Trust by Kylie Scott is an emotionally gripping, uncut, raw, realistic story of human social interactions. Scott pushes her readers out of their comfort zone to see and feel for her characters. She allowed us to be in their shoes to feel their vulnerabilities, insecurities, fears and love. Trust me when I tell you that this book is a visceral literary tale of raw honesty and second chances.

Edie is a normal 17 year old high school student ready to get out of her small town in Northern California when suddenly one trip to the liquor store changed everything. Held hostage in a robbery gone wrong, Edie saw her life flashed before her eyes. With a gun held to her head, Edie knew instantly this could be it that is until a complete stranger risked his life to save her. John Cole saved Edie’s life that day.

John is the hero but in the eyes of the public, he was still the troublemaker drug dealer but Edie knew the truth. He was the guy who saved her. The boy who changed her life. The boy she trusted.

"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.”

When Edie goes back to her private high school nothing is the same. Her friendship with her best friend is strained and bullying is incessant and so Edie decides to transfer to the local high school. It is there, Edie sees John Cole again.

John and Edie begins to form an unlikely friendship since that day in the liquor store affected them emotionally and mentally. They both suffer from PTSD. Since that day, John made a choice to change his life and stop dealing pot. He wants to make a better life for himself and so he begins to study and take school seriously whereas Edie begins to spiral down with her grades. She begins to rebel but John stops her from totally spiralling down as he becomes her confidant and friend. Together, they find comfort, strength, friendship and an unspoken bond. As John begins to change his ways for the good, what happens when his past comes colliding with his future?

Trust is an exemplary story that raises awareness of body shaming, bullying, preconceived notions and stereotyping individuals. This book exceed beyond my wildest expectations because I didn’t expect to fall in love with YA book so passionately as I did with this one. I loved how Kylie didn’t rushed the romantic relationship with Edie and John but allowed readers to feel the emotional and physical connection. She made us vulnerable to Edie and John as they clawed their way out of darkness together. I could go on and on about this book, but I won’t since this is one of those books that you have to read. This story and these characters are forever embedded in my heart as a reminder that trust, love, kindness, and hope goes a long way. So trust me when I tell you Kylie Scott’s writing was amazing and this story was emotionally gripping as it will leave a lasting impact.

I realize that this book has been loved by many, but for me, it felt as though the author was just trying too hard with her plot and her main characters.

I got sucked into this story from the first chapter, and couldn’t put it down. It’s one of those books that are extremely difficult to label. It is a YA romance, but calling it just that is not giving it justice. There is so much more to this story and what Edie and John go through at such young age would make Superman go hide and burst into tears.
Edie is a breath of fresh air, and I couldn’t help but to feel sorry for the way life treated her. She finds herself helpless in the wrong place at the wrong time, which can happen to anyone of us. After a life threatening event, she undergoes a transformation. She’s no longer afraid to fight back and voice her desires. It takes her some time to figure out that the thing she wants the most is John.
We meet John as a good Samaritan, who saves Edie. He is mysterious and just like Edie, decides to change his life, but unlike her, for him it means breaking ties with the life of crime. The author allows us to peel off layer after layer of John’s life, which reveal his past, and finally the real man underneath it all.
I really wish there was at least one chapter with John’s POV. It would be very interesting to see what was happening in his head.

WOW!!! What an amazing read by Kylie Scott. Trust is so different from her other books and I loved that she ventured out into something new.

Trust is a standalone Young Adult novel that borders on Mature YA. I personally don’t think a reader under the age of say 15 or 16 should read this book because is does have some sexual content but it also has drug and alcohol content in it. But this is a book for any high school aged reader and anyone who is a fan of a Young Adult story.

This has to be one of my all time favorite YA novels. I loved the storyline and that the characters and everything just felt “real” to me. I felt everything both Edie and John felt. This book does also touch on the topic of bullying in school and the effects it has on a person. It breaks my heart reading stories with this subject because I know first hand that Bullying still exists in schools these days.

