*4 Stars*

ARC kindly received in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book, and most of the time I couldn't put it down, however the characters did annoy me at times. So let me get that out of the way. Sometimes, Beth was just plain dumb. And yes I know she was going through something horrible, and dealing in her own way, but I questions alot of the decisions she made regarding the parties and such. Also, Jeff, I wanted to smack him upside the head. You'll know why when you read the book.

But getting all that out of the way, the book has a fair bit of depth to it, in terms of the issues it deals with (grief, finding yourself and your place after tragedy, growing up, among other things) and because of that I really wanted to know what was going to happen. When would things come to a head? Who would do what?

I liked Chase. He was probably my favourite character of the story to be honest. He seemed the most mature and well adjusted, considering everything that had happened. Yes, he had issues to deal with still, but he just seemed to be moving on in the best way.

In a way, this story also reminded me of 13 Reasons Why (the show, I haven't read the book yet) - and I think that's because there is a huge amount of bullying in this book. Our words and actions, particularly in a place like high school, affect others, and I think thats really highlighted in this book.

Overall, I sped through this fairly fast and I did enjoy the storyline. A horrible situation that yes, does happen in real life, so it gives you something to think about, and feel for the characters. I definitely felt different emotions whilst reading this one.

Not my fave of Erin Watt's books, but I still recommend.

I think this book leans more towards being more like The Royals series as far as story and pacing goes than When It’s Real. The story is as addicting as any Erin Watt story and I yet again managed to finish this book all in one sitting. There is a LOT of drama with teenagers being awful to one another, and adults who should act like responsible adults but don’t. I don't know what it is, but these books are like catnip to me and I enjoyed reading this book.

One Small Thing is told solely from Beth's perspective. In the years since her sister died, Beth has come to terms with her death, but her parents have not. Beth's parents have become overprotective and doesn't really let Beth out to do anything at all besides school and her volunteer work at the dog shelter. Beth starts feeling closed in and wants to do something wild for once in her life. She lives in a more affluent part of town and decides to go party with kids from another school. It's all made up of people she doesn't know, and that's when she meets the hot kid brooding in the corner, Chase. He's mysterious and while everyone knows his backstory, Beth does not. She never really puts everything together until it's too late.

Content warnings include emotional and physical abuse, sexual assault, bullying, and slut-shaming.

I loved Chase. He asks for consent and comes across as very responsible. He's faced the consequences of what he did three years previous and definitely did his time. We see that he lives with regret for what he did, and I believe that he doesn't spend a single day not thinking about it.

Beth. Well. The story is all told from her POV and, for the most part, I like her and liked reading from her voice. It’s just that if the POVs and situation were flipped...I think that Beth was very forceful throughout the book and never once really considered that maybe Chase’s no’s meant no. And that does make me uncomfortable, because I don’t think Beth backed off even once and kept pushing Chase to meet with her and talk with her. She even uses a fake pregnancy scare to coerce Chase into meeting with her one night.

For reasons I don't really understand, Chase has to attend the same school as Beth, called Darling High School, when it's clear that him being there is the worst decision ever. His mother recently married the mayor of the town, so maybe it's because it is seen as the ~rich school compared to those his friends seem to go to. Chase used to only spend the summer with his mother, and the rest of the year with his father, but things happened and now Chase lives with his mother year-round. At Darling High, Chase is bullied constantly by the students, and the teachers certainly don't care to intervene.

Beth, even once she realizes who Chase really is, can't help but to fall for him. She doesn't outright help him out, but it's frowned upon by everyone that she would go near him at all. I know this book paints Beth's parents in a poor light, but I do appreciate that it is mentioned that they never went to see a therapist when Beth's sister, Rachel, died. As a result, everything spiraled, and they only winded up controlling their remaining daughter's life more than parents should.

I'm barely scraping the surface of what's in this book. There's Beth's best friend, Scarlett (who we never really see that much of except when she's hanging around Jeff) and Jeff (Rachel's boyfriend). That entire storyline was so unnecessary, but does work to explain some things at the end.

Overall, I thought this book was just okay. It certainly has the same addictive quality as all the other Erin Watt books. I think this story is more fit for readers who loved reading the drama-filled series The Royals more than the author duo's other YA standalone, When It's Real. As always, I can't wait to see what comes next for Erin Watt, because I'll be sure to read it! <3

***Thanks to Harlequin Teen for providing an ARC via NetGalley***

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Veronica – ☆☆☆☆
Following the death of her big sister, Beth meets Chase at a party and they have a one-night stand. When senior year begins and Chase is at her school, Beth learns his secret and things between them become complicated as does Beth’s life. Beth and Chase have a strong connection in a way they shouldn’t have given their circumstances. I haven’t read a forbidden romance like this before and I really didn’t know where it was going.

