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Almost

by Anne Eliot (Goodreads Author)

3.85 of 5 stars 3.85 · rating details · 8,332 ratings · 560 reviews

At a freshman party she doesn't remember, Jess Jordan was almost raped.

...Almost. Very nearly. Not quite. Three years later, Jess has managed to make everyone believe she's better. Over it. Because she is.

...Almost. Very nearly. Not quite.

Unfortunately, until Jess proves she's back to normal activities, her parents won't discuss college. So, she lands a summer internship a...more

Kindle Edition, 367 pages

Published February 3rd 2012 by Butterfly Books, LLC (first published February 1st 2012)

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Community Reviews

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May 27, 2013 J. Sterling added it

Don't let the cover deter you from getting this book- also, the book description, to put it mildly, doesn't do the heart of the book any justice. What I mean is- it's REALLY freaking good. :)

This book was an emotional read at times. I felt like it was a very honest, easy to read (the dialogue flowed... the character interactions felt natural... the characters were easy to relate to), wonderfully touching book. A very sensitive and difficult topic that I think was written extremely well and extre...more

8 likes · like · see review

Feb 23, 2012 ♥Rachel♥ rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to ♥Rachel♥ by: Cindi

Shelves: favorites, kindle

This story took my breath away. My heart just melts to bits thinking about it.

Jess Jordan is a senior who was almost raped three years ago. When she was fourteen! Since then she's basically been a mess. She suffers from Rape Related PTSD and tries to avoid getting close to anyone. At school she's worked hard to develop the reputation of being a strange, cold, ice-queen so that everyone will leave her alone. That way she doesn't have to answer questions about her odd sleeping habits. She has to...more This story took my breath away. My heart just melts to bits thinking about it.

Jess Jordan is a senior who was almost raped three years ago. When she was fourteen! Since then she's basically been a mess. She suffers from Rape Related PTSD and tries to avoid getting close to anyone. At school she's worked hard to develop the reputation of being a strange, cold, ice-queen so that everyone will leave her alone. That way she doesn't have to answer questions about her odd sleeping habits. She has to nap throughout the day because she can't sleep at night. That's when the nightmares come. Unfortunately, Jess has to change, and become more "normal" if she wants to get away from the constant helicopter-parenting and go to college. She's even got a list: Jess Jordan's How to be Normal Checklist. Two of the top things on that list are: 1. Getting an Internship at Geekstuff.com, her dream job; and 2. Getting a Boyfriend. It looks like Jess is on the way to accomplishing the first part of the list, getting the internship; until she finds out she's not the only one who's made it to round two of interviews. Gray Porter, popular, confident, gorgeous, and fellow student, has also been called back. Jess suddenly has an idea that kills two birds with one stone: Share the internship with Gray, and give him all the money, as long as he agrees to be her boyfriend for the summer. How to Be Normal Checklist: Done and done! What Jess doesn't realize is that Gray has his own reasons for accepting her crazy plan.

To see all that Jess goes through on a daily basis just to keep it together is heartbreaking. The fact that she was almost raped, almost makes it worse, because she doesn't feel the right to still be so messed up. Trust me, when you hear the details, almost, does count. This event had such an impact on several lives, which is elaborated on as the story unfolds. Even with the serious topic, this story is very funny and swoon-worthy. Some of Jess' social awkwardness had me cracking up, and you can't help but love this clueless girl. The list of texting abbreviations she gets, and uses, from her younger sister makes for some hilarious moments of confusion. The romance in the story just melts your heart. Gray is such a knight-in-shining armor, and his "stunning, crystal-green eyes," don't hurt either! This might be a little spoilery, so skip over if you don't want to know, but here's a little teaser quote for you:

I let go of her hands so I can pull her closer. Her arms go around my neck and she's coiled her fingers into the back of my hair. The soft trembling feel of her lips sends lightning down my spine. And I soar, fly, and die of happiness all in the same second.

Oh this boy *sigh* just kills me!! I completely loved this story! There's depth, sadness, humor, and romance in all the right amounts. I couldn't wipe the smile from my face once I finished this.
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Feb 20, 2012 Joy (joyous reads) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Joy (joyous reads) by: Rachel

Shelves: in-my-kindle, cant-put-these-down, favourites

Once in a while, an unassuming book comes my way which simply makes me catch my breath. Its characters told the perfect stories, said all the right things, looked exactly how I liked them to look, did the things I expected them to do...in short, it hit all the right spots in an almost too perfect way. Almost is that book.