What I loved the most about this book were the characters Kylie gave us. Both Edie and John were great. Like I said before my heart broke for Edie, because she wasn’t the typical heroine we read about. She wasn’t stick thin and popular, which lead to her being bullied. But what I loved was the transformation we saw in her as the story progressed. And some of that was due to the budding friendship with John. John was your typical bad boy who made some bad decisions, but is now trying to change things around. He realized that there are more important things in life. I loved that he was Edie’s voice of reason. These two relationship just felt real and deep to me. I loved that it spans over the course of the book and wasn’t your insta-love type thing.

I really liked Hang and Anders as well. Hang befriends Edie when she moves to the public school. She introduces Edie to Sophia and Carrie and they all except her with open arms. I loved the friendship between these girls. The banter was witty and fun to read. As for Anders, he is John’s best friend, I loved his quick wit and charm. You can’t help but fall in love with him too. He was a loyal friend.

Now I will say that, YES, this book does have some of the normal high school angst and drama that we normally see in a YA novel, but trust me it worked in this story and it wasn’t overwhelming and didn’t commence any eye rolling. This story was so much more than that!!!!

My only real complaint about this book was that I wish it was told in Dual POV. This book was solely from Edie’s POV and there were some times during the story I wish we would’ve gotten John’s POV to know what he was thinking and feeling about certain things. Now saying that, being in one POV didn’t reduce my enjoyment of this book. I was enthralled all the way through.

I would 100% recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of a YA novel. Also if you are a fan of Kylie’s other books, I really think you should take a chance on this book and seeing a different side Kylie. I truly hope she writes more YA novels in the future.

Being young is all about the experiences: the first time you skip school, the first time you fall in love…the first time someone holds a gun to your head.

After being held hostage during a robbery at the local convenience store, seventeen-year-old Edie finds her attitude about life shattered. Unwilling to put up with the snobbery and bullying at her private school, she enrolls at the local public high school, crossing paths with John. The boy who risked his life to save hers.

While Edie’s beginning to run wild, however, John’s just starting to settle down. After years of partying and dealing drugs with his older brother, he’s going straight—getting to class on time, and thinking about the future.

An unlikely bond grows between the two as John keeps Edie out of trouble and helps her broaden her horizons. But when he helps her out with another first—losing her virginity—their friendship gets complicated.

Meanwhile, Edie and John are pulled back into the dangerous world they narrowly escaped. They were lucky to survive the first time, but this time they have more to lose—each other.

So a couple of thoughts on this book....For Kylie's first attempt at a YA novel it was pretty darn good!! I would definitely read a young adult book that she wrote again...It was different and eclectic, and I really loved that. John was everything you want in a bad boy, but yet he wasn't that at all. He's your quintessential hero in this book. I found myself being drawn to him and his story. What makes him tick and how he pushes Edie away to protect her from himself is just a good guy thing to do. Edie is every girl that's ever had any problem in high school. For me...it was that I was overweight - so I could totally relate to her. I could project myself into the heroine's part of the story and relive this in my mind and it made this story soooo much better! The story begins with Edie going to this gas station to load up on a bunch of carbs....no seriously that's what she's doing! While she's getting ready to go - it just all goes to crap in the space of 5 minutes. What would you do? How would you react if you watched someone shot right in front of you? What would you do if someone held a gun to your head? You think you know what you would do, but do you really? All these are things that a teenager shouldn't have to deal with or answer and yet John and Edie have to. In this situation, an unlikely relationship form and a love unlike any other becomes something that no one anticipates. I think that this is probably going to be one of the BEST books of the summer for young adults and adults alike because it's way different than that of anything else I've read this year. In a world of books full of tropes, Kylie didn't pick a trope...she picked a diamond in the rough and I think this is going to shine brilliantly.

I was given a copy of this ARC from the publisher on NetGalley for an honest review. All of the above comments are my express opinions and no one else's.

So YA books aren't my first choice but I have to say this kept my interest. It had real life situations with characters that were believable. It definitely was a story that you kept thinking about in between reading.

Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review by Net Galley and the Publisher.

Reviewed on behalf of Amo and Sarah’s Book Corner

5 Stars

I loved this book, different from what Kylie normally writes but still amazing.

Edie has been through something traumatic, she is unsure how to move past it and just can’t seem to care about anything. When she changes schools, and meets one of the guys who saved her life they start up a friendship of sorts as he is the only one who understands what she has been through.

John has not got the best reputation, he has been a small-time drug dealer for a while, but after that being held at gun point decides things need to change.

Edie and John start to grow closer and all their friends are really happy for them, but when John’s brother comes around wanting him to go back to drug dealing they will have to band together to get through.

I was really, really excited for “Trust” because Kylie Scott is one of my favorite writers and can do some really good steam in her books. And “Trust” is something completely different from her, first of all there was a bit of suspense thrown into the mix and it was Young Adult. Yes, I’m a bit weary of both and so I was scared of the outcome. Some sub-genres and I just don’t mix well and Young Adult is one of them. But Kylie Scott managed the unthinkable – I really enjoyed her story, teenage stupidity and all!!! I thought to myself “Hold ya tits, old girl”, but it’s really true LOL So, first of all big congratulations to Miss Scott, for corrupting me into liking something I’d normally avoid.
In “Trust”, we don’t get to meet normal teenagers. No, we get to meet survivors, who went through hell and back together without even knowing one another. That was a real ice-breaker, to say the least. And made for an explosive start of the book, that’s for damn sure. But the author didn’t let the lives of the MC’s fizzle after that, no. She had some more twists and turns up her sleeve, not so much in the suspense department but more in the life-and-growing-up-department. Yes, I wanted to smack the bristly teenagers once or twice to make them see more reason and yes, my impatience with them was alarming from time to time – but Kylie Scott managed to keep me glued to the story from start to finish. I just wanted to know what would be next for the two, what more could happen. Brilliant, seriously.
Yes, I had a few minor issues with the book, as was to be expected with me sticking my thick nose into uncharted waters but I’m still surprised by how little those issues weighed in total. And also at this point, I’d like to do a recommendation for the age of suitable readers because there was relatively detailed violence on page and also a bit of descriptive (not too detailed) sex. So, maybe readers 16 up would be best.
Overall, Kylie Scott won me over and showed me once again that I should step off my soap box more often and risk getting disappointed, just for the probability of being able to find some new amazing surprising gems like “Trust”. 4,5 stars from me and a definite recommendation. It’s worth reading for the funny, charming and emotional dialogues alone.

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Review to be posted on the release day

Wow. Powerful, gut0-wrenching and romantic. A book that will pull you in from the very first page!

Trust was a good read and I liked it a lot. I loved that it was unpredictable. I enjoyed both the main and the side characters, especially Hang and Anders. I loved that the characters had flaws and that they didn't let their flaws or what anyone thought of them define their worth. This was a story filled with drama, romance, great friends, second chances and unconditional love. I look forward to reading more from this author.

The writing was very choppy, dry, and not something I'd expect from a seasoned writer. This was my first book from her, and I expected the writing to be better, wittier, smarter, more lyrical….just have something that would have pulled me in.
(Case in point: I highlighted maybe 3 lines in this entire book - and just to compare - I have over 100 highlights from some of my other favorite books).
I think I would have enjoyed this more if it was written in dual POV. John's character was flat (he barely spoke, grunted, yes GRUNTED a whole lot, and that's about all that we get out of him) and it made it hard to feel anything towards their romance, which felt VERY stilted. Their conversations were so short and mostly consisted of one word responses which made it hard to believe either would fall for the other.

