[Book Review] The Truth About Letting Go

The Truth About
Letting Go

by Leigh T. Moore

February 21, 2013

Young-Adult, New Adult, Contemporary Romance

Links: Goodreads // Amazon

Book Info:

Ashley Lockett has always followed the rules. She's always done the right thing and played it safe until her ideal life is shattered when her dad dies suddenly.

Fueled by anger and grief, she vows to do everything opposite of how she lived before. Then she meets Jordan. He has big dreams, he's had a crush on Ashley for years, and he's a great kisser. But he's also safe.

Enter Colt. He is not safe, and he's more than willing to help Ashley fulfill her vow.

Rating:

★★★★★

Review:
The most apt description for this story is that it is about pain, yet it's also so much more. It's about angst, loss, mourning and finally letting go. It's about coping up with pain, and how different people deal with it in their own way.

The strength of this story comes from its slice-of-life feel. The first thing it deals with is the loss of a loved one and how such tragedy could affect a family. The death of her loving father was especially hard for Ashley as they were close. It also caused a riff between Ashley and her mother, bringing greater pain to both. As a heroine, I find that Ashley has a good head on her shoulders, not all the time, but it's there. Throughout the story, Ashley was a little unpredictable that I often found myself worrying for her despite understanding why she was acting the way she did.

Truth be told, I was more interested at how Ashley's relationship between Jordan and Colt progressed. There were moments that I cringed at the way she handled things, but I felt that she was just learning to live with the fact that her father was gone and she was entitled to make mistakes. She's young. She's bound to make mistakes.

What I liked best about this story is that masterfully depicted how different people had different ways of coping with pain. Others find that acting reckless gave them a sort of high which made them feel alive. Others simply move on and move forward. The key point is that different people have different ways in dealing with pain. It's not the same for everybody. This was how it was for Ashely and Colt. It was also the reason why I understand Ashley's compulsion to be with Colt.

Another thing I really appreciate about this story is that Ashley's life was told from a different perspective: Charlotte. She couldn't be more different from Ashley but they developed a strange relationship. I love that through Charlotte, Ashley could she just what it was that she was blessed with at the time when she felt down the most. Through Charlotte, the issue of self-image and confidence was also brought to light.

Oh, and another thing I liked best about this story is Jordan. He's not your usual alpha male and he's not exactly a typical male lead. He's not a charismatic bad guy like Colt but he could hold his ground. And I love how Jordan stands up for the 'Nice-Guys', the kind of guys that most parents endorse for their daughters to end up with.

All in all, this story combines just enough angst and romance to portray a believable story of loss, love and letting go. I highly recommend it!