When I started reading this book, I had seen the comments about it being an overwhelming and heartbreaking story so I braced myself and dove headfirst into the darkness, expecting the worst. Well I must say I rather enjoyed the darkness. I liked the tragic story of Linc and Tally in all it's ill-fated glory. These contemporary star-crossed lovers stole my heart with the impossibility of their fate in true Romeo and Juliet fashion (minus the ending, of course). I loved the intensity of the characters.

"Liquid fire burns through me. I struggle to breathe. He is steel. I am the magnet that holds him here. I am here. He's here most definitely. He's alive. I must be, too."

Sometimes love stories can be predictable and maybe even trite. This Much is True was probably the complete opposite in every way. It never failed to surprise me. When you read as much as I do, you develop a sort of intuition and you can usually guess what's going to happen next. Up until now, I had missed the feeling of not knowing at all what would come next and this book filled that void for me.

There is no gray area when it comes to Linc and Tally. It's either black or white.

"This feels good. Dying feels fine and I welcome the blackness with open arms."

"Closeness erases the many secrets still held between us although the important ones remain. No longer strangers, we venture to a secret place where just the two of us exist. This connection of continuity seems to contain a degree of permanence, but that's further up ahead."

Reading this book was like riding a rollercoaster with a blindfold. It was a wild and crazy ride but the thrill was absolutely worth every tear I shed along the way.

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review* ( )

***Copy provided via Netgalley in exchange for a honest review***

Wow. Just wow. I think maybe I need a xanax after finishing this book. Life sometimes really does just get in the way and just goes on. Unfortunately for Tally and Linc this holds true.

Tally is just barely making it through life after losing her twin sister. The other half of her soul is gone forever. But life just keeps moving. Time doesn't stand still. Ballet is all she has left.

Linc was at the right place at the right time. If it wasn't for him Tally wouldn't be here anymore. He can't forget her though. Even though he needs to stay focused on baseball and nothing else.

There was so many ups and downs in this story. My emotions were all over the place. I have to admit I am not very happy with Tally. I disagree with so many of her decisions in this book. What makes me so mad is that she knew her lies and avoidance were wrong, but she still chose to lie and avoid. I feel like this story could have been less painful if she was just honest. Honest with herself. But I understand with all the loss she faces that she was just trying for something else. To be someone else.

I loved Linc from the start. My heart broke for him so much in this story. So much. He is just this beautiful person. Inside and out. He lied some too but I feel like his lies were justified.

This really is a story of true love and life just getting in the way. Others forcing them apart. Careers and dreams keeping two people apart when really nothing else matters if they aren't together. ( )

This Much Is True
by Katherine Owen (Goodreads Author)
Melissa Cushing's review
Feb 13, 2014

5 of 5 stars
Read from February 05 to 06, 2014

I am giving this one 5 stars! I LOVED this book! Seriously a roller coaster ride of action when it comes to the two main characters Tally and Linc who I hopelessly adore even though they seriously have their own issues which are the main reason they torture themselves throughout the entire novel to begin with! At the beginning I thought it may end up being a boring read, simply because it seemed things were going so perfectly for Tally and Linc's characters, but I was SO WRONG!It seems one thing after another happens to keep these two "perfect for each other" characters apart. I was more than frustrated a number of times, but was also pulled along by the wonderful storyline, that takes twists and turns that at times I did not see coming. I also love the characters, which you really get a good feel for after reading this book. You really get to know them, even the secondary characters. I loved Rob Thorn and Marla's characters, and I even LOVED To HATE Nika Vostrikova as well as Kimberly Powers characters. Without them... it would be so boring! I want to thank the author for this fabulous novel! It is a long read but a fabulous read. I read this one, even though it is a LONG book, in less than 24 hours! I could not put it down. If you love a tortured romance involving 2 characters that are amazingly talented at "what they do".... Tally an amazingly talented and devoted Ballerina and Linc an amazing Baseball Pitcher....who are so destined to be together but so pulled apart by this or that.... until you just cannot take it anymore.... this book is for you. You will never be bored. Enjoy the synopsis here....



Fate brings them together.Fame & lies keep them apart.One truth remains…

She’s become the Paly High girl with the most tragic story…
At 17, Tally Landon just wants to graduate and leave for New York to pursue ballet. Her best friend Marla convinces her to attend one last party—a college party—where she can be among strangers and evade the whisperings about her heartbreaking loss of her twin that follows her everywhere she goes. She meets Lincoln Presley, Stanford’s famous baseball wonder and has a little fun at his expense—when she lies about her age and who she really is—intent on being someone else for the night and escaping her tragic story.

