When Edie Millen is a victim in a convenience store robbery, her life is irrevocably changed. No one can understand what she went through and how hard some things are to deal with in the aftermath... unless the person is someone who also experienced it all..

John Cole has led a life he isn't proud of. After making it out of the robbery, he decides to give up his previous lifestyle and work hard at finishing school so he can make something of himself.

Forming an unlikely friendship, built on a trust they established on that ill-fated night, Edie and John will do anything to protect each other... and be there for one another in the only way two survivors can...

This book was fantastic. I loved Edie and John's relationship. While they are first and foremost friends, they have this slow burn attraction to each other that builds an anticipation in wondering if a romantic relationship will EVER happen. Edie is self conscious about her weight and being a good girl, while John is fighting his past and trying to move on to being a better person. Although they are opposites in the obvious way, they just work together.

This storyline and plot drew me in immediately, the characters were heartfelt and REAL, and they had such nuances in their feelings while they were working through their shared trauma. I absolutely loved this book, for being different and for being a unique and beautiful story.

I received a complimentary copy of this book for my honest and unbiased review.

Kylie Scott created an impactful story that hooks you in from the very beginning of the first scene. A story where two people who could be nothing alike enter each other's lives, and are there to stay no matter what. In a night of a robbery gone wrong, Edie and John's lives are turned upside down, and they are left with the trauma of having to live with the memories of that horrible night. Trust is witty, it's emotional, and it's as real as you can get, with accurate representations of mental illness, bullying and societal expectations being broken down. I wish YA books had more main characters who break the mold like Edie does in Trust. A must-read book for lovers of New Adult and Young Adult books. The story will grab your attention from the first page and will not let you go until you are done with it. While this was my first Kylie Scott book, it certainly will not be my last one.

Loved this book. Love how Edie and John meet, it's unique and I think sets the pace for the book. It also creates an unbreakable bond between them.
I like Edie, she's not perfect, has her insecurities and self esteem issues. She learns who her friend really is when something happens to her. It also causes her to have trust issues. She trust John because of what they have gone through together but not fully.
John is the boy with a reputation. He's gained his reputation by what he has done. Once he meets Edie things change.
I loved Edie's friend Hang and John's friend Anders. They are both funny and Hang is Edie's new friend in her new school.
I like how Edie and John's characters grow throughout the book. I laughed and had moments where my heart hurt for them.
Loved this book. Highly recommend it.

5 stars -- I received a free copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review/opinion.

Well shit.  That was just awesome.  I'm so sorry people, but this is going to be a fangirl review.  And not because I'm a Kylie Scott fangirl, b/c to be honest?  This is actually my first read of hers, even though I have been collecting some of her other books since they sound like my bag.  It's a fangirl review b/c I just loved this book so much.  I was sucked in and just freaking enthralled.  It's funny, b/c I really do rate just on overall pulled-from-the-gut feeling.  So was this book perfect?  Nah.  But by the time I finished, I had 5 star glasses on my face...  I don't think that even makes sense.

I've been having a hard time staying focused on words lately, and I will admit that right at the very beginning I was having a hard time focusing as well.  But Edie's voice just pulled me in, and the intensity of what she was going through in the robbery had me paying more attention to the book and forgetting to adjust my bike resistance (bad for my physical health, but good for my soul).  I just felt all of her emotions with her, even if I didn't always understand them all.

And the book is about so much more than the robbery; it's more about watching Edie struggle to deal with the aftermath and changes those events wrought in her personality and attitude.  All of which is conveyed in the blurb, but I guess I just never imagined what that would entail.  It's not just about dealing with PTSD type symptoms (though those are there).  It's that she honestly had a hard time finding importance in so much of life.  I will admit that I didn't find her new self to be that wild.  Wild for her maybe, but not actually *that* reckless...or maybe it's that her new friends and John helped to temper that wildness.

