REVIEW: Nets & Lies by Katie Ashley

Always awkward in her 5’10 frame, Melanie Reeves finds her saving grace through basketball. Not only is she the varsity team captain, she’s the pride of Coach Thompson, who holds the keys to a college scholarship. Melanie has also found 'courtly' love with Will, Coach T's handsome, ball-playing son. When Melanie is on the court, everything is perfect....until she is forced to face an opponent who doesn't play by the rules.

Jordan Solano's power lies in her beauty and sex appeal. Never afraid of breaking the rules, she engages in a scandalous flirtation with the school's married basketball coach. But the flirtation quickly turns into accusation, and Coach T's job and reputation are placed in jeopardy after Jordan charges him with rape. Jordan's own reputation has the school administration unwilling to believe her. That is, until she makes a startling claim - she's not the only victim.

Suddenly, all eyes are on Melanie, and it isn't for her amazing free-throws. A man's job, a girl's reputation, and her boyfriend's entire world now rest in Melanie's hands. She has to decide: keep her secrets and protect her future, or put an end to the lies...and lose everything.

Wow. This book. I was sucked in from the very first page. I had so many emotions through the entire thing!

I LOVED Will. I loved how he seemed to be so in tune with Melanie. He didn't let her nasty mood push him away. He was mature, but realistically so. Will made decisions that a normal teenage boy would make. I loved that about him! I can't imagine living with some of the things he had lived with. He was patient, sweet, caring, and just amazing.

Melanie. Oh my heart. It absolutely broke for her. She experienced what nobody should ever experience in their life. Her reaction to the situation seemed so true to real life. I cannot imagine the grief she felt after someone she trusted ripped everything away from her. On top of that, to have the fear that nobody would believe you would be debilitating. Ms. Ashley did an amazing job portraying this character.

Then there is Jordan. I hated her in the beginning. I really, really did. But as the story developed and her character started to grow up, my walls began to crumble. Her mother really did a number on her and you start to understand why she reacts in a particular way. I kind of was thankful for her coniving ways by the end of the story. She grew up and it was beautiful. Granted, she didn't do that on her own. She had Nick. And he sure did sound yummy! And amazing. And fabulous. He recognized something in Jordan that even she failed to see. He pushed her when she needed to push and held her when she needed to be held. What a great pair with those 2!

Ms Ashley took a very difficult and painful subject and did an amazing job. I respect the fact that she wasn't flippant about any of it. According to http://www.rainn.org/ 2/3 of assaults are committed by someone known to the victim & 38% of rapists are a friend or acquaintance. This is serious stuff.

Thank you, Katie Ashley, for another amazing story. This is definitely an emotional read, but it was written very well! Read on!

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