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3.61 AVERAGE
3.61 AVERAGE
★3- 3.5 STARS★
As the result of a tragic accident which killed her elder sister Beth’s parents are overprotective to the point of suffocation. They are intense and afraid, and the way in which it manifests itself only serves to further isolate Beth from them. At times she feels guilty, whether it be the guilt of being alive, or the guilt of being alive but not truly living. She lives her life on rote of her parent’s demands but finds herself lasing out in destructive ways when their demands interfere with her future.
An act of teen rebellion brings with it the most shocking of consequences. Beth finds herself connected to the person who is the source of her families despair. There is plenty of inner angst and turmoil and at times I would have loved to have had a balanced voice within it all. Beth is in a position which should evoke nothing but empathy but admittedly I found myself becoming frustrated with her and those surrounding her. The environment becomes a breeding ground of judgement and I felt disappointed in the behaviours at people who were supposed to set examples, for instance some of the adults and teachers.
By way of characters I found Chase the most likeable. He’s tormented by his mistake but even so his unwavering concern of Beth, and steadfastness made him a worthy hero. He had paid for his transgressions and I felt him truly remorseful, but the repercussions of his actions brought out the ugliness of how carelessly we can sometimes treat each other. Emotionally I felt this message was a huge takeaway from the story, and it serves an appreciative reminder. Although on a whole not all aspects worked; this one small thing that had a lasting impact on me.
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I love Erin Watts stories but this one was just okay for me. It was fun while I read it but I feel that it will be very forgettable for me.
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book is an example of a better performance for me in audio. I gave the actual book to 50% and I marked it as DNF. When I saw that the audio was available, I felt i needed to give it another chance. I still had issues with the way Beth behaved in general. For 17, and to have experienced a loss like she had, she was not most mature person. I realize everyone processes grief in their own way, but I just couldn't get on board for the way she and her parents weren't dealing with the loss of their family member. Chase/Charlie grew from his experience, as one would hope you would after going through what he did. Don't even get me started on Jeff, Rachel's "boyfriend" I knew something was up when lying came to him so easily, and people believed him. One lie after another. It all became crystal clear when he started dating Beth's best friend Scarlet. Jeff definitely had some control issues. This is the moment I pretty much figured out what happened to Rachel.
This book is a slow burn, and it takes a while for the pieces to come together. For me it was hard to read, and much easier to listen too.
This book is a slow burn, and it takes a while for the pieces to come together. For me it was hard to read, and much easier to listen too.
3.5 🌟 Great story about forgiveness and second chances. I felt some areas could have been a little milder, and I would have liked a longer ending but overall addicting read as usual with an Erin Watt book !
This was a really easy and short read. Surprisingly good, considering I wasn’t really expecting much from it. A good palette cleanser of a book.
Although it was good, I don’t have a whole lot to say. My favorite character was chase, everybody else was rude and judgmental. And her parents sucked too. Beth was okay, I just didn’t think much about her. She’s a little relatable, some of her inner dialogue. Overall, 4 stars, decent book burn not memorable
Although it was good, I don’t have a whole lot to say. My favorite character was chase, everybody else was rude and judgmental. And her parents sucked too. Beth was okay, I just didn’t think much about her. She’s a little relatable, some of her inner dialogue. Overall, 4 stars, decent book burn not memorable
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Reading Erin Watt books gives me anxiety. Damn them.
One Small Thing was a good book. Not great, but good. There's definitely a lot of things that had me rolling my eyes, but at the same time, I was still invested in seeing it all the way through. I'm glad I did because the second half of the book is definitely better than the first half of the book.
I read When It's Real a few months back, and I was so in love with it. Vaughn and Oakley's story really got to me, and I couldn't put it down. Something that really benefited it was getting to have both their points of view. This book doesn't do that. Instead, you just get Beth. I don't know if the story would have benefited by having Chase give his side as well, but I feel Beth was too weak to carry the whole book by herself. While she isn't outright awful, she can be downright annoying at times and I really wanted to strangle her. Having Chase's perspective might have balanced it out.
I'm torn on how I feel about every and any character in this book. So many of them make decisions that both annoy me but also come across as understandable. Beth is willing to forgive Chase for his responsibility in her sister's death, but at first it just seems to be because Chase is hot and she throws caution, logic and intelligence to the wind for him, not just making the ~romantic choices but making outright stupid ones repeatedly. Her parents are understandably overprotective after what happened but their over the top controlling behavior wanted me to throw both out the window. Scarlett is being a good friend about everything up until there's a boy's she's crushing on involved and then she's the shittiest friend ever. Jeff's just trash. One hundred percent certified trash. I was just so frustrated with all the characters, I wanted to slap all of them.
Despite the characters being the most frustrating people ever (I would have just ran away if only to get away from the stupid), I was still really into reading this. Erin Watt has a way with words that makes me want to know how things are going and see it through to the end.The ending was predictable. The moment Jeff started showing his ass even before the party where he ditched Beth, I had his number as the villain of this story. I wasn't sure if he was going to be the climax, but I suspected there was going to be an assault somewhere in this because of him.
The ending sequence felt a little abrupt, but it was satisfying so what more can you ask for?
One Small Thing was a good book. Not great, but good. There's definitely a lot of things that had me rolling my eyes, but at the same time, I was still invested in seeing it all the way through. I'm glad I did because the second half of the book is definitely better than the first half of the book.
I read When It's Real a few months back, and I was so in love with it. Vaughn and Oakley's story really got to me, and I couldn't put it down. Something that really benefited it was getting to have both their points of view. This book doesn't do that. Instead, you just get Beth. I don't know if the story would have benefited by having Chase give his side as well, but I feel Beth was too weak to carry the whole book by herself. While she isn't outright awful, she can be downright annoying at times and I really wanted to strangle her. Having Chase's perspective might have balanced it out.