This is a story about a girl who's been living in a nightmare for the last three years. She has a perfect family who supports her, understands her, cares for her. But no amount...more Once in a while, an unassuming book comes my way which simply makes me catch my breath. Its characters told the perfect stories, said all the right things, looked exactly how I liked them to look, did the things I expected them to do...in short, it hit all the right spots in an almost too perfect way. Almost is that book.

This is a story about a girl who's been living in a nightmare for the last three years. She has a perfect family who supports her, understands her, cares for her. But no amount of loving could stop the nightmares she endures every night. Reliving the rape that almost happened to her when she was a freshman makes her avoid sleeping at night every chance she gets. Her parents are convinced that the only way she could move on to college is that if she can prove to them that she's now somehow healed and back to being 'normal'. And what is normal anyway? Having friends? summer job? a boyfriend? An opportunity presents itself when Gray Porter, jock extraordinaire, serial heartbreaker, agreed to be her fake boyfriend for the summer. How far will this farce go? Well...perhaps not too far. Maybe only as far as Gray's secrets could take him.

Anne Eliot managed to tell this painful story in the most light-hearted way possible. The characters' funny and more often awkward encounters perfectly camouflaged their murky and shady connection that only one of them has a full awareness of. I love, love, love these two characters. Their dynamics worked so well while they hid their true feelings behind their sarcasm and humour. Gray is the ultimate heartthrob who won me over with his dimpled smile, kindness and social ineptness around Jess. Aside from Melina Marchetta's characters, I don't think I've ever fallen so hard for a cast as I have with everyone here. There have been so many YA books written where the absence of any kind of family relationships was noticeable but not here. I love Jess' supporting and ever-present parents and her younger sister who molly-coddled her at every turn. Gray's Gran and his two best friends is an unbreakable circle and pillar of support for this tormented, guilty boy who only ever wanted to do the right thing to begin with.

I can never pretend to understand what people like Jess has gone through in one way or another. I like that Anne Eliot skims the surface of Jess' suffering just so. It wasn't overwrought but it was touching just the same. The key to Jess' recovery was through remembering - facing the demons that her subconscious' defence mechanism hid from her. To some, it may seem like a convenient resolution but I disagree. Sometimes, no amount of therapy or drugs can help a person. Sometimes, it's only as simple as remembering.

This book is one of those rare ones that clicked in every possible way. The characters, dialogues, their banters. It's one of those books that though not written perfectly, the story is just too good to distract you from some minute mistakes.

Thank you, Rachel for the recc! (less)

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Jan 06, 2013 Jacqueline's Reads rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

3 Stars

I didn't want to judge a book by it's cover, (I've been doing that a lot), so when I read the summary to Almost I was very interested and put the ugly cover in the back of mind.

Jess was almost raped at 14 years old, because of that, she has nightmares, but she doesn't really understand them. Her nightmares has put her in therapy for the past three years, her parents don't want her to go to college until she seems "normal". Jess pays Gray $8K to pretend to be her boyfriend so Jess' parents...more 3 Stars

I didn't want to judge a book by it's cover, (I've been doing that a lot), so when I read the summary to Almost I was very interested and put the ugly cover in the back of mind.

Jess was almost raped at 14 years old, because of that, she has nightmares, but she doesn't really understand them. Her nightmares has put her in therapy for the past three years, her parents don't want her to go to college until she seems "normal". Jess pays Gray $8K to pretend to be her boyfriend so Jess' parents think she is normal.

I loved the summary, I liked the idea of Gray being paid to pretend to be Jess' boyfriend, because of course they will start to fall for each other and who doesn't want to read that?! The beginning of Almost was very promising, Jess off the bat was introduced and her story line is reveled. I am a big fan when authors from the start tell you everything, because I am interested in Jess and Gray's involvement. I don't really care to find out what happened and within the first few chapters, Anne Eliot tells us everything, which is great.

Towards the middle, things start to slow down for me and I get really annoyed. I felt like there wasn't enough dialogue between Jess' and Gray. I felt like Jess' and Gray's feelings were expressed way too much. There's only so many ways Gray can express his guilt and so many ways Jess can say she's crazy.

