Y'ALL I have yet to read an Erin Watt book that disappoints me! I'm not kidding. I received an ARC of One Small Thing and I started it and finished it so quickly. I will be honest, I was quite hesitant about the plot of this book but I AM SO OBSESSED OML!Summary:
One Small Thing follows Elizabeth Jones or Beth who is trying to get her friends and family to stop calling her Lizzie. Her parents have gone super overprotective since the loss of her big sister, Rachel. Beth's parents have crossed a line in their overprotectiveness. As a way to get back at them, Beth decides to go to a party across town and hook up with a guy. Beth's plan works well and everything until she shows up to school and realizes the boy she hooked up with is the same boy that accidentally killed her sister those short years ago. Even though Beth should hate Chase she can't help but fall for him.
My Thoughts:
One Small thing is very different from all other Erin Watt books. I felt it was much darker than Ella's story even in Paper Princess. There was something about this book that made me cry so hard and love it with everything. What I love most about this story is that each character struggled with something. No one was perfect and everyone had bad things they had to deal with but they all also had good things! Each character was able to come together and help each other out which made me so happy.
Beth is one of my favorite characters in literature ever because she made some poor choices but she is only 17. We all make bad choices when we are young and old! I felt for Beth this whole book. I didn't feel different from her I felt very similar. Beth's parents were irritating me as well. I could feel my own anger in their arguments. I understand her feelings because I felt them too. All Beth wanted was a chance to start fresh and go off to college which is understandable considering her sister and her parents. Her plan sounded good to me but of course, no matter what she did she could never be what they wanted her to be... which was basically isolated.Now Chase and Beth. I just loved him the whole time. He was never rude or anything. I think he was a perfect gentleman. He cared so much for Beth and tried to keep her away and he was so sorry about Rachel. The entire book he felt that the comments from other students and juvie weren't enough. Chase wanted to redeem himself but he felt like he needed to suffer more than he did. I loved that he never forced her into anything and he was always pushing her away but he wanted her to be okay. To me, he never felt like a criminal, just a boy who was struggling and cared. Plus, Chase had the best advice in the story and I appreciated that about him.
I hated Jeff from the moment he walked in. He is such a loser I can't even begin to start this because I will just rant. Jeff was such a moron and a barf bag. All he did was boss people around and invite himself over. I was done with him when he forced Beth to eat the nachos then he freaking left her at the party. He is a piece of trash and if you know anyone like this getaway or try to get them to see the light because NO ONE deserves to be treated like he treated everyone in this story!
This book though got me out of a big book slump so thank you for sending me this ARC. I loved reading about Chase and Beth. This story is so beautiful, it is more than just a girl falling in love with a criminal...it's about second chances and redemption. It's about not judging a person by their actions and allowing yourself to struggle and finding a way to make your situation better. The scenes in this book were adorable and understandable but they make you appreciate people and that's the best.
Much Love,
Channy