Edie was just everything for me.  You know how as a reader you just gravitate towards certain types of heroines?  Edie embodied so much of what I gravitate towards.  I could see some of myself in her.  She's a bigger girl, and she was this perfect mix of content with her size most of the time (and how the choices she's made in her life led to that, and not wanting to change those) and yet still damaged by her experiences being bigger (low self esteem, believing she wasn't good enough, basically allowing the bullies to affect her).  I can totally vibe with that.  It's a bit schizophrenic in some ways, b/c you're both confident and insecure at the same time.  I thought those elements of her personality were portrayed beautifully, and that the development of her character as she navigated her relationship with John moved at a realistic pace.  And it wasn't really the focus of the book AT ALL, but it was an element that just existed and influenced things.  I liked that.

And she was so beautifully snarky and sassy!!  GAH!  Love that so much.  I can't tell you how many interactions I highlighted b/c they just delighted me to no end.  And part of that is that she ended up surrounding herself with some fabulous people.  I LOVE when a book has a great secondary cast (and a diverse one at that).  From her new BFF Hang, to Carrie and Sophia, to Anders...I just wanted them all to be real.  I was so glad that Edie had them in her life, even if it took her awhile to trust them and let them in.

I enjoyed the fact that there could have been incidences of horrible slut-shaming, but that the girls tried to cut it off at the pass.  I actually liked that the opportunities were presented, b/c I think it's really hard as a society to change and get past slut-shaming, so the girls weren't perfect, but they tried to adjust their attitudes.  It made them more real.

And then we get to John.  Oh what I wouldn't give to be in his head...PLEASE LET THERE BE A BONUS SCENE FROM HIS POV, please please please!!  He was swoony in such a weird way.  He definitely wasn't perfect, there were times when I thought he was a bit harsh on Edie, even if his heart was in the right place.  But my heart just broke for all that he had to struggle with.  I can't imagine how hard it would be to overcome your own reputation and keep striving forward when everyone already judged you and painted you with one brush.  And even though it was only from Edie's POV, you could really see how her friendship and love changed him...how unused to it he was, but how he craved it in some ways.

And their romance was just butterfly inducing.  Epic slow burn, but it really allowed you to become invested in their friendship as it developed and grew.  And there were lots of tummy tingles when things started to heat up.  *sigh*  *swoon*

So yeah.  Did I convince you?  You should totally read it before you get attacked by a rabid Pekingese.  :P  Insider book joke for the win.

Recently I've been on such a YA kick so when I heard that Kylie Scott was making her debut in the genre, I was more than excited.

Trust is about two teenagers who experience one of the most horrifying experiences of being held at gunpoint in a store. The things done to Edie and everything that she witnessed has left her whole world turned upside down and she has a new perspective on life, though it might not be the one her mother was hoping for. For Edie, she is left in a bit of a dark place and all she can think about it why she was able to walk out alive but some of the other people in the store weren't. And she wonders why John, one of the teenagers in the store, went out of his way to save her when he didn't need to.

When she transfers schools and John shows up in one of her classes, she forms a bond and relationship with him that is unlike any other.

It's interesting to see how the shooting affects people differently. For John, it was the kick in the ass he needed to start caring about his life and to try and make his life mean something. For Edie, it was the opposite. Once the quiet and book-smart student, she now could care less about school or what's in store for her future. I like that the author spent a lot of time talking through their feelings and showing us how the shooting changed them. It was clear that she didn't use something like that as a plot device and I really appreciate that she showed a realistic depiction of how someone deals with the aftermath of such an experience.

I also really love that this book is sex positive. It's always kind of bothered me how YA books shy away from sex or sometimes depict it as this amazing, beautiful experience especially if they are virgins. But Kylie Scott didn't do that with this book. She was realistic about sex and while sex can definitely be this amazing thing she didn't sugarcoat it either.

Another great thing about this book was the diversity. We get POC rep and we also get a lesbian couple and it was honestly amazing. I loved Hang, her Vietnamese bestie! She was amazing and I'm crossing my fingers and toes that she gets her own book about her and Anders. Their relationship intrigued me so much while reading and I would love to get their story.

While I really enjoyed Trust, I did have a few issues with it.

The beginning opens up gripping you and I couldn't stop reading but after the shooting is over and done with, things kind of slowed down. It was just too easy to put it down and not want to pick it up again. It got slow and dragged and there really wasn't anything pushing me to keep reading. Thankfully I did keep reading but it definitely took a bit of the excitement of the book from me.