I'll admit, I started to skim until I reached the dialogue or interesting parts and let's just say it was starting to look slim. Almost was starting to get monotonousness. I kind of wished the story was told during the school year, instead of a summer break, I felt like Jess and Gray should have been older if the setting was kind of fixed around a working environment.

I didn't really see any chemistry between Jess and Gray, there was enough banter and I love banter, but when the banter never stopped, I got really tired of it. I never really saw shift between Jess and Gray, they seemed to be on constant tension.

I really wanted to like Almost, especially since the beginning had so much potential and I loved the title, but with no chemistry and dry writing, it just didn't work for me.

MOre reviews here - > http://jacquelinesreads.blogspot.com/
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Jul 04, 2012 Chanda rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

I am in Love with this book!

This has got to be one of the best YA books I have read this year! It is funny, romantic, realistic and amazing!!

Let's start with Gray Porter! I mean really?!? He has got to be on my top 10 list of best book boyfriends ever!! He is hott, funny, adorable, sexy, sweet and a hero! And the best part is the book is told in his and Jess's POV.

Now for Jess. She was so guarded. But what she had been through and what she was still going through made her actions very believabl...more

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Dec 31, 2012 Sayjil rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, cherished, contempoary, exceptional-plot, laughing-is-good-for-the-heart, rock-my-world-hero, realistic, teardrops, young-adult, yay-an-awesome-heronine

This title reminds me of those phrases people usually say. You know the ones…
“Almost is as good as.”
“Almost doesn’t count.”
“Almost is as good as a mile.”
Lalalala….all crap. “Almost” is what you make of it not what everyone else says. Some people may choose to believe that you’re on either side but the truth is, there is an in-between!!!

he reads one bumper sticker: “Member: BBB. Boys in Books are Better?
I knew then that I was going to love Jess!

Of course when I started to read this book, I knew...more This title reminds me of those phrases people usually say. You know the ones…
“Almost is as good as.”
“Almost doesn’t count.”
“Almost is as good as a mile.”
Lalalala….all crap. “Almost” is what you make of it not what everyone else says. Some people may choose to believe that you’re on either side but the truth is, there is an in-between!!!

he reads one bumper sticker: “Member: BBB. Boys in Books are Better?
I knew then that I was going to love Jess!

Of course when I started to read this book, I knew the perfect song to listen while I read it - Arms by Christina Perri.

So we have the PTSD girl - Jess Jordan and the commitment phobe - Gray Porter. Jess almost got raped freshman year by a senior. That almost incident changed her life. Now she has no social life and can’t sleep peacefully. Then she meets Gray, he’s a bit dorky and sweet also not to mention hot. Gray just so happens to be applying for the same internship as Jess. With her 4.0 GPA, she is already a shoe in. Except she doesn’t want it for the money, if only because it looks good on a college application. And she needs a good college application. Her parents are adamant that she be “normal” this summer or no college and no moving out. She strikes a deal with Gray, if he share’s the internship with her, she’ll give him the $8000 dollars in exchange that he acts as her pretend boyfriend. He reluctantly agrees, only not for the reasons Jess thinks. It seems Gray really knows more about Jess and her trauma then anyone else. He feels guilty and has a slight attachment to his long lost crush. Soon enough, Jess and Gray start to fall for each other but Jess’s past isn’t something easily forgotten. For either of them.

I think this story was beautiful! Eliot really knows how to make a reader cry and connect with all the other emotions. I was very angry that the perpetrator was not prosecuted. In fact I was out right furious at Jess’s parents and the coach. But I was also outright floored with Gray’s character. His honor, simplicity and tenderness had me on my knees. I think that I would be honored to meet a guy like Gray. I think what no one understood was that Jess was stuck in the “almost”. Everyone told her how “lucky” she was but in reality there was nothing lucky about her situation. They tried to suppress her and it didn’t work out so well. Honestly, if I had a friend like her, dare anyone to say she wasn’t normal and the roof might come down. Everyone, like Jess faces a bad experience that changes them but that doesn’t mean they deserved to be labeled for something that was never their fault.
Eliot did a magnificent job on the plot and her characters were lined out perfectly. There isn’t a thing I would change, not even her prose. Both characters were inexplicably different and captured me from the very first page. I’m definitely going to be on the look out for more of Eliot’s books.(less)

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Mar 21, 2012 Tessamari ♥Many Waters...♥ rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: crack-books, first-love-crush, favorites-ya, highly-emotional, must-re-read-again, ya, kindle-lendable, ultimate-book-boyfriend

FIVE MASSIVE Stars!!

