One Small Thing

One Small Thing by Erin Watt is a young adult story that deals with the aftermath of a family loss. Beth feels restricted and confined by her parents. The loss of her sister Rachel has made her overbearing parents even worse and the loss has also deeply effected her as well. Sneaking out to a party one night she meets Chase, who is everything she needs and everything she hates.

As we learn more about Beth and Chase a simple rebellious relationship gets more complicated. Chase’s history and how it involves Rachel’s death gives One Small Thing a different track than expected. A story about loss, becomes one about life, choices, and new beginnings.

I recommend One Small Thing by Erin Watt as a thought provoking and developed story but do want to mention a trigger warning for those who may want to avoid books that have a theme of a lost loved one.

(I voluntarily reviewed an advance review copy of this book I received for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my open and honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.)

I finished Erin Watt’s newest release two days ago, but I haven’t felt sorted enough to write up my review; my thoughts about the characters, the conflict, and the plot line are still conflicted…still at odds with each other, which makes it difficult to craft my feelings when it comes to Beth and Chase’s story. So bare with me as I attempt to unravel my entangled views and try and make sense as to why One Small Thing is so difficult for me to review.

Characters – Let me start by saying that even though I was extremely frustrated and appalled by many of the characters’ actions and behaviors, I also, on some level, understood why they said and did the things they did given the circumstances that they faced. BUT, I don’t think there’s a character in the story that I didn’t want to knock some sense into at least once and there were many who I wanted to continually smack in the face in order for them to see a little clearer and a little less self-absorbed.

The one character that I didn’t have too much of an issue with is Chase; he handled himself the only way he knew how to, dealing with the reality of his ‘new’ life, and I can honestly say that I don’t think I would have endured the mistreatment, the bullying, the name calling that he handled as diplomatically as he did even when I’m sure he was seething inside.

Beth is the character that had my emotions all over the place; there were times when she seemed like a melodramatic crybaby, completely consumed with her ‘woe is me’ thoughts, never looking at the big picture…never trying to understand how others would feel by her words or her actions. She also seemed so contrary throughout the story, and while it’s understandable for her to be upset with her parents’ overprotectiveness and their need to control her every move, her heightened emotions brought more pain and hurt feelings than anything that could benefit her relationship with them. It was extremely difficult to feel sympathy towards Beth when she didn’t do much to help her cause or attempt a new course when the one she chose wasn’t working.

I also struggled with Beth’s so-called best friends, especially Scarlett, and Rachel’s long-term boyfriend, Jeff. It was too easy for them to stand against Beth once she started doing things they didn’t like or agree with and Jeff’s place in Beth’s life as well as the way her parents idolized him just didn’t mesh with how he acted outwardly whenever he was alone with Beth and don’t even get me started on his actions at the end of the story; I already disliked him from the first scene he was written into and it turned to loathing pretty quickly after his initial introduction.

Even though I was a bit disappointed in One Small Thing, I’m still a huge Erin Watt fan, and I will continue to be one. They’re a fantastic writing duo whose storytelling teaches readers valuable life lessons in realistic settings, so while I didn’t love Beth and Chase’s story, the message behind the title is extremely relatable, and if our society would stop looking at all of the negatives around them and focus on one small thing about their lives that help them to get through the day then this world might just be a little lighter in the midst of all of the chaos, and it’s this teachable idea that I will take with me and implement into my life because it’s a fantastic reminder about how we should live our lives and never take our lives for granted.

3.5 Poison Apples

4.5 Stars
Review by Amy
Late Night Reviewer
Up All Night w/ Books Blog

One Small Thing was such a touching standalone story that filled me with a gamut of emotions and left me with a smile on my face. Erin Watt did such a stellar job of building an amazing connection with the characters that I didn’t want it to end. This was my first book by Watt and I look forward to reading more.

Beth’s life has never been the same since her sister was killed in an accident three years earlier. Intent on finding a little fun before she starts her senior year, she sneaks out to a party and finds herself smitten with Chase, a quiet guy she finds floating in and out of the party like a ghost. After spending a memorable evening together, they go their separate ways.

Beth shows up the first day of her senior year and finds Chase attending the same school, but she soon finds out he is not who she thought he was. The connection they had still plays in her mind though, and she struggles to decide if she can forgive his sordid past and start a relationship with him.

It doesn’t take Beth long to realize her decision affects so many more people than just her and Chase, and the pain and emotion that she struggles with while she balances her family, her thoughts, and her heart becomes too much. What choice with Beth make? Will she follow her heart or sacrifice her happiness to keep the peace?

