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faithl's review against another edition
3.0
This book is certainly a light and fluffy romantic story that you can easily engulf in one sitting. It's your typical clean teen romance novel since the characters - especially the protagonist Holly - seem a bit immature for a bunch of 18-19 yr olds. They blow up the tiniest things and overthink every small complication. Despite this, this book is easily amusing and entertaining.
Even though Holly has graduated high school, she acts a lot like a pre-teen. One might argue that if I was her and going through a first love, I would be acting the same. Well, I beg to differ. Firstly the situation she was in - Malik thinking she was someone else - could've been solved as soon as that old woman (Henrietta) was gone. It wasn't a big deal. Holly was a very insecure character. Despite all the nice words, Malik was saying about being attracted to her because she seemed down to earth and simply not obnoxious, Holly doesn't take the HUGE fact that he likes her because of her. It had nothing to do with wealth. In fact, he liked her because she seemed untainted by wealth.
WHY DOES THIS NOT OCCUR TO HER?!
One thing that was understandable about Holly though were her insecurities about her best friend, Alex and her relationship with Rena. It was relatable the way Holly was scared that Alex was replacing her with Rena but then again, I also had my suspicions that there was something more to it. AND I WAS RIGHT!!! I'm trying not give the details away so not to spoil anything.
The plot has a very simple boy like girl, girl like boys story line with that main complication - that Malik doesn't know who Holly actually is. It's a super short read with very simple pacing. There's a satisfactory happy ending so you'll be finishing the book feeling joyful that everything is solved, including the friendship problem.
This book is a three stars mainly because of Holly's immaturity and the very simple complication that could've been easily solved. But this book is definitely enjoyable and would be perfect for anyone who needs something light.
Even though Holly has graduated high school, she acts a lot like a pre-teen. One might argue that if I was her and going through a first love, I would be acting the same. Well, I beg to differ. Firstly the situation she was in - Malik thinking she was someone else - could've been solved as soon as that old woman (Henrietta) was gone. It wasn't a big deal. Holly was a very insecure character. Despite all the nice words, Malik was saying about being attracted to her because she seemed down to earth and simply not obnoxious, Holly doesn't take the HUGE fact that he likes her because of her. It had nothing to do with wealth. In fact, he liked her because she seemed untainted by wealth.
WHY DOES THIS NOT OCCUR TO HER?!
One thing that was understandable about Holly though were her insecurities about her best friend, Alex and her relationship with Rena. It was relatable the way Holly was scared that Alex was replacing her with Rena but then again, I also had my suspicions that there was something more to it. AND I WAS RIGHT!!! I'm trying not give the details away so not to spoil anything.
The plot has a very simple boy like girl, girl like boys story line with that main complication - that Malik doesn't know who Holly actually is. It's a super short read with very simple pacing. There's a satisfactory happy ending so you'll be finishing the book feeling joyful that everything is solved, including the friendship problem.
This book is a three stars mainly because of Holly's immaturity and the very simple complication that could've been easily solved. But this book is definitely enjoyable and would be perfect for anyone who needs something light.
fictionalkate's review against another edition
4.0
When wealthy playboy Malik assumes Holly is another rich relative visiting family in the fancy retirement home her mother manages, she doesn't correct him. Things between them were never going to get serious - they come from different worlds and in just a few months Holly is leaving for college. But when flirting leads to one date and then another, Holly finds it harder and harder to tell Malik the truth. He's been hurt by others who have lied to him to get close. How can Holly come clean and without losing her new relationship?
Everything But the Truth is a fun, cute story about first loves. I loved the characters. Holly has an energy about her and a sweet caring rapport with the residents of the retirement home. Although she gets herself into a complex situation by not being entirely factual, there is a sense that she is an honest and generally good person. She does get caught up in trying to maintain the fairy tale rather than reveal the truth but her situation is believable and understandable. The bond between Holly and her mother was very sweet. There is respect between the two of them and an interesting dynamic.
Holly's relationship with Malik was lovely to read. Their romance felt right and their feelings took time to develop. The conversations between them were lovely to read and the playful banter was a lot of fun. The secondary characters like Holly's best friend and Malik's grandfather added a lot of humour and entertainment whilst at the same time bringing both characters back to reality.
One of the things I like most about the If Only line of books - and in particular Everything But the Truth - is how they deal with growing up. Holly is only months away from college and becoming an adult. This book manages to show how mature she is becoming at the same time as showing how she is still a teenager. I loved the romance and appreciated how this love story was developed.
Everything But the Truth is a sweet and lighthearted read I would recommend to anyone who enjoys a good story. It's got romance and fun with great characters and being a clean read (no sex, swearing or violence) is appropriate for a wide audience.
