Well, just yesterday I read Ripple by Mandy Hubbard. And I just wrote the review. In the review, I said I’d definitely read more Mandy Hubbard.
What I didn’t know was that I already WAS.

Imagine how my inner conspiracy theorist freaked out when I got to the last page of this book, the About the Author page, and it said that Amanda Grace was pseudonym for Mandy Hubbard.

After, my brain instantly starting searching for similarities between this book and Ripple. Only one came up: in both books, I became frustrated with the plot/decisions characters were making to fuel said plot in the middle-area of the book.
This book’s plot frustrated me MORE because none of it would have occurred if she’d jus shrugged rather than nodded. Or, it would have at least been easier for her to undo.

Once I made it past the hump of frustration, I found myself quite enamored with the story, however. Al the things that went into this character, especially her father, added up to create the situation, and then the situation helped her become able to solve/deal with the things that had added up to create the situation in the first place. Very nice and circular, it was.
And the ending fit the story. It wasn’t a happy ending, but it wasn’t a happy story. It was a story about one great big lie. And the ending… well, I am satisfied with it.

Now, you can DEFINITELY count upon the fact that I will check out more books by Mandy Hubbard and/or her pseudonym(s?)

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2015 Rating System: 5

Wow, so I have just finished crying. I love this book and literally read it nonstop. A book in one day is a big deal, and I finished this one in under 12hrs. The plot line is basically summed up in the blurb. The blurb is the whole book, which would sound really simply and maybe boring, but it's worth the read.

Sam tries so hard to set the record straight, but she doesn't want to lose anyone in the process. Every time the truth is about to get out, something or someone getting in the way. Eventually the lie of omission gains a life of its own and Sam no longer has control over the situation.

I kept hoping in each chapter that she would be able to tell Nick. Toward the end of the book, I knew it would have to come out and I was really worried that Nick would hate her for keeping the truth from him.

http://youtu.be/iXBKLTsABzo

Wow, so I have just finished crying. I love this book and literally read it nonstop. A book in one day is a big deal, and I finished this one in under 12hrs. The plot line is basically summed up in the blurb. The blurb is the whole book, which would sound really simply and maybe boring, but it's worth the read.

Sam tries so hard to set the record straight, but she doesn't want to lose anyone in the process. Every time the truth is about to get out, something or someone getting in the way. Eventually the lie of omission gains a life of its own and Sam no longer has control over the situation.

I kept hoping in each chapter that she would be able to tell Nick. Toward the end of the book, I knew it would have to come out and I was really worried that Nick would hate her for keeping the truth from him. I was balling when he said he loved her, like really sobbing.

There is definitely suspense and drama in this book. I just wish it would have had a different ending. I wanted Nick to be the one at the grocery store, not Carter. My heart has been sufficiently ripped out, and since there is no book 2, I don't foresee it being put back together again.

I want to read more from this author, but all of the books seem to be based around a central lie, and they probably end the same way. I don't know If my emotions can handle it.

Why is this not a series? I am left so emotionally torn right now. I cried during the last twenty pages. There was closure, but it wasn't what I wanted. I wanted there to be a happy ending, and there wasn't. I loved Nick so much throughout the book and Sam's situation was so desperate. I know letting the rumor continue was wrong, but being in her head had me connected to her and I understood all of her reasons for wanting to wait. If people had just shut up, she could have set the record straight. I wish there was a book 2 where here and Nick were together. They only got a day together before everything spun out of control. I want more. I want my happy ever after. I know I can make one up in my head, but with the way it ended, I just don't think there is one. ( )

Actual rating: 3.5

*cue chatshow music*



So today on the show we have SAM!



HOLD YOUR HORSES, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! The story we have prepared for you today revolves around one single, simple question:

How do you undo a lie?

By telling the truth, you say?

What if it's slightly harder than that?

What if it's easier to go along with the lie, than it is to tell the truth?



Now, now. Let's not judge before we hear the story! Welcome, Sam!

Sam: Hello!

Me: So Sam, care to tell us what story you are here to teach us today?

Sam: Well, it's complicated--

Me: It's not.

Sam: Okay, fine, it's not. So basically, I was in love with my best friend Nick--



Sam: ANYWAY. So I was in love with Nick, but he wasn't, although I was convinced he WAS, so I decided to go to a party and flirt with Mr Popular: Carter.

Me:

Sam: So, anyway, we got to the party and I saw Carter disappear upstairs, so I thought I'd follow him. He goes into his room and I go after him, and tried to flirt...

Audience:

Sam: *tearfully* Well, I tried to flirt and he humiliated me! He called me a two-bagger and laughed in my face!

Me: Visual of a two-bagger:
So not a nice thing to say now, is it?!

Sam: I was quite drunk at that point and tripped and ripped my top. When Carter left, I ran out of his bedroom in tears and bumped into a schoolmate. Crying coupled with my ripped clothes... Well, she jumped to conclusions.

Me: And that was...?

Sam: That Carter raped me.

Audience *le gasp*

Me: And what did you do?

Sam: I... I didn't correct her. Well, at first I didn't really know what people were talking about, but then I remembered the humiliation and embarrassment and realised that Carter really was a horrid person, and decided to continue living the lie.

You see, some times, it's easier to go along with a lie than it is to face up and tell the truth. By that point, I had too much at stake and couldn't do it. I thought, hoped, that because we only had a week of school left, that things would quickly blow over by the time we broke up for summer, and then Carter would leave and it would never be spoken of again.

Me: Did it work out that way? And HOW did the teachers/families not get wind of this?!

Sam: Of course not. And hey, it's a book, the hell you asking me for? All I know is, shit hit the fan by the end and, well, you need to read the book. It did make me realise though, and I guess this is the message, that lying, no matter how easy it might be, is not the right way. You should always 'fess up, admit your mistakes and move on.

Me: Thank you, Sam, for coming on the show! A round of applause, please!

Audience:

The End

So basically, this book was really rather good. Although incredibly short, and with many questions unanswered (like, how did the teachers and families not hear anything? I mean, they live in a small town, right? Surely EVERYONE would know) it's a brilliant story about right and wrong, and admitting your mistakes.



( )

Sam had known her next door neighbor and best friend Nick for 10 years, but never told him she loved him. She’d suffered through his on again-off again relationship with his ex, always hoping he’d notice her waiting in the background. He didn’t, so Sam decided to make him jealous.

Read the rest at: http://shouldireaditornot.wordpress.com/2012/06/17/in-too-deep-amanda-grace/ ( )