Sunday, September 9, 2018

Release Blitz & Review: The Tenth Girl - Carrie Aarons


The Tenth Girl
Author: Carrie Aarons
Genre: New Adult/Young Adult
Release Date: September 9, 2018

Never play a game

you can't win.

For Cain Kent, that rule is golden. Losing is not in his vocabulary, and up until now, everything has come easy. Football, school, girls ... his charm-laced ego may just be bigger than Texas itself.

The competition he started freshman year with his friends, to make ten notches each in their bedposts by graduation day, is practically in the bag. One more to go, and then it's off to college fame and eventually, the big time. Attachments aren't something he wants to form, but when the quiet new girl challenges him in front of his classmates, his curiosity is peaked. She would be the perfect final score, and what fun to break her in the process.


Too bad Harper Posy has no intention of being just another warm body, especially to the bad boy quarterback. Even if he does quote Forster and Huxley when no one is listening. An aspiring author herself, Cain and his hidden soft side are dangerous to her heart. She's seen men ruin her mother's dreams time and again, and she's determined to fly far away as soon as she has that diploma in her fist.

But as the school year’s end looms closer, both realize they didn’t quite understand the rules to begin with. Is winning a dirty bet worth the gamble when the stakes, or the other’s heart in this case, are so high?

Harper is the one girl who isn't up for playing games. And she just might make Cain lose. Everything. 

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Review
4 Stars

It's high school and the head jock also happens to be the school's resident bad boy. He's handsome, he plays football, he and his buddies throw all the greatest ragers, and he has no respect for women. He's Cain Kent and he can get away with anything, even winning the four year, ten women bet he has with his friends. No will hold it against him, except maybe the new girl Harper Posy, the one he sets his sights on to be the final girl.

"From the moment I saw her, I knew she would be my final mark.
If only Harper Posy had been that simple. If only Harper Posy had been that easy."

Harper Posy is in school for one thing, to learn. Moving to Texas from Florida her senior year wasn't exactly in her plans, but neither was riling up the jock of the school or finding him attractive. Used to being a loner, senior year in Haven is a totally new experience for the shy, pale girl. She finds friends, gets the best ideas for her debut novel, and finds herself charmed by Cain Kent. unbeknownst to her though, Cain may be a secret nerd who seems to really care for her, but he still has a reputation to uphold.

"Primal. Pure satisfaction. Dirty secrets in the stairwell of a school."

Oh Cain Kent, what a classic NA hero, a perfect combo of arrogant bad boy and cocky jock. His perspective reflects his upbringing with an absentee mother, a career driven father, and grandparents unable to provide the dedicated care in their older age. He's raised himself, followed a moral compass that only a jock with no rules could ever dream of. And Harper Posy? She stood no chance against him. She's innocent, beautiful, and bookish smart. Her life experience in the Keys taught her to avoid drugs and alcohol, it never told her what to do when the handsome boy quotes poetry and is patient in his wooing. Told from their dual points of view, The Tenth Girl tells the story of a senior year filled with life lessons and the kind of teen love that can make or break you. It's an authentic new adult romance, with homework, secret parties, and great declarations of romance.

"Green, the color of glittering stones. They contain every single bad, dirty wish that takes a good girl down. That can get her on her back, out of her clothes."

I love a good high school aged romance, the kind that takes me back and has me falling in love just like the characters. Carrie Aarons' newest release, The Tenth Girl, is a classic new adult book and I loved the characters she created for this story. Each is independent, something that is refreshing when it comes to the age group, and each is smart. Sure, they're a bit stereotypical, but that allows for the character growth that takes place through out the novel. Cain and Harper mature as individuals even while they are growing together. I really enjoyed watching Cain fall for Harper, because we knew she was a goner before she even knew his name. There were serious topics mixed in with the sweet and fluffy, giving the book the true teen romance vibe. Finally, I LOVED that Harper remained determined even in the face of heartache, she could hurt and still chase success. And I really appreciated that Cain saw that headstrong quality and her drive for success as a good thing, hallelujah. He couldn't fall for any of those others girls, these two were just meant to challenge one another.

"I had told myself that I wasn't going to let Cain Kent get to me. But really, I never stood a chance."

The Tenth Girl was an enjoyable, sweet read with just the right amount of high school angst. I loved Cain and Harper, the secondary characters were excellent, and the story and setting was totally believable. This novel takes you on a whirlwind romance journey that is relatable, smart, and classic without giving in to too many tropes. That said, I would not categorize this as a YA, it definitely falls more in the NA genre due to some of the topics in the novel. I think teen, young adult, and new aged readers who enjoy more mature topics will love it though.

Author Bio


Author of romance novels such as Red Card and Privileged,

Carrie Aarons writes books that are just as swoon-worthy as they are sarcastic.
A former journalist, she prefers the stories she dreams up, and the yoga pant
dress code, much better.

When she isn’t writing, Carrie is busy binging reality TV, having a love/hate
relationship with cardio, and trying not to burn dinner. She lives in the
suburbs of New Jersey with her husband, daughter and dog.


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