2016 National Excellence in Romance Fiction Award Winner
2016 Booksellers' Best Award Winner
4.5 stars
Cori is struggling with the death of her high school boyfriend. They dated through high school and one year of college. One night, after a bad argument between the two of them, he is in an accident and dies. Later, Cori finds out it wasn't an accident like she thought and her boyfriend had ...more
4.5 stars
Cori Elliott likes order.
Her schedule, her social life...even her GPA is perfect. Then she finds out her high school boyfriend's death wasn't an accident—it was suicide. The devastating revelation is enough to fracture her perfectly structured life, sending Cori in a downward spiral of sel ...more
There’s a reason LETTING GO was a Golden Heart Finalist in 2014. It’s an extremely well written novel about intense, emotional issues.
Cori is exactly what I want to read in a New Adult character. Kids—yes, I said kids—kids in college are adults in age, but not in experience and maturity. I don't mea ...more
A sweet romance, full of internal and external conflict.
I loved the chemistry between Luke and Cori. I loved Cori's relationship with her best friend. I loved Cori. And the struggles she had--overcoming her boyfriend's death, managing classes, and balancing her growing feelings for Luke--were beaut ...more
Check out my full review on Bookaholics Not-So-Anonymous.
Note: This ARC was provided by Entangled Publishing in exchange for an honest review.
Letting Go is a new adult (NA) story and the debut novel of Jessica Ruddick, and what a debut it is! There's a lot of angst-fueled drama that goes on with lea ...more
This was probably one of my favorite reads of the month BUT it would have gotten a PERFECT rating if the setting WASN'T a college campus. But oh well... I still really loved this story!
The funny part about this is that Jessica Ruddick, the author, pulled from her personal life to write this story. ...more
College student Cori isn’t looking for romance when she meets Luke. Her high school boyfriend hasn’t been dead long, and she’s still dealing with the loss, not to mention the guilt. Then there’s school and life and a million other reasons she doesn’t have time to add romance to her life, but sometim ...more
I really liked this book a lot.
There is no sex (it's implied, not described), it's low on angst but heavy on real. There is nothing extraordinary about the story that will leave you emotional or angry for days but it still manages to be a great romance that I want to read over again!
Luke is perfec ...more
A lovely, brilliantly told story of loss and finding a way to move on. Cori is a beautifully written character and I loved her whole story. Luke is a patient and wonderful love interest and once again, I felt all the feels with this book!
Ruddick is a gifted writer. Her characters are real and multi ...more
I was lucky enough to read a very early version of this story. All of you are in for a treat. I love Cori and Luke's story and you will too. As a serious overachiever and control-freak, I completely related to Cori's struggles to find balance in her life. She's handed some real challenges and learns ...more
Cori Elliot was the girl who had it all in high school: the perfect, attentive boyfriend, the pageants, the good grades, and the best friend a girl could ask for. Now in her sophmore year of college, Cori is struggling to move on from her boyfriend's suicide.
When Cori meets Luke she is filled with g ...more
Holy wow! How do I say this? This book was fan-freaking-tastic! I held onto every word, every emotion, every moment Luke and Cori had! Although this book was NA and had all the perfect elements of NA, it's soooooo Damon refreshing that there weren't any hot smoldering scenes! Everything was faded to ...more
**I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**
I really enjoy this book, it was a great story and the characters were well written and likable. This is my first book by this author and I would read others from her in the future. ...more
Cover is up!! This is a super romantic NA with a hero who is totally swoon-worthy. ...more
4.5 stars.
Letting Go is a very charming new adult romance by Jessica Ruddick. This debut novel is a sweet, fun read with minimal angst or drama. The characters are endearing and the plot is refreshingly unique.
Cori Elliott is a type A personality whose second year of college is not beginning under t ...more
5 stars
I was so busy holding on to all the little things that the big one slipped right through my fingers.
Too late I’d learned my lesson. Sometimes you just needed to let go.
**I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review**
I really enjoyed this new adult romance! Cori is a Type-A college student living in the aftermath of her long term high school boyfriend's sudden suicide. Cori can't help but blame herself, as she had just gotten into a fight with he ...more
4.5 stars! Why 4.5 and not 5? Because Cori sometimes was really annoying. But other then that everything was great, Luke was great, how he handled anything! I also loved Amber and Brad's couple and them as friends. And Josh, Omg that boy was something. I loved him!
Ok, so the story was really sweet. ...more
A book about loss, guilt and new beginnings.
Cori and Luke meet at a frat party between their houses. The attraction is there and a relationship grows. The problem is secrets kept and not shared have a way of haunting a relationship. The past needs to be confronted so that these two extremely likeabl ...more
What a fabulous debut novel. It's NA, but any age reader will relate to the emotion in this story. The story is told in Cori's POV, and her voice keeps you engrossed in the story. I felt close to Cori and her situation throughout the book, and I admired her. For me it was a quick, page-turning read. ...more
What a wonderful debut, bravo!
I really loved all the nuances of conflict between Cori and Luke, especially the search for the necklace. I could feel her pain. Read this one into the early hours of the morning. Cannot wait for Jessica's next book! ...more
My Thoughts:
Letting Go by Jessica Ruddick was a story about grief from loss, being stuck in limbo, and struggling to heal and move forward. Cori is in her second year of college. She is the perfect student, needs to have everything in its proper order and place, and excels in academics. She is in a ...more
Cori really isn't looking for love, not after the recent death of her high school boyfriend. She throws herself into school and doesn't really care about much else. But, on an impulsive night out with friends she meets Luke, the boy she never expected and the boy she wasn't prepared for.
Jessica Rud ...more
I wasn't in a sorority in college, so I worried when I first started reading this book that I might have a hard time connecting with the main characters. However, my worries evaporated as I read about Cori, a driven, borderline nerdy girl who got roped into joining a sorority by her good friend, Amb ...more
DAWN'S REVIEW
4.5 STARS
This is my first time reading work by Jessica and I must say I quickly became a fan. This book took me on a emotional healing journey while at the same time I struggled with my emotions. I couldn't help but to feel a little sad for Cori during times in the book. She was going t ...more