Book Tour Everything I Knew To Be True

Hi book-lovers! And welcome to my stop on the blog tour for Everything I Knew to Be True, hosted by YA Bound Book Tours!

This was without a doubt a fantastic and incredibly powerful YA debut, and I’m beyond excited to be introducing this to you guys!

So, without any further adieu, scroll down for book + author info, purchase info and the chance to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card!

Everything I Knew to be True

by Rayna York

Genre: YA Contemporary Fiction

Release Date: May 12th 2019

Warning: Although this book is classified as Young Adult, I recommended it for mature readers due to explicit language.

Purchase link :

https://linktr.ee/rayna.york

Synopsis

It was never easy for Cassie and her mother, struggling to make ends meet in their tiny apartment in The

Bronx, but they had each other and that was enough. When her mother dies suddenly from an aggressive form

of cancer, Cassie is forced to finish high school in California while living with the wealthy family of her

mother’s closest friend—a women she never knew existed.

Living with the Stantons is the complete opposite of what she’s used to—the massive house, a father figure,

and Cody, the spoiled, insanely good-looking son with the bedroom across the hall.

Broken with grief and struggling to fit in, Cassie meets Mila, a female powerhouse that helps her cope with a

hidden past, the overwhelming present, and a shared experience no one should have to endure—a nightmare

they both thought was over.

Excerpt One

I stare in numb silence at my mother’s casket, waiting to be lowered into its final resting place.

Everything happened so fast, I’ve hardly had a chance to process it all.

A spilt second image of Mom sitting at our tiny kitchen table flashes through my mind—

that’s where we’d catch up on the daily grind. She had so many outrageous customers, Maria’s antics, her daily goof-ups, but I guess that comes with being a waitress for thirteen years.

I know she tried hard to hide it from me—I can see that now. It started with her being tired all the time and then throwing up constantly—the weight loss was staggering. When she finally went to the doctor, they diagnosed her with stage IV pancreatic cancer.

They gave her three to six weeks to live. Her name was Allora, and I still can’t believe she’s gone.

“Cassie?” Roxanne gently places a hand on my shoulder. “Are you ready?” I look around, momentarily confused. There were so many people here. Where did they go?

I guess I’ve been pretty out of it the last couple of days, which is understandable considering. I swallow hard against the emotional lump that’s jammed in my throat and tell her I need another minute.

“Okay,” she replies solemnly. “I’ll wait for you by the car. Take your time.”

There’s only a marker now. I guess the headstone comes later; at least that’s what they tell me.

I leave for California tonight. Mom made arrangements for me to live with her closest friend—a person I never even knew existed until two weeks ago. I’d always assumed that Mom had grown up in New York—it’s where her parents lived before they died.

Apparently, I was wrong. I begged her to let me stay here with Luigi and Maria—they’re like family. At least then some things would have remained the same. Instead, she insisted I live with Roxanne and her family.

We drive back to the apartment so I can get my stuff. “I won’t be long,” I tell Roxanne, leaving her at the door looking bewildered. I feel bad being thrust on her like this. She doesn’t even know me, and now I’m going to live with her. She seems fine with it, but still.

I can’t believe how empty the place seems. Yeah, all our stuff’s gone, but it’s more than that. Mom was my best friend—my only friend. She made this dinky little hole-in-the-wall a home, made every day special no matter how hard things got—and there were some pretty tough times.

How am I going to start over without her?

I step in to the tiny sunroom and stare out one of the many windows with my arms wrapped tightly around me. Mom surprised me on my thirteenth birthday when she turned it into an art studio. She built shelves and lined them with jars of paintbrushes, pens, and pencils. She even placed an easel in the corner next to the wall of windows, with blank canvases stacked next to it. I know it cost her a lot of money—money we didn’t have to spare—but it was an amazing gift.

Art was everything to me.

My Thoughts

Rayna York, tackles the difficult subjects of death, alcoholism, and teen sexual abuse with effectiveness and polished skill. I highly recommend this excellent book for young adults and parents! One of my top picks for 2019.

After losing her mother, Cassie is forced to leave the only life she’s ever known and travel across the country to live with her mother’s close friend, a women Cassie only recently met. It doesn’t take long for Cassie to realize she didn’t really know her mom like she thought she did.

Secrets come to light and much of what she believed was a lie.

Cassie is full of bitterness and resentment and is struggling with inner turmoil.

Dealing with a new high school and the superficial classmates their eventual Chaos erupts in Cassie Life. Cassie struggles to let anyone get close to her. Will she be able to overcome her emotions before she pushes everyone away, including those who genuinely care?

The author has written a captivating storyline has a with a slow burn romance, blossoming friendship, and a twist that will keep glued to the pages.

The characters are vibrant and well developed and I found myself deeply invested in their lives and the decisions they make.

Everything I Knew to be True is definitely a must read for teens and fans of young adult stories. I recommend picking up a copy, and read this book 📖

“No one at school will say anything against him—fear of retribution and all. No one wants to be on the wrong side of popular.“

Enjoyable sentimental contemporary romance with a little twist makes for a fast paced and fun read.

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About the Author 

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