Chase’s ability to keep calm while he is harassed and bullied by pretty much everyone shows amazing strength. He is a guy who, at times, has wisdom beyond his years and he helps Beth see some things in a different light, helping her grow up. I loved their relationship and I think that fact that it is difficult made it that much sweeter.

Beth struggles with her ridiculously controlling parents. They are weighed down by grief, and Beth’s fight to have her voice heard, either by her peers, her parents, or her teachers, is an immense source of frustration for Beth. I was right there with her, feeling everything she felt, angry and frustrated on her behalf.

There is plenty of teenage drama in this story coming from Beth’s friends, classmates, and her sister’s ex, Jeff, who quickly shows Beth he isn’t who she thought he was.

I started reading One Small Thing on a cold and rainy Sunday morning and I didn’t get out of bed until the book was finished four hours later, happy and a little emotional. One Small Thing is an excellent young adult novel about grief, forgiveness, love, and growing up.


Kris – ☆☆☆☆
I really enjoyed this book, it had the perfect amount of drama and teenage angst to keep it easy to read without wanting to scream at the characters too much for being idiots.

Beth is going through a major change in her life, she's acting out and trying to find herself after her sister’s unfortunate accidental death. Beth's parents keep holding tighter and tighter every time Beth tries to break free, they're worried about losing their other daughter. Understandable from a parent’s perspective, but it was almost over the top what this mother and father were doing to their remaining child. I got angry at them numerous times! I have no idea how I might react to losing a child and can’t really say for sure I wouldn't put alarms on all the doors and windows, but… maybe? Chase is also going through a major life change, having just been released from juvie for an accidental death charge, he's at a party and hooks up with a girl who's looking to have some fun. Sure didn't know it'd be the sister of the girl he hit with his car three long years ago. I think Chase was written perfectly with just the right amount of self-loathing but wanting to be a better person. I fell in love with his character quickly!

The mean kids at school added a good dynamic of "us against the world" to the fledgling relationship between Chase and Beth and I was quite invested in the entire story. I felt the ending was a good way to pull the story together and help Beth's parents understand that accidents happen, and maybe forgiveness is the key to moving on in life after a tragedy.


Jordan – ☆☆☆☆
I first read Erin Watt’s The Royals series, which immediately had me hooked. Now, I never pass up the opportunity to read a book by Erin Watt. This writing duo knows exactly how to grab my attention and keep it from start to finish, which is how I always seem to find myself reading until the sun comes up.

One Small Thing follows the story of Beth, who is just starting her senior year in high school, which should be an exciting milestone for her, but nothing has been the same in her life since her sister died. Her parents can’t stop hovering over her every move, but Beth can’t handle being smothered by their fear of losing another daughter. After sneaking out one night to a party, she meets Chase, who is finally out of juvie and ready to start fresh. When Beth learns about the role Chase played the night of her sister’s death, she knows she shouldn’t have anything to do with him, but she can’t seem to stay away.

One Small Thing wasn’t exactly my favorite by Erin Watt, but it still has that perfect addictive quality that I have always found in this writing duo’s books. Plus, let’s not forget their ability to make the most swoon worthy book boyfriends. However, it just felt like some characters’ reactions to certain scenarios seemed so extreme and the only level-headed character was Chase. This doesn’t change the fact that I still found it to be an enticing read and can’t wait to see what Erin Watt has in store for us next!

4 STARS for Erin Watt’s One Small Thing


Sarah – ☆☆☆
OMG – the DRAMA!!! This angst-fuelled young adult romance takes the tired good girl/bad boy trope to another level when Beth accidentally sleeps with the boy who killed her sister.

Beth and Chase’s attempts to reconcile their attraction with the pain Chase inflicted on Beth’s family are deliciously gritty, but I didn’t completely love either Beth or Chase. Beth gets increasingly whiny and miserable and I found her more childish behaviour difficult to connect with. Chase takes the strong, silent self-loathing thing a little bit too far. He is monosyllabic for most of the book and is never quite worthy of Beth’s starry-eyed adoration

While Beth and Chase were both interesting enough to hold my attention, the other characters are predictable stock YA clichés. The bland, generic ensemble cast includes super strict parents, spiteful mean girls, misfits from the wrong side of town, and a rich kid who isn’t quite as nice as he seems. The characters are neither convincing or interesting.