Also I had a little bit of a hard time with the romance. I really loved the friendship that Edie and John had and the way that they trusted each other and talked to one another but sometimes I found myself wondering if they were really in love or if their relationship was built mostly on the traumatic event they experienced together. John seemed like he got with Edie at first because her mom was stressing her about her relationship with him and how there was no label and since he didn’t want to lose their friendship he's just like "ok lets be together so she'll let us hang out" and that really turned me off from their relationship at first. And when they exchange “I love you” it feels…awkward to me? I didn’t really believe they were there yet in their relationship. I believed in their friendship so much, but the romance part felt a little forced to me at times. I don't know, maybe I just needed to see more of them together to fall in love with them as a couple.

I definitely want them to be together but by the end of the book everything was left very "Happy For Now" and I know that a lot of YA books do that but I really needed that reassurance that they would last, especially since I worry that traumatic experiences are the only thing that keep them together. I think that this book has such a beautiful meaning and sends a great message so the romance shouldn't be this big of a concern for me but as a romance reader, their relationship was a little disappointing for me.

Overall, I'm so happy that I read this book and I look forward to reading more YA books from Kylie Scott. I think she did an amazing job with this book and I'd definitely recommend people picking this up and giving it a shot!

Kylie Scott, best known for her Stage Dive series, is an NA staple author. With Trust, she has gone YA, with amazingly wonderful results. Scott takes characters Edie and John from almost archetypal, near trope to fully living and breathing people. Because there are archetypal and trop-ish elements to the book. John is the poor boy from the wrong side of the tracks who every girl lusts after. Edie is the poor little rich girl who never experiences life. And then, they aren't.

John's actually the local weed dealer, following in his brother's footsteps. Hot as hell, of course, but he's not just the misunderstood wild guy. He has dreams of more than banging chicks and dealing drugs. And when he saves Edie's life from a methhead and gets someone killed in the process, those other dreams and desires become more important than dealing.

Edie is an introvert nerd from the books she reads to the movies she watches. She's not model thin and she's not Miss Perfect. She's bullied and awkward and private. Edie isn't looking to make waves; she's more just trying to get by and not get noticed. And Edie is someone a lot of readers will see as themselves - ordinary, struggling, nerdy or geeky. But when she almost dies at the hands of a methhead, she isn't willing to take the baloney dished out to her anymore.

And then John and Edie meet again. And neither of them are the same. Because in each of them is a new fear and a new desire and PTSD and all the horror of living through the same terrible events. And almost despite themselves, they forge a relationship that isn't a relationship and a need that transcends expectations. But John and Edie are high school kids and they react like high school kids.

And the beauty and tragedy of two kids trying to deal with complex psychological issues after nearly dying is stunning. Scott puts on the pages a delicate and intricate pattern of emotion that delves deeper than any of her Stage Dive books. Only Twist comes close to the emotional tapestry that is Trust. The amazing highs and terrible lows of the teen years only augment the emotional struggles John and Edie go through.

There is a realism to Trust that has been developing in Scott's writing style and it is fully showcased here. There are some fantasy elements - this is a romance - but they are far fewer and the grittiness of high school and poverty, and bullying, and hopelessness are the central pieces of this book. On that topic, thank you Kylie Scott (from this bullied kid) for making it clear that physical retaliation is an option against a bully when they are in the process of bullying, because standing up for yourself is perfectly ok.

This is Kylie Scott and I am most definitely a fan, but in my opinion, she has outdone herself with Trust and readers from middle school through any age will enjoy this highly emotional read.

Absolutely an amazing read that had me hooked from the start. This is my first of Kylie's books that I had read and it will not be my last. Everyone will fall for John Cole. Edie & John go through a horrific experience that will have them come together and form an unbreakable friendship. They have a bond that is unbreakable and love seeing them realize that they want more then a friendship. I love how protected John is of Edie and it was killing me because I so wanted them too be together. They both needed each other since going through that experience and both of them together healed each other. I love all the characters in this story and can't wait to read more of Kylie's books.

I love any book by Kylie Scott so when I saw she wrote a book for teens I thought I have to read it too. It is the story of Edie and John and what happens to them during, and after, a traumatic event. The book captures teen life realistically and the characters are well developed. I couldn't put it down. Loved it!

