Review: Ten Things Sloane Hates About Tru by Tera Lynn Childs

ten thingsTitle: Ten Things Sloane Hates About Tru by Tera Lynn Childs
Creative HeArts Series Book One
Publisher: Entangled: Crush
Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult, Romance
Length: 199 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

When life gives you a blank canvas, make art.

Sloane Whitaker hates everything about moving to Texas. She hates leaving behind her friends and half her family in New York, starting over senior year at Austin’s NextGen Academy, and having to say she lives in Texas. Most of all, she hates that it’s all her fault. If she wants to earn her way back to the Big Apple, she has to prove she can still be the perfect daughter.

Which means no vandalism art, no trouble at school, and absolutely no Tru Dorsey, her serial screw-up neighbor, who loves nothing more than pushing her buttons.

But from the moment he vaults onto the roof outside her bedroom, there is something about him that makes her want to break every rule. Suddenly it’s not the ten things she hates about Tru that are at the top of her list. It’s the ten reasons she doesn’t want to be without him.

Review:

Ten Things Sloane Hates About Tru is an absolutely delightful contemporary young adult novel. Although it has a super sweet romance, it is the subtle life lessons that Tera Lynn Childs incorporates into the storyline that make it such an exceptional read. This first installment in the CreAtive Hearts series is a truly unforgettable story that I highly recommend to readers of all ages.

After “The Incident” that lands her in an incredible amount of trouble, Sloane Whitaker’s parents decide that a move from New York to Austin will keep her on the straight and narrow. Leaving her father and younger brother behind, she and her mother move to Texas right before her senior year of high school begins. Sloane must follow a huge laundry list of rules to keep her mother happy and at the top of the list is staying away from next door neighbor, bad boy Tru Dorsey. Which should be easy since she has talked her mom into maybe, possibly, reconsidering their exile if she follows all those rules, but Sloane does not count on falling for Tru. Will Sloane’s wish to return to New York come true? Or will Tru convince her to give Austin (and him) a chance?

Sloane makes no effort to hide her unhappiness over the move or her mother’s role in the fateful decision. She makes her displeasure known in a myriad of unsubtle (and sometimes comical) ways, but her biggest rebellion is her secret friendship with Tru. After her mom agrees to consider returning to New York early, Sloane makes a real effort to mend her relationship with her mom, but her mom’s lack trust continues to come between them.

One of Sloane’s best (and worst) traits is her loyalty to her friends. This is quite admirable when it comes to protecting her friend in regards to “The Incident”. However, in other instances, this has the potential to land her in big trouble. And when it comes to Tru’s situation, Sloane’s silence might just do more harm than good.

Tru is cocky but charming and it is impossible not to like him. A bit of a class clown, he is well liked by his classmates and teachers but behind his good natured facade, he is hiding some dark secrets. He is not exactly the bad boy Sloane’s mom thinks he is, but he definitely has a few demons to overcome. Tru is drawn to Sloane right from their first meeting, and he reveals more of himself to her than anyone else in his life. His part of the story is absolutely heartbreaking and Tru deals with his problems in unhealthy ways but Sloane is incredibly supportive once he begins to open up to her.

While on the surface, “The Incident” that led to the move is not too serious, there were some pretty major unintended consequences of Sloane’s impetuous decision. She learned a very valuable lesson about thinking before she acts and for the most part, this whole thing was just a momentary lapse of judgment. But, as Sloane learns the hard way, regaining lost trust is never easy and it is going to take time to demonstrate her trustworthiness to her parents.

The other important thing Sloane is about to discover is that appearances can be deceiving. She quickly learns a seemingly “perfect” life bears very little resemblance to what really occurs behind closed doors. Through her new friendships and acquaintances, Sloane realizes the importance of not taking people at face value and that trusting the wrong people can have serious repercussions.

Ten Things Sloane Hates About Tru is a fast-paced and engaging novel. The storyline has unexpected depth and Tera Lynn Childs explores serious topics with a great deal of sensitivity. The characters are beautifully developed and their growth over the course of the story is phenomenal. Not all of the story arcs are completely resolved by the novel’s conclusion, so hopefully readers will see Sloane and Tru again in future installments of the CreAtive Hearts series.

1 Comment

Filed under Contemporary, Creative HeArts Series, Entangled Crush, Rated B, Review, Romance, Ten Things Sloane Hates About Tru, Tera Lynn Childs, Young Adult

One Response to Review: Ten Things Sloane Hates About Tru by Tera Lynn Childs

  1. Timitra

    I like the sound of this book…thanks for the review Kathy