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Anne Eliot

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Almost Kindle Edition

by Anne Eliot (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.2 581 ratings

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At a freshman party she doesn't remember...Jess Jordan was almost raped.
...Almost. Very nearly. Not quite. Three years later, Jess has managed to make everyone believe she's better. Over it. Because she is....Almost. Very nearly. Not quite.

Unfortunately, until Jess proves she's back to normal activities, her parents won't discuss college. So, she lands a summer internship and strikes a deal with hockey jock, Gray Porter: He gets $8,000. She gets a fake boyfriend and a social life.

Jess has no idea Gray signed on for reasons other than money. She also never expects to fall in love. But Gray’s amazingly hot, holds her hand all the time, and makes her forget that he’s simply doing his job. It’s like having a real boyfriend
...Almost. Very nearly. Not quite.

Gray Porter is hiding secrets of his own. About Jess Jordan. About why he’s driven to protect her, why he won't cash her checks, or deny her anything she asks.

Print length

367 pages
Language

English
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Publication date

February 3, 2012
File size

560 KB
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Anne Eliot writes captivating, heart wrenching young adult romance along with middle grade humorous fiction. She lives in the high mountains of southern Colorado with her awesome family and cute dog. Please visit her website www.anneeliot.com for more information.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0075CHVDA
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Butterfly Books, LLC; 2nd edition (February 3, 2012)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 3, 2012
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 560 KB
Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 367 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #343,463 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)

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4.2 581 ratings

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Anne Eliot

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Anne Eliot is an Amazon top 10 teen/YA author, an Amazon top 100 YA author, as well as award winning and international bestselling author of multiple novels. She resides in the high mountains of Colorado, is mom of two amazing kids and the wife of her real-life hero. Anne Eliot also writes as 1/2 of author Eliot Scott. She's a dog lover, planet lover and human rights advocate. For more information, her schedule, social links, agent info and to see some awkward silly photos please visit her website at anneEliot.com.

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4.2 out of 5

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gk_on_amazon

Good YA read. The Romance is VERY cute

Reviewed in the United States on April 11, 2012

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Underneath all the plot lines, this is a boy meets girl kind of story. You'll get bits of the story from both of our protagonists, Gray and Jess, which is something that I do like. What female readers (myself included), will love about this story is Gray's devotion and almost shameless love for Jess. This is the stuff that girls dream of, and yes, reading about it lets us live vicariously. His tenderness for Jess is so much so that as I read the words, it made me hurt, as in it truly gives you that visceral reaction in your joints that this love Gray felt for Jess was sincere, and deep, and true. I think if anything, that in itself makes the book worth reading.

It deals with a very serious subject matter about the female antagonist, who suffers from nightmares about her harrowing experience of being rufied and almost raped. I like that the author makes it so, that she was ALMOST raped, but not. I think it really helps to establish and explain how fragile and delicate girls at that age can be. Where they want to be so strong, and yet they are so breakable. The fact that she is dealing with a rape attempt, rather than the actual experience, I think is also a way for the author to show that sometimes even just an intangible memory can really affect a person.

Obviously there are parts of this book that are too good to be true. Gray is almost too good to be true, he is essentially perfect. Good looking, athletic, intelligent, brave, sympathetic, caring, loyal, etc. True, in the book, he does have one mistake in his past, but I really feel like that was more a happening of the situation and definitely not something Gray really meant to do. I guess I just would have liked it if Gray had a few more character flaws, just to make him more human.

I thought this was a great book for what it was. I am interested to see what other works this author will come out with. I also really would looooove a follow up to this. What happens to Gray and Jess after the summer? How do they handle their senior year. After all, although Gray's inner circle has decided to accept Jess, what about the rest of the community? Does Gray ever get his hockey scholarship? Do they end up at college together? The story does endear you enough where you finish wondering about these things, so I hope that we can get some answers one day!