Member: BBB. Boys in Books are Better

I'm so in love with Gray Porter. Let me repeat. This is me shouting it out because I cannot stress this enough: I'm in Love. Seriously. In LOVE with Gray Porter!. Gray has got to be the sweetest, cutest, most unselfish, most honorable book boyfriend ever. And for me to say that, is a huge deal.

I'm sooooooo unbelievably happy right now. I'm so happy that I chose to read this amazing story. Seriously amazing. Its told in a two person persp...more FIVE MASSIVE Stars!!

Member: BBB. Boys in Books are Better

I'm so in love with Gray Porter. Let me repeat. This is me shouting it out because I cannot stress this enough: I'm in Love. Seriously. In LOVE with Gray Porter!. Gray has got to be the sweetest, cutest, most unselfish, most honorable book boyfriend ever. And for me to say that, is a huge deal.

I'm sooooooo unbelievably happy right now. I'm so happy that I chose to read this amazing story. Seriously amazing. Its told in a two person perspective, Jess & Gray. Jess is fighter. During her freshman year, she was almost raped by a senior hockey player, until someone stopped him. Enter Gray Porter. Gray was just a scrawny freshman hockey player taking on the senior when he stopped the almost incident. He did everything he could to help Jess. He quit the Varsity team for her, and was ready to testify on her behalf. So unbelievably honorable Mr. Porter was. Unfortunately, Jess' parents, along with the coach believed nothing good could come out of prosecuting since Jess couldn't remember anything.

Flash forward to the end of Junior year. Jess & Gray are competing one another for a summer internship. The payoff $8000 for the summer. Both could seriously benefit from this internship: Jess can get a letter of recommendation for college & normalcy points from her parents and Gray gets much needed money for college. Jess, however, needs to convince her parents that she's over her traumatic past and that she's coping with her PTSD. She convinces herself that getting a boyfriend would definitely prove to her parents that she's normal and ready for college. Convinced that the other will get the internship, Jess & Gray enter into a contract of sorts. They managed to convince the company to take both of them for the job, but only paying one intern (Gray). In return, Gray will pretend to be Jess' boyfriend for the summer. Gray has always harbored feelings for Jess and agrees to this arrangement. However, their pretend relationship leads to more. Both are torn with their feelings for one another. Is it all just pretend or is it more? Will Jess' nightmares from that horrible night ever stop? Will she remember Gray's involvement? Ahhhh, the turmoil. Loved it.

Jess' character was pretty frustrating at times, but for the most part was real and honest. She was going through some major issues. Gray was just an absolutely perfect hero. He was so unbelievably sweet and patient with Jess. And that letter he wrote her? OMG! I could read that 50 million times and it would still have me swooning. It reminded me so much of Jane Austen's letter in Persuasion, which I find kinda funny considering the author's name is Anne Eliot. Get it? Anne Elliot? Persuasion people! LOL.

Loved everything about this story. The references to Austen, Twilight, Hunger Games, Star Wars, their text messages...everything. Oh and trying to decipher those texts had me cracking up. Seriously, I freaking loved, LOVED this book. It was so adorkable. I can seriously go on and on about it. HIGHLY, HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend. :)(less)

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Dec 31, 2012 Nic rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone who LOVES a sweet romance :))

Shelves: worth-a-reread

This book was seriously good. Well-written especially. I was crying a bit toward the end because of what had happened to Jess.
And Gray? Sweetest guy I ever had the chance to read about. He felt sooo guilty, but honestly, at the party, anyone would have done that. If I'd been drinking, too, I would have went. But I am a different person today so I'd like to think I'd've stayed.

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Feb 25, 2012 Anne Eliot rated it 5 of 5 stars · (Review from the author)

Almost, by Anne Eliot --

February 2012 is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month. Please share free link if you think it will help someone.

This book is available 'free' to check out on Amazon.com if you are an Amazon Prime member and participate in the amazing Kindle Lending program. Thanks to everyone who has bought this book, downloaded it, or shared their personal stories and reviews after reading it. You humble me with your stories, and the time you've given to this book.

