** Book Tour** The Truth About Us by TJ Hannah
Twenty-one-year-old Sophia Ross has lived under the pressure of her parents expectations since the tragic accident that shattered their once perfect family. Determined to start over where no one knows her, she answers a housing ad on Craigslist and takes a job at a little bar in a town she has never heard of. All Sophia's looking for is a place to escape, somewhere she can hide behind her lies and keep herself distracted.
She just didn’t expect to be distracted by Corbin Kasey.
Twenty-five-year-old Corbin Kasey is stuck in his hometown, his job, and his life, spending more time covering for his Dad’s problems than trying to fix his own. To take his mind off everything he has the wild Kayla, his stable roommates, and the calmness of swimming in Mills Lake. He always thought it was enough to keep him from drowning in himself, until he meets Sophia.
Neither of them are prepared for their lies to be stripped away by a single kiss. But for Corbin and Sophia, the truth has consequences.
*NA romance- Mature content*
Nicola's Review
‘The Truth About Us’ is the debut novel by up and coming Author TJ Hannah, and let me just say if this book is something to go by, then I really can’t wait to find out what other novels she’s got hiding up her sleeve.
“Do you ever feel like life has already passed you by? Like you’re dead in a sea of lies with nothing or no one around to talk to. No one who understands what it feels like to not be in control of a single facet of your life?”
Sofia, “sweet Sofia” is running away. Running away from her past, and the pressure of living up the expectations of her parents. She doesn’t want to live that lie anymore. She wants to escape to a place where no-one knows her and to start living a ‘new lie’. So she finds herself in a dinky little town far away from her parents working in a bar. She wants to be a whole new Sophia instead of the one whom feels lost, wracked with guilt, scared and alone.
“My new lie comes with a whole new me, and becoming the new me means doing things that I normally would never do”.
What she didn’t realise that when finding a new life, it would be harder to keep the lies buried and unspoken.
Corbin the sexy, smart as hell 25 year old machinist who is stuck in his hometown covering for his low-life father. He is protective of those around him and of those he loves. And would rather put himself in the path of danger than risk his family/friends getting hurt.
“When we get to the bar, I’m going to go get Kayla. I want you to go.”
“What?”
“I want you to go to your parents, and then leave here.”
“Corbin, you don’t mean that.”
“I do mean it, Sophia. You need to leave. I don’t want you to come into that bar with me. I need to get Kayla, and I need to do it alone.”
When Corbin and Sofia meet, there’s no denying the spark that the both of them feel toward each other. It’s a strange feeling for the both of them, but it’s also the start of a new journey for them.
“I have never in my life felt anything as intense as Corbin. His touch surfaces a feeling I can’t quite understand. It’s a strange and foreign need that I can’t decipher.” – Sophia.
“The way she anticipates me ignites a physical response which is confusing. I’ve never reacted to someone without ever touching them.” – Corbin.
There are a few other characters I feel the need to mention.
The first one, Kayla. She is wild, sexy and fiery. Corbin and her have known each other for years. But like Corbin she doesn’t do commitment, that’s why their arrangement works perfectly for them. That is, until Sophia turns up. Its then that Kayla starts getting jealous of the time Corbin spends with Sophia, and start to become a bit of a bitch.
“Where are you?”
“Hey, Kay. I’m just dropping Sophia off at her car and then heading over to my cousin Tobie’s. Why? What’s up?”
“You’re still with her? You said you were going out for lunch like ten hours ago”.
She makes things a bit difficult for Sophia to begin with, but does mellow out in time...After Corbin has a word with her.
Then there’s Tobie and Tosh. “The dreaded, pierced, tattooed hippie and the Japanese American, ninja loving DJ”. Tobie is Corbin’s cousin and it’s in Tosh’s and her house that Sophia has found herself as a tenant. I love these two characters. They’re fun, welcoming and warm-hearted. And they welcome Sophia into their home with open arms.
“We invited you all here today to welcome the new member of our household. For some strange reason, Sophia decided on this piece of shit town to call home just like the rest of us. So let’s all help her learn how to deal.” Tosh holds up a beer.”By drinking.”
“He squeezes me into his side, and Tobie slips her hand into mine. It’s a small gesture, but i have to look up to keep from crying.”
Now we come to Rich. Corbin has known him all his Life. He has been turning up at the bar every single day since his wife died four years before. It’s his sanctuary in a way, a place to go just for company. Now he doesn’t say much through the book, but it’s the things he did say that has me mentioning him. He spoke the truth and through experience.
“Once you set eyes on the right one, you might as well be dead because your heart no longer beats for you, your world no longer spins on its’ own, your soul is wrapped up in that single gaze and handed over freely. Everything you do from that day forward, whether ya like it or not, will be for her; and her only.”
I absolutely loved watching Corbin and Sophia’s relationship grow. The way they cling to each other in hopes to help each other become more. They’re a “perfect tragedy.” Corbin constantly tried to push Rich’s thoughts out through the book. Didn’t believe a word he said. But it was the truth. No matter how many times he tried to deny it.
I loved the fact that when Sophia first came to this small town she was running but while there she discovered herself in a way and found herself somewhere where she belonged with a group of people who became her family.
“Life is about family, but family isn’t always just blood. The family we choose sometimes is more important than the family we’re born into.” – Rich.
She found a home.
Will Corbin and Sophia’s relationship be enough to withstand the revelations that will come about? Or will it break them apart?
TJ Hannah will evoke a lot of different emotions from you with this book. ‘The Truth About Us’, is a story about life, love, heartache, friendship and everything else in-between. You have to take what life throws at you and learn from it, don’t let bad experiences determine the person you become.
I didn’t want this book to end. I wanted to carry on reading, find out what was next for Corbin and Sophia and the rest of the people they loved.
Please can we have some more TJ Hannah?
TJ Hannah is a Canadian author working on her first NA novel, THE TRUTH ABOUT US, while juggling a few other personalities and living multiple lives. She loves to be outside or writing but preferably writing outside. TJ is also easily appeased with a good book, a comfortable couch, and a glass of wine.
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