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3.35 AVERAGE
3.35 AVERAGE
At first, I wasn't so sure I was going to like this one. To be perfectly honest, Collette, the main character, got on my nerves in the beginning. But then she started telling her outrageous stories, and somehow I began to find her endearing. I found myself beginning to be able to relate and connect easily to her because I know what it's like to be bored and alone save for family. When I was younger, I used to make up outrageous stories about my life, and my future.
While Collette is a "unreliable" narrator for a bit, soon her life starts becoming real. The things that happen to her are not quite as exciting as what she mapped out in her head earlier, but I found her relationship with Connor to be entertaining and fun to read. Especially toward the end.
Besides connecting with Collette, I found her little brother, Will, to be adorable. Even her mother and mother's boyfriend ended up being characters I enjoyed. I also liked Connor, at least until the end. Though while I hated how he ended up being, it was a nice twist of irony that I didn't see coming. I felt awful for Collette though, and for Will.
The only thing that really disappointed me minus the Connor thing, which the reader is probably supposed to be disappointed at, is the end. While I applaud Collette for taking the high road, I would have really liked to see things play out differently. And while I like that she decides she wants to amend her lying ways, parts of it felt a little forced.
Other than that, this was a great read. Very entertaining with a fun romance and interesting, quirky characters. The book isn't all sunshine and giggles, but overall it's a very fun read.
While Collette is a "unreliable" narrator for a bit, soon her life starts becoming real. The things that happen to her are not quite as exciting as what she mapped out in her head earlier, but I found her relationship with Connor to be entertaining and fun to read. Especially toward the end.
Besides connecting with Collette, I found her little brother, Will, to be adorable. Even her mother and mother's boyfriend ended up being characters I enjoyed. I also liked Connor, at least until the end. Though while I hated how he ended up being, it was a nice twist of irony that I didn't see coming. I felt awful for Collette though, and for Will.
The only thing that really disappointed me minus the Connor thing, which the reader is probably supposed to be disappointed at, is the end. While I applaud Collette for taking the high road, I would have really liked to see things play out differently. And while I like that she decides she wants to amend her lying ways, parts of it felt a little forced.
Other than that, this was a great read. Very entertaining with a fun romance and interesting, quirky characters. The book isn't all sunshine and giggles, but overall it's a very fun read.
To Be Perfectly Honest chronicles a summer in the life of Colette, the daughter of a famous actress. But Colette has a special...talent - she is an amazing liar, to the point where you never know if what she's saying is the truth or not.
And that's where I'll begin my review, on her lying. She is one of the most unreliable narrators I've ever read. When I first started reading, I didn't realize she'd be fooling the reader as often as the other characters in the book. And she catches you the first few times, too. Then you start predicting when you read a page and think "oh, no, that would definitely not happen." In fact, I started predicting when she would lie in her narration. On the other hand, it was a bit refreshing, especially compared to other books. It did keep me on my toes.
As for the narration style itself, it's free-form poetry. The book is told in verses of varying line length and verse length. It makes the book incredibly long-looking, but extremely quick to read once you get the hang of it. Again, once you got used to it, it was a nice difference from most other books. I don't really have a complaint about it except when you're thrown it at the beginning.
Now we can talk about the plot. Oh, boy, the plot. I bought this book knowing it was going to be a nice trashy summer read, not really my style of book to begin with. I guess that's why I'm a bit more critical of the plot. In a way, it was creative...to an extent. I'm sorry, no spoilers here. Let's just say there's a boy. That's all I'm saying. And already it's cliche. I started predicting way too much of the book to feel comfortable and eager to finish.
Furthermore, there is a topic covered in the book that is a bit too close for comfort for me. Because of that, and the predictions I made about it (there were too options. I was correct with one of them) I just had to put it down and only picked it up two months later, forcing myself to read it.
The characters aren't completely three dimensional and many lack the sympathy I needed to root for them or at least connect to them. In the end, I felt this story was completely centered around Colette, with little bits of the other characters, and no real connection to the reader.
In conclusion, the conclusion. It was incredibly rushed, in my opinion, and way too cliche. In all reality, the last page really set up an ending in the way a first-time author without editors would have written it. It was a complete letdown that just didn't do it for me.
Would I recommend this book? Not really. If you're in the mood for a trashy summer novel starring a 15-year-old girl that won't stop lying, even to the reader, go for it. Just be prepared for an emotional whirlwind because that is one thing the book does right - your emotions fly along with the hormonal teenagers in it.
And that's where I'll begin my review, on her lying. She is one of the most unreliable narrators I've ever read. When I first started reading, I didn't realize she'd be fooling the reader as often as the other characters in the book. And she catches you the first few times, too. Then you start predicting when you read a page and think "oh, no, that would definitely not happen." In fact, I started predicting when she would lie in her narration. On the other hand, it was a bit refreshing, especially compared to other books. It did keep me on my toes.
As for the narration style itself, it's free-form poetry. The book is told in verses of varying line length and verse length. It makes the book incredibly long-looking, but extremely quick to read once you get the hang of it. Again, once you got used to it, it was a nice difference from most other books. I don't really have a complaint about it except when you're thrown it at the beginning.
Now we can talk about the plot. Oh, boy, the plot. I bought this book knowing it was going to be a nice trashy summer read, not really my style of book to begin with. I guess that's why I'm a bit more critical of the plot. In a way, it was creative...to an extent. I'm sorry, no spoilers here. Let's just say there's a boy. That's all I'm saying. And already it's cliche. I started predicting way too much of the book to feel comfortable and eager to finish.
Furthermore, there is a topic covered in the book that is a bit too close for comfort for me. Because of that, and the predictions I made about it (there were too options. I was correct with one of them) I just had to put it down and only picked it up two months later, forcing myself to read it.
The characters aren't completely three dimensional and many lack the sympathy I needed to root for them or at least connect to them. In the end, I felt this story was completely centered around Colette, with little bits of the other characters, and no real connection to the reader.
In conclusion, the conclusion. It was incredibly rushed, in my opinion, and way too cliche. In all reality, the last page really set up an ending in the way a first-time author without editors would have written it. It was a complete letdown that just didn't do it for me.
Would I recommend this book? Not really. If you're in the mood for a trashy summer novel starring a 15-year-old girl that won't stop lying, even to the reader, go for it. Just be prepared for an emotional whirlwind because that is one thing the book does right - your emotions fly along with the hormonal teenagers in it.
This book was really nostalgic for me. I didn't know she had written another book and I was really excited to read this.