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Heartbreaking, heartwarming and sweet

Reviewed in the United States on July 30, 2012

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I have read so many wonderful Young Adult contemporaries lately and I am pleased to add another to my list; Almost by Anne Eliot was heartbreaking, heartwarming, sweet and beautifully written and held my interest until the very last page.

Jess Jordan is a shell of her former self after enduring a near rape at a party her freshman year; three years later she is still suffering and has withdrawn from all social aspects of life. She has no memories of that fateful night but yearns for normality.

Jess has built a wall around herself and uses sarcasm and bitchiness to avoid anyone and everyone, until Gray Porter comes along and begins to break them down.

Until Jess proves to her parents she is returning to normal, they won't discuss her attending college. So, she lands a summer internship at Geekstuff.com, her dream job and strikes a deal with Gray, he will get a much needed $8,000 and she gets a fake boyfriend and a social life as well as her letter of recommendation.

We are taken on such an emotional rollercoaster in Almost and you can't help but hurt for what Jess has been through and is still going through but also for Gray who hides a secret about Jess of his own; their self blame and their personal struggles were heart wrenching. I absolutely adored Gray! He was the perfect person to help Jess in her recovery with his caring nature, humor, calm demeanor and perfect fake boyfriend behavior - being gorgeous is also a bonus. I really liked their interactions, the trust they shared and the way he understood her. Jess at times drove me batty but I could understand she wasn't going to change her ways overnight, it was something she had to work on and I admired her for trying.

I enjoyed the alternating POV's of both characters which allowed us a glimpse into each of their thought processes. Ms Eliot has written complex yet compelling characters that you couldn't help but adore.

Corey, Michelle, Kika and Gran were great secondary characters; Jess's parents came across as heavy handed in their ways which I could understand as they were trying to protect their daughter but at times I thought it was a tad too much.

Almost is an intense and poignant read that is written beautifully; it is filled with drama and angst as well as a really sweet friendship and budding romance, you couldn't help but hope for happiness and a solution for the main characters.

Overall, Ms Eliot has written a story about a tragic and traumatic topic but she pulled it off in a sensitive and believable way. Almost was an engrossing read which I really enjoyed.

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Natalia

Muy tierna la historia

Reviewed in Spain on May 16, 2019

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Almost narra una historia sencilla, pero que gracias a la ternura y el mimo con el que la autora la teje, gracias a unos personajes que se complementan a la perfección y gracias a una trama de fondo misteriosa que te mantiene en vilo, es maravillosa. Es de esas que una vez que terminas te deja el corazón caliente, de esas que añoras cuando ves pasar los días y te das cuenta de que ya no volverás a descubrirla por primera vez.

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Sophie Callahan

Don't Judge A Book By It's Cover

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 4, 2013

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'Almost. Almost.
How I hate that word and the way it defines me.
Almost raped. Almost over it. Almost normal.
I can almost forget. Way worse, I can almost remember.'

'If you judge a book by it's cover, you might miss out on an amazing story.'

This is soooooo true, in this case...
The cover of this book did absolutely nothing for me, but a few people had mentioned that I should really give this book a chance, so I did.

And it was soooo good! A fabulous, heart warming, page-turning YA romance. I read it in one sitting and couldn't put it down.

Jess Jordan was almost raped. Three years ago. And she's not okay. She has night terrors, she's suffering from PTSD, she doesn't socialise and she's completely forgotten how to be normal.

'Lucky. Lucky. Lucky girl.
Nothing happened.
Nothing happened.'

But her parents won't entertain the idea of her going off to college, until she can prove that she's normal. That she's making `progress'. So, her little sister writes her a list. `How To Be Normal'
On the list; Get a boyfriend.
Enter Gray Porter.

'Person slaughtered: Me.
Method used: Dimple.
The guy has a dimple. Of course he does. To match the Hollywood chin divot. To make the lump on my forehead pound even harder.
Pointes for Gray Porter: 3,000,000-bajallion, trillion to the millionth power.'

When Jess and Gray both apply for the same internship, rather than go head to head for the one spot they both desperately need to secure their future at college, they come with a plan to benefit them both. And Gray becomes Jess's one way ticket to `normal' for the duration of the summer. Her pretend boyfriend.