These teens found themselves in such a difficult situation and they had to make some very adult decisions. Meanwhile the adults around them were making juvenile and shallow judgments. It was such an interesting concept and I am so glad I had a chance to read this. The pacing was perfect, the characters were entertaining and the emotions were raw. There is nothing like a great love story that overcomes all odds to be together. I really loved this one!

this story gave me all the feels. I felt emotions such a sadness, happy, laughing and swoony.
Beth just stuck with me and made me not want to put her down, I just had to have my beth fix.
chase was a great character and really helped make this story work!

This was a story full of angst, hurt, young love and loss. Elizabeth older sister Rachel was killed three years ago and her parents were a bit overprotective because they already lost one child and was protecting the one that was alive. But the way they went about it was a bit extreme that Beth was rebelling. She was a senior in high school and felt like she couldn’t do anything because she was stuck as the sister of the dead girl. Then she meets Chase at a party when she was rebelling and she was mesmerized. Surprise surprises she approached him and they hit it off. One thing led to another and then they never saw each other again. Until school started and she realized Chase was her sister’s killer and he realized Beth was the sister of the girl he killed. He was disgusted with himself and Beth was in shock.

Beth was so confused with her feelings for Chase but then she started seeing another side of him. Beth was the only person that saw the good in Chase. He tried to stay away but Beth was persistent. Especially when the entire school started bullying him. The bullying in this book and the things that were said to both Beth and Chase made me so upset that I wanted to go thru the book and hit someone. It was so unfair and my heart broke for both of them. Poor Beth was in the middle of everything and dealing with so much. Her parents were unbearable and blinded by lots of things which is understandable since they lost a child but still. Chase handled everything like a champ. You never got much of a reaction from him and he kept his cool for everything. But you can see that he was developing feelings for Beth even though he didn’t feel it was right.

Now there was a twist in the story that I figured was going to involve this particular person. I wish this story also had Chase POV because it would’ve been good to get his insight on certain situations. The ending I liked but I felt like it was left opened for a continuation.

I really enjoy reading forbidden romances. This is one of the ultimate forbidden situations. I loved Beth and Chase.

Chase was so wise beyond his years. He has a real understanding of how rare true forgiveness is. He never dismissed other peoples’ feelings instead trying to understand how other people feel.

Beth – Was like a flower trying to bloom. Trying to find her place and get out of the thumb of her helicopter parents. I adored her powers of empathy.

So many important ideas addressed in this book and it’s a perfect one for teenagers to read.
Gosh, I am just having a hard time letting these two go. This story was riveting and I was glued to the pages. So good.

Erin Watt is a new-to-me author. One Small Thing is story about life, love & loss. It is emotional and touching with a dose of angst.

Beth’s sister Rachel died three years ago. Her family struggles to move on. Beth feels trapped. Her parents hover over her every move and refuse to go forward, keeping Rachel’s things in place like a shrine. The story can be raw and intense at times.

“Rachel is everywhere. Her room is in the exact condition it was the night she died, except Mom has made the bed.”

Beth rebels for a while by sneaking out and going to parties. She meets Chase at a party and they hit it off. Neither one of them realize the connection that they share. Beth finds comfort in Chase. And eventually they find comfort in each other. Her parents, her friends, her teachers all have an idea or expectation of the way that Beth should grieve the loss of her sister.

“All of them expect me to react a certain way, but I just want to be me. If I knew who me was. I’m trying to figure that out.”

Chase has his own demons to fight as well. He has put his own harsh expectations on himself for his involvement in Rachel’s death. He has an overwhelming sense of guilt. There are many turbulent times at school to feed into his self-loathing. Chase has gained a lot of perspective while in juvie and this helps him to give some of that perspective back to Beth. I loved Chase! Having a life altering event happen can break anyone, and yet he persisted and came out a kind, quiet and sweet guy. I just wanted to hug him!

“I focused on one good thing instead of all the fuck-up stuff” One small thing.

I really enjoyed the story. It was well written. The writing flowed and the characters were relatable. There were many other issues in addition to Rachel’s death that were addressed as well. I will definitely be reading more of Erin Watt in the future!

“If you ask my parents, Rachel spoke the language of unicorns and pooped out rainbows. She was a perfect, wonderful angel.”

