ARC Review: True by Erin McCarthy

Blurb:

When Rory Macintosh’s roommates find out that their studious and shy friend has never been with a guy, they decide that, as an act of kindness they’ll help her lose her virginity by hiring confident, tattooed bad boy Tyler Mann to do the job…unbeknownst to Rory.

Tyler knows he’s not good enough for Rory. She’s smart, doctor smart, while he’s barely scraping by at his EMT program, hoping to pull his younger brothers out of the hell their druggy mother has left them in. But he can’t resist taking up her roommates on an opportunity to get to know her better. There’s something about her honesty that keeps him coming back when he knows he shouldn’t…

Torn between common sense and desire, the two find themselves caught up in a passionate relationship. But when Tyler’s broken family threatens to destroy his future, and hers, Rory will need to decide whether to cut her ties to his risky world or follow her heart, no matter what the cost…

Genre: New Adult/Contemporary Romance

Series: N/a

Rating: 4☆s

Rory Macintosh and Tyler Mann come from two very different worlds.

Twenty year-old Rory is a smart, premed student that is on the right track to become a coroner. She has two very supportive best friends and a loving dad, what more could she possibly need...other than for a guy to finally notice her? She is essentially a wallflower. There is more to Rory than her "plain" exterior that people tend to overlook.Reading from her POV has allowed me to share her dry sense of humor and sarcasm. I can definitely relate to Rory on so many levels because I have to say I am a bit of an introvert myself. 

When her roommates find out that she is still a virgin, they try to set up her up by hiring Tyler to "get things going". (sidenote: The whole idea of people rushing to lose their virginity is a frustrating topic. I don't get what's wrong with a 20 year old virgin. ) 

Tyler might sound like your typical tattooed bad boy but he worked for me as the hero. Right off the bat, he made a great impression by beating the living daylight out of the guy who tried to take advantage of Rory. He struggles to complete his EMT program, despite his poor background, in order to help provide for his younger brothers. His druggy mother is the main source of conflict for this book, though not necessarily the antagonist.. I thought all the brothers seems to be great secondary characters. Tyler, Riley, Jayden, and Easton all manged to form a close-knit relationships and create their own family even without a functional parent. 

While I really do enjoy the New Adult genre, I have been putting them off recently because I was sick of the incessant drama. There is no "tortured hero with abusive past", excessive on and off relationships though both Rory and Tyler did doubt their self-worth once or twice.  I am not always in the mood for a emotional roller coaster or a tearjerker, so True is a quick, fun read for me. It is not a fluffy chick lit nor a angsty read.  This is the first book I've read by Erin McCarthy and so far I am impressed.  

I do have to agree with the others that the ending was rather abrupt. I find it very hard to believe that after ignoring each other for weeks and only meeting again through chance that they got back together. I was like WTF?  There were so many loose ends to tie up, like Tyler's future but that's what sequels are for, right? Though I am interested in this series, I'm not particularly looking forward to Jessica's story. She didn't really strike me as a lovable character, acting all shallow like a typical Barbie girl. Nonetheless, this book is very engaging and makes a nice addition to the New Adult genre.  

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ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for honest review.