Easy by Tammara Webber: If I Were in a Bookclub

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Rescued by a stranger.
Haunted by a secret
Sometimes, love isn’t easy…

He watched her, but never knew her. Until thanks to a chance encounter, he became her savior…

The attraction between them was undeniable. Yet the past he’d worked so hard to overcome, and the future she’d put so much faith in, threatened to tear them apart.

Only together could they fight the pain and guilt, face the truth—and find the unexpected power of love.

A groundbreaking novel in the New Adult genre, Easy faces one girl's struggle to regain the trust she's lost, find the inner strength to fight back against an attacker, and accept the peace she finds in the arms of a secretive boy.

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“As for being somewhere you're not supposed to be--Maybe you're here for a reason, or there is no reason.”

1.       Would you have gone to the party if you were Jacqueline? How do you think her breakup with Kennedy affected her decision to go?

Personally, I would not have gone to a party like this ever. Okay, maybe if my friend was desperate and then I’d just hole myself up in the corner with a book and pray to God that nobody would come near me. . . or talk to me. Hopefully they’d just LEAVE ME ALONE. As for how Jacqueline’s breakup with Kennedy affected her, I think it had a major impact. She would not have gone to a frat party otherwise. And her Erin (her bestie) thought she was helping her re-bound. By the way, I think ice cream would have been a better alternative. But then we wouldn’t have had a story now would we?

2.       Despite making what could be considered a regrettable decision to follow Kennedy to college instead of pursuing her own artistic dreams, are there ways in which you think Jacqueline heading to Kennedy’s college, as opposed to going to music school, helped her grow in ways she otherwise may not have?

Well, she met Erin: a best friend with serious girl power. She met Lucas, a guy with a sob story and is completely covered in awesomesauce. She and Kennedy wouldn’t have worked out and, like Lucas said, she may have blamed herself for the breakup if it was over long distance. Overall, even though it wasn’t the wisest decision, it was certainly the right one in the end.

3.       Do you think Lucas has other reasons beyond the nonfaternization rule for keeping his identity secret from Jacqueline following the attacks?

YES! One, he was scared. He was scared of his past and how it would affect her and him and his relationship with Jacqueline. It was sweet and sad. I mean, the no-fraternizing rule certainly played a MAJOR part in out two young lover’s story, but it wasn’t the key player, like Lucas’s fear most certainly was. 

4.       Why do you think Kennedy decides he wants Jacqueline back? Did her really miss her, or did the root of their problems go deeper?

I think that he was so used to having her, that he didn’t really know how to function properly without her one his arm like some trophy girlfriend. *gag me* I don’t like him. I mean, he seemed like he has the potential to be a sweet person but overall, I seriously liked his younger brother better than I liked him. Too preppy and stuck up.

5.       How did Jacqueline’s self-defense class help her get over her attack? Did EASY make you want to learn self-defense?

The self-defense class made her realize that she had a chance; that she didn’t have to be a weak victim and that she has the power to over-power her attacker- in this case Buck. As for learning it, EASY didn’t sway me one way or the other.

6.       Why do you think Jacqueline didn’t want to report Buck’s attacks? Do you think she felt personal targeted by Buck’s attempted rape because they knew each other? In what ways do you think Buck’s subsequent attack on another student pushes Jacqueline to take action in regards on his attack on her?

I think she was ashamed. Ashamed to have been the victim of Buck’s cruel endeavor. Maybe she thought she pulled his attention towards her and that her recent breakup with her ex made her an easy target. Maybe she thought that she, by being alone in the dark, brought him onto her by giving him opportunity. 

I think his attack on another student makes her feel like she wasn’t alone and that someone will believe her for a face.

7.       “Love is not absent of logic, but logic examined and recalculated, heated and curved to fit inside the contours of the heart” (p. 215). What was the significance of Lucas’s tattoo? In what ways do you think it comes to represent some of the overarching themes of love throughout the story?

Tattoos are essentially irreversible. Once you get one, it’s a forever deal.  That made that memory of love, the forever kind of love, permanently etched in his skin.  That’s pretty much how I think it represented the overarching theme of love throughout the story.

8.       How do you think Jacqueline’s relationship with her parents, particularly her mother, changes by the end of EASY?

Her mother chooses to recognize her more. I feel kind of bad that it took something as catastrophic as this to make her wake up. But, I guess it’ll be a good bonding experience . . . ?

9.       How did the tragedy in Lucas’s family affect him and his relationship with Jacqueline? In what ways do his personal troubles manifest themselves in his daily life? Do you think he helps women learn self-defense out of a sense of duty, a sense of shame, or both?

I think the tragedy played a major role in shaping who he is now. The self-defense class? I think that out of both duty and obligation. He wants women to be able to save themselves and strive where he failed. His personal troubles manifest in his personal relationships by him having the two personas. Also his ability to connect with people in general.  

My personal assessment of this book: I AM IN FREAKING LOVE. I gave this book 4.5 stars on goodreads!