Everything But the Truth is a fun, cute story about first loves. I loved the characters. Holly has an energy about her and a sweet caring rapport with the residents of the retirement home. Although she gets herself into a complex situation by not being entirely factual, there is a sense that she is an honest and generally good person. She does get caught up in trying to maintain the fairy tale rather than reveal the truth but her situation is believable and understandable. The bond between Holly and her mother was very sweet. There is respect between the two of them and an interesting dynamic.
Holly's relationship with Malik was lovely to read. Their romance felt right and their feelings took time to develop. The conversations between them were lovely to read and the playful banter was a lot of fun. The secondary characters like Holly's best friend and Malik's grandfather added a lot of humour and entertainment whilst at the same time bringing both characters back to reality.
One of the things I like most about the If Only line of books - and in particular Everything But the Truth - is how they deal with growing up. Holly is only months away from college and becoming an adult. This book manages to show how mature she is becoming at the same time as showing how she is still a teenager. I loved the romance and appreciated how this love story was developed.
Everything But the Truth is a sweet and lighthearted read I would recommend to anyone who enjoys a good story. It's got romance and fun with great characters and being a clean read (no sex, swearing or violence) is appropriate for a wide audience.
itsme_lori's review against another edition
3.0
Well, the ending was rather predictable and the characters were a bit annoying at times but the second half was much better than the first and overall it wasn't too bad. Not my favorite but pretty on par for the If Only series. If you're looking for a YA romance that's fast and not too serious and you're okay with the lying parts, you'll probably enjoy this book.
kimmypete1's review against another edition
3.0
Check out this review and more at On the Wings of Books
I absolutely adored Everything But the Truth. It was cute and funny, which is exactly what I needed at this moment. Holly was frustrating at times - lies and more lies get you nowhere, but the reason why it all started was so sweet and kind that it was hard to get really mad at her for doing it.
Malik had his own issues, which I wish would have been dealt with a bit more, but it was dealt with enough to keep me happy. I really enjoyed his grandfather, he wasn't quite the curmudgeon I thought he was going to turn out to be.
I think the best thing about Everything But the Truth though was how Holly and Malik were an interracial couple, but that it wasn't the core issue of the book, in fact it wasn't an issue at all, it was just who they were. I really appreciated that the author didn't turn it into a "people don't want them together because they are interracial" story.
Holly's best friend Alex isn't the most likable person throughout the book, but I loved how her story was woven in through Holly's, and what could have been a terrible secondary plot worked out beautifully. (Also, I'm tired of the terrible best friend in books, so I'm glad all was well.)
What I Thought...
I absolutely adored Everything But the Truth. It was cute and funny, which is exactly what I needed at this moment. Holly was frustrating at times - lies and more lies get you nowhere, but the reason why it all started was so sweet and kind that it was hard to get really mad at her for doing it.
Malik had his own issues, which I wish would have been dealt with a bit more, but it was dealt with enough to keep me happy. I really enjoyed his grandfather, he wasn't quite the curmudgeon I thought he was going to turn out to be.
I think the best thing about Everything But the Truth though was how Holly and Malik were an interracial couple, but that it wasn't the core issue of the book, in fact it wasn't an issue at all, it was just who they were. I really appreciated that the author didn't turn it into a "people don't want them together because they are interracial" story.
Holly's best friend Alex isn't the most likable person throughout the book, but I loved how her story was woven in through Holly's, and what could have been a terrible secondary plot worked out beautifully. (Also, I'm tired of the terrible best friend in books, so I'm glad all was well.)
delightful_reading's review against another edition
1.0
DNF 55.8% (I might finish at a later date)
I wanted to like this.... I really did. With my reading of the Entangled Crush Publication line, I thought that I would give this a shot. It's premise was interesting. Alex was annoying (I don't know why Holly puts up with her missing arrangements and stuff but whatever.) I did enjoy Malik's relationship with his grandfather. BUT this book was too Camp Rock. What I mean is ordinary girl falls for celebrity bad boy, BUT their mom works for the place they meet. THE HORROR. Thus the girl has to misrepresent themselves but in doing so they fall for the aforementioned bad boy. To be fair, Holly's lie wasn't deliberate. BUT Holly won't TELL Mr. Tall, Dark, & Handsome the truth. She's like "he's been hurt so many times before and I can't do that to him."
THEY ARE DATING. Like if you don't tell him now, it'll be too late. What really made me quit is when HOLLY decides to use ALEX'S house as her own to pose as someone who doesn't LIVE at the NURSING HOME. That did it. I can't deal with Holly's lies anymore.
