REVIEW: Shatter by Erin McCarthy

In Shatter (True Believers #4) by Erin McCarthy, Kylie Warner’s life has changed dramatically in the past year. She went from being in love, partying, and hanging out with her close friends at college, to kicking her cheating boyfriend to the curb. Oh, yeah. And getting pregnant after one hot and heavy night with her chemistry tutor, Jonathon. All of these changes have shaken her positive nature, but Kylie is determined to make things work. She doesn’t want to admit, though, that she’s falling for Jonathon even though she’s sure he’s just with her because of their messed up situation. But while life keeps piling on the challenges, Kylie finds that she can turn to him and that their bond only continues to grow. Can they forge their own way together despite the obstacles that stand in their way?

“I don’t have any sort of dumbass fantasy going that you’re the man of my dreams and that you’ll marry me and we’ll be happy. While you live in theories, I live in reality.”

Jonathon Kadisch was smitten the first time he met Kylie during their tutoring session. The steamy night that followed was the stuff dreams are made of. He realizes that a gorgeous, vivacious girl like Kylie would never fall seriously for a studious, nerdy guy such as himself. So when she tells him that she’s pregnant, Jonathon is both awed and frightened. He’s pretty sure he can be the father figure and man he never had in his own life, but he’s worried about losing his heart to Kylie. Unfortunately, just when things couldn’t appear to get any tougher for them, they have more battles to face down. Jonathon has always used logic and formulas to find the answers. If only his personal life was that simple.

“When I showed up to tutor you, I had no idea that anything was missing from my life. Then I met you and I knew what was missing was you.”

Shatter was a new adult novel that had so many emotional moments, a lot of them heartbreaking, but quite a few that were tender. Through it all we got to witness the bond that grew between two very different people as they navigated some extremely difficult situations.

Shatter is the fourth book in the True Believers series by Erin McCarthy. These can be read independently easily enough, although you will get a bit of insight into each couple’s story…but not enough to spoil each book. It’s rather challenging to review this without giving away too much of the plot. Obviously we know Kylie got pregnant after one spectacular night with Johnathon. But what happened to them next was life-changing and required them both to deal with emotions neither were ready to face. I thought Ms. McCarthy did a great job evoking those emotions in the more painful scenes, as much as she did expressing the growing connection between Kylie and Jonathon.

It’s always interesting seeing how a relationship will play out in a story like this where the characters are thrown together due to a pregnancy. Jonathon and Kylie did have that intense chemistry (pun intended) so I thought it was realistic that they’d both wonder if they would have pursued a relationship given their differences. At first, I was afraid Kylie would be portrayed as a “typical” ditzy blonde, but I loved that she was given such a compassionate, nice persona. Even though she had her moments, and don’t we all, she was a lot tougher and smarter than she gave herself credit for. And I’ll admit it was a little bit fun watching Jonathon squirm when it came to his social ineptitude. He was a really sweet, uber smart guy with a strong sense of right and wrong. But he didn’t always think first of how Kylie would react to what he said. Good thing he was so darn cute and sexy!

Overall, I think Shatter was a nice addition to the True Believers series. So if you’re a fan of new adult romances and you don’t mind stories that deal with tough subject matter, I think you’ll enjoy this one.

Book Info:

Published September 2nd 2014 by InterMix | (True Believers #4)

From the USA Today bestselling author of True, Sweet, and Believe comes a tantalizing New Adult novel about finding love in the most unexpected ways…

Kylie Warner prides herself on being optimistic, but after finding her best friend in bed with her boyfriend and flunking chemistry, her upbeat attitude has taken a dive. Even an impromptu hook-up with her sexy new chemistry tutor only brightens her mood slightly. After all, it’s not like she’ll ever see the tattooed scholar again…

While he’s a whiz at complex equations, Jonathon Kadisch has trouble when it comes to figuring out women. So when Kylie tells him that she’s pregnant after their night of passion, he’s at a complete loss. He’s prepared to be a good father—unlike his own deadbeat dad—but he’s less prepared to fall for the genuine and alluring blonde bearing his child.

With emotions running high, Kylie wonders if Jonathon’s devotion is out of growing love or looming obligation. And when heartbreak threatens to tear them apart, Jonathon will have to fight for the only girl who’s ever made him feel whole…