Review: One Small Thing by Erin Watt

One Small Thing

by Erin Watt

Beth’s life hasn’t been the same since her sister died. Her parents try to lock her down, believing they can keep her safe by monitoring her every move. When Beth sneaks out to a party one night and meets the new guy in town, Chase, she’s thrilled to make a secret friend. It seems a small thing, just for her.

Only Beth doesn’t know how big her secret really is…

Fresh out of juvie and determined to start his life over, Chase has demons to face and much to atone for, including his part in the night Beth’s sister died. Beth, who has more reason than anyone to despise him, is willing to give him a second chance. A forbidden romance is the last thing either of them planned for senior year, but the more time they spend together, the deeper their feelings get.

Now Beth has a choice to make—follow the rules, or risk tearing everything apart…again.

“You waiting for me is the ONE SMALL THING that will keep me going.”

Hmm.. That was.. interesting….

Oooookay… Now I don’t know how to proceed with this review. I honestly had so many issues with the book, mainly the characters in the story, and I was just about ready to throw away my kindle on the floor, but I told myself to persevere and stay on board. Trust me, it was hard for me to move on with this. I liked the story, but the characters, not so much.

“There’s always something to live for. Something to be thankful for. Something to look forward to.”

Beth had been walking on eggshells after her sister Rachel died from an accident. Her parents still mourn her death and hadn’t moved on; every piece of Rachel still existed in their house and within their midst. Beth felt suffocated by this. When she finally “successfully” sneaked out, she met Chase at a party, all the while lying to her parents about her whereabouts. Little did she know that something else awaited her when she finally returned home.

Charlie Donnely aka Chase had just got out from jail after running over Rachel Jones, which led to her death. Upon his return, he became an outcast and everybody else hated him. Except for Lizzie aka Beth Jones, sister of the woman he killed. The question was, why did she seem to be protecting and defending him from everyone else instead of hating him?

Sounds promising right? Actually it is. But wait until you really got to know Lizzie who insisted on being called Beth. Wait till you meet the parents; oh my gosh, I’m having a headache right now just by remembering their attitudes. Don’t get me wrong, I am a parent myself and I try my best to be protective of my children to say the least. But Beth’s parentals – they’re unbelievable, intolerable, infuriating! And her friends? Ugh, I can’t stand them, they’re impossible!

But not everything is irritating in the book. There’s Chase.. Yes, that guy who killed someone and got jailed for three years. Believe me, there’s no one else better and more admirable in this story than that boy. He’s that one good thing that happened to Beth, the one who made sense and was wise enough to ignore all those ridiculous people surrounding him. He’s the one small thing for me… I mean, his presence is basically THAT one Small thing that made the book worth reading in the end. Yes, Chase is the one. ‘Nuff said!

“What’s your small thing for today?”
“You.”