His only focus is baseball, but he can’t forget the girl he saved on Valentine’s Day…
At 22, Lincoln Presley’s star is on the rise—about to finish at Stanford and expected to be taken early in Major League Baseball’s upcoming draft—his cousin’s party serves as a welcome distraction. But then, he sees the girl from Valentine’s Day that he saved from that horrific car accident and can’t quite hide his disappointment when she appears to look right through him and not remember him at all. He vows to learn her name at least before he leaves. What’s the harm in getting to know this girl? What’s the worst that can happen?

They share this incredible connection, but fate soon tests these star-crossed lovers in all kinds of ways...
And yet, despite the lies being told to protect the other, and the trappings of fame that continually separate them, and in lieu of the deception by those they’ve come to trust the most; one truth remains.

This much is true.

***Author's note*** THIS IS A STAND-ALONE NOVEL. Due to strong language and sexual content, this book is not intended for readers under the age of 18. ( )

NOTE: I received this title via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Wow! This must be the longest contemporary novel I have ever read. Goodreads says 432 pages, but I'm seriously thinking more like double that. Why? It took me three days to finish it, and that's some pretty hard reading done too. It was long, it was full of drama, it was one cracking soap opera on paper. I was barely half way through when I was begging for things to move faster.

Now don't get me wrong, this is a very good read. It's full of lessons that any adolescent should learn (hopefully NOT the hard way), and it's also well written. The story flows great and makes you want to turn the pages.

But.

The length of it... Gosh, it reminds me of the Game of Thrones novels. It just goes on and on and on!! I firmly believe that if it was split into a trilogy, with each part being a separate novel, it would've been much better. The way it is now, it just completely freaked me out. I was pressing the 'next' button on my Kindle, but the percentage would stay the same for-smucking-ever! By the time I actually finished it, I was going on autopilot, just wishing to get through it and be done.

Once I was done with it, I was glad it turned out to be a novel worth reading, because seriously? Spending so much time on a bad novel? Gah! I might've gotten the urge to bang my head somewhere hard.

Anyway, so let's see what This Much is True was like. Besides long, that is.

Firstly, it was full of drama. Lots and lots of it, which sort of reminded me of The Bold and The Beautiful. Thankfully, it didn't span over decades, so that was a plus. Two years I can handle. So, the drama. Well, it starts out with the sudden death (via car crash) of Tally's twin sister, Holly. Tally is depressed, she's not herself. Instead, she's trying to fill Holly's empty shoes. But she can't, and thanks to her bff Marla, she finally comes to her senses. Then hot baseball player Lincoln Presley enters the picture and Tally is completely swept off her feet. Except, they cannot be together. Not now and not in the future two years. Because she's only 17 and if ever that little detail slipped in the press, Lincoln's budding star career will be over before it could even begin.

What? That's not enough drama? Gosh, there's more! Much much more, but if I were to disclose anymore of it, you'd get all the spoilers, and none of the fun/hair-pulling that this book brings along. So... just take my words for the truth and let's move on, okay?

Secondly, the characters were incredibly realistic. They were silly, even stupid at times. They were loving and caring and driven. They were up for the challenge to be together, but for the sake of each other had to move on separately. They were ruled by emotions, or whatever drove them at a certain moment. Sometimes a career was more important than anything else, sometimes not.

Tally had me almost screaming out loud so many times I can't even count them. The girl was NOT stupid, but she acted it and I swear I would've strangled her if I were her friend. She made so many stupid mistakes for the sake of Lincoln, and I do understand her motives - after all, she loved him. But man! She could've lived better! She could've made more sophisticated choices. Especially concerning Rob, who - unlike Tally - I ended up despising. The bastard was such a user/loser/whatever.

Lincoln stroke me as the wise kind of a guy. The guy who cared for a girl, instead of trying to play her. He even wanted to do the right thing with Nika, which simply disgusted me. That girl was such an obvious viper/leech, I had no idea how anyone missed to see it. Anyway, Linc's problem was that he was too trusting of what people told him to do. Gosh, I don't think he should've ever listened to his manager to drop Tally in the beginning, at all! That stupid poor decision made the wheel roll in the direction of sorrow and heartbreak for the rest of the novel! I did love his character though. He had substance, depth, a sense of reality.

Rob and Nika disgusted me almost the same way. Their betrayals were awful in completely different ways, but they still hurt.

And Marla? Thank heavens for Marla. That girl... should win the Oscar for best-friend-through-any-possible-bad-situation role!

You got curious? Go grab the book. It's lengthy, but it's worth it. ( )