From the opening page, TRUST takes a journey into the unusual, in terms of storyline and what I've come to expect from Kylie Scott in her contemporary reads (which I enjoy). This mature YA tale is a walk on the grim, depressing life of two young people. It's violent and it's beautiful.

I literally had my jaw open for the first 15%, agog and enthralled. John Cole is an unsuspecting shopper in cash-till heist alongside the heroine Edie. John Cole is a bad boy, a dealer, known to the police. Edie is an overweight, curvy and wonderful young woman, with low self esteem and not on a fitness journey. These two found a most compelling-to-read friendship. I adored the slow burn of their evolving connection and the sweet, sexy chemistry had me on the edge of my seat. This storyline is full, not with events but with connections of friendships and more. I think the connections are some of the most emotion-provoking Kylie Scott has written. She made me feel all of Edie's hopes, disappointments and longings. John Cole was simply someone I came to admire and I felt totally inspired by that book cover, even though I'm not an abs-cover fan. I bought into that man on the cover.

I do want more from these two. I can see room for another book but I have no idea if this is a plan or if this is pure standalone, I only know I would love to read more of them. I think Kylie Scott fans will be surprised by the seriousness of the context of this book and thread of darkness of characters and events, but I also hope her fans will embrace and love this as much as I did. Added to my favourites shelf of 2017.

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through netgalley in return for an honest review.

Reviewed for Jo&IsaLoveBooks Blog.

Trust
by Kylie Scott

This book is EVERYTHING!
I don’t even think I have the correct words to do this book the justice it needs, it is legit my fav Kylie Scott book. Edie and John are just perfect characters, the writing is on point and this plot…Oh.My.Word!

From the minute, I opened the book and read the first chapter I was hooked, the robbery was intense I was a bundle of nerves watching to see what happens, it felt so real and raw.

Edie, (it sounds like Eedee) is a curvy normal (ish) 17-year-old, she was a good girl and now after what happened, doesn’t give a shit about the things we stress about, she finds her backbone and tackles life now without any BS. She takes risks, and finds the new her. Whilst John is the opposite, or was. He was the drug dealer, who was once the bad boy, the dude that everyone scored from, but now with what happened at the robbery the night he risked his life to save Edie from the crazy meth head Chris has had a epiphany, John doesn’t deal anymore, he wants to learn, to study and doesn’t want to get tangle up in Edie BS that she gets herself into, you see they are now at the same school, in there last year at high school.

The emotions and connection that these two characters have is amazing, it is so beautiful and touching that I just could not put it down.
I found myself tearing up, felt fear, laughing and then I was air punching and screaming YES and OMG no way at all different hours into the night while I was reading TRUST.

What I loved about this was that they became friends, and then were each other’s life line. When the people around them didn’t understand them, but they knew exactly what each other felt. The chemistry these two had was so good. I loved all there moments together as mates and as more, I loved how protective they were of each other. When they finally got together, oh man. I was hooked, I wanted more of their sexy times, it was just EVERYTHING.


“He’s the only one I know for sure would risk himself to keep me safe. Doesn’t that matter to you?”

I adored the secondary characters, Anders and Hung. They were brilliant best friends, I loved all the interactions the group of mates had. I just loved everything about this story.

I found Trust to be an emotionally raw, realistic story, it is hands down a favourite book of mine now, I found that Kylie pushed me out of my comfort zone and made me feel them feely feels when reading TRUST.

So, TRUST me when I say you must read this book!

I could go on and on about this book, but I think it is a book you just must read. I am now ready to buy the finished copy in paperback so I can look, touch and stroke it whenever I want.

“Kissing John was everything. Well, not everything everything. I wouldn’t die without him. But all of me wanted him, my heart and my head and all of the rest. Without a doubt, he made life better.”

I went into Trust pretty much blind. I was vaguely aware of what it was about, a teen romance, and that’s about it. The book has one of the most compelling openings that I have ever read. It took me aback (in a good way), and also did a fabulous job at hooking me in. Once I started, it was impossible for me to put Trust down. It reminded me a bit of the old-school YA contemporary books – you know the ones, heavy on the romance and with a dash of angst, but with more diversity.

