The Truth About Alice

July 9, 2014 ARC, Book Review 2

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

The Truth About AliceThe Truth About Alice by Jennifer Mathieu
Published by Macmillan on 2014-06-03
Pages: 208
Source: ARC from Publisher
Amazon-Indiebound
Goodreads

Everyone has a lot to say about Alice Franklin, and it’s stopped mattering whether it’s true. The rumors started at a party when Alice supposedly had sex with two guys in one night. When school starts everyone almost forgets about Alice until one of those guys, super-popular Brandon, dies in a car wreck that was allegedly all Alice’s fault. Now the only friend she has is a boy who may be the only other person who knows the truth, but is too afraid to admit it. Told from the perspectives of popular girl Elaine, football star Josh, former outcast Kelsie, and shy genius Kurt, we see how everyone has a motive to bring – and keep – Alice down.

My Thoughts:

The Truth About Alice by Jennifer Mathieu was quite the intense read. I really appreciated the fact that the author didn’t skirt around unpleasant truths. At the same time, she avoided sensationalizing events or characters. It just felt so honest and true. This made the story all the more powerful and heartbreaking and hopeful.

In The Truth About Alice the reader gets to know Alice through the eyes of her classmates before we ever her from Alice herself. I thought this was the perfect way to tell Alice’s story. It really highlights how gossip and assumptions can change a person’s world.  High school is such a transition for teens. Friends change and people you thought you could trust can hurt you. Many teens do or say things they regret but don’t always know how to make it right.  The Truth About Alice really shows the many sides to a story or event. None of the characters are wholly good or wholly bad. They all make choices and have to live with the consequences. It was nice to read a story like this where imperfections were shown on all sides.

The Truth About Alice is perfect for fans of books like Speak and Thirteen Reasons Why. It’s an interesting and intense read that will resonate with teens and beyond.

2 Responses to “The Truth About Alice”

  1. Courtney @ Courtney Reads A Lot

    Gahhh I cannot make my mind up about this one. I’ve been seeing all sorts of mixed reviews, and I’m definitely intrigued, but just not sure if it’s for me. Though I do love Thirteen Reasons Why and Speak. Great review!

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