I was intrigued by the premise of this story, but the concept is better than the execution. The plot circles around tediously normal high school life and Beth’s endless emotionally incontinent cycles of rebellion/rage/lust/heartbreak/isolation. Chase’s whole story doesn’t quite make sense to me and without more dynamic characters, the book doesn’t deliver the emotional impact promised in the blurb.


Erica – ☆☆☆
3 FRUSTRATING Stars

One Small Thing is a standalone.

Even with a few major discrepancies, I was hooked from the start and read feverishly in one sitting to the very end. I was eager to know what happened next, finding the novel to hit most of the notes that draw me in and resonate. A side of angsty deliciousness with the entree being frustration.

Beth lost her elder sister three years ago when she was hit by a car, losing not only her sister but the way of life she was used to living. Her big sister and her boyfriend, her parents seeing her as a human being, and her autonomy.

Chase is the brooding bad boy, who beneath all the black and monosyllabic grunts is a self-sacrificing martyr.

Other than Beth and Chase, every other character in the novel was 'off', written in a bizarre fashion outside of how people act/react/behave.

The frustration begins with Beth's parents lost in their grief, stifling her to the point she feels imprisoned in their 'love' and need to constantly keep her safe. While I understood this from an emotional level, it was hard to swallow from an intellectual level, because Beth's parents were the extreme of irrational, creating what they feared the most. In fact, I felt every adult in the novel irrational and acting outside of how human nature dictates to create this almost Twilight Zone level of voicelessness.

Parents. Teachers. Guidance Counselors. Principle. School Board. Students. Friends. Police. All pod people.

While frustrated, I ate up the voicelessness and powerlessness as the angsty deliciousness it was meant to be. In fact, I felt Beth and Chase the only sane individuals in the novel. Perhaps the authors planned it in such a way, but the only characters who acted within the bounds of human nature were Beth and Chase.

Beth lashes out, doing things most teenagers do to test the limits of her tether to her parents, while flexing her wings and demanding independence. Some of the things she did were dangerous, but she is seventeen, lacking the emotional maturity and actual brain development to fully predict the consequences of her actions. Beth wasn't being treated like a human being, rather a placeholder with zero connection to her parents, standing in for the lost sister.

Beth has an instant connection to a boy at a party and a hookup changes the course of her life.

The side cast of characters drove me batshit with how irrational they all behaved – brainwashed or grief-stricken to all act like pod people. Every friend you have had since kindergarten would NOT call your parents and tell them every move you make. While I enjoyed white-knuckling my Kindle in frustration, the major dependencies took away from the overall experience.

Beth's big sister's boyfriend took off to England to live with his grandparents to deal with his grief. Rachel and her boyfriend were the same age, in the same grade, their next school year would have been senior year... .... .... Beth kept mentioning how they were in high school when she was in middle school and she looked up to them because they were older and wiser and she was still a little girl... .... THREE+ years later, Beth has her first day of senior year, and Rachel's boyfriend is in the same grade as her. No one takes three years off of school and is allowed to come back. THREE YEARS. He is a grown man, turning 20 while in a school with 14-18 year-olds, and I also think his age was off by a year, judging by the timeline. He would have turned 21 that year, no one able to legally buy their classmates alcohol would attend class beside them. As Scarlet voices, Jeff easily influences them because he's older and wiser than they are, which is why no school district would allow this. I had brand-new teachers his age when I was a freshman in high school. Yes, there are older kids in high schools everywhere, those who failed a grade or several and never left for three years – they have continually attended school, always enrolled as a student. The molestation and statutory issues that could arise from Jeff dating his classmates, depending on the age of consent laws in that state. He would have been at least a sophomore or junior in college, not a senior in high school.

Another point of contention: juvenile detention = / = prison. Not the same thing. Prison is used 99% of the time. Mayor or not, Chase was an adult, a felon, gone for three years. He would have attended classes in the detention center, as he was a school-aged minor. Unless he is emancipated, it's required by law that he get an education. He would have had a GED, not went back to high school after spending the entirety of his high school career in a detention center. He would have missed three school years and would not have been advanced to a grade when he didn't earn credits to be in that specific grade.

That's not how ANY of that works.

The ages and timeline were off for Chase and Rachel's boyfriend, Jeff, and I watched as the authors slowly made them younger than they would have been to rationalize them being in the same grade with Beth, after hammering home how Rachel died THREE years ago when Beth was still in middle school and Rachel acted so very adult. Suddenly, more than 25% into the novel, the age-gap shrunk to only 2 years, but that contradicted everything shown prior to that, since ages weren't given for driving-age high school juniors three years ago when Rachel died.

