Review: Believe by Erin McCarthy

Believe by Erin McCarthy
Published January 21st 2014
by Penguin Group

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Robin used to be a party girl… until she got black out drunk and woke up in bed with her best friend's boyfriend. Now she's faced with being THAT girl, and couldn't be more disgusted with herself. She can't even tell her friends the reason for her sudden sobriety and she avoids everyone until she meets Phoenix—quiet, tattooed, and different in every way that's good and oh, so bad…

Phoenix is two days out of jail when he meets Robin at his cousin's house, and he knows that he has no business talking to her, but he's drawn to her quiet demeanor, sweet smile, and artistic talent. She doesn't care that he's done time, or that he only has five bucks to his name, and she supports his goal to be a tattoo artist.

But Phoenix knows Robin has a secret, and that it's a naive dream to believe that his record won't catch up with them at some point. Though neither is prepared for the explosive result when the past collides with the present…

     I think this book is my favorite in the "True Believers" series. In my opinion this book was paced appropriately. I like the way Erin McCarthy write her books. This book is New Adult which involves sex, but she doesn't overdo it. Believe and the other books in series are much more based on life dilemmas and situations. Lots of NA today is solely about sex. So I have to respect that and she has plot in her books.

     By the time Robin had her own book, Believe. She was a changed woman. Prior to her story, she was a huge party girl and a big time drinker. She drank to the point of blacking out. Until one day, she blacked out and did the unimaginable. She had sex with her best friend's boyfriend. That turn of event made her change her ways. She stopped drinking and was trying to change her ways. Her strength to stop drinking was admirable.

     In the first, two books in series, the main characters are the Mann brothers. But in this one is about his cousin Phoenix. And he's a lot more messed up than his cousins. He went to prison for beating up his mom's boyfriend. So when he met Robin he was fresh out from doing five months in jail. He portrayed the bad boy look. He had tattoos all over his body and was definitely rough about the edges. But that didn't stop Robin from taking notice.

     What I enjoyed the most was the character relationship development. That despite their secrets and past, they still wanted to be friends. It didn't feel like insta-love in this book. They spent time together watching television, watching movies, going to the park, etc. And during that time spent together feelings started developing. That's how all books should be written. Give us some character development. They were able to be there for each other when dilemmas presented itself. They were able to confront their mistakes and try their best to correct them.

     If you're a fan of New Adult books, you should definitely pick up the True Believers series. I've enjoyed all books by far in this series. Next book is Kylie's book called Shatter. After the betrayal she endured from Robin and Nathan, I think her story is definitely going to be interesting. I give Believe 4 stars and it's definitely a Good Choice for Reading.