4 stars

#ErinWatt #YA #emotional #angst #love

Le duo Erin Watt est de retour avec un romance Young Adult que j’ai adoré du début à la fin. Les thématiques abordées sont fortes et l’histoire de Beth et Chase a ce côté Roméo et Juliette qu’on adore. One small thing nous rappelle qu’il faut savoir profiter des petites choses de la vie car on ne sait pas ce que l’avenir nous réserve.

Elizabeth Jones est une jeune femme de 17 ans qui n’a qu’une seule hâte : terminer sa dernière année de lycée pour enfin jouir de la liberté de faire ses études dans la fac qu’elle aura choisi. Mais cela est la théorie car elle vit dans une prison dorée dont les gardiens sont ses parents. Dave et Marnie Jones n’ont toujours pas fait le deuil de leur fille Rachel et de ce fait ils surprotègent Beth afin qu’il ne lui arrive rien. On sent donc que Beth étouffe et qu’elle n’en peut plus de vivre avec le fantôme de sa soeur car ses affaires sont encore là et les souvenirs à chaque coin de la maison. Dans un certain sens , nous comprenons le désarroi et la peur panique que peuvent ressentir ses parents mais les règles qu’ils vont instaurer feraient péter les plombs à n’importe quelle adolescente. Elle est surveillée 24 heures sur 24 et son moindre écart est connu immédiatement d’eux. C’est pour cela que Beth va braver les interdits et partir en secret et seule à une fête qui va changer définitivement le cours de sa vie. Là bas, elle va y connaître le bonheur car personne ne sait qu’elle est la soeur de Rachel. Cette nuit sera magique mais le retour à la réalité pourrait être douloureux.

Au lycée, Beth est amie avec Scarlett Holmes et contrairement à ce que pourrait sous entendre son patronyme, elle ne sera pas très forte pour démêler le vrai du faux. Scarlett est une adolescente comme les autres qui risque bien de s’embrouiller avec sa meilleure amie quand elle ne va plus reconnaître cette dernière. Elles font partie d’un groupe de jeunes qui sera continuellement dans le jugement et dans le harcèlement car ils ne conçoivent pas que le meurtrier de leur amie puisse étudier à Darling School. Cet acharnement va chambouler encore plus Beth qui ne comprend pas comment elle peut ressentir de tels sentiments à l’égard de celui qu’elle devrait haïr , à qui elle ne devrait même pas adresser la parole. N’a t-il pas assez payé son crime en passant trois années de sa jeunesse en prison? C’est en tout cas l’avis général mais Beth devra naviguer entre ses eaux troubles et tenter de trouver un juste milieu. Elle croit en la justice et le pardon mais elle sera confronter à des adolescents bornés et entêtés. Qui devra t-elle écouter? Pourra t-elle mener sa vie comme elle l’entend?

Charles Donnelly a payé très cher le prix de son inconséquence quand il n’avait que 16 ans. Il était un peu comme Troy ou Jeffrey Corsen en se pensant au dessus de tout et même des lois. En volant cette voiture ce soir là , il a pris son destin entre ses mains et en pleine figure. Le pardon n’est pas quelque chose qu’il va demander car il conçoit parfaitement qu’il n’a pas assez payé pour ses erreurs. La culpabilité le ronge et il va encaisser en serrant les dents toutes les manigances mises en place pour le faire partir , pour le pousser à la faute. Il ne peut compter sur personne et surtout pas son beau père , la maire de la ville, pour le sauver de ce piège. Il devra donc ne compter que sur lui même et ne pas laisser Beth entrer dans sa vie. Ils ont connu un moment de bonheur à deux mais il s’agissait une fois de plus d’une erreur.

J’ai adoré ce personnage car même si nous n’avons jamais son point de vue nous savons qu’il en a bavé assez. Erin Watt aborde avec brio les sentiments de culpabilité , de réinsertion et d’acceptation ou de pardon. Chase , comme il aime se faire appeler, ne cesse de s’auto punir pour ce qu’il a fait. En acceptant de revenir au lycée où Rachel était étudiante, il ne pouvait qu’aller au devant de gros ennuis. Ce que j’ai apprécié chez lui est sa résilience à accepter les remarques odieuses qu’il va prendre en pleine face. Il a une certaine maturité du fait de son séjour en prison et il sait que son destin ne tient qu’à un fil. A t-il droit au bonheur? Non mais face à la tornade Beth, il aura du mal à résister. Il ne pourra pas échapper à cette jeune fille qui à l’habitude de prendre soin des chiens errants et qui a une tonne d’empathie à revendre.