For those of you who...more

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Jul 09, 2012 Angie's Dreamy Reads rated it 4 of 5 stars

I loved this book! It was amazing, definitely a great read!

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Mar 23, 2013 Nathaly Alvarez rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: hermosa-portada, increibles, leido-en-2013, para-recordar, reseñados

Almost de Anne Eliot es una lectura, que como diría mi madre, es una montaña rusa.

Cuando Jess Jordan tenia catorce años se escapo y fue a una fiesta. Fue casi violada. Casi. En el presente, tres años después, Jess esta casi curada. Casi lo recuerda. Casi lo olvida. Ella es básicamente un desastre. Ella sufre de trastorno de estrés postraumático y evita acercarse a cualquier persona. En la escuela, ella ha trabajado duro para desarrollar la reputación de ser un extraña y engreída para que todos...more

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May 20, 2013 Reanna rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I found this book to be such an easy read. I loved the descriptiveness of the author's writing and the characters were extremely well developed. The chemistry between Jess and Gray was fantastic and the love that bloomed between them was realistic, seemingly unconditional and sweet.

Personally, i like characters that seem to have a few flaws and even though there are some that might disagree, I found the many masks of Jess refreshing from the usual girls that most books portray.
Most might find...more

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Mar 24, 2013 Cipluk rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013, best-boyfriends, best-characters, contemporary, young-adult

I love Anne Eliot. I like her writing. I love her another book "Unmaking Hunter Kennedy" too.

Serious but still fun reading :)
The characters were always great, the boyfriends were always made me swoon. BBB = Boys in Books are Better. That's true :D

In this book, she opened my mind that people who almost raped are not okay, their life were ruined too.
With this book she told that if you've experienced your own ALMOST or worse, you're not alone. It's not your fault. Please don't let what happened wi...more

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Mar 18, 2013 Shxrxn rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

After is always too late.
- Jess
I’ve learned that lesson the hard way. No such thing as re-plays or penalty points in real life, no matter how valid and real the fouls might be.
- Gray
My heart ramps into some sort of a private hailstorm.
- Jess
My neck and cheeks are volcano-hot. My entire chest swarms with an uncontrollable butterfly attack. Butterfly riot. Butterfly massacre.
- Jess
Person slaughtered: Me.
Method used: Dimple.
- Jess
I’m so high and out of control right now, I can’t stop myself.
- Jess...more

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Mar 08, 2013 Nian rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013-favourites, book-boyfriend, bawled-my-eyes-out, addictive-like-crack, confrontingly-hard-to-read, laugh-out-loud, heartwrenching-issues, fluffy-bunnies, couples-im-rooting-for, fav-standalone, epically-romantic, male-or-dual-pov, lustworthy-love-interest, cast-of-awesome, read-in-2013, death-by-ust, strong-heroine, loveable-protagonist, left-an-impression, emotionally-satisfying-ending, love-love-loved-it

4.5 stars

I'll start by saying that this wasn't a perfect book, but it was so heartfelt, authentic and beautiful that I had to round up to 5 stars. This is by far one of the best contemporary standalones I have ever read, which makes it even more impressive as an indie release.

Jess and Gray are both amazing characters, with Gray definitely headed to the top of the book boyfriend list. The dual POVs worked really well here - the contrast between how Jess feels on a daily basis (broken, zombie-lik...more 4.5 stars

I'll start by saying that this wasn't a perfect book, but it was so heartfelt, authentic and beautiful that I had to round up to 5 stars. This is by far one of the best contemporary standalones I have ever read, which makes it even more impressive as an indie release.

Jess and Gray are both amazing characters, with Gray definitely headed to the top of the book boyfriend list. The dual POVs worked really well here - the contrast between how Jess feels on a daily basis (broken, zombie-like, half-human) and Gray's perception of how perfect and beautiful she was to him totally destroyed my heart from the start. I was hooked and stayed up well past my bedtime to finish this off.

