Chasing Truth

I haven't read any of this author's previous work and this book is a smashing introduction.

Eleanor aka Ellie comes from a dodgy family. Her life was revolved around cheating and lying. She has been given a chance to lead a "normal" life but old habits die hard!

Miles has just moved nextdoor to Ellie and is the new student at her school. Their first encounter is rather comical and not a very good start.

Ellie has acquired some very good skills as a result of what she used to do for her family. These skills should be useful to get to the bottom of what really happened to her friend Simon. She is also very good at detecting lies and believes that Miles is not telling the truth about where he comes from and the reason for the change of school. They tolerate each other to begin with and when Ellie starts to suspect that Miles might have an interest in her campaign, they come to some form of agreement. They soon find out that they are attracted to each other and have to work really hard to fight this attraction. Miles likes to do everything by the book whereas Ellie is not adverse at breaking the occasional rules.

As the story develops, it becomes apparent that there is more at stake than anticipated. Ellie and Miles are in a dangerous game as everyone appears to be a suspect. There are so many lies and unravelling the truth becomes more and more difficult. When they think that they are close to getting the answers, along comes the unexpected and more lives are at risk. Even their own! Will this bring them closer together or will Ellie's past keep them apart?

This story builds up gradually and then becomes more and more intense. The further I read the harder it became to put the book down. This story is full of mystery, action, suspense and romance. I like the interactions between Miles and Ellie even though I felt like screaming at times.

I like everything about this novel. It's well written, the plot is addictive and the characters are believable. It ends on a fairly good note but with the promise of more exciting "stuff" to come. I would fully recommend to other readers.

I received a complimentary eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I'm a huge, HUGE fan of Julie Cross! The first book of hers I read was Whatever Life Throws At You and I absolutely loved it! So of course when I got the opportunity to review her new novel “Chasing Truth” how could I say no!

This book captured you right from the beginning, I could sense from the very first chapter that each character held a secret. As a reader you were on the outside, you knew nothing and learnt more as the story progressed. Chasing Truth has nearly as many twists as Pretty Little Liars! In nearly every chapter there was something unexpected.

My favourite thing about reading this book was trying to guess the story even if 99% of the time I was wrong. I liked that there was lots of mystery and not too much romance but enough to make you ship the characters together ;)

I honestly don’t know if I’ll make it to next year waiting for the next novel in the series as I could not put this book down!!!

I would recommend this book if you are looking for a novel with mystery and romance.

I received a copy of this from netgalley for review.

This was a really fun read for anyone who likes mysteries. I love books that make it seem like everyone is a suspect and this one did a great job of that. The main character, Ellie, is an interesting girl. She grew up in a family of criminals and it's hard for her to shake that. She really does want to be a good person, but her first instinct is to do whatever she needs to do to get what she needs. Not money, but information. She can read people well and uses that to her advantage. I loved her personality. Miles grew on me after awhile, but he was still pretty uptight. I'm hoping that the same school "friends" will be in the next book, too.

Yes, I enjoyed Veronica Mars and her snarkyness. So I could not pass this one up.

Ellie (Eleanor) is a young girl, a teenager, with a tumultuous past. She comes from a con family and now lives with her older sister Harper and boyfriend Aidan (a secret service agent). Although Harper and Ellie have no real identity Aidan has done his best to ensure Ellie has a good education at prep school Holden. Miles Beckett is her new neighbor in the building and also enrolled in Holden, although only for one semester. His parents are out of the country.

The story is done well, but the information about Ellie's past (and that of Harper and her family) is scattered. That makes it sometimes hard to follow. You have to wait for the total picture until almost the end and even then it is not really clear. But you do know who Ellie is. And she is inventive, smart, totally prepared to find out who killed her friend Simon. He is supposed to have committed suicide, but new evidence has Ellie once again doubting it. When she discoveres Miles is not who he seems to be, they team up to follow leads.

It is indeed very Veronica Mars-like with cover-up stories, bugs etc. I liked Ellie a lot. I just wished she and Miles were a bit older! They are still teens (16,17) and sound so much more mature. Maybe the story will make a time jump into the future of Ellie and Miles in the next book!!

Do I have any fellow Veronica Mars fans out there? This book might just help Marshmellows with the supreme sadness that the absence of the Veronica Mars TV show left us with. Think hot guys, some serious investigating (with bugs and spying!), lots of drama, and a whole bunch of snark. If you loved Neptune's small town vibe with the snobby, love-to-hate-them people, this book might be your cup of tea.