How are both grown men, who were 16/17 year-old high schoolers THREE+ years ago, who would have attended their senior year years ago, suddenly sharing the same grade with Beth?

A gap-year is for college kids, not high school kids who attended juvie for three years. Abroad or not, Jeff would have never taken three years off of school and then did a do-over as a grown man attending class alongside minors.

No matter how far I fell into the story, into the angst, into the yummy drama deliciousness, I couldn't let that go. It was the foundation of the story. Beth, Chase, and the rest of the cast were in Advanced Calculus, but the math never added up.

I loved every second of the novel but the major discrepancies, and I highly recommend to those who love angsty young adult, provided these issues aren't hard limits for their reading enjoyment.

I've always enjoyed the unique and captivating stories written by the duo Erin Watt. This being said, One Small Thing was a completely different reading experience for me. It had a great premise with its story of finding hope, forgiveness, and happiness during even the most difficult times, however, it left me filled with mixed emotions.

I really felt for Chase and Beth's characters on all levels. They were so desperate to find a fresh start, both imprisoned by their circumstances and dealing with the grief from Rachel's death. Beth took more of a rebellious route, feeling smothered by her parents, and fighting against the constant reminders of her. Chase was almost a glutton for punishment, feeling like he didn't deserve forgiveness and enduring the bullying from his classmates and teachers. I sympathized with both of them, and their difficult situations really broke my heart.

Chase and Beth had a very unconventional relationship in everyone's eyes. There were challenges at every turn, and I was very surprised at Beth's easy acceptance and pursuit to be with Chase. As their story evolved, I could see how well they related and understood each other's pain, but it still seemed a little odd to me. Although I wasn't sure if it was ever going to happen, I did root for Chase and Beth to find happiness together.

The story itself was very interesting and addressed a lot of tough topics that teenagers face today. Both as parents and siblings, dealing with the death of teenaged loved one would be very difficult and finding a way to move on from that, even more so. Knowing you were the cause of the loss of someone's life and having that hang over your head forever would also be more painful than I could ever imagine. High school bullying and the cruelty of words and actions is yet another. I liked that Erin Watt brought attention to these situations, and they wrote them in a relatable way, really pulling on my emotions.

Where it fell short for me is that this had so much potential to be an incredibly inspiring story of finding hope under terrible circumstances. Even the cover, which is gorgeous, looks inspiring to me. However, I think that the execution of the story really took a lot of the impact away. I always enjoy angst, but everything seemed so dysfunctional and sad throughout the whole story, and all of Chase and Beth's happy moments were constantly clouded with negativity. Only in the very end was their happily ever after revealed, which was way to brief! Needless to say, I would have liked more development and reward with the ending, and it might have given me more closure and left me feeling like this was more of an uplifting story. However, I did appreciate the overall theme in finding something positive, no matter how big, to focus on when you can't find any light in your life at all.

So, my emotions are really all kinds of mixed up on how I feel about the story overall. Perhaps I went into it with the wrong mind-set, and possibly it's just me. As much as I thought this was an interesting and good story, I can't say that it was a really enjoyable read. Maybe Erin Watt's goal was to share the cold hard truths of life and growing up, and they definitely did that very well.

5 Heartbreaking Stars

I honestly don’t even know where to start with this review. There aren’t enough words that could describe how much I loved this book. It gripped me right from the start and had me on one hell of an emotional rollercoaster of a ride. I pretty much read this in one sitting I couldn’t put it down.
Beth and Chase’s story is one full of pain, heartache, you literally will be fully invested emotionally with these characters. I can’t tell you how many times I got so angry at some of the characters in this book. And when Beth or Chase hurt, I hurt too. This made me become one with these characters and that is down to the flawless writing from Erin Watt. They get it right every single time I read one of their books and they nailed it with this one too! This has become one of my favourites of theirs and that’s saying something as I absolutely LOVE their Royal’s Series! Just buy it now that’s all I’ll say, you will fall in love with Beth and Chase just like I did.

I found this story sweet and I loved the message in the story and I loved how everything worked out. I really enjoyed the storyline. Erin Watt definitely has a way of pulling me into a story. I must say I am more of a fan of their Royals stories, however I still love these standalones as well and I have learned that they are great at multiple genres. I can't wait to read what they come up with next.

First off, I just want to say that I have never ever read an Erin Watt novel that didn't make me feel emotion strongly. This one was no different, I laud, teared up and felt so much anger for the all the stupid people in this book. I wanted to pluck Chase and Beth from these pages and just keep them safely tucked away from everyone else.