I'm torn on how I feel about every and any character in this book. So many of them make decisions that both annoy me but also come across as understandable. Beth is willing to forgive Chase for his responsibility in her sister's death, but at first it just seems to be because Chase is hot and she throws caution, logic and intelligence to the wind for him, not just making the ~romantic choices but making outright stupid ones repeatedly. Her parents are understandably overprotective after what happened but their over the top controlling behavior wanted me to throw both out the window. Scarlett is being a good friend about everything up until there's a boy's she's crushing on involved and then she's the shittiest friend ever. Jeff's just trash. One hundred percent certified trash. I was just so frustrated with all the characters, I wanted to slap all of them.
Despite the characters being the most frustrating people ever (I would have just ran away if only to get away from the stupid), I was still really into reading this. Erin Watt has a way with words that makes me want to know how things are going and see it through to the end.
The ending sequence felt a little abrupt, but it was satisfying so what more can you ask for?
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault
Fantastic story about forgiveness and starting anew, this book was so compelling and suspenseful. The suspense is not of the criminal kind, but rather the suspense (or worry) about the events that will happen as the story unfolds, and its effects on the people involved. It kept me glued to my Kindle and that day there was no gym and no cooking.
It’s been three years since the death of Rachel, Beth’s sister. Her parents haven’t dealt well with their tragic loss and their response is to restrict Beth’s movements in an effort to protect her from harm. Their worry about something happening to their remaining daughter has succeeded in smothering Beth to the extent that she’s acting out and rebelling against her parent’s restrictions. In one such rebellion, she sneaked out to a party where she meets this guy she liked a lot and loses her virginity to him. That forges a bond that she needs to keep secret from her parents so they won’t ground her for eternity.
Beth is counting the days until she graduates from high school and can escape her town. Everybody looks at her with pity as the girl whose sister died in a car accident. When finally, her senior year starts, she meets the guy she had sex with, and to her horror, she learns he’s the person responsible for her sister’s death.
Beth is in a turmoil because she feels a bond with Chase, she understands her sister’s death was an accident and feels for Chase who is ridden with guilt. On top of that, the whole school and her parents are in an uproar and claiming for his expulsion from school, claiming Beth cannot be made to withstand attending school with a murderer.
We live Beth’s suffering from her lack of freedom, her confusion about her feelings for Chase, her desire to be with him but also hide her feelings so she won’t be rejected by her friends, and her rebellion about her life in general. Chase is anguished about his role in Rachel’s death, has been punished with three years in prison, but the prison of his soul is worse. He feels he deserves all the punishment he gets in school. There’s also Jeff, Rachel’s boyfriend, who comes back from two years abroad, where he was sent to get over his loss. He comes back revengeful and hostile against Chase and strangely possessive and overprotective with Beth.
This plot moved fast and was so riveting. I loved how Chase and Beth supported each other in the few moments they could steal together. Beth’s relation with her parents was stormy and fraught with yelling and fights, yet through it all you could feel their love, anguish and worry about their “surviving daughter”. Their life is strife in confusion and heartbreak. The road to redemption and forgiveness was very tumultuous, suspenseful and heart-breaking. Secrets come out that shed light on the events of three years ago and make forgiveness achievable. The meaning of the book’s title is a wonderful conversation between Chase and Beth, meaning that Chase looks for one small thing every day to make his life worth living, and thus gives Beth a great lesson in thankfulness and acceptance. Great story!
It’s been three years since the death of Rachel, Beth’s sister. Her parents haven’t dealt well with their tragic loss and their response is to restrict Beth’s movements in an effort to protect her from harm. Their worry about something happening to their remaining daughter has succeeded in smothering Beth to the extent that she’s acting out and rebelling against her parent’s restrictions. In one such rebellion, she sneaked out to a party where she meets this guy she liked a lot and loses her virginity to him. That forges a bond that she needs to keep secret from her parents so they won’t ground her for eternity.
Beth is counting the days until she graduates from high school and can escape her town. Everybody looks at her with pity as the girl whose sister died in a car accident. When finally, her senior year starts, she meets the guy she had sex with, and to her horror, she learns he’s the person responsible for her sister’s death.
Beth is in a turmoil because she feels a bond with Chase, she understands her sister’s death was an accident and feels for Chase who is ridden with guilt. On top of that, the whole school and her parents are in an uproar and claiming for his expulsion from school, claiming Beth cannot be made to withstand attending school with a murderer.
We live Beth’s suffering from her lack of freedom, her confusion about her feelings for Chase, her desire to be with him but also hide her feelings so she won’t be rejected by her friends, and her rebellion about her life in general. Chase is anguished about his role in Rachel’s death, has been punished with three years in prison, but the prison of his soul is worse. He feels he deserves all the punishment he gets in school. There’s also Jeff, Rachel’s boyfriend, who comes back from two years abroad, where he was sent to get over his loss. He comes back revengeful and hostile against Chase and strangely possessive and overprotective with Beth.
This plot moved fast and was so riveting. I loved how Chase and Beth supported each other in the few moments they could steal together. Beth’s relation with her parents was stormy and fraught with yelling and fights, yet through it all you could feel their love, anguish and worry about their “surviving daughter”. Their life is strife in confusion and heartbreak. The road to redemption and forgiveness was very tumultuous, suspenseful and heart-breaking. Secrets come out that shed light on the events of three years ago and make forgiveness achievable. The meaning of the book’s title is a wonderful conversation between Chase and Beth, meaning that Chase looks for one small thing every day to make his life worth living, and thus gives Beth a great lesson in thankfulness and acceptance. Great story!