Review of Little White Lies

[Tarie07]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Little White Lies" by JC Anderson.]

---

3 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

Little White Lies by JC Anderson is a romance that evolves around the life of a kindergarten teacher Mia Stones. Mia is watching her class playing when she starts reminiscing the good old days she had back in her teens with her first love Lucas Bauer. She remembers the first day they opened up to each other about their feelings, and how she gave her pride and virginity to him. Luke enlisted in the army and that led to their painful separation. Mia broke up with Luke knowing it would never work with the distance. She had been so broken that she had failed to find love again until the present day. After school, Mia goes to the winery where she works part-time with her friend Sarah. Sarah brought her boyfriend Mark, along with his friend Michael, setting Mia and Michael up. Mia immediately falls in love with Michael and they move in together. Has Mia managed to find her happily ever after?

Luke has been discharged from the army for unknown reasons. He is living with his wife Ellie. He is suffering from PTSD and drug addiction. He catches Ellie cheating on him and kicks her out. He remembers the promise his high school sweetheart Mia had made him when they broke up, that if they ever found each other again they would rebuild what they used to have. Luke starts looking for Mia and when he finds her, he is disappointed to find that she has already moved on. He is determined to make Mia his again because is his head, she is the salvation and light he needs. With PTSD and drug addiction, Luke is over the edge and delusional. To what extent is he willing to go to get Mia back? Are Mia and Michael safe from Luke?

Little White Lies was a page-turner. It was written from a third-person point of view, allowing me to explore the characters from every angle. The use of dialog made sure the writing was not too stiff. The vocabulary was not too heavy, but not too flat either. It made reading very easy and more enjoyable. Chapters were titled with the name of the character being discussed. They kept alternating between the present and the past. It is very easy to get lost in such a way of narration. However, JC Anderson did a great job at detailing that I was following the storyline easily. Though it was purely a romance book, I loved the fact that the author managed to talk about a lot of real and sensitive issues. She talks about PTSD, and how it is important to get help instead of bottling up your emotions and losing yourself in the process. Luke would not talk about what happened to him in the army, he pretended to be okay until it was too late. JC Anderson also addresses the issue of rape and how victims blame themselves for other people’s sins. They push away those who love them instead of leaning of them and allowing them to guide them through their difficult times.

I admired the friendship Sarah, Mia, Mark, and Michael had. They always had each others’ backs and would never allow one another to give up. Mia and Michael’s love was adorable. Michael was Mia’s rock. I loved how committed he was to their relationship, and how patient he was with Mia even when she was trying so hard to push him away. Another lesson I learned was that we should try to keep the past where it belongs; in the past. Trying to link our present with the past could end up having dire consequences. Mia could not let her best friend go but it nearly cost her everything, including her life.

There were a few things I did not like about this book. The tiny font is on top of the list. It made reading difficult and a bit frustrating. There were numerous grammatical and typographical errors. Most of them I felt could have been avoided. Quotation marks were missing from some direct speech and it got confusing. With this being said, I rate Little White Lies 3 out of 4 stars.

There is a lot of explicit content, understandably so considering it is a romantic book. It makes it suitable for an older and mature audience. There are also all forms of profanity. There is no specific mention of religious beliefs, making it suitable for readers of all religions. There are issues such as drug addiction and rape, those sensitive readers may find upsetting.

******
Little White Lies
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

[Kaushiki Parihar]

Though I enjoy romance novels; this doesn't seems to be my cup of tea because of drug addiction and rape scenes. Thanks for the detailed review.

[Tarie07]

Though I enjoy romance novels; this doesn't seems to be my cup of tea because of drug addiction and rape scenes. Thanks for the detailed review.

I agree some scenes are too graphic and too sensitive. I appreciate your honesty.

[khaulah]

I think I would love to read this book from what I read about it in your review. I was rooting for Luke and Mia, that is until I read about Michael. I love well written romance books, and this seems like one. Thank you!

[markodim721]

The book has a very interesting plot. Too bad there are a lot of errors. Thanks for the objective review.

[Nonso Ok]

Tiny fonts make reading books a lot more difficult. The author and publishers could work on this. Great review!

[Tarie07]

I think I would love to read this book from what I read about it in your review. I was rooting for Luke and Mia, that is until I read about Michael. I love well written romance books, and this seems like one. Thank you!

I also thought Luke and Mia had been a great fit until Michael came to the picture. Thanks for stopping by.

[Tarie07]

The book has a very interesting plot. Too bad there are a lot of errors. Thanks for the objective review.

I really hope the book gets another round of editing. Thanks for commenting.

[Tarie07]

Tiny fonts make reading books a lot more difficult. The author and publishers could work on this. Great review!

They really need to fix the font because it can be off-putting. Thanks for the comment.