'I'm living in fiction. It's perfectly okay to be in love with any and all fictional boyfriends, even if they aren't yours.'

But they're both harbouring huge secrets and furthermore, neither them are all that stoked about the `pretend' part of the arrangement. So, can they overcome their pasts, secrets and their uber crushes? Can Jess ever be `normal' and will Gray ever manage to banish the guilt?

'If only Gray Porter had never wandered into my dreams.
Including the good, waking ones.'

I really liked Jess. Despite her trauma, her demons and all of the crazy, she was a great heroine. She was ballsy, stubborn, a total bitch at first and I really really liked her. Lol. It was clear that she was going to soften and I loved watching her berate herself for helplessly swooning over gorgeous Gray.

"He's so good at his job, that I've fallen for him, the mirage of him being my boyfriend, all of it. Like everyone else. Like an idiot."

And Gray. Awwwwww! SO adorable. I'm a big fan of these contract/arrangement storyline, where an agreement is reached and then both characters find themselves wrestling with real feelings, pushing boundaries and falling in love. And Gray was a perfect example of this. The scene at the skating rink. Super cute! Major butterflies.

"I love it. I mean - it's great. You - how beautiful you look. It threw me off. And you have no idea how much I love peach pie, a-la-mode. Sorry... sue me, dock my pay, but damn, girl. You've turned me into a stuttering fool."

I loved how he was so protective over Jess. He feels he owes her, so he wants to give her the world on a silver platter. And it's swoon-worthy. His `I won't let anyone laugh at you/hurt you/bully you.' attitude melted my heart from the very beginning. And this was another lovely, fluffy `good guys win out' story.

Amongst all of the cutesy, rainbows, ponies and kittens... this book deals with a very serious issue, obviously. The scene where Jess remembers her almost rape had my heart hammering in my chest. Jeez. How traumatic. I like the underlying message in the book aswell. So many books kind of skirt around the issues of underage drinking, the bad decisions we make as teenagers, sneaking off to parties, etc. But these are things so many of us have done, and so many teens are still doing, and the dangers are so very real. Things like this happen every year and even if they are the consequences of bad decisions, the results are certainly never the fault of the victim. Throughout the book, Jess has trouble letting go of the blame she places upon herself for sneaking out to a party and getting herself drunk.

I took two messages from this. The first was the warning against underage drinking, college parties, taking drinks from people you don't know, putting yourself in dangerous situations, etc. which I hope serves as a warning for younger readers.
But the second was that even if a young girl has gotten herself into such a situation, made poor choices and broken all of the groundrules, nobody brings rape, almost rape, harassment or any other kind of unwanted attention upon themselves. The blame liesonly on the shoulders of the attacker.

The heavy stuff all said and done, this is a fabulous book. I would highly recommend it. It reminded me a little of Bully, which I know has been very popular of late. I can't put my finger on why, but I feel that people who liked Bully would most definitely enjoyAlmost. This book is not steamy, but it is a great first love/first kiss, very sweet, yet very gripping, clean YA romance. And I'd really love to see this book get some more recognition.

"I'll make sure you forget every guy but me, Jess Jordan. And that's a promise I mean to keep."
Oh, that voice.'

Almost Statistics
Steam Rating (out of 5): ♥
Ending: HEA
Series: ✗
Can this be read as a standalone? Yes
Themes:
Attempted rape
PTSD
Contract/arrangement
YA
First love
Warning. This book includes...
Attempted rape scene
PTSD
Writing: Great

Review by Smitten's Book Blog

2 people found this helpful

Magritte

almost.... no not almost! Really great

Reviewed in Germany on May 27, 2012

Verified Purchase

Since I have my kindle I have to admit that I try several books I would probably never taken otherwise and I rarely regret it. I bought this book due to the great reviews, also on amazon.com 88 5 star reviews out of 97, but also due to the books resume on the product description. And as a result, I loved this book!