Trust by Kylie Scott was such a great read. I usually shy away from YA but I gave this book a shot, and I am so glad I did. Trust is full of angst, that leaves butterflies in your stomach. I loved the banter between Edie and John, I laughed, cried, and swooned over these characters.

My new favorite book by Kylie Scott!

I do love a good YA Romance and this is definitely right up there with some of the best that I’ve read.

You know you’re in safe hands with Kylie Scott but this is altogether something different from what we’ve come to expect and love from her.

This story starts powerfully with uncertain danger and emotional scenes, especially for two young people to experience. At 17 and 18 respectively, Edie and John find themselves facing death but in doing so form an unexpected bond through their shared experience. John is from the wrong side of the tracks and having dealt drugs knows that Edie is too good for him. Edie finds it difficult to trust anyone having been let down by her lifelong friend and when things become too much for her she escapes to another school and right into John’s path. With the two quickly becoming friends, they manage to recover from their ordeal in a slow but methodical way that to date Edie’s counsellor has been unable to help her with. With John looking to start anew though, he doesn’t find starting his life over easy, especially with everybody ready to pre-judge him, that is with the exception of Edie.

With night-time drives and illicit assignations via Edie’s open bedroom window, the pair slowly begin to heal from their wounds but despite their mostly innocent encounters, the duo finds it hard to be together, especially when Edie’s mother finds out about them and with John’s drug addled brother breathing down his neck. Will John and Edie be able to trust their hearts to lead them towards a HEA?

I loved the way this book portrayed real YA life. There were no overly mature gratuitous sex scenes simply added for the reader’s benefit and to add unnecessary drama to an already strong storyline. It was just two young people finding their way towards a healthy relationship despite their raging hormones and an overly protective mother, in Edie’s case. The relationship between Edie and John was extremely well thought out and came across beautifully. I did actually find myself not wanting the story to end when I reached 90% of the way through, especially when you know there’s that one inevitable final hurdle for them to overcome.

For me, the strength in this story is in its simplicity. Yes, there is drama and danger and difficult situations to overcome, but Edie’s outlook on life was what made this story memorable and John’s personality complimented hers perfectly. I guess YA stories are not to everyone’s liking but I think people should make an exception for this book. I’m sure you will thoroughly enjoy it.

So addicting. I couldn't stop reading. I could not put it down. These kids are epic in their survival, in their strength!

A great read of taking life by the horns and riding it for all it's worth because you don't know when it will end. Seeing beyond the veneer to what lies on the inside. Taking comfort in each other.

They survived tragedy. He's a unsung hero. He's the bad boy you will love. She's the strength, the hope. Together they will make it. They will rise out of tragedy and these teenagers will heal you and make you see that life is worth living and fighting for each other is worth everything!

I've always loved Kylie Scott's writing. She really brings her characters to life. In Trust we meet John and Edie, two young high school kids who meet under traumatic circumstances. Circumstances that change both of their lives. Neither knew the other one but they now share a connection that nobody else can understand.
After getting through an awkward stage of getting to know each other they become close friends. John's very popular in his school and he's downright gorgeous, but he also has a bad reputation for getting into trouble. Edie on the other hand is new to John's school and although she makes a few friends right away she is still bullied by the popular girls about being fat. I wish Ms. Scott has said more about this because we only get the opinion of the popular girls on her weight. Did her friends think she was fat? Did John? She was never described as pretty or ugly but John was repeatedly described as HOT!
As there friendship grows they still have obstacles to overcome from both of their families. There is drama and hidden feelings. And while Edie is accepted by John's Uncle she is hated by John's brother, which is a side story unto itself. And Edie's mom doesn't trust John because of his past reputation but Edie says she refuses to quit seeing him. She needs him as a friend just like he needs her.
There is some mild YA sex in the book and romance.
This is a standalone book with a HEA!
I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it to older teens and young adults but I also enjoyed it despite being long past those years!
I voluntarily reviewed this book.