I wanted to like this.... I really did. With my reading of the Entangled Crush Publication line, I thought that I would give this a shot. It's premise was interesting. Alex was annoying (I don't know why Holly puts up with her missing arrangements and stuff but whatever.) I did enjoy Malik's relationship with his grandfather. BUT this book was too Camp Rock. What I mean is ordinary girl falls for celebrity bad boy, BUT their mom works for the place they meet. THE HORROR. Thus the girl has to misrepresent themselves but in doing so they fall for the aforementioned bad boy. To be fair, Holly's lie wasn't deliberate. BUT Holly won't TELL Mr. Tall, Dark, & Handsome the truth. She's like "he's been hurt so many times before and I can't do that to him."
THEY ARE DATING. Like if you don't tell him now, it'll be too late. What really made me quit is when HOLLY decides to use ALEX'S house as her own to pose as someone who doesn't LIVE at the NURSING HOME. That did it. I can't deal with Holly's lies anymore.
guardianofthebookshelf's review against another edition
4.0
Grade: B
An e-galley was provided by Bloomsbury USA Childrens via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration.
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: So after feeling let down by the last few If Only... titles, Everything But the Truth was a pleasant surprise. It's a short book with a simple plot - mainly focused on the romance - but I liked it. Holly's mother is a single parent, but they have a fairly good relationship and there's little tension there. The sub-plot definitely revolved around Holly and her best friend, Alex. Holly feels her best friend is slowly dumping her for another girl, Rena, and she often feels left out and hurt - a feeling a lot of us know all too well. That sub-plot took a wonderful twist and while at the end, I was still questioning some of the actions a bit, I really liked it.
As for the romance, I liked how we slowly got to know Holly and Malik a little better. They're both fully-formed characters. Holly is a bit girly but not overtly so. She likes antiques and interior decorating, and she has plans to attend Washington State University in the fall. Malik is set to run his grandfather's business - but he doesn't really want to. I was worried that part would be totally cliche, but it's not. He loves to read, and after a party boy past, he's actually realized the good he can do in this world and he's working toward ways he can do that and still take over his grandfather's company like expected.
The main conflict is that Malik thinks Holly is the granddaughter of one of the rich residents of the retirement home. She perpetuates this lie because she's worried at first that Malik is shallow and won't like her if she isn't rich. Then, when she realizes that isn't true, she's afraid to tell him because he doesn't like it when people use him for his wealth and fame - which she isn't at all. But she knows he'll break up with her for telling a lie. Their relationship isn't really built on a lie; he knows a lot about Holly's true self. I think this plot resolved pretty nicely.
The Verdict: The book, overall, was fairly fluffy and I never fully shipped the romance, which would be required for this to become a 5-star read for me. But I'm happy to give it 4 stars.
An e-galley was provided by Bloomsbury USA Childrens via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration.
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: So after feeling let down by the last few If Only... titles, Everything But the Truth was a pleasant surprise. It's a short book with a simple plot - mainly focused on the romance - but I liked it. Holly's mother is a single parent, but they have a fairly good relationship and there's little tension there. The sub-plot definitely revolved around Holly and her best friend, Alex. Holly feels her best friend is slowly dumping her for another girl, Rena, and she often feels left out and hurt - a feeling a lot of us know all too well. That sub-plot took a wonderful twist and while at the end, I was still questioning some of the actions a bit, I really liked it.
As for the romance, I liked how we slowly got to know Holly and Malik a little better. They're both fully-formed characters. Holly is a bit girly but not overtly so. She likes antiques and interior decorating, and she has plans to attend Washington State University in the fall. Malik is set to run his grandfather's business - but he doesn't really want to. I was worried that part would be totally cliche, but it's not. He loves to read, and after a party boy past, he's actually realized the good he can do in this world and he's working toward ways he can do that and still take over his grandfather's company like expected.
The main conflict is that Malik thinks Holly is the granddaughter of one of the rich residents of the retirement home. She perpetuates this lie because she's worried at first that Malik is shallow and won't like her if she isn't rich. Then, when she realizes that isn't true, she's afraid to tell him because he doesn't like it when people use him for his wealth and fame - which she isn't at all. But she knows he'll break up with her for telling a lie. Their relationship isn't really built on a lie; he knows a lot about Holly's true self. I think this plot resolved pretty nicely.
