Welcome to another Poisoned Rationality Special Edition! Today we have exclusive content from author Tammara Webber! After hitting high with her self-pubbed book Easy, she was picked up for print publication with Berkley!

A girl who believes trust can be misplaced, promises are made to be broken, and loyalty is an illusion. A boy who believes truth is relative, lies can mask unbearable pain, and guilt is eternal. Will what they find in each other validate their conclusions, or disprove them all?

When Jacqueline follows her longtime boyfriend to the college of his choice, the last thing she expects is a breakup two months into sophomore year. After two weeks in shock, she wakes up to her new reality: she's single, attending a state university instead of a music conservatory, ignored by her former circle of friends, and failing a class for the first time in her life.

Leaving a party alone, Jacqueline is assaulted by her ex's frat brother. Rescued by a stranger who seems to be in the right place at the right time, she wants nothing more than to forget the attack and that night--but her savior, Lucas, sits on the back row of her econ class, sketching in a notebook and staring at her. Her friends nominate him to be the perfect rebound.

When her attacker turns stalker, Jacqueline has a choice: crumple in defeat or learn to fight back. Lucas remains protective, but he's hiding secrets of his own. Suddenly appearances are everything, and knowing who to trust is anything but easy.


In what ways to Jacqueline’s friendships mimic your real-life friendships? Are they totally imagined or are they based on your experience? 

Jacqueline’s friendships with Benji, Maggie and Mindi are similar to many that happen during college – you may never see that person outside class, study group or the dorm hallway, and you may go your separate ways forever when it’s over – but during that semester, you’re best friends for three hours a week. These relationships are situational, but still important. Work friendships are similar. Someone we might never interact with socially outside of that structured environment can become essential to our ultimate development, even if the relationship only lasts for a short period of time.

And then were are the often unexpected friendships that we grab hold of and never let go. Where Jacqueline and her high school friends drifted apart, her relationship with Erin is more likely to last. Erin is very like my BFF – she’s drop-dead gorgeous, hilarious, very self-confident, and she has at times forced me to be confident by pulling me along by the hand or standing behind me and shoving. She’s also been there to listen, comfort me through loss, and always be on my side, whether I was right or wrong. 

What do you guys think?  Did you have similar experiences?  I definitely did, my freshmen year of college there was a tight knit group of us in Theater class.  The four of us always sat together and always worked together (plus often got in trouble for talking...).  After that class though I didn't see them again--not because anything happened just...school did.  We were all in different majors and different schedules and levels of education. 

Thank you to Tammara and Rosanne for giving me a chance to participate in the tour!