An ARC has been kindly provided by the author in exchange of an honest review.

4 stars

First thoughts: I truly enjoy reading this story but I’m a tad disappointed due to missed opportunities. Some theme could have been dealt differently in my opinion, digging deeper hence the missing one star to score a perfect 5 stars.

Let me explain now.
I absolutely adored Kylie Scott’s Stage Dive series. Yes Kylie can write hot, fun somewhat angsty stories with captivating characters.
Trust is not about Rock Stars or hot bartenders but you’ll still get your hotness fix!
John is a reformed bad boy and dedicated skater boy. Preferably sans T-Shirt. Imagine all the sweaty rivulets covering his pecs the abs and going down, down….YUMM!

John will be in the middle of an armed robbery perpetrated by a meth head right alongside Edie. John will save her life. They both will come out of it slightly hurt but of course the deepest scars are not visible. Nightmares, anxiety, memories of that fateful day will haunt their days and nights.

Edie has always been on the chubby side. She has “thunder thighs” and her rear “overfilling the seat”. She has attended a private school most of her life where she was mocked and bullied for her out of the norm figure. So far she let it slide but now her life’s perception has changed. Having a gun forced into your mouth can do that to you. Few things seem really serious now. Her best friend’s betrayal is the proverbial straw that breaks the camel. She is finished with that school of snotty rich girls. She’ll attend the local public school to her mom and great mom’s utter despair.

Now who do you think attends said public school?
John of course! Duh.

Edie has always been the grade A student. The walk the line girl. The one staying home with a good book and some chocolate on a Friday night. Not the one to go out, punch other girls, smoke weed etc.
But she now knows that life can end in a heartbeat. Maybe you’ll be attacked by a pack of enraged Chihuahuas and die from multiple bites?
So now she wants to live! Rebel much Miss Edie? Yes!

John on the other hand has always had a bad press among the teaching staff. He was the local drug dealer (weed only).It does certainly not help with teachers! Now among students he was the cool guy and with his hot looks he had girls falling at his feet. It was disgusting I wanted to swat them like flies 
The assault also changed his life perception. If Edie went wild John cleaned up his act. He wanted a real future. He also felt guilty as he was selling drugs and saw firsthand what drugs can push a desperate junkie to do. He wants no part in this anymore.

John was seriously a swoon worthy hero. Not because he was hot (well yes there is that too) but because he cared for others. He did not want Edie being tainted by his reputation. He also worked hard to redeem himself. And if you are stranded with a busted tire in the middle of the night he is the guy that will run to save you. If you have your “bad days of the month” and hurt with belly cramps he’ll leave you tampons, chocolate cupcakes and Advil on your doorstep. Ha! How many men would do that? Usually you talk about bleeding and they run the other way totally shocked.
I told you he was boyfriend material!

As it can be expected their shared traumatic experience will create a bond between Edie and John. They both will help the other to overcome the trauma. So friends…maybe more if affinity?

What I absolutely loved :
-Edie coming out of her shell. She stopped being a victim and chose to take her life in her hands. Fight bullies. Girl Power!

-John’s evolution. He did clean his act. He wanted to have a real shot at a solid future.

-The wake-up call. How living a traumatic incident can alter your perception on life and change your priorities. How everything does not seem so life altering or important after such a wake up call.
-The friendships between Hang and Edie, Sander and John. They were true friends having each other’s back;

-The friendship but maybe more between John and Edie. It was kind of written in the stars they would feel close and share their experience. No judgement. No expectations. Only survivors helping each other;

-Edie’s insecurities about her body. She did not want to change and be like her mom always counting calories or having only a small piece of… But on the other hand she was sometimes uncomfortable. She had doubts about her appearance, her attractiveness to hot males. She could not believe someone like John would ever see her as attractive. She was REAL!

