New Release Review & Giveaway:
The Real Thing by Cassie Mae
BookCrushin is thrilled to participate in this new release blog tour! I have read & reviewed The Real Thing by Cassie Mae, and you will find my book rating and a spoiler-free review below, as well as all the book information, purchase links and an amazing giveaway! Check it out!!
The Real Thing by Cassie Mae
Category: New Adult, Contemporary Romance
Publication: August 19th, 2014; Flirt
Purchase: Amazon, B&N, iBooks, Google Play, Kobo, Other retailers
In this electrifying novel from Cassie Mae, two close friends surprise themselves by shifting from platonic love to sexual attraction.
Eric Matua has one friend—his best friend and childhood sweetheart, who needs a place to stay for the summer. Mia Johnson has thousands of friends—who live in her computer. Along with her email chats and Facebook notifications, Mia also devours romance novels, spending countless hours with fictional characters, dreaming of her own Romeo to sweep her off her feet. When she starts receiving super sweet messages from a stranger who thinks she’s someone else, Mia begins to believe that real love is possible outside her virtual world.
When the two friends become roommates, Mia finds herself falling harder than she ever thought she could. But Eric keeps his desires locked away, unsure of himself and his ability to give his best friend what she deserves in a boyfriend. As her advances are continually spurned, Mia splits her time between Eric and her computer. But she soon realizes she’s about to lose the only real thing she’s ever had.
Spoiler-free Review:
[book rating =3.5/5.0]
While reading The Real Thing I was made aware of a few things about myself. 1) I do enjoy reading a contemporary romance book now and again. As many of you may remember from my other reviews, I tend to give warning that I don’t read a lot of contemporary books (I don’t compared to other readers), but the more I read, the more I find them necessary to help clear my mind of whatever fantasy world I was engrossed in previously. 2) I may spend too much time on the internet. Well one thing i do know is at least I am not nearly as consumed with the internet as Mia. Then again I am not sure I could handle that many online responsibilities. But my non-virtual life does suffer from my addiction to reading and being ‘on.’ 3) Sometimes we all need a good anchor to help us through the tough times. Can’t really say more to this, so now more about what I liked about the book!
The Real Thing feels very real, if you’ll forgive my cliche. Eric & Mia are in their early 20’s and are still in that crazy transition of ‘real’ life. They each have their problems, Mia is clearly having trouble unplugging and Eric has a lack of confidence and anxiety issues. The book is full of emotions between these two as well as dealing with very ‘real’ real-life situations. It was deep but still a fun and enjoyable read. There were times that I couldn’t stop laughing and other times were I thought I may need a tissue. The characters are perfect for who they are, and with the dual POV you get inside each of their heads to understand where they are coming from. I loved that these characters were not typically beautiful, happy rich kids. No cookie cutter boys or girls in this one. It’s nice to read about ‘real’ people. Eric was refreshing character, his struggles were honest and I really felt for him. Mia had so much love inside her that you just can’t help but cheer her & Eric on!
The story was a fun, fast-paced read. It dealt with real issues but never felt preachy or heavy. As the dedications states “to anyone who has weaknesses, and finds the strength to overcome them” this book is for you! Plus friends to lovers is always a good read!
The book is new adult, I would recommend it for anyone 17+. Not a lot of descriptive mature scenes but deals with mature situations. It is a stand alone with a completely satisfying ending. I found it to be a heartfelt, fresh and romantic read. Hope you all enjoy it as much as I did!
Thanks to Flirt & Random House for the review copy (all opinions are mine and I was not compensated in any form other than a free review copy).
Author Bio: Cassie Mae
Cassie Mae is a full-time writer and mother from Utah. She loves being glued to the computer, thinking up new stories, and writing the day away while the kids run wild at her feet. When she finished her first novel, she started a blog that now gets more than five thousand hits a month. Her group blog is also dedicated to reaching out to aspiring authors by providing critiques and other marketing tools to help them succeed in the industry. When she’s not writing, she’s spending time with the youth in her community as a volleyball and basketball coach, or searching the house desperately for chocolate.
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