There have been quite a few releases over the last year covering this topic - teen rape and its aftermath. I guess it's one of those confronting subjects that's popular to read & write about because unfortunately it is now a constant presence in our society. Elliot does an amazing job of conveying the utter hopelessness and self-loathing Jess feels in the aftermath of a night when she was 14 and lied to her parents to go to a party...and woke up in the hospital with no memory of what actually happened. Ever since then she can't sleep through the night - she has terrifying night terrors - so she catches sleep whenever she can during the day. She works hard to hide her unchanging condition from her loving family who believe she is getting better, and cultivates an 'ice queen bitch' reputation at school so that everyone leaves her alone. In her mind, she knows she will never get better, but that's fine because she's found a way to live with it. In her mind, she doesn't deserve any sympathy and she hates herself for still being messed up about it because she was only almost raped. Almost. Everyone tells her that makes her so lucky and she hates that she is still completely shattered by the almost-event three years later.

Cue Gray Porter. He has his own secret about Jess's almost-night. His feelings for her are conflicted and complex - he wants to hate her for his own consequences of that night... but he knows its not her fault so he ends up just hating himself. He wants to protect her but at the same time he knows he should keep his distance. The development of their relationship from antagonistic to growing friendship to love...*happy sigh* so lovely.

The cast of secondary characters was also amazing; I especially loved Jess's sister Kika. The first scene that had me grabbing the tissues was between Jess and Kika towards the end....so beautiful!! Jess's parents, the coach, Gray's friends and Gran were all perfect.

If you are looking for a book that is emotional, moving and with a strong, epic love story at its heart, definitely give Almost a go.(less)

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Jan 18, 2013 Nícky rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Dulce... si tengo que definir a este libro con una palabra es esa: dulce. La verdad es que el tema violación siempre me da miedo y me hace sentir mal porque la protagonista siempre está traumatizada.. demasiado. Sin embargo en este libro Jess tiene problemas, intenta no dormir nunca porque tiene pesadillas, así que es como un muerto viviente de día y se duerme por los rincones, pero en vez de tener fama de antisocial o niña asustadiza, ella tiene fama de P jajaj me encantó eso, y las miradas que...more

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Jan 01, 2013 Makii rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"No necesitamos un papel para que nos una. Me amas, Jess Jordan, y yo he estado enamorado de ti desde el primer año. Por lo menos vamos a dejar claro esto."

Que mejor manera de iniciar el año que con un hermoso libro? Esta historia tiene tantas cosas que me gustaron...
Jess es una. Todo su drama personal y el hecho de que ella no deja su peculiar personalidad frente a Gray la hace una de las protas que mas me llegó. Todo por lo que paso, vivió y sufrió(o deberíamos decir "casi") es obviamente un t...more

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Dec 30, 2012 Mimi rated it 2 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Summary

At a freshman party Jess Jordan was almost raped.Now after 3 years she has almost made everyone believe that she is better,whereas the truth is quite the opposite.

To evade the watchful eyes of her parents and to bring back some normalcy to her life she tries to build new fake life as per a checklist.So that she will be able to make her parents believe that she is normal.And one of the points in this checklist is to get a fake boyfriend.

Enters picture Gray Porter.Gray signs the fake boyfri...more

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Dec 17, 2012 ♥ Sarah rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-na, i-love-love-love, sugary-sweet

4.5 GLOWING STARS!

I really enjoyed reading Unmaking Hunter Kennedy. So I was extremely confident reading Almost; I knew I'd love it.

Luckily, I was right!

OK, so there were *some* similarities between the two novels, like the excessive blushing and the hair (tying it into beautiful, messy buns and the waviness). And there were some cringe-worthy moments b/c of the Pity Party/sympathetic undertone of the Almost Rape.

However...

It's important to shed light on the traumatic effects of almost being...more

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Dec 02, 2012 Lindsey rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is the second novel by Anne Eliot and it was an absolute delight. Just like her last novel this ones dives into the deeper aspects of teenage life and the ugly truths it may reveal. We get a vague idea about what happens to one of the main characters, Jess, during her freshman year that forever changes her. Here is the glitch though. Jess doesn't fully remember what happened to her and since this story is told from her point of view neither do we. That night is shrouded in a haze that haunt...more

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Nov 15, 2012 Jess rated it 5 of 5 stars

BREATHTAKING. As in, stopped my breath.

I think Jess Jordan is my all time favourite!
Normally I'm all swoon swoon swoon on the guy... But JESS she just did it for me in this one. Don't get me wrong Gray Porter is totally swoon worthy and those one liners lol "I want you to know if we die right now, I won't be able to distinguish if i've made it to heaven or not, because I'm already sitting here with you. Like this." He is totally swoon worthy! and FUNNY!!