The Verdict: The book, overall, was fairly fluffy and I never fully shipped the romance, which would be required for this to become a 5-star read for me. But I'm happy to give it 4 stars.
alexalovesbooks's review against another edition
3.0
FIRST THOUGHTS: What I love about the If Only series is how cute the books tend to be! I've had some I liked better than others and EVERYTHING BUT THE TRUTH is one of those books. I loved the setting (Washington + retirement home), the characters were fun and the relationship was adorable. I'll have to admit that I kept thinking that this story felt like it was about Jennifer Lopez's child in MAID IN MANHATTAN, if that child had been a girl. Still, it was altogether quite entertaining to read!
ashurq's review against another edition
4.0
This book was really surprising because I didn’t expect to like it as much as I did. It’s not perfect, by any means, but I was expecting the book and overall story line to be much more shallow than it actually was.
Let’s start off with the fact that I LOVE that it’s set in Seattle–my hometown. I loved reading about Alki Beach, Lake Washington, Gas Works Park, and Pike Place Market. Since I’m so familiar with the area, it was really easy to place the characters in the setting. The author is from the Seattle area herself so everything is pretty accurate, but I did have a couple of minor issues–I know I’m splitting hairs here, but I can’t help it! First, WSU. Sorry, but my blood runs purple and gold (both my parents graduated from UW and both of my siblings were also students). So the fact that our main character was going there? Not a fan. Second, (and this is so minor, I know) at the end of the book Holly mentions how she’s been at school for a couple of weeks and her friend Alex (who’s going to UW) is going to call to update her on her classes. Sorry, but the timing doesn’t work out there. WSU has semesters and starts classes at the beginning of September or the end of August. Meanwhile, UW has quarters and doesn’t start classes until the end of September (or beginning of October even). So…Alex wouldn’t be in classes yet. This book was just so close to being accurate! I was just disappointed.
Anyway, I know no one else cares about that kind of thing except for me so let’s get onto the book. As a reader, I experienced the typical agony that comes when two characters just won’t communicate with each other. Half of the book I was screaming at Holly, “JUST TELL HIM!!!” If she did, though, there would be less drama and tension, so I get it. Malik seemed like a good guy, but he was maybe a little too reformed? He had a troubled past and I find it hard to believe that there wasn’t any of that left in him. Lastly, the secondary characters were pretty great. I liked the senior citizens that were in the book (Charles and Henrietta) because I felt like it added a depth to the cast that a lot of books don’t have.
Overall, I was definitely surprised this book! It reminded me of home which was nice and the characters were all pretty believable. Even though I wouldn’t say this book had that much depth to it, I still had fun reading a clean and pleasantly predictable YA romance.
Overall Rating: 3
Language: None
Violence: None
Sexual Content: None
Smoking/Drinking: Mild. Mention of drunk driving.
Note: I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Let’s start off with the fact that I LOVE that it’s set in Seattle–my hometown. I loved reading about Alki Beach, Lake Washington, Gas Works Park, and Pike Place Market. Since I’m so familiar with the area, it was really easy to place the characters in the setting. The author is from the Seattle area herself so everything is pretty accurate, but I did have a couple of minor issues–I know I’m splitting hairs here, but I can’t help it! First, WSU. Sorry, but my blood runs purple and gold (both my parents graduated from UW and both of my siblings were also students). So the fact that our main character was going there? Not a fan. Second, (and this is so minor, I know) at the end of the book Holly mentions how she’s been at school for a couple of weeks and her friend Alex (who’s going to UW) is going to call to update her on her classes. Sorry, but the timing doesn’t work out there. WSU has semesters and starts classes at the beginning of September or the end of August. Meanwhile, UW has quarters and doesn’t start classes until the end of September (or beginning of October even). So…Alex wouldn’t be in classes yet. This book was just so close to being accurate! I was just disappointed.
Anyway, I know no one else cares about that kind of thing except for me so let’s get onto the book. As a reader, I experienced the typical agony that comes when two characters just won’t communicate with each other. Half of the book I was screaming at Holly, “JUST TELL HIM!!!” If she did, though, there would be less drama and tension, so I get it. Malik seemed like a good guy, but he was maybe a little too reformed? He had a troubled past and I find it hard to believe that there wasn’t any of that left in him. Lastly, the secondary characters were pretty great. I liked the senior citizens that were in the book (Charles and Henrietta) because I felt like it added a depth to the cast that a lot of books don’t have.
Overall, I was definitely surprised this book! It reminded me of home which was nice and the characters were all pretty believable. Even though I wouldn’t say this book had that much depth to it, I still had fun reading a clean and pleasantly predictable YA romance.
Overall Rating: 3
Language: None
Violence: None
Sexual Content: None
Smoking/Drinking: Mild. Mention of drunk driving.
Note: I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.