Man's perspective on Easy...

[Fred]

Tammara Webber did not have me (married guy in his mid 30s) in mind when she penned this work. And yet there I was turning page after page. An efficient story. Believable characters. Job well done, Ms. Webber.
Why is it, though, that women LOVE this book? The chase? The pursuit of the unattainable? Even I'll admit, Easy excelled in both these regards. But the devotion to this book above all other by the same author (from what I can tell having not read anything else by Webber) is astounding. Is it my anatomy that keeps me from understanding?

[J.S.]

I wouldn't say Lucas was ever really unattainable. He was interested in Jacqueline before she knew he existed lets not ignore. I think it's cos he has such a protective nature and good intentions along with his air of mystery. Plus, he's damaged and Jacqueline is the special one able to heal him. Every girl wants to be THAT special one, the only one that guy's met who has what he needs to repair him.
And can I just add: All Tammara Webber's books are amazing. She's a very skilled emotive writer who creates very distinguishable and full characters. I adore her :)

[Fred]

I'd have to agree, Joanne, with your assessment of Webber's writing skills. Easy could have fallen victim to genre cliches yet doesn't- which must be a key to her garnering such fierce loyalty from her readers.

[Lynn]

This book works because she writes a strong heroine who has gone through an extremely rough period in her life. Even though her first reaction is to hide from the attack she doesn't give up and comes back fighting. She doesn't loose her self respect for too long in regards to the break up. She picks herself up and gets back to living and doesn't allow herself to fall back into her exes charms. She writes good positive female friendships which is sorely lacking in books.

I thought the romance balanced the darker tones. I am not a fan of the overly dark trends you tend to find in New Adult. I am also not one to buy into a girl saving a guy or vice versa and I don't see it quite that way. Is see it as Lucas having been quite a mess when he was younger but slowly turning his own life around. Jacqueline happens to come into his life at a time when he is finally getting it together enough to be good for someone.

I would not have liked this book if she had "changed" him. Instead, they relationship worked because they both support each other. Lucas having a tragic back story helped balance the power in the relationship. He wasn't the only one being strong and supportive. They leaned on each other. Balance in a relationship is key for this reader.

Anyway, just a few thoughts.

[Fred]

"I am not a fan of the overly dark trends you tend to find in New Adult."

Why do you think the genre ends up with darker subject matters? Just a curiosity on my part.

[Lynn]

I think that there were a few books, like Easy, that had dark back stories or dealt with sexual assault and they did well in the market. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and I think that people tried to copy these types of stories. The thing is that it is really hard to pull off without feeling like a plot device in my opinion.

Tammara has been very vocal about the fact that she was sexually assaulted and part of this book came from wanting to give attention to this serious subject. The romance was her way of lightening that subject but not the point for her. I think that a lot of people now writing these stories don't appropriately handle this subject with the necessary care and it instead feels like a plot device. Some authors are using it to advance their plot for the angst, not to really create an empowering message. It also gives your heroine or hero and easy out for making bizarre choices that will up your angst factor.

These extremely angsty stories have been a big hit so the market continues to drive them. There are many people who love them. I happen to be one of the ones that isn't a big fan of this trend. I never saw Tammara's story this way so I still really enjoyed it. It comes down to reading preference and there is a market for these really dark trends.

I think you see it more in New Adult because YA doesn't tend to sell as well with these dark themes or if they have dark themes they tend to be more of message books versus angsty soap operish books.

Anyway, just my opinion. I prefer New Adult books that are a little more coming of age and not just an angsty romance. If you want an example of another New Adult book that was early in the game you might check out Flat-Out Love by Jessica Park. It's tone isn't very dark but you can tell there is a bit of a darker back story. It is more of a coming of age book though set in the New Adult age range.

[Fred]

Lynn wrote: "I think that there were a few books, like Easy, that had dark back stories or dealt with sexual assault and they did well in the market. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and I think tha..."

Thank you, Lynn. I did not know about the author's personal history as a victim of sexual assault. Now that I do, I have even more respect for the book.

[[deleted user]]

It's been sometime since I read this book, but I appreciated that he wasn't a jerk, borderline abusive, controlling and all the other trends I tend to find in the "book boyfriends" that are typically so popular. He was a down to earth good guy (if I remember correctly) he had his issues like most people do but it didn't build up to an over-glamorized dysfunctional relationship.

[Kyra]

Lynn wrote: "This book works because she writes a strong heroine who has gone through an extremely rough period in her life. Even though her first reaction is to hide from the attack she doesn't give up and co..."

very well said