We had the chance to talk with Julie about CHASING TRUTH this week, but before we share that with you, we’re going to share a bit about the book!
Chasing Truth by Julie Cross (Website, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads)Published by Macmillan on September 27th 2016
Genres: Love & Romance, Mysteries & Detective Stories, Young Adult
Pages: 400
Format: ARC
At Holden Prep, the rich and powerful rule the school—and they’ll do just about anything to keep their dirty little secrets hidden.
When former con artist Eleanor Ames’s homecoming date commits suicide, she’s positive there’s something more going on. The more questions she asks, though, the more she crosses paths with Miles Beckett. He’s sexy, mysterious, arrogant…and he’s asking all the same questions.
Eleanor might not trust him—she doesn’t even like him—but they can’t keep their hands off of each other. Fighting the infuriating attraction is almost as hard as ignoring the fact that Miles isn’t telling her the truth…and that there’s a good chance he thinks she’s the killer.
Describe CHASING TRUTH in 5 words.
Mysterious, intense, funny, deceptive, romantic
How did CHASING TRUTH come about, what was your inspiration? What made you think you had to write this story?
My editor at Entangled Publishing, Liz Pelletier, really wanted a Veronica Mars type YA series. I had a project on the backburner for years that featured a female lead who was from a family of con-artists. I’d been dying for an excuse to pull that idea out again…we basically fused the two concepts together and Chasing Truth was born.
What was the hardest scene for you to write in CHASING TRUTH and why?
There isn’t a single scene that stands out as “hard to write” in this book, but the murder plot, planting the seeds throughout all the early scenes, that was the most difficult element for me. It’s tricky deciding how big or small of a hint to drop.
Can you share (without spoilers) a line or section of CHASING TRUTH that is your favorite?
Here is my favorite quote from the book:
“My mother told me that a lie is so much more effective when it’s wrapped in truth.”–Eleanor Ames, Chasing Truth
When you’re not writing, what do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
Reading, running, acro-yoga, teaching gymnastics classes at the Y or to the kids in our homeschool co-op.
What are you currently reading?
I just finished reading Fish In A Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt and I just started reading The Infinite Sea by Rick Yancey
You’ve been kidnapped. You can call on the characters from one television show to make a rescue attempt. Which show do you pick and why?
Easy. Veronica Mars. She’s always got an answer and has escaped from many sticky situations.
What’s next for you? Are you working on anything right now that you can tell us about?
In January, I have another new series releasing. Book one is called OFF THE ICE. This series is Friday Night Lights with hockey. It revolves around a fictional Minnesota small town where the high school hockey team is the center and subject of all the town’s drama.
Tell us 3 random facts about you.
- Right now, like literally this very moment, I’m simultaneously learning both English and Latin grammar along with my two daughters this school year. This morning alone I diagramed sentences in both English and Latin. My brain hurts. A lot.
- I failed 9th grade English.
- The past two summers I’ve uprooted my family from Illinois to the east coast to work at a creative arts camp in New Jersey called Appel Farm. It’s an awesome place that is somewhat indescribable. My kids love being campers there and have learned so much from the programs offered and have grown tremendously as artists.
Favorites
Favorite Song (right now): Alexander Hamilton
Favorite Book (right now): You Were Here by Cori McCarthy
Favorite TV Show/Movie: Quantico
Favorite Word: Okay
Favorite Color: pink
Favorite Curse Word: In real life, I don’t have one. Too many years of teaching pre-school gymnastics have made G-rated speaking a habit. In my writing, I’m sure there is a word I use more often than others. Probably “Jesus” which may or may not be considered a curse word to you. In my house, growing up, it was definitely a bad word.
Jaime’s Thoughts
I really love Julie Cross’s writing so I was super excited to see that she was writing a mystery, suspense YA series! First of all, you have to know that I am obsessed with crime and suspense stories. I could watch Investigation Discovery 24/7… Dateline, I think I’ve seen every episode. I love this genre when it’s done well, and I think that Cross did an amazing job with the first book in the Eleanor Ames series! Cross certainly delivers with Chasing Truth.
I’m going to admit up front that this book is a bit long for a YA story, but when I think back, I can’t think of a way it could have been shorter! Which just means that it needed to be this long, but please don’t let the size of it keep you from picking it up!
Eleanor Ames has a past she’s not proud of… she grew up only knowing the next con and the next job. Her family isn’t one she can depend on, except her sister Harper. On the straight and narrow now, she’s enrolled at Holden Prep, brushing elbows with the rich and powerful and none of them know who she used to be. After attending Homecoming with her best friend Simon, he commits suicide but she’s convinced that’s just not true.
The more Eleanor digs, the more questions arise and then she meets her new neighbor Miles Beckett. He’s mysterious and arrogant and he sees things in only black and white… but things with him aren’t exactly as they seem either.
Cross did an amazing job building the suspense with this story, and I can admit that I had no clue who did what and who was doing what and I loved every second of it. Also, I just have to mention the UST between Miles and Eleanor because holy crap there is so much and it’s delicious and I want so much more of it. These two clicked on so many levels, but they are also keeping major secrets from each other and that really puts a crimp in them trusting each other and working together to find the truth about what happened to Simon.
I also enjoyed a lot of the secondary characters here and they were all a big part of the story! From Justice and Bret to Dominic and Aidan they all had major parts in this and really rounded out the story.
I’m super excited for the rest of this series and I can’t wait to see what happens in the second book, I have some hopes as to what we’ll see, but I know I’ll love it no matter what Julie writes.
Fans of Veronica Mars are going to love this! Grab this one as soon as possible!
Thank you to the publisher for an early copy in exchange for my honest thoughts!
About Julie Cross
Julie Cross is a NYT and USA Today bestselling author of New Adult and Young Adult fiction, including the Tempest series, a young adult science fiction trilogy which includes Tempest, Vortex, Timestorm (St. Martin's Press). She's also the author of Letters to Nowhere series, Whatever Life Throws at You, Third Degree, Halfway Perfect, and many more to come!
Julie lives in Central Illinois with her husband and three children. She's a former gymnast, longtime gymnastics fan, coach, and former Gymnastics Program Director with the YMCA. She's a lover of books, devouring several novels a week, especially in the young adult and new adult genres.
Outside of her reading and writing credibility's, Julie Cross is a committed--but not talented--long distance runner, creator of imaginary beach vacations, Midwest bipolar weather survivor, expired CPR certification card holder, as well as a ponytail and gym shoe addict.
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