Bref, j’ai passé un excellent moment de lecture car Erin Watt ont su aborder avec brio des thématiques fortes en nous plongeant dans une romance Young Adult très addictive. Les thèmes ne sont pas abordés à la légère et nous ne pouvons que nous attacher à ses héros à la destinée tragique. Parviendront ils à trouver ce petit truc qui pourra les sauver. Si vous lisez en VO, je ne peux que vous recommander de lire ce roman des talentueuses Erin Watt.

Beth Jones should be having the time of her life. She is a 17 yr. old girl about to start her senior year at Darling High. Instead she feels like she can’t breathe. She has no life since her sister Rachel passed away three years ago. Everything drastically changed in her household because her parents are obsessed with keeping the only child they have left safe. They are overprotective to the extreme, and everything is decided for her. They monitor her every move, and her life is all about rules, boundaries, and restrictions.

Desperate for a break from her reality, Beth accepts an invite to a party one town over with plans to sneak away. She just wants to have a good time for a few hours before school starts back. She’s always been the good girl who does what she’s told, but her helicopter parents have become too much to deal with. She feels like she’s going to suffocate if she doesn’t get away from her home that’s become like her prison. She arrives at the party and is instantly intrigued by a gorgeous stranger named Chase. They share a night she’ll never forget and then part ways. She later is stunned when he shows up in her everyday life. The one time she’s a rebel and takes a walk on the wild side, she royally screws it up. Her one night of fun complicates her life even further, but she can’t regret Chase or quit thinking about him. Being together would be impossible with so much already stacked against them, so they are forced to keep their connection a secret.

Chase is starting a new school and wants a fresh start. His life has been hard for a while now, and he just needs life to give him a break. He tries to avoid Beth as much as possible because he doesn’t think he’s good enough for her, but they keep finding themselves thrown together. The more time they spend together, the more intense their feelings become.

Beth feels a sense of peace when Chase is near. She knows he’s supposed to be the bad boy she’s to stay away from, but she’s drawn to him. He’s intense, beautiful, and soon the only thing she fears is being separated from him. As everyone around her tries to control her, Beth has a choice to make. Keep living her life for everyone else, or risk everything for the one her heart desires more than anything. Choose the lie or her new truth.

This was a great story about forgiveness and second chances. Two people hurting who need each other desperately. It deals with high school bullying and forbidden romance. Another fantastic story from this wonderful writing duo, Erin Watt!

This review won’t be an easy one to write. One Small Thing was emotional, raw, and it evoked quite a few volatile outbursts from me. I was entirely engrossed in this YA novel that awoke feelings in me that I haven’t experienced in a long time. lI felt like my teenage self again, misunderstood, belittled, helpless, and frustrated. I have never felt this kind of emotions while reading a book. It was like I stepped into a time machine. Back to my teenage years, except I had it so much better than Beth.

As an adult, looking back on my teenage years, I must say I was lucky. The loss that Beth’s parents went through is something I never ever can fathom, but the overprotectiveness that came afterwards would have definitely suffocated me. Beth was torn between the life that she had before her sisters died, and the restrictions she had to endure under the watchful eyes of her parents ever since. Just reading what Beth had to tolerate made me want to rebel myself, scream and rant about the unfairness of it all.

I had no trouble connecting with Beth.

If I had to go through similar restrictions I would have pulled my hair and acted out every which way. Her struggle felt real, and it tugged on my heart strings. I wanted to go and hug her, give her parents a piece of my mind and smack a few of her classmates over the head in the process. Every day was a new battle for Beth. And her willingness to try new ways was endearing as well as admirable.

Her struggle increased tenfold when Beth forged a friendship with Chase that went against all general consensus. It became a major source of conflict and discontent between herself and everyone else in her life.

This novel made me howl with outrage. I wanted to strangle a certain character. Honestly there weren’t that many likable characters in this book to start with. Chase was my favorite by far. His stoic and quiet demeanor fit the circumstances, and knowing he found his one small thing in Beth, made me incredibly happy. Beth surprised me with quite a few times with a sudden show of maturity, that was truly delightful. And I could suddenly see her as a grown woman and I definitely liked what I saw!

One Small Thing was an emotional and heart-wrenching story that put me through the wringer. And I mean it!!!

From beginning to end I was “OMG how can she endure this”, and “OMG those idiots” and at last “YES, a HEA”. I honestly couldn’t put it down. It was an intense and stirring read, that I’ll remember for a long time. So with that said, what I loved the best about One Small Thing was the ending. It was UNIQUE, fitting to the storyline and perfectly executed.

So, if you love teenage drama and angst this is the book for you.