Jess Jordan has nearly been raped during her sophomore year 3 years ago, since then she suffers from PTSD, can't sleep at night without having terrible nightmares. Her overprotective parents are not trying their best, but give her the impression of being not normal. Jess's dream however is to be able to go to college, therefore she needs to find a summer internship and pretend to be normal. Gray Porter, has also applied for the internship, being in bad need for money in order to go to college himself.
Somehow he finds her "how to be normal list" and accepts her crazy idea about being her pretend boyfriend, while both take the internship and he take all the money.
He however has something to hide, something which has to do with her past. While he falls hard for her, their past is catching up.

This is a great love story. The authors description of the 2 main character is great, made probably easier by having written the chapters in the POW of one after the other, giving great insight of their fears and feelings.
All of it is nicely written, a real page turner, a young adult story with a serious background without ever being too uncomfortable.

Enjoy the read as much as I did. MBTM

One person found this helpful

Valentina V.

Almost

Reviewed in Italy on June 29, 2018

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Una storia carina, con due personaggi le cui interazioni mi hanno divertita. Un romanzo in cui viene affrontata una tematica seria e delicata, mai in modo pesante, che rappresenta il filo conduttore della vicenda e che mi ha spinta a chiedermi cosa fosse successo in quella notte, che ha segnato così traumaticamente la giovane Jess, e quale fosse l'esatto ruolo di Gray in tutto questo. Ho apprezzato veramente tanto come l'autrice abbia descritto in modo accurato e vero le conseguenze emotive, psicologiche e fisiche di quel "Quasi", mettendo in evidenza come l'essere scampati ad un terribile evento segni tanto profondamente quanto l'averlo vissuto, "sei una ragazza fortunata" le ripetono insistentemente per tutto il romanzo ignorando quanto oppressivo sia il peso di queste parole e quanto sminuiscano ciò che ha vissuto.

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booker

Almost, a YA novel.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 25, 2013

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For some reason there seemed to be a rash of books like this in the YA genre when i read this book, girls recovering from sex assaults.
The difference between this book and others is; I feel the reaction Jess has to the attack is much more believable than in other books.

Jess was only 14/15 when she was assaulted. She has no memory of it as she was drunk, then forced to take some drug.
But she has suffered reoccurring dreams, panic attacks, insomnia, can't handle being touched even by accident.

Her entire family has also been affected. Her mother and father are, quite rightly, worried for her mental health. They feel she is still damaged, as she refuses to socialise with anyone, and treat her like she is damaged.

So the set up for this story is, as a way to prove to her mum and dad that she is a walking picture of perfect mental health, she goes for a summer job. She thinks if she can get the job and hold it all summer her mum and dad will let her apply to colleges the following year, which they are, at the moment refusing to do at they feel she is not up to it.

Grey is also going for the summer job. He needs the money for college, which Jess does not because her mum and dad are loaded.

Grey has history with Jess, which you don't really find out about till the end. You start to understand it has something to do with the attack on Jess, but the specifics don't come out until the end.
It's probably worth saying that this isn't a story of the school hottie being paid to be her boyfriend, THEN discovering how amazing she is and falling in love with her. Grey knows who Jess is, and has had a little crush on her for a while.

I like the character development in this novel. It didn't feel stale any point and until it all came out I was unsure as to what Grey's secret was.

very witty, and it goes one chapter from Jess's point of view, then the next from Gray's. its really funny how she (the author) has portrayed the teenage girls and boys, and where confusion can easily come from.
take Gray, who cant work out Jess, and is trying to hide that he likes her. then Jess, doing EXACTLY the same thing! lol

i also like how she(the author) has focused on Jess's family. yes, Jess was the one that was attacked, but the author has focused on how that affects more than just the victim. its her entire family.

very believable teenage story with endearing characters. All in all, a good YA book that, even though it was about a sexual assault, wasn't pure darkness or focused on that one event. It was more about a boy and girl getting to know one another IN SPITE of that event.

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