbling block for their burgeoning relationship.

Cori is a likable, but frustrating, character. She has very high standards for herself and she works hard to maintain her perfect GPA. Cori is quickly overwhelmed trying to balance her classes, a new relationship and finding last minute financial aid. She is also struggling to make sense of Tyler's suicide and she is caught in an endless loop of blaming herself while at the same time playing the "what if" game.

Luke is a couple years older than Cori and he, too, is very serious about college. While he devotes plenty of time to studying, he also knows how to have a good time. Contrary to Cori's assertions he is perfect, Luke made his share of mistakes in his previous relationship and he is completely honest about his role in its eventual demise. The only thing he asks in return is that Cori also come clean about her past as well. Although she has numerous opportunities to explain her relationship with Tyler, Cori tells a bunch of half truths and tries to convince herself that lying by omission isn't really lying. However, it is only a matter of time before Tyler discovers her secrets but will he be as understanding as she thinks he will be?

Letting Go is a very engaging novel and Jessica Ruddick does a wonderful job keeping the story moving forward despite Cori's inability to completely let go of her past. The characters are beautifully developed with realistic issues to overcome. The romance between Cori and Luke is absolutely delightful and although their love scenes are not explicit, there is no denying the chemistry between them. It is an all around terrific read that fans of new adult romances are sure to enjoy. show less

Ava Parks would have killed for an iPhone for her sixteenth birthday. Anything would have been better than coming into her birthright of being a seeker for the Grim Reaper, an arrangement made by her fallen angel ancestor in exchange for his re-admittance to heaven. And she isn’t just any seeker—she finds souls that have the potential for becoming angels and sentences them to death. A year and two souls into her role as a seeker with her conscience overflowing with guilt, Ava comes up show more with a plan to thwart the system. When it goes awry, she is forced to submit the name of a classmate, Cole Fowler, an ornery, rough around the edges guy who always seems to come to her rescue, whether she likes it or not. Her feelings for Cole prompt her to intervene, and she saves him from death, upsetting the Grim Reaper’s agenda.

While Ava schemes to find a way to save Cole, she learns he has some secrets of his own. She lets him believe he is protecting her, and not the other way around, until a final showdown with the Grim Reaper forces Ava to make choices Cole may never forgive. show less

This book was very addicting, once you start it’ll be hard to put down so clear your schedule as you’ll be stuck to its pages until you’re done. I enjoyed the story as it was something different from what I’ve read lately and definitely had a unique plot line.

Jessica Ruddick’s sharp dialogue and humorous repartee between her characters had a strangely reminiscent quality of Joss Whedon’s Buffy days.

Her plot is fast paced and the storyline loosens quickly into a byzantine but show more fun tale. Boredom is NOT something you should feel when it comes to her work especially with that great dialogue and unique world she’s created.

Even knowing what I was getting into I still felt surprised at how much it wasn’t what I thought it was going to be but in a good way. When it comes to the YA genre you get recycled plot lines so often or stuff that is similar enough just with different genders, times or settings it was a refreshing change of pace to fall into a chronicle like this.

This book deserves a look, a read, a chance to pull you into something different than what you’re used to as Ruddick provides an escape into something special. Best of all, it’s only book one in a new series. show less

This book was provided to me free of charge by the author, in exchange for an honest review.

How do you live with yourself when you decide who dies?

Ava Parks would have killed for an iPod for her sixteenth birthday. Anything would have been better than coming into her birthright of being a seeker for the Grim Reaper, an arrangement made by her fallen angel ancestor in exchange for his re-admittance to heaven. And she isn’t just any seeker—she finds souls that have the potential for show more becoming angels and sentences them to death. A year and two souls into her role as a seeker with her conscience overflowing with guilt, Ava comes up with a plan to thwart the system. When it goes awry, she is forced to submit the name of a classmate, Cole Fowler, an ornery, rough around the edges guy who always seems to come to her rescue, whether she likes it or not. Her feelings for Cole prompt her to intervene, and she saves him from death, upsetting the Grim Reaper’s agenda.
While Ava schemes to find a way to save Cole, she learns he has some secrets of his own. She lets him believe he is protecting her, and not the other way around, until a final showdown with the Grim Reaper forces Ava to make choices Cole may never forgive.

Birthright is a fun, exciting, quick read. It would be easy to pass over a book like Birthright once one realizes it’s about a girl stuck in a truly horrible and hopeless set of circumstances, but the fact that Ava never gives up hope that she can find a way to escape those circumstances make this book imminently readable. Additionally, the male protagonist, Cole is a charming bad boy/knight in shining armor mix. This combination has been used many times in YA books, but unlike previous encounters I’ve had, Cole doesn’t come across as cocky or arrogant. There is no “smolder abuse” as I call it. Other than Ava’s mom and the antagonist, Xavier, not a lot of time is dedicated to developing supporting characters, but with the pace of storyline, additional development wasn’t really needed. Speaking of Xavier, he is a truly despicable, loathsome, and unlikeable character. Despite being described as having treated Ava with kindness when she was a child, Xavier doesn’t seem to have any redeeming qualities. Normally, I wouldn’t like that, because I like to be able to relate in some way to the villain too, but in this case, it works. Birthright isn’t perfect; there are some minor editing issues, but nothing distracting. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys books that involve teens facing deadly peril, and standing up to adverse situations. show less