Sweet Deception

Beautiful and poignant...but could have been more.

ARC kindly provided by Simon & Schuster (Australia) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Review
‘Sweet Deception’ is a novel that is a LOT more than it seems and THAT is why I enjoyed it! It was full of mystery and romance that spun the story, kept you on your toes and on the edge of your seat until you didn't know when the next surprise would hit you! The author beautifully writes of grief and love in a simple yet poignant style.
I REALLY like the cover; it’s intriguing, sexy and chic! In fact, it was the first thing that made me request this novel for review. The grey, black and white provide BEAUTIFUL contrast to the red and I am a HUGE admirer of covers such as these, where simplicity is key…
The blurb hooked me in right from the beginning: "I could just imagine my mother's face when she saw me - her troublemaking youngest daughter, the university dropout who worked in a bar - turning up hung-over and in a ridiculously tiny miniskirt... Ah, to be the black sheep of the family…” I mean who could not be hooked at these words?
When I read the prologue, I COULD NOT WAIT to read more. *SPOILER* I discovered that Charlotte was not always ‘Charlie’, the promiscuous, but was one ‘Charlotte’, the mouse. She was always the black sheep of the family and it made me ache for her and her future as things started to fall into place. I learned of the exact cause of Christopher's (Charlotte's brother), also known affectionately as Kit. I personally prefer to call Charlie, Charlotte, and Christopher, Kit.
As I progressed through the novel, I got the full impact of just how much Kit’s death REALLY affected Charlotte. The reason she acts the way she does, the reason she dresses the way she does: it's all a front to cover up the darkness that's eating her up inside. I, personally, don't understand grief for I am SUPER lucky to not have lost ANYONE very close to me, in my life, but through Charlotte I could SEE it. I could FEEL it.
I felt strongly sympathetic towards Charlotte: She really had been through a LOT. And I'm not only saying the death of her brother but also and underlying trauma and event that I COULD NOT have guessed. EVER!
I REALLY admired Richard: He was such a gentleman! You don't see much of those these days and when you do, they're special. He was always so caring and patient with Charlotte, I honestly don't know how he bore her sometimes. Charlottes such a stubborn creature!
Unfortunately, I did not feel connected to Richard or Charlotte. Both seemed a bit distant to me and I could not forge an emotional bond that would make me love BOTH characters completely and thus the novel. I felt that the author could have done better on that point; she could've conveyed the emotions of the characters more effectively.
Since the novel is written in Charlotte’s point of view, this also greatly limited my attachment to other characters. If the author had chosen Richard as yet another main character and wrote from his point of view, too, then it would have greatly increase the quality of the novel.
The end of the novel did not end the way I expected it would – but most importantly it did not end with a BANG. The novel started off so well that when the ending rolled around I was majorly disappointed. It seemed monotonous and subpar to the quality in which the author was writing in the beginning of the novel. THAT’S the reason why I gave it a three star.
Congratulations to Tara Bond on publishing her second well-written new-adult novel!

Rating Plan
1 star : Strongly did not like the book, writing and plot was bad. Idea of the book was against my liking.
2 star : Didn't like it, didn't find it interesting or gripping. Seemed to drag on to me.
3 star : An average book. Wasn't bad or good. Everything else was well done. Original idea.
4 star : Like a 3 star but has potential to it as a series or the book grew on me as it progressed and certain scenes captured me. I Enjoyed it and read it in one sitting.
5 star : I LOVED IT! I stayed up late until 3 am. Author is a genius, characters, plot, idea, development, EVERYTHING was EXCELLENT. Nothing else can possibly be said except that its 5 STAR! Rating Plan
1 star : Strongly did not like the book, writing and plot was bad. Idea of the book was against my liking.
2 star : Didn't like it, didn't find it interesting or gripping. Seemed to drag on to me.
3 star : An average book. Wasn't bad or good. Everything else was well done. Original idea.
4 star : Like a 3 star but has potential to it as a series or the book grew on me as it progressed and certain scenes captured me. I Enjoyed it and read it in one sitting.
5 star : I LOVED IT! I stayed up late until 3 am. Author is a genius, characters, plot, idea, development, EVERYTHING was EXCELLENT. Nothing else can possibly be said except that its 5 STAR!