Book Blitz / Book Musings - To be Honest by TC Booth



This is my stop during the book blitz for To Be Honest. This book blitz is organized by Lola's Blog Tours. The book blitz runs from 21 till 27 July, you can view the complete blitz schedule on the website of Lola’s Blog Tours. I received a free copy of the ebook from the author via Lola's Blog Tours for an honest review.

Title : To Be Honest
Author : TC Booth
Genre : Contemporary Romance
Age category : Young Adult
Release Date : July 21, 2015

Blurb :

A freak accident left Starla Emerson with a deformed hand, low self-esteem, and a need to fade into the background. However, she finds it impossible to be invisible at her new high school where she is pushed front and center by a behind the scenes internet bully.

She joins forces with newfound friends to launch a counter attack in order to expose the cyber bully, aka grizzlygirl2015. Part of the plan involves the school’s bad boy Chase McFall. Star feels more for this golden eyed boy than she should as the plan progresses.

The plan backfires and lands Star in a mountain of trouble. Will she have the courage to be honest about her part in the plan and her true feelings for Chase? Or will she be left heartbroken? Once the truth is out…there’s no turning back.

You can add To Be Honest to your to-read list on Goodreads

You can buy To Be Honest here :
- Amazon


To Be Honest Playlist

Steal My Girl by One Direction
Don’t Stop Believin’ by Journey
Heroes by Alesso and Tove Lo
Fight Song by Rachel Platten

Take a look!

Still fueled from the anger coursing in my veins, I marched up to Maggie. “May 

I borrow your blue lipstick?”

Maggie creased her eyebrows. “Okay.” She reached in her purse and handed 

me a black tube. I twisted it until a blue waxy tip appeared. I smeared a thick coat of 

blue over my lips and puckered. I looked at Rayne. “You challenged me to do this, 

okay?”

Rayne glanced at Maggie. She shrugged. Jake arched an eyebrow.

“Ooo-kay,” Rayne said.

I spun on my heel. My heart thudded loud in my ears as I marched toward the 

group of skateboarders and BMX guys that stood in a circle. I scanned over the faces 

of the circle until I found my target. After I sucked in a breath, I pushed my way past 

the curious faces of the boys, until I was face to face with Chase. The group fell 

silent. Chase tilted his head and quirked his eyebrow. I took another deep breath 

then placed my hands on Chase’s broad shoulders, rose on my tiptoes, and placed a 

blue kiss on his cheek. The boys erupted with laughter and whistles.

“Tell your girlfriend where that came from.” I tapped the blue mark left on his 

cheek. The shock on his face left, replaced with a half-twisted smile. That infuriating 

grin of his was back. I shouldered my way through the boys. Heads turned, tracking 

my movements. My friends gawked at me like I’d grown three heads. I slipped onto 

the seat at the table so my back was to Chase.

“Whoa, Emerson. You just rocked the challenge above all challenges, even 

though you didn’t really get challenged,” Rayne said. “That didn’t make any sense, 

did it?” He lifted one dark eyebrow.

Jake shook his head, still wide-eyed. “Not at all.”

My Musings :

I am a sucker for differently abled protagonists and this book is based on a heroine, Starla who has a deformed hand caused by an accident. Another reason I picked up this book was because I was taking a break from paranormal and fantasy genres and wanted a contemporary read. Am I glad I did! Because this book is not just the usual teen book but much more than that.

The blurb mislead me a bit because it totally talks about Starla's change to a new school. So I was expecting her to be enrolled in the start itself. But the book begins from how great is Starla's life at the present school and about her friends. A couple of chapters flew by me as I got to know Starla, Ally and Jared.

Starla is characterised well in the story. She seems to be adjusted to her new life but then the move brings out all the insecurities especially because of the cyber bully. She shows strength of character and seems to be a well loved girl. And another thing which really made me love her was that she wasn't a whiny person and though she is a teen, she is mature beyond her years. Actually I felt that most of the characters didn't read as teens at all. They were wise beyond their age and showed a level headedness not associated with teenagers. The characters were well developed and kept my interest in their antics. I got to say that the side characters, Ally, Maggie , Rayne and Jake supported Starla and Chase beautifully throughout the book. And finally about Chase, now if I can find a guy like him, I am all set for life! He is one of the few good guys though he has a love for a bit extreme sports. He complements Starla very well.

In addition to the love angle in the tale, the author also works on issues like how teens look at deformities and cyber bullying. They are prevalent more and more in the present society and the author has dealt well with the subjects. This adds a serious mien to the otherwise light read.

So if you guys are a sucker for a beautifully crafted love story with a dash of seriousness in between, this will make a very good weekend reading. I recommend this book to all contemporary YA romance lovers with blindfolded eyes!

My one line review : A clean teen love story with an angle of serious issues for a light weekend read.

My rating : 5/5

My reread factor : 4/5


About the Author :

TC Booth was born and raised in a small town in Northeast Ohio where she currently teaches. She lives with her husband and four children ranging in ages from 13-23. Her pets include one dog named Sammy, and two cats- Sheldon and Sasha.

TC Booth views books as the best form of entertainment and her escape for life’s stresses. She prefers reading a book over watching a movie, and writing over almost any other way to spend her time.

When not attending her children’s sporting events and running them around, you’ll see her writing on her laptop, iPad, and even jotting ideas down on her phone apps.

She enjoys the escape from the adult universe into the adolescent world. The passion in which young people experience life is contagious and the driving force of her writing.

You can find and contact TC Booth here :

- Website
- Facebook
- Twitter
- Goodreads
- Instagram

There is a blitz wide giveaway for the book blitz of To be Honest. These are the prizes you can win :

- Signed e-copies of To Be Honest by TC Booth
- a 10$ amazon gift card

For a chance to win, enter the rafflecopter below :

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