Deep in my heart you’d been hiding out: TRUST FALL.

Trust Fall by Lynn Painter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book gives off Gossip Girl vibes, if GG had a bit more heart.

Julia lives a content life in Nebraska with her twin brother and parents. Then a mysterious benefactor leaves their fortune to her family, with a few strings attached: including the fact that they must move to NYC, live in his brownstone, and Julia and her brother must attend a posh private school there.

She meets Damion, a wealthy kid with a bit of an attitude. In part because Julia's benefactor was his beloved uncle, who did not leave Damion or his entitled parents anything. Damion vows to find out what happened and becomes Julia's math tutor.

This one took a bit to get its footing; for a bit, it swung a little too far with the whole "Damion is a misogynistic jerk" bit, making it a little hard to root for him, while keeping Julia as a complete doormat who is too scared to trust/love again after a breakup. When the story pushes out of those tropes and lets us get to know our main characters a bit better, it picks up.

Damion and Julia definitely have chemistry, helped along by some excellent slow burn banter. Meanwhile, I'm reading and feeling terrified of how mature these wealthy high school kids are, out partying, drinking, and attending fabulous balls (no regular prom here!). There is also a lot of intense, intense feelings, though I suppose that's par for the course for teens!

The story explores grief and loss in a thoughtful manner, as we watch Damion working through the passing of his uncle. His growth arc was much needed to turn him into a love interest worthy of sweet, kind Jules.

This is a great book for a YA audience, filled with passion and intensity and lots of NYC (and Nebraska!) vibes.

I received a copy of this book from Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review.

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