This book flies so fast that I was at 80% without even noticing and then it was over and I was left wanting more. This is a standalone as far as I know and the story does wrap up well but I still wish more had happened with her parents but hey, just like real life, nothing changes as fast as we want it to. That's something else I love about these two authors, their novels feel, like real teenagers.

There is a wee bit of drug talk in the very beginning but it's not being used by the main characters. That being said, this book is all about forgiveness and moving on after something horribly tragic has happened. The writing is great as always, the romance is cute and the character development with the two leads is great.

All in all, I fully recommend this book just be prepared for those feelings of anger and wanting to reach into the book and smack Scarlett and Jeff to happen. Because they will, a lot.

*I will say that I was lucky enough to get an ARC of this book but I did also buy it.*

Review will go live on my blog: 7/3/2018

I generally steer clear from NA/YA stories. My road back to innocence is a one way street. I left my youth long ago and have a hard time identifying with juvenile teens or tweens
HAVING. SAID. THAT . This theme could be at any age, at any turn of life. Doesn't matter the characters were high schoolers, the dilemma doesn't diminish or increase in its dimensions. Couldn't at all, becuase it's as big as Iowa as it is. Human frailty is explained at the most basic level here. The central theme or the message that the authors wanna send across is that the actions of today impact all your tomorrows and so it's vital and imperative how we behave in certain situations. Could be a drunk, rebelling, teenager or an egomaniac with anger management issues. Try and visualise high schoolers like that. Bullies, daft ignoramuses, full of piss and vinegar, feeling invincible. 
On a rush , in a rush, speeding through life and on streets, until with screech of tires and metal on metal clanks, glass shatters and rubber burns and everything goes blank ! Lives are destroyed, families torn apart and an entire town has lava of rage flowing on its streets, it's schools, it's homes, it's suburbs. Everything is burning !!
I'm still shaking my head at the incredible story that has been unputdownable trip for me. And as they say man can fall from the highest mountain and find his legs, but when he falls in his own eyes, he struggles to meet his own eyes in the mirror. Guilt is a concrete block hanging around your neck when you're drowning in a sea of mistakes and blunders you committed. 
Everywhere I look, I see a closed door. A dark passage. Locked windows. If there’s a way out, I can’t visualize it.
these past three years, the walls just kept closing in on me more and more, the noose around my neck kept getting tighter and tighter, until finally I snapped. 
And then there's the survivor syndrome. The The Child Who Survived 
We all carry our own burdens and are trapped in prisons of our own makings
"you teach people how to treat you.” 
And how do we keep breathing, keep moving, one may ask ?
you focus on One Small Thing a day 
And Chase Charlie Donnelly is focusing on keeping his one foot in front of the other. Every step, very mile, every day is a step towards freedom from his Darling Cage.
He urges Elizabeth Jones to do the same. Focus on just wants in front of you and keep moving.
I focused on one good thing instead of all the fucked-up stuff.” One small thing.
Each day that passed was one day closer to my release. No cage is forever, Beth. I tried to find one small thing that I could be grateful for each day, 
I fell in love with Chase. His calm, his self flagellation, should've annoyed me, but it showed me his maturity. His selfless love for Beth is just swoonworthy. Despite his suffering, he refuses to cower down or put Beth in harm's way
“You waiting for me is the one small thing that will keep me going.” 
To say that this story is profound is an understatement . It's a rule book by which to live through a disaster, if it strikes your life unfortunately. It teaches that forgiveness and acceptance is bigger than all prejudices combined. It shows us the way out of grief and onto the path of healing.
Easier said than done, but who said life was easy anyway! 
I jumped in the book blind and emerged red, puffy eyed but smiling through the pain. And there is a lot of pain in it.the town of Darling is so messed up and broken due to the accident that it witnesses, you couldn't put it back together even if you wanted to. Running away to another country or sticking there and stewing in your angry juices don't work out in the long run. Getting away and starting fresh might. And THAT'S what this book shows how to.
Contrary to my biased expectations, I enjoyed reading it immensely. I was invested in Chase & Beth. this book was excellently told, beautifully penned. My first book by the duo, certainly not the last
**On a footnote, if the world was full of dogs, I'd be the happiest. Cause they're non judgemental!
5 " Charles Manson" Stars

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 (The Fairest of All Book Reviews)

This story was complex. You had Beth, who was formerly known as Lizzie and Chase, who was formerly known as Charlie because of an accident that killed Lizzie's sister Rachel. The whole book centers around the fact that Beth finds herself liking Chase but how can she when he killed her sister. This wasn't a happy book and it wasn't like the Royals series or even When it's Real. Then was in a class all its own. At times, I found it to be severely depressing but then that's also how life is and the theme of the book is to find one thing, just one thing every day that's good. So much time is spent looking at the negative that we don't look at the positive, so on that note the book did it justice. Even though this book had some deep themes it is well worth the read. This was probably a three and a half star read for me.