BUT

Jess Jordan....
Im not huge on highl...more

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Nov 11, 2012 Zoe rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance, ya

Gray and Jess have history but Jess doesn't know it. She doesn't remember that he was the one that saved her from sexual assault three years ago and Jess' parents want to keep it that way. Jess is being heavily guarded by her parents who are trying to ease her back into the world. They're really worried she'll go off the deep end and so they shelter her and hire a therapist. She struggles to keep her family happy and trick them into thinking she's fine, even though she suffers from night terrors...more

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Nov 11, 2012 Natasha Rose rated it 4 of 5 stars

Soo.. I feel like a lot of the things have already been said but whatever.

I really liked some of the characters, while others were flat , boring, not explained ( f.e. Kika, I felt like she could have become one of my favorite figures , instead she was a little to artificial, not quite realistic, too cute at some times, to grown up at others.But maybe that´s just me.).
But, I admit that the main characters, if a little annoying at times, had perfect chemistry and I couldn't help but laugh at tim...more

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Oct 01, 2012 Annie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fall-winter-2012

This book was amazing! It was filled with love, humor, sorrow, and everything in between!

Jess is such an amazing character! She is such a strong person who has been through so much. She is haunted by the night that she was almost raped. She has nightmares about it but can never fully remember. She makes the goal of her summer to be normal and to do so she makes a deal with the swoon-worthy Gray Porter to be her boyfriend. Gray it turns out isn’t in it for the money though.

The POV in this book a...more

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Aug 13, 2012 Heather rated it 4 of 5 stars

Jess Jordan lives her life with almosts. She was almost raped. She is almost ready to put it behind her. She is almost a normal teen. Almost haunts her every thought and action. Jess has no memory of the night that she was assaulted and now suffers from post traumatic stress syndrome. Two and half years later she wants to take control of her life and apply to college. Jess’s parents will only allow this if she can control her nightmares and participate in “normal” teen activities.

Gray Porter wou...more

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Jul 29, 2012 Sharon rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-february, young-adult

More of my reviews @ www.obsessionwithbooks.blogspot.com

I have read so many wonderful Young Adult contemporaries lately and I am pleased to add another to my list; Almost by Anne Eliot was heartbreaking, heartwarming, sweet and beautifully written and held my interest until the very last page.

Jess Jordan is a shell of her former self after enduring a near rape at a party her freshman year; three years later she is still suffering and has withdrawn from all social aspects of life. She has no memo...more

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Jul 14, 2012 Mandy Rosas rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-release, not-supernatural, favorites, heartbreaking, ya

I need to talk about the awesome that is this book. Fans of Beautiful Disaster (Jamie McGuire), Slammed (Colleen Hoover), Barely Breathing (Rebecca Donovan) and Thoughtless (S. C. Stephens), you're in for a treat!
Buckle up boys & girls, because Jess's past isn't pretty... but she doesn't remember it. At least, almost nothing of it. Not the night she revisits every time she falls alseep during dark hours, and not how what was meant to be rape was reduced to almost-rape. Everything about her l...more I need to talk about the awesome that is this book. Fans of Beautiful Disaster (Jamie McGuire), Slammed (Colleen Hoover), Barely Breathing (Rebecca Donovan) and Thoughtless (S. C. Stephens), you're in for a treat!
Buckle up boys & girls, because Jess's past isn't pretty... but she doesn't remember it. At least, almost nothing of it. Not the night she revisits every time she falls alseep during dark hours, and not how what was meant to be rape was reduced to almost-rape. Everything about her life is almost. Almost remembered. Almost raped. Almost fine. Almost better. Almost dating...

It has many references to Pride & Prejudice, Titanic, Romeo & Juliet, and a few to Twilight. Because we all love popular references, and you know it. But awesome references to gain (or lose...) cookie points, Almost is a heart-wrenching tale of a teenage girl struggling to come to terms with the trauma in her past, while trying to convince her overbearing parents that she isn't made of glass, getting her younger sister to stop acting like the older sister for once, and falling in love - all at once. Oh, and she needs to fill in college applications, on the off chance that she can convince the parental entities that she's ready to move on - which is where Gray Porter comes in. Tall, dark and handsome with killer green eyes, he seems immune to Jess's death stares and not-so-subtle back-off hints. With an easy smile and the butterflies he gives her, she figures he'd be an okay candidate for number 3 on the list her sister made for her on How To Be Normal. #3 is getting a boyfriend. After some fast-talking and involuntary guilt-tripping, she gets Gray to go along with her plan... not knowing that Gray knows her deepest secrets, or that he's had a crush on her since freshman year, back when she was still a normal girl...

