Allison: Losing It | Cora Carmack | Book Review

I received this book for free from in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The Runaway New York Times and USA Today Bestseller!

Virginity. Bliss Edwards is about to graduate from college and still has hers. Sick of being the only virgin among her friends, she decides the best way to deal with the problem is to lose it as quickly and simply as possible—a one-night stand. But her plan turns out to be anything but simple when she freaks out and leaves a gorgeous guy alone and naked in her bed with an excuse that no one with half a brain would ever believe.

And as if that weren't embarrassing enough, when she arrives for her first class of her last college semester, she recognizes her new theater professor. She'd left him naked in her bed about eight hours earlier. . . .

Last week I was in a really bad funk. My summer class was stressing me out, work was driving me crazy, and the weather was just annoying me with its inability to make up its mind. So, I went over to my bookshelf looking for a book to get me out of my mood. I wasn’t exactly sure what I was looking for but as my eyes scanned over my shelves, they kept coming back to Losing It by Cora Carmack. After a brief bit of deliberation, I picked it up and headed over to my bed to relax and get lost in a book. And boy did I get lost in it! I had only planned on reading a couple of chapters but I quickly became hooked on the story and in a need to know what happens next I wound up reading the entire book in one sitting.

From the very beginning, Losing It drew me in with the main character Bliss and her plan to “lose it” to a random stranger that she picks up at a bar. You see, Bliss is a senior in college and is still a virgin, and it is all she can think about because she feels that she is the only one is her group of friends with that status. This may not seem like such a big deal to some people but for Bliss it is huge … and it is a problem that she intends to fix. I found this is actually be really realistic to some of the way in which people who still hold the label of virgin due to various reasons feel. They start questioning themselves and wondering what is wrong with them. And not only do they start questioning themselves but so does the rest of society as they gain a label that has a very strong stigma attached to it. Personally, I know all about this particular label.

So, off Bliss goes to a bar with her friend Kelsey looking to pick up some guy and she is a nervous wreck. She’s sweating, she can barely put words together, and she’s afraid that she looks like a total idiot. She’s about ready to call it a night when she stumbles upon a guy in the corner reading Shakespeare. Yes, he’s reading Shakespeare in a bar. And the next thing she knows, she’s striking up a conversation with a complete stranger … who is British … and whose name is Garrick … and suddenly she’s kissing him … and eventually leaving with him to go back to his apartment. The inner dialogue of Bliss’s during this section is absolutely hilarious. For example:

“Sex.
I was going to have sex.
With a boy.
A hot boy.
A hot BRITISH boy.
Or maybe I was going to throw up.
What if I threw up on the hot British boy?
What if I threw up on the hot British boy DURING SEX?”

Bliss and Garrick don’t actually have sex upon their first meeting due to Bliss having a complete freak out and running out of the apartment. Did I mention that the apartment was hers? Because it was. Awkwardly hilarious. Of course, Bliss doesn’t want to admit what really happened to Kelsey so she lies and says she accomplished her plan expecting never to see Garrick ever again. Except … it turns out that he is her new theatre professor. And thus begins a whole slew of awkward, tension filled exchanges between the two of them as they attempt to ignore what happened between them the night before class began until they realize that ignoring it may be the exact opposite of what they should do.

I found myself really being able to relate to Bliss. She has this strong inability to let things go in her mind. She’s always second guessing her decisions and she’s constantly over analyzing the smallest details which is something that I am very guilty of in my own life. I pay attention to details … sometimes a little bit too much … and often am unable to let things go because of them. This was particularly true in college. I don’t think I’m nearly as neurotic as Bliss is though. She seemed to be very high maintenance at times. However, college has a tendency to heighten emotions and make people act irrationally especially when they’re making difficult decisions or decisions that are being made at the spur of the moment. In Bliss’ case, this involved the decision to be with Garrick even though he is her college professor.

I can understand why Bliss has a hard time resisting Garrick. The man had charm oozing off of him. He really did try to do the responsible thing at first and keep his distance from her but he ultimately found himself unable to do it. But he never pushed Bliss into doing something that she wasn’t ready for. He was very respectful of her. He listened to her, comforted her, and basically he just wanted to spend time with her because he believed he had found a connection with someone like he never thought he would. He tried to bring out the best in her, and help her lose some of her neurotic tendencies while also finding herself. This was a journey of self-discovery for both characters, in particularly Bliss.

Their relationship actually makes Bliss a stronger performer, and the things that she learns about herself through their relationship helps her make decisions for her future. She learns how although honesty can be brutal at times, it can also help save a lot of tension and heartache in the future. This is not just limited to her experiences with Garrick but also with her close college friends as well. This book becomes so more much than a virginity losing book. I found myself being able to easily root for Bliss and Garrick to be together as their relationship had really started before they knew that he was her professor. There was not a huge age gap between them and there are a lot of sweet moments between them. Also, while he was supportive of her, he did his best not to compromise his relationship as her professor, and if he realized that he had he was quick to back off, and reset himself appropriately.

Cora Carmack does a really good job of capturing the environment of the college atmosphere. Like I mentioned before, emotions as heightened while you’re in college. You’re trying to experience new things, and trying to make new friends, go to classes, and actually making adult like choices with your life. There are moments which you will look back and laugh at, others that you will look back and cringe at, and others that you will want to keep with you for the rest of your life. Things are not always easy in college as sometimes people sometimes paint it to be. Fights do occur, bad grades do happen, and there are many things which you find out that you still have to learn. All of these different feelings are captured so realistically that I could see myself living this story through Bliss’ eyes.

Losing It really was a perfect choice to get me out of the funk I was feeling. I really was invested from beginning until end and didn’t want to put the book down until I was sure I knew what had happened with Bliss and Garrick. Albeit, it is a little predictable at time, it was just what I needed. Sometimes you just need a little bit of fluff in your life! This would make a good read for anyone who is looking to lose themselves in a contemporary novel. I know I’m already looking forward to checking out the companion novels so that I can continue with these characters, and learn more about Bliss and her friends!