I was intrigued by One Small Thing after reading the synopsis. It sounded so different than all the previous Erin Watt novels, and I was curious to see what they would do with this premise. It ended up being a well crafted look at grief, the people who are left behind after a tragedy, and the process of healing. It also was a lot more than that as well.

Erin Watt's previous novels have been fun, soapy, addictive reads that went at a high octane pace. This book is a complete game changer for them. This one is more quiet, but also deals with issues in a much more direct way than the previous novels did. It's a step in a different direction that I think may open them up to new fans because of how different than their previous works.

Beth and her parents are in a state of stasis after the death of Rachel. They are each dealing with their grief in different ways and not dealing with it in others. The tension in their household is stifling and so are the rules that Beth's parents enforce out of a desperate need to keep her safe. It was crushing to experience this broken family continue to spiral when it was clear they needed each other. Their actions are coming from a place of both love and hurt and that makes from some explosives circumstances. The book easily allows you to place yourself in this situation and the heartbreak each of the family members are carrying with them.

The forbidden romance element was the part I was most concerned about before I picked up this novel. Chase played a role in Rachel's death. This should mean that Beth wants nothing to do with him but when they meet, without knowing their previous connection, sparks fly. This part of the plot was, in my opinion, handled really well. Chase's actions are never excused but the point is made that he shouldn't pay for those actions forever. He punishes himself more than anyone else could, and I think that part of his character allows for a lot of sympathy from the reader. It also helps that the situation is so very different than what I anticipated going into the story.

There was an unexpected part of the plot that dealt with abusive relationships that I felt was also handled rather well. It is used not only to contrast Chase's character but show that people are not always as we perceive them to be. There is also an undercurrent of girls supporting each other and being there for each other that I found really resonated. I didn't expect it to examine any of this and was surprised at how well it folded into the main plot of the story. It felt effortless and not tacked on at any point.

One Small Thing is a book that tackles a lot of hard topics but manages to do them quite well. There is a lot of substance to this one as well as a lot of heart. The title reference is a hopeful one, and that is ultimately the note that this story is left off on. I think many readers will enjoy this emotion filled offering from Erin Watt and enjoy their time with Beth and Chase.

Something the author duo that is Erin Watt is doing very well is write addictive, angsty stories that keep you invested even if you want to scream in frustration. In One Small Thing it wasn't any different. I wanted to slap the whole cast of secondary characters - all of them without exception did awful things and behaved like lunatics.

I saw a lot of readers complain about Beth's childish behavior and yet she was actually the only one behaving like a seventeen year old. She rebelled against her parents who took protection to epic albeit insane proportion. Honestly, the things they made her put up with would have many girls on the verge of adulthood acting out. Did she make stupid decisions? Hell yes, but given the golden cage she lived in I was surprised she never totally screwed up. I also thought there was a lot of growth throughout the story - she admitted to making mistakes and tried to fix them. Also, she listened and while she not always acted the way I wanted her to it was understandable as well.

Chase was a beautiful character. Guilt-ridden but good to the chore. He was good and wise beyond his young age. That's what his single big mistake left him with. His remorse was so hard to watch, him being bullied at school for his big f*ck up was so incredibly maddening. I wanted to hug him close.

On the surface, Chase is hard— all muscles, tough sinew and bone. But underneath, he has a tender heart. It aches for us. What he wants and what I want are at odds with what we should be wanting.

As mentioned all the secondary characters were jerks to a certain degree and they left me shouting at my Kindle. Which I did pretty much all the time because I didn't get much reprieve. If it weren't Beth's parents making her life impossibly hard it was her best friend or her sister's boyfriend.

I actually loved how Erin Watt showed us how cruel teenagers can be and how they rally to descend like a pack of wolves on an innocent victim because, dammit, nobody deserves being treated like this. To remind the reader to speak up when they witness bullying was well placed. One thing that I missed a bit was a real romance. While I understood Chase and Beth's connection I didn't get to see much of them as a couple - maybe this was intentional though as to not distract from the story which focused a lot on the heroine and was also only written in her point of view.

One Small Thing might not compare to the quality of The Royals but it's still entertaining to read. Elle Kennedy and Jen Frederick definitely make a very talented duo who I'll come back to to read more of. There are a lot of lessons to be learned in this book and I'll wrap this review up with one of my favorite quotes:

I focus on what I can control, and what I have to live for. Because there’s always something to live for. Something to be thankful for. Something to look forward to. That’s the biggest lesson I learned from Chase.