This book was plain addictive (just like the Veronica Mars TV show). Ellie's inner dialogue is not only hilarious, but really fun to read about. She's whip smart and witty but she's battling her own inner demons with a bit of a clinical perspective. I think if you like Tandi in the Confessions of a Murder Suspect Series by James Patterson, you might really like Ellie. Miles is also really interesting because he has a bit of a hero complex. He wants to do the right thing, but he doesn't truly know who he is and what he wants, especially with all the lying he is doing.

The plot is also really great. It kind of mirrors the Veronica Mars plot of season 1 because it involves the main character trying to solve the death of her best friend, someone she realizes she never really knew. You also get to see this small town where a lot of bad shit happens because the people do a lot of morally wrong things, like drugs. Watching the characters navigate this world is really interesting, especially seeing them try to come out on top of this hope-degrading environment. The plot kept me guessing and I was never bored. The romance was super hot, even though there were times I got confused simply because the characters were trying to out-con each other. I also really liked Ellie's family dynamic.

All you need to know going into this is that this book contains everything you loved about Veronica Mars. It's a super fun, YA book that delves into the moral dilemma of what's good and bad while solving a murder mystery. Highly Recommend and am eagerly waiting for the next book!

As a big fan of Julie Cross' other books, I was beyond excited when I heard that she had a new book coming out that was being compared to Veronica Mars. When I saw this was available on Net Galley, I jumped at the opportunity to get to read it, and I'm so glad I did.

Eleanor Ames is not your typical female protagonist! Raised by a family of professional con men, she doesn't connect easily with anyone else, and often finds it difficult to break habits that were ingrained in her since birth.
Although she's been pulled out of the situation, and is living with her sister and her boyfriend on the straight and narrow, Eleanor's still not sure she's where she's supposed to be, and ends up putting herself in a difficult position when she starts suspecting that her best friend's suicide has more to it than meets the eye.

Enter Miles Beckett who's sinfully good looking, and surrounded by more questions than answers. Eleanor and Miles can't seem to fight the attraction simmering between the two of them, but joining forces to bring justice to Simon's death, might become more than either of them ever bargained for.

Right from page one this book had me hooked line and sinker. I love the witty banter Julie always incorporates in her novels, and the swoon worthy chemistry that always occurs between the two main characters has her books making my favorites list again and again. The mystery element of this novel was spot on, and I literally found myself second guessing every single character introduced throughout the story. I can't stress enough how much I recommend this book, especially if you're like me and have loved Julie's previous novels, or grew addicted to the Veronica Mars TV show. And if you're just in the mood for a new YA or suspense novel, like some of my faves by Natalie D Richards, than I highly suggest picking this one up.

Thanks to Net Galley for the awesome opportunity to read this!

my best friend has been bugging me to watch veronica mars since the show premiered way back when. but for no good reason i've resisted. reading chasing truth makes me wonder if i should rethink my decision because eleanor ames certainly owes a lot to veronica. but that doesn't mean she's some carbon copy, i think they share their sarcastic repartee and innate curiosity, but they also come from very different upbringings and the scandals and intrigue of neptune, california are very different from the ones that proliferate in our nation's captial.

ellie is a recovering con artist, brought up in a family of master swindlers, she knows everything about how to lie and cheat your way into money. after cooperating with the fbi to take down her father, she finds herself living with her sister, harper, and harper's boyfriend, aidan and trying to learn how to live life as a regular citizen. this is complicated by the fact that she has no birth certificate or social security card, because the best way to go undetected when you are a criminal is to have no identity. just when she starts feeling like a normal girl again, her friend simon dies and his death is ruled a suicide. but ellie had just been to the homecoming dance with him and nothing about that evening makes any sense.

when a new neighbor moves in, miles bennett, her spidey senses start tingling and soon miles and ellie are tripping over each other on the hunt for clues. neither believes that simon killed himself and eventually they stop suspecting one another. and when they start working together the novel really starts to click. miles is the kind of guy who lives on the straight and narrow. for miles life is entirely black and white, while ellie only sees shades of gray and this contrast between the two of them makes their partnership and the sparks between them sizzle.

as things get more heated and dangerous in the case, miles and ellie are forced to look at things in new ways, and it's wonderful to see them both grow from getting to know one another. i can't wait to see what's next for miles and ellie, they were really fun to get to know.