Trust opens up with a bang with a robbery gone bloody. In the midst of it are Edie and John, who happen to be the only two who make it out of the convenience store alive. This whole event sets the tone of the entire book, which was slightly darker than I expected. I usually would have shied away from a story like this one, but Kylie Scott does a terrific job at also making the story one of growth, healing and hope. Edie was a great protagonist. First off, I loved that she was plus-sized and unapologetically so! I think one of my concerns whenever I’m reading a YA book with a fat heroine is that the whole story will revolve around her fatness and her trying to shed those extra pounds. Thankfully, that’s not what happens here. Edie was fat, and she did not try to change who she is. She was comfortable in her body and did not care what other people thought of her.

Trust is the story of Edie dealing with the deadly robbery that she witnessed, and the PTSD she struggled with in the aftermath. Kylie Scott did not hold back. Edie’s experience were raw and real. To top it all off, her best friend breaks her trust, so Edie decides to switch schools, starting over again. All wasn’t bleak in her life though. She had an awesome mom, who was very protective of her, but who was also open and really cool. I loved her relationship with her mother, mostly because this was a mom who was very involved in her daughter’s life. It wasn’t without its complications, but these two trusted each other, and were willing to listen to each other, which gave their mother-daughter relationship a solid foundation. Edie also made new friends at her new school, and I was especially happy she found a supportive friend in Hang. Also bonus? Her friends are a diverse bunch!

I’m sure you all are itching to know more about John and the romance here. Meet my newest book boyfriend! Let me tell you, he was a swoony god, who made me feel all the feels with how good and respectful he was to Edie. He initially had that secretive bad boy trope going on for him, but he was more than just a stereotypical bad boy. Sure, he had his moments in the past especially dealing with drugs, but John was reformed now, and was trying to make a better life for himself. He was quiet, introverted, but also intense.

He provided the perfect balance to Edie, in my opinion. They found solace with one another and bond over their shared experience, developing a friendship in the process. There is no “saving each other” in their relationship, but there’s no denying that they helped the other person deal with their circumstances better. The friendship was sweet, but the slow-burn romance that materialized over the course of Trust was the best. It’s full of deliciously swoony tension and chemistry, banter, and kissing that will leave readers breathless. Trust also explored sex in a very authentic way, and I loved how Kylie Scott had her characters talk about it before they slept with each other. Also, props to her for not sugarcoating what a teen’s first time can be like.

Anyways, Trust was an addicting book and I loved every moment of it. It’s more than just a sexy slow-burn romance, with themes of overcoming your fears, PTSD and growing up. 10/10 would recommend this one for anyone seeking a new favorite YA contemporary read.

This was a good book! Well written and developed! I enjoyed the journey Edie was on, and the paths she crossed. I was sad that the book ended.

Kylie Scott's foray into YA is a success!

I have always been a fan, and, more often than not, loved her stories. This one was was no different.

Not normally a fan of YA but I do love this author so thought I would give it a go.

And I loved it. It begins with a traumatic life changing event for both the heroine and hero.

And as such, they respond in different ways. The bad boy trying to turn over a new leaf, but the good girl struggling and acting out.

I loved the connection they had, they had a bond, and only the other knew what they were going through. I adored the friends to more than friends romance.

John was a great hero, how he was changing and growing and trying to be a better person. And Edie, struggling with everything that happened, but stands up for John.

And I really enjoyed how it actually retained some of that awkwardness of young/first love.

A brilliant 5 stars. This author so far can do no wrong for me.

Edie - Edith - and her friend Georgia were going to do a movie marathon and needed snacks. Edie was tasked to buy them at the Drop Stop store. When she was leaving, she fell over with a guy who came in and knocked over everything in the bag. As she collected her purchases, the chaos formed. It was a robbery. Soon the police surrounded the place and Edie was taken like hostage.

After hours of terror and negotiation, the nightmare only ended because Edie was saved by two other guys who were in the store. John and Isaac saved her and that episode marked her forever.

Tired of bullying for not having the stereotype of models, Edie decides it's time to stop being so rational and enjoy life more. After all, she could have lost her life in the blink of an eye, right?
She moves to another school and becomes the new Edie, the rebellious girl.