The young adults for me are a breath of fresh air, they are that thing that sometimes takes to rebuild the oxygen.
If we think of Erin Watt, the first book that comes to mind is inevitably "Paper Princess" and I can assure you that "Rebel Love" could not be more different.
First of all, the young adult of this book is not only for the age of the characters but also for the contents.

Beth is the classic protagonist who, personally, I hate. She is the typical character who rebels against her parents only because she feels suffocated. Are they unjust? You go to bed with the first one that happens.
In short, spoiled beyond belief, when she does everything to lose the trust of her parents she is astonished even if they punish her. Of course, it's a pretty realistic picture of how things work today.
Of course, her parents are not really very welcome eh, we talk about phone records of messages that seem like they were some kind of CIA agents...
Chase, however, I loved him. I can not tell you who he is, what he does, why he does it and blah blah. Know that he makes you love him like a puppy. His character is particular, he does not need to have an evolution because the only fact that he is in the book is his growth.
You will understand by reading.
Even the secondary characters and the villains are very well characterized, indeed far too I would say because you will hate them without difficulty.

The plot, in general, convinced me; for a young adult is perfect, although I admit that for the whole book it seemed to me that I was preparing myself for something huge, until I then turned the page and found myself in front of the epilogue.
Good, but the best.
Among other things, from the very first pages - I have witnesses - I had a sense of deja-vu that half was enough. I swear to you that I knew what would happen, how it would have been written, what the characters would have said. It was as if I had already read it, but not in the sense that it seemed to be copied from another, but just as if I had already laid eyes on those pages.

The style, however, as it was already for Paper Princess, is wonderful. I drank the book in one night without feeling the slightest weight.
Surely I'll read more from this duo.

One Small Thing is full of angst, drama and I loved it.

While Chase and Beth are two characters that probably don’t have any business be together I shipped these two hard.

Beth’s environment right now is less then ideal and I’ll be honest I was ready to scream for her at times throughout this book. Now at the same time there were moments that she actually frustrated me with her actions but she is in high school after all and so while I might not have agreed with some of the things she did I definitely understood them.

Chase I absolutely loved his character and there were multiple occasion where I was so angry on his behalf. People can be cruel and my heart went out to him. Out of all the characters in this book he was my fav.

This book has drama drama drama and I lived for it. It’s got some villains that I definitely wanted to punch out and it remind me that high school can be a very tough place.

The one thing preventing me from giving this a five star is the ending and in that for me it seemed rushed. The entire story had this slow buildup towards what I was hoping would be an HEA and then it all happened sort of quickly, like climax and then boom resolution and I felt that it might have needed a bit more time to sort itself out so to speak. Vague I know but don’t want to give it spoilers.

Overall though I loved this book and definitely would recommend to those looking for a good YA read.

Wow, heart-wrenching and gut twisting.
I'm going to be honest here this has left me emotionally exhausted.

I went into One Small Thing completely blind. I have such faith in these authors that I don't need the build up. Just give me the book, please. Well folks, what I got was in no way what I expected. Emotionally raw, coming of age adolescents with a massive dose of in your face, gut-wrenching reality.

I was so conflicted about which way to feel. Be one with the character of Beth as she tries to live her new reality or feel the emotional empathy of a parent. The juxtaposition of my emotions just bleed out all over this book.

This one isn't a light and fluffy Gossip Girl kinda read. It will stick and it will hurt a bit. But that ending... gives me everything.

I am a huge fan of Erin Watt and I LIVE FOR the Royals series. When it came to their first YA book, though, it didn't wow me like I wanted it to. So when it came to reading this book, I went in blind and with no expectations. And I was blown away.

Ever since her sister died, Beth has felt trapped. Her parents are becoming more and more protective and Beth feels like she'll never be able to leave, even when she finally graduates high school at the end of the school year. When she first meets Chase, she's excited and finds herself having a crush. Until she finds out that Chase was involved in her sister's death. Chase is trying to get through life day by day after serving his punishment for what he did. When he meets Beth, he's shocked to find someone willing to give him a second chance. But while Beth is willing to see his good, no one else would ever understand a relationship between them.

Oh my goodness, from the moment we met him, I was obsessed with Chase. I felt so bad for him for carrying the weight of his past on his shoulders. Chase was such a strong character and never let anyone push him down, no matter how hard they tried. Beth tried so hard to show Chase that their pasts and society's opinions didn't matter if they felt so right together and I loved how adamant she was. Chase and Beth were able to bond over their grief and loss and form a connection that no one else could ever understand.

