Fans of
Monica Murphy and Tammara Webber will savor this New Adult novel—a story about
coming of age in the heat of the moment—from Julie Cross, the internationally
bestselling author of the Tempest trilogy.
I used to be “Isabel Jenkins, child prodigy.” As
lame as that sounds, at least it was an identity. But now I’m not sure what I
am. I just failed the most important exam of my life—the emotional readiness
test required to get into a medical residency program—and it turns out my
parents can’t stand each other. Now I’m trying to figure out how to pick up the
pieces of my life, and that means re-enrolling as a college freshman, but this
time I’m shutting the books and majoring in being eighteen.
But so far, my roommate hates me and I’m not
into the party scene. The only good thing about school has been getting to know
my insanely hot RA. Marshall Collins makes me wonder about everything I missed
while I was growing up too fast. Pretty soon we’re hanging out constantly, but
for the first time, I find myself wanting more than a no-strings-attached
physical relationship. And the lesson I really need is one Marsh definitely
can’t teach me: love. Because I’m going to be alone forever if I don’t learn
fast.
Elle says…
Third Degree by Julie Cross can only be described as perfection. It’s a story of finding yourself while adapting to life’s challenges. I was glued to my e-reader and could not put this novel down. It’s a well-rounded mix of adversity, unexpected twists, and romance that will build you up, break you down, and leave you satisfied by the end.
Isabel Jenkins is a child prodigy and shows promise of being a phenomenal doctor. She’s excelled academically her entire life, but her weakness is in her social skills – or lack thereof. Her immaturity and young age are apparent by her inability to connect with her peers and show sympathy towards patients. I cannot gush enough about how much I adore Isabel. Her journey is one of beauty. At times it was painfully awkward for her as she navigated difficult situations. I just wanted to shelter her from the harsh aspects in her life. As the story progressed, I loved watching her transform and gain elements in her life that were missing before.
Marshall Collins is a catalyst for a huge portion of Isabel’s transformation. He’s her RA and has challenges of his own. Along with others, he teaches her how to let loose and experience life, as a college freshman should. He is downright loveable and will definitely make you swoon. My heart soared and broke for Marsh. On the one hand, he is so composed and has a solid life foundation. The further into the story I got, the more I learned about Marshall, and how his solid foundation was merely a façade covering his weaknesses and fragility.
Julie Cross has absolutely nailed this story from start to finish. I was sucked in from the beginning and immersed in these characters and plot. She does a fantastic job of balancing lighthearted humor with the heavier moments to create this incredible read that will leave you with a slight hangover but immensely satisfied. Pick up your copy of Third Degree by Julie Cross today!
4 stars!!
I was pleasantly surprised by Third Degree by Julie Cross. I didn’t have any real expectations going in…. the blurb looked like a good coming of age story that I enjoy and I flove the cover! Yes I am a cover whore and good cover always catches my eye! What I didn’t expect was the humor behind the story! This book made me laugh so many times! It’s a very witty story about the female version of Dougie Houser MD (am I dating myself too much here) aka a young genius that has entered medical school at the young age of 16 to purse her dreams of becoming a surgeon and the dashing leading man that every girl loves and the journey that life gives us. It’s not always the journey we expect it to be but the turns and twist is what makes it so worth it in the end.
Isabel Jenkins was fortunate to end of with the picture perfect foster parents of a high school teacher and a highly respected surgeon. Her mother committed suicide when she was a small child and went to live with the Jenkins who was able to recognize how intelligent she was. She was home schooled and was able to do more before the age of 18 that most people spend the majority of the twenties doing! She has her eyes set on Johns Hopkins for her residency and feels like she would be a perfect fit! Until her psych evaluation does not recommend her attending at this time. Being that it’s too late to apply to another residency, she does what any other normal 18 year does... she goes to college.
Enter the charming and handsome Marshall Collins. He is the RA in the dorm that Isabel moves into. He’s a junior at the college and in charge of her floor. He’s also from the same town as Isabel and actually had Isabel’s mother as a teacher. They hit it off and become close friends but somewhere lines get blurred and their relationship grows into something more. But what Marshall doesn’t tell Isabel is that he has a secret that he hasn’t shared with anyone. He has been able to hide it from his close friends but with Isabel being the smarty she is, she starts to see the signs and knows something is not right.
It’s a great story about discovering yourself and the love and relationships we find along the way. There is a great support cast and again the humor in the book was hilarious. It’s not your typical coming of age story where girl goes to college to fall in love but I think I liked it even more because its different that others in this genre. I love reading a book and it ends up giving me something that I totally didn’t expect!
Advance
praise for Third Degree
“With quirky characters, laugh-out-loud moments,
and a touching romance, Third Degree is a refreshing entry in the New Adult
genre. I can’t wait to read what Julie Cross comes up with next!”—Roni Loren,
bestselling author of Need You Tonight
“I fell for quirky, brainy, socially awkward
child prodigy Izzy and even more so for her sweet, compassionate, and hot RA,
Marshall. I was rooting for their happily-ever-after and was sighing with
satisfaction by the end.”—Christina Lee, author of the Between Breaths series
“Loved! Fans of Huntley Fitzpatrick’s My Life Next Door and Tammara Webber’s Easy will fall hard for this
book.”—Krista Ritchie, co-author of the Addicted
to You series
About the
Author
Julie Cross 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. She’s also 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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