Review: One Small Thing by Erin Watt

One Small Thing by Erin Watt 

Release Date: June 26, 2018 

Publisher: Harlequin Teen 

Genre: YA, Contemporary, Romance 

Source: ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review 

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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. 

Review: 

Erin Watt has quickly become one of my go to authors over the past year. The Royals series filled the Sea Breeze/Rosemary Beach sized gap in my life while While It's Real proved so much sweetness and so many "aww!" moments that I'm still thinking about it more than a year later. Therefore, when I heard about One Small Thing it instantly sky rocketed to the top of my TBR pile. 

The result? I liked One Small Thing. It was romantic and addicting. I had no problem get lost within the world Erin Watt presented for a few hours. However, here's the thing: it just didn't live up to the greatness that was When It's Real. Maybe I had too high expectations but I expected more. 

One Small Thing focuses on Beth and Chase. 

Ever since her sister died Beth has been the good girl, the perfect daughter. The only problem? She's sick of her parents's constant pressure and worries. She wants to be free again, free to make her own choices and live her life the way she wants. My heart broke for Beth. It's hard enough to deal with the loss of a loved one, but to then have your parents completely shut down and lose all common sense, that's even worse. I couldn't believe the ridiculous rules they had for and how they expected her to just stay with them for the rest of her life. I get that they cared, that they wanted her to be safe, but sometimes less is more. I found Beth to be likable. I understood her need to break free and let loose. I feel like anyone would in her position. I also respected her willingness to give people a second chance. Not everyone would've given Chase the time of day, but Beth wasn't everyone. I loved seeing her form a connection with him. 

Chase, on the other hand, is just trying to get by. He regrets what happened that night every single day of his life, but now that he's out, he's just trying to get his diploma and leave. My heart broke for Chase as well. It was easy to see that he had paid the ultimate price for what happened that night, and I could see why he would want to move on. He was a good kid who just made an incredible bad decision. What I loved the most about Chase, however, was how much good was still within him. Some people in his position would've become different people: closed off, anger, resentful, but Chase still felt the need to reach out, to make connections, no matter how much his head was telling him no. Chase was my favorite part of the book. He was so sweet, so adorable, so perfect yet imperfect at the same time. 

One Small Thing's plot primarily involves the developing romance between Chase and Beth as well as the drama that results from Chase's reappearance in town.  The romance between Chase and Beth was sweet; however, I wish there was more to it. It felt rushed at times, and while I admit that there was a connection between them, it still would've been nice to seen more moments between the two of them. Chase's reappearance in town, on the other hand, kept me on my toes, as it brought about drama as well as big revelations. Leave it to Erin Watt to have a big twist up her sleeve...I saw it coming but at the same time I couldn't believe what I was reading. 

The main thing that brought this book down to three stars is what I hinted to above: I wanted more. Sometimes this book felt way too fast. Yes, Erin finished out all the story lines and provided conclusions, but at a rapid speed. I wish there had been more development, more scenes, especially at the end. I felt that it concluded rather abruptly and I think the book would've benefited from what happened after, seeing some pieces put together more closely. 

In all, One Small Thing is a romantic and heartwarming book, perfect for the summer. I probably would've loved it more had I not read When It's Real first, but regardless Erin Watt is still one of my favorite authors, and I can't wait to see what's next.  

3 stars!!