While I was reading this book, I just couldn't put it down. Normally I hate characters like Beth who act out when their parents set down rules, but I completely understood Beth and really empathized with her. I understood where her parents were coming from, but I felt just as frustrated with them as Beth was and I wanted her to rebel and go out and live her own life. Especially if it meant growing closer to Chase!

Overall, One Small Thing completely surprised me and I devoured the story. I have a HUGE crush on Chase and really loved Beth's character. Beth grew so much and had so many ups and downs, which is just the reality of life for a teenager, especially a teenager who has gone through as much as Beth has. For a raw storyline and an adorable romance, you have to pick up One Small Thing!

One Small Thing is the story about teenager, Beth, who is suffering the after-effects of her sister’s death in more ways than one. Beth may not have fully dealt with the fact that her sister is dead, but her parents have basically enshrined anything that belonged to Rachel, and they’re cautious to the point of smothering when it comes to their surviving daughter. And it’s causing Beth to rebel in ways she never has before. So after reading the first three books in the Royals series from this team of authors, it’s clear that they favor exaggerated teen circumstances to reality, and sometimes that works. Here it just felt even more extra than extra. (Minor spoilers ahead – these occur near the beginning of the story, so I wouldn’t necessarily consider them spoilers; some people might.) Pretty much kidnapping her college applications and removing the door to her bedroom as punishment were so over the top for me, not to mention terrible parenting. Beth’s parents were so steeped in grief they couldn’t even recognize it in their daughter. The mother was the most infuriating to me. She would occasionally give Beth commiserating looks, but never once stood up to her husband. She was so spineless and such a terrible role model for her daughter. Ironically, it’s Chase, the young man who had a hand in her sister’s death, who causes her to really examine the way she is acting, and while I did enjoy the part of the story that made her reflect on her actions, I felt like her parents came around to her way of thinking way too quickly. There was zero no authenticity there. Not to mention that her terms were something her parents never would have agreed to.

Beth’s friends were so fair-weathered, and her classmates were terrible people. There was not a redeeming one in the bunch. It was like Beth and Chase were the only decent people in school, and that’s something I find so stereotypical in YA. EVERYONE is a villain except for your main characters. It’s them against the world, yada yada yada. Nothing new to see there.

I will say that the highlight of this story for me was Chase, even though I don’t understand the attraction between him and Beth. He was a solid kid, he’d learned from his mistakes, and he was just trying to piece his life back together. The way he kept punishing himself, even while I understood it (and it was probably the only part of the story that felt credible to me,) really broke my heart. I also really liked the thread of forgiveness here as Beth was able to see who Chase was and that he was devastated by what he’d done. It was so freely given, and I liked that she wanted him to move on.

Ok – so the way this book ‘ended’ really gave me whiplash, because…where even was the ending? I was so shocked when it was all over, because there was very little closure. However, having said all this, I have to admit that this book had me in it’s thrall while I was reading it; I was totally addicted! And for all that drove me nuts about One Small Thing, I still wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to someone who’s a fan of YA books.

So here we dive into the life of Beth aka Lizzie, suffocated by her parents after the death of her sister and then who rebels and meets Chase. But he has his own demons........

Chase was my fave in this book and omg I so felt for Beth, how she lived without going crazy is beyond me! They both have demons to face and maybe together is the best way.....

Beth's parents. They drove me potty to the point I wanted to scream at them, they made me so annoyed that I didn't know if I could carry on reading!

The writing and flow was great and, as in all of this authors books, the character development was on point.

And that ending? Maybe a bit rushed? Maybe I like it? I'm still not sure......

A good read if you can handle the crazy parents and teenage angst!

WOW! My first book by Erin Watt didn't disappoint at all. I'm not normally a fan of YA but there was just something about One Small Thing that kept me glued to my kindle.

I think it was mostly because I knew it was all going to blow up for Beth at some point but I had no idea when or what the culprit would be that finally sent her over the edge. Tensions were high with the two new kids to school. One guilty of an accident, and one guilty of being a jerk.

My heart just went out to Chase because no matter what he did he couldn't get away from the one mistake that would haunt him for the rest of the days. And the more time he wanted to spend with Beth, the more complicated things became. Stolen glances, secret head nods and clandestine midnight meetings couldn't stop the inevitable from happening.

Was it a touch predictable? Yes. Did that make me root for Beth and Chase any less- nope. One Small Thing was teenage hormones and angst on steroids. It also packs a powerful punch of not just fighting for your dreams but also fighting for what's right.