Almost is told in first person by both Gray and Jess, which I loved. Getting simultaneous intel inside both of their heads was wonderful. And let it be said - I love Gray Porter. And I want one of those BBB bumper stickers for myself! ;)(less)

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Jul 01, 2012 Chris Myers rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is really a wonderful book and an excellent read. Jess is a girl who fakes her life so that her family thinks she's normal after she was almost raped when she was a high school freshman. The story opens during the summer before her senior year. She applies for an internship at a Geek store. When she gets there, she realizes she is one of two candidates being seriously considered. Only one can get the job, so she works a deal with Grey, the other candidate, to be her pretend boyfriend and wo...more

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Jun 16, 2012 Kim rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: finders-keepers, made-me-laugh, made-me-sad, made-me-smile, made-me-think, of-heroines-and-heroin-books

Woah. This book was fantastic on so many levels. Deep, but thanks to the articulate author's use of simplistic words and a smashing plot, even I understood everything.
This book talks about Jess and how she deals with the post-trauma of being an almost-raped victim. I'm not sure how victims like her are inclined to react, but I've read before that most rape victims have panic attacks, claustrophobia, are introverted, etc., etc. Do almost-raped victims react the same way? I'm not sure, but Eliot's...more Woah. This book was fantastic on so many levels. Deep, but thanks to the articulate author's use of simplistic words and a smashing plot, even I understood everything.
This book talks about Jess and how she deals with the post-trauma of being an almost-raped victim. I'm not sure how victims like her are inclined to react, but I've read before that most rape victims have panic attacks, claustrophobia, are introverted, etc., etc. Do almost-raped victims react the same way? I'm not sure, but Eliot's narration definitely warrants Jess some leeway and authority to wallow and whine. In other chick-lit novels I've read where the lead female bimbos who've broken a fingernail (or equivalent) do nothing but cry and squeal and...well, wallow and whine, generally such antics piss me off a lot. However, what I really liked about Jess was that she never blamed anyone for the incident that happened 3 years ago then. She takes it all within her stride, and tries to be of minimal burden to everyone. I mean, who does that (though everyone should do that, especially those bimbos in those chick-lit novels). Though she was shattering inside (trust me, she had full right to shatter), she tries her best to act normal. Almost normal.
Then there's uber-hottie Gray. *Swoon*. He's isn't the typical serve-thou-hand-and-foot man-slave that I've come across in many chick-lit novels (here we go again), he's a gentleman in his own right. My explanations and proof all lie within this novel. I think Jess and Grey are really meant for each other.
This story doesn't only talk about the development of a sweet, lovely romance, this book deals with a victim facing her fears, salvage the precarious relationship with her family, and finding oneself again. it sure does bring the dire situation of rape into the light. Mind-blowing.

Afterthoughts:
"So...that's a make-up kiss? Let's have another fight soon."
Haha who talks like that? This book has one of the sweetest conversations between a couple that I've read.(less)

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Jun 15, 2012 Jody rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya, romance

Jess Jordan was 'almost' raped her freshman year of high school because of on poor decision to sneak out to a senior party. Since then, she has nightmares, doesn't sleep, and is almost normal. Jess has perfected the bitch persona to keep others away from getting to know how crazy she really is. Her ticket to a normal life and going off to college is an intership at Geekstuff.com. Only she isn't the only person up for the position. Gray Porter is also a canidate. Gray has secrets of his own--Jess...more

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About Anne Eliot

I write middle grade and young adult fiction full time. I'm a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators (SCBWI), Romance Writers of America (RWA), and Pikes Peak Writers.

I love to hear from readers. For more information, please visit my website.

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Quotes from Almost

“With a lightning quick glance at me first, he reads one bumper sticker: “Member: BBB. Boys in Books are Better?” — 50 people liked it

“I'd rather be in Forks? I shop the HOB? What do these even mean?!” — 27 people liked it

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