What I did not truly buy:
-The romance between John and Edie. Maybe because we’re only in Edie’s head and not in John’s head but he did not seem attracted by her. He loved speaking with her and share feelings, homework, etc. But some boob ogling aside he never showed any sexual interest in Edie. When something happened it was like an after-thought. Like “Hell I’m going to help you with this little problem”. I bought their friendship and it was touching but not the romantic part. Now when I chatted about this with my friend Corina she told this slow burn and friendship moving slowly into love territory were hundred times more believable to her than insta-love. She has a point (as usual Corina ) and maybe what I did not buy will be brownie points for you;

-The aftermath and how Edie and John dealt with it. I know Edie had trouble sleeping etc. but she did not really seem deeply distressed or a complete mess. It felt like the assault served as sole purpose to bring Edie and John together. I think it’s been a missed opportunity to delve deeper into PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). Maybe it’s been a deliberate choice from the author to focus on the other matters at hand? Personally I would have loved being overflowed with emotions, drowning into fear and angst. Then progressively getting better but with other ways than speaking about movies with a therapist or popping pills. But hey, that’s me.

So enjoyed it? YES!
Recommend it? Double yes!

BOOK REVIEW:
“Why is there one set of rules for you and another for me?”


“Because I never knew a girl I wanted to look after before.”

Yes! Yes! Yes!

Kylie Scott has gone Indie for Trust—her soon to be released YA/NA novel—and boy, is it a good one.

This is good.

Really good.

I gotta say…it is refreshingly good. She has a niche here in this age bracket and it shows. She is owning it with Trust.

I’m not gonna tell you anything about the story, but to say, it is up there with the best of them in YA/NA story telling.

The sex scene was written very realistically, with a hint of humor and the right enough for this age bracket.

You will love both characters, John and Edie, and sidekick-dude. You may notice a name inside Trust, too. 😉

Totally dug it.

It’s not too hard to predict it will hit the NYT Best Seller list etc.

I want more writing like this from KS.

Giddy Up!

Kylie Scott has done it again! She has taken me hostage with her storytelling abilities and wouldn't let me go until I finished the last word. WOAH! I loved this book. I have read many of her adult novels so I wasn't sure how her YA novels would be, but I believe that are just as good (if not better) then her adult ones.

In this novel, Kylie Scott brings a damaged girl and the boy who saved her. It's a book about love in the aftermath of something horrible and about finding your way in a world that can sometimes be shameful. It's also one of the best friends to lovers YA I have read in... Well, probably ever!

So read this book. It's worth the time and money and I highly recommend it!

** full review to be posted online come release week **

I really enjoyed this book , the first Kylie Scott book I've read and it won't be my last , this is different to her others it's more directed to the older teen/ young adult but I really enjoyed it all the same , I can't quite put into words , tragedy hits us all in different ways edie decides life is too short and sticks a big 2's up to the world when she then bumps into someone she didn't expect to see , life gets a bit crazy after that but love prevails , I really enjoy teen
books and this was one of my favorites

I'm a huge Kylie Scott fan--I've read and reread all of her Stage Dive and Dive Bar books, and anxiously await all new works by her. That said, I wasn't sure what to expect when I saw she'd written a YA title. I read some YA too, but it was difficult to reconcile a typical YA story with Scott.

She knocked it out of the park.

From the first few pages, you're thrown into the story, tossed around along with Edie as she works through the aftermath of the convenience store hold-up gone wrong. Very compelling stuff.

I liked Edie, I liked John, and I loved how they were together. The secondary characters, as in all of Scott's books, are also wonderful, adding dimension and variety.

It's the emotional journeys of both Edie and John that are most interesting, the progress and the backsliding as they try to recover from the traumatic event that brought them together.

If I could wish for one thing, it would be for a bit more of an ending. A few more pages would have been lovely so we could see what Edie and John were like together once they settled in. But that's just a very minor quibble.

I'd happily read another YA story from Kylie Scott.