On the other hand, John wanted to clean up his life.
After selling drugs to his brother, Dillon, John just wants to focus on his studies and have a better future.
Until he comes across the girl he saved at the Drop Stop. As much as he tries to avoid her, something draws him to her. And they become inseparable.

But could this friendship that started because of a tragedy work?

I was overwhelmed by the story. From the time of the robbery to the end, Kylie catches the reader's attention to "what's next?"

5 stars

Edie is stopping at a convenience store for late night snacks when the store is robbed and she and 2 other boys held hostage. She survives due to the 2 boys attacking the gunman. Edie tries to recover and suffers from anxiety and can't sleep. In her senior year of high school, she opts to change schools and befriends the boy that saved her, John. John was a drug dealer until the robbery, which scared him straight. He and Edie tiptoe around a relationship as they both get used to the new normal in their lives. The book ends with John standing up to his drug addicted brother and Edie and John become an official couple. I didn't realize this was a YA novel and while it was okay, there was more teen angst than I normally like in a romance novel.

* 4.5 stars *

Get ready for a read that will suck you in from the first page and not let go until the very last. It's a suspenseful, tragic, emotional, intense story that will stay with you long after you finish reading. Kylie Scott starts the book off with a scene that will shock readers and from there, she spins a tale of healing deep scars and finding one's inner strength, of growing up and establishing identities, of friendship and first love. Trust is a YA book but also fits into the NA category as the characters deal with some very mature situations.

The characters in Trust were well developed and interesting. Edie started out weak but developed an inner strength that I loved. She stood up for herself and realized that, while she may be flawed and imperfect, she is worthy of being loved and respected. Her flaws made her real and while she experienced way more than most teenagers, she was still a character that any woman could relate to. John was harder to connect with. Because the story is told from Edie's POV, John remained a mystery to me for much of the story. But the one thing I loved about him was his loyalty to Edie. He may have been a young man of few words but he showed her how he felt in ways that far surpassed words. His evolution throughout the story was refreshing as he transformed himself into the man he wanted to be, one who was worthy of Edie's love and respect. Add in Hang, Edie's best friend and Anders, John's best friend and you have a cast of characters that were both fun and deep.

YA is not my usual choice for genre but I'm a huge Kylie Scott fan and I'm so glad that I took a chance on Trust. It was well written and really touched me. My heart beat frantically during some scenes and I couldn't turn the page fast enough. At others, I felt the characters' pain deep in my heart. The emotional journey for me, as a reader, was exactly what I love. This book is definitely a winner!

Tried very hard to like this book, but could not relate to the characters and the writing did not pull me in. Great synopsis and story idea, but not my cup of tea, as it turns out.

This was an okay read for me, but very different from Kylie Scott's usual genre. There are some brilliant reviews about this book, but for me it just didn't quite click.

I must say the first 30% was brilliant, and I got really sucked into the story line with the action and drama that unfolded. The developing friendship between the two main characters was great, and I really liked Edie's and John's slow burn, friendship which did eventually become more...

I really liked the secondary characters of Anders and Hang. And especially loved Hang and Edie's lovely friendship.

This story is all about friendship, self-discovery, and most importantly, TRUST.

Overall the writing was very good, but for me it lacked any real substance. Bar a little bit of action during the last 5%, very little happened for 60% of the book... There was the usual high-school drama and teenage angst, which I usually like, so unsure why I struggled to fully connect with this one.

*** 3 STARS ***

Trust sucks you in right from the beginning. It's hard to put down a book that starts with a robbery like that! I really felt for both Edie and Josh. It was a terrible thing to go through. I really felt that Scott did a great job with writing them as real after the event. Things like that change people and both Edie and Josh went through that, sometimes apart, sometimes together. I know this sounds like a terrible thing to say but I think the robbery led Edie and Josh to better things, including each other.

I struggled a bit with two things though. One, we are constantly being told (through other insensitive high school jerks and Edie herself) that she is fat. I wish that that had been fleshed out a bit more. I also thought the ending happened super fast.

With all that said though Trust was an amazing look at people coming together after a tragedy in a very real way. I don't want to give away any spoilers for the book, but even though it was the "nice" thing to do or the "forgiving" thing, I thought that Edie's reactions to a few different people after the robbery were perfect in the situation.