Review: "Truly" by Ruthie Knox

May Fredericks hates New York. Which is fair enough, since New York seems to hate her back. Just weeks after moving from Wisconsin to Manhattan, she receives the world's worst marriage proposal, stabs her boyfriend with a shrimp fork in a very public venue, and accidentally becomes notorious. And that’s before she gets mugged. At her wit's end, May washes up at a Packers bar in Greenwich Village, where she meets a surly, unhelpful guy who hates her shoes and calls her ex a douche. His name is Ben. He used to be a chef. Now he's a rooftop beekeeper with anger management issues. She wouldn't even like him, but he reminds her of home … and he knows where to find all the best food in the Village. She makes him laugh. He buys her tacos and cowboy boots. The longer they’re stuck together, the better May and Ben get along … and the harder they fall. TRULY is a quirky, modern New York love story unlike any you've read before.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Loveswept for allowing me to read and review an ARC of this book.

Originally I'd rated this book 3.5 stars, but I'm going to revise that rating to 4 stars, because the more I think about it, the more I realize just how much this book stands out among the others of its genre.

I have never wanted to visit NYC, but after reading "Truly", my mind has been changed. I think I'd have to have an escort like Ben, though. He was pretty great at the whole tour guide thing.  The city always seemed overrated to me before, but Ruthie Knox (and Ben) make it seem like more than just a touristy cliche.

The plot and characters of this novel have a whole lot more depth than what you can even imagine from the synopsis. The characters especially seemed real to me - they both annoyed and pissed me off like real people do!  Ben could be super moody, but you could tell that he was trying, and it was just that much more endearing when he showed his charm and did something sweet for May. May, ugh, sometimes I just wanted to give her a good shake and tell her to grow up!  But after taking into consideration her personality and the situation she was in, her actions made sense to me.  It was very satisfying to see her and Ben's growth throughout the book - they both changed a lot, but not in ways that were unbelievable.  The plot is evenly paced, never lagging, and leads the reader effortlessly from the streets of New York to the Wisconsin countryside.  We get to learn just enough of the characters' histories, and revealed in just the right way, to make sense of their actions and never let the reader feel overwhelmed with a ton of filler.  Everything is deliberate, and I love it when a writer can get their point across without boring me to tears with repetition or info dumping.

What else can I say?  I can't wait to read more in this series!  I'd love to see more of New York through the pages of these books - seeing I probably won't be traveling there any time soon - and I'd love to see more May and Ben.  If you're looking for a sweet, yet hot, romance with more depth than the average fare, give "Truly" a try.

My rating: