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3.45 AVERAGE
3.45 AVERAGE
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
What did you like about the book? Alice is a slut, who did two guys in one night at a party. And then had an abortion. And her sexting the town's star quarterback resulted in his death. Or, so the rumors go in the small Texas town of Healy. Slowly, through the eyes of 4 characters (Elaine, popular girl and hostess of the Party of Infamy; Kelsie, former bestie of Alice; Josh, best friend and fellow football player of the now-dead quarterback; and Kurt, neighbor of the dead boy and long-time crush-on-Alice-haver) we discover that the truth isn't what it may seem. Each character is flawed, honest and real (in all the ugly glory that this can bring).
Anything you didn’t like about it? The first few short chapters use the word "slut" so often it feels like the story is really going to be one entirely about slut-shaming (with no negative repercussions to those who do so) but it only takes a few chapters to realize that won't be the case. It's a few chapters that some may not wish to push through though.
To whom would you recommend this book? (Read-alikes if you can think of them) Readers who love Ellen Hopkins' style of using multiple voices to flesh out one story and those who enjoyed "Some Girls Are" and other Mean Girl type stories will enjoy this one.
FTC Disclosure: The Publisher provided me with a copy of this book to provide an honest review. No goody bags, sponsorship, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
Anything you didn’t like about it? The first few short chapters use the word "slut" so often it feels like the story is really going to be one entirely about slut-shaming (with no negative repercussions to those who do so) but it only takes a few chapters to realize that won't be the case. It's a few chapters that some may not wish to push through though.
To whom would you recommend this book? (Read-alikes if you can think of them) Readers who love Ellen Hopkins' style of using multiple voices to flesh out one story and those who enjoyed "Some Girls Are" and other Mean Girl type stories will enjoy this one.
FTC Disclosure: The Publisher provided me with a copy of this book to provide an honest review. No goody bags, sponsorship, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Read This Review & More Like It At Ageless Pages Reviews
Because of the nature of The Truth About Alice, it’s hard to review with any specificity. I want you to learn the truth for yourself. It’s realistic fiction, yes, but there’s an element of mystery that unravels over the duration. Especially in the beginning, the book makes good use of the Rashomon effect as four students at Healy High tell us extremely unreliable and biased accounts of the party where Alice Franklin slept with two guys.
I will say, I described the book as “Rashomon with rape, drunk driving, and betrayal” at the halfway point, but like the characters, I too was jumping to conclusions. There’s some dubious consent, especially in a flashback involving statutory, that does not sit right at. all. (I got Dazed and Confused vibes from Tommy. You know, “I keep getting older, but they say the saaaame age.”) but it’s not what I feared. The book is much more about the power of rumors and lies than it is about coercion.
One of the things that stands out to me is how badly all the adults fail not only Alice, but all of the children. Why didn’t Brandon’s mother know he was drinking and driving? Why did Josh’s mom spread baseless rumors about a sixteen year old she barely knew? Why didn’t the teachers clean off the “Slut Stall”? Unlike a lot of YA stories where I’m left wondering, “where are the parents?”, because of poor plotting, here I know precisely where they are: engaging in the same toxic, abusive behavior as their children. We have to learn it somewhere, after all.
With a strong, emotionally devastating opening, the end is a bit saccharine for my tastes. I’m happy the character got to a better place, but it almost felt validating of the original lie. “It’ll all blow over in a week or two.” While it took closer to a year...yeah, it kind of did. Friendships were ruined, and at least two characters will probably carry guilt for a long time, but a really tragic end might have driven the point home harder. (Of course, then I might be complaining that we crossed into after school special territory. I only review for a reason.)
I like the writing a lot. One of the stand out scenes is a flashback between Brandon and Kurt which gave a lot of nuance to a standard jock character, without resorting to “oh poor me, everyone loves me and it’s hard,” cliches. There’s also a good deconstruction of the “dream girl” trope as Kurt gets to know Alice and realizes there’s a difference between “Fantasy Alice” and “Real Alice”, (and finds he prefers the one with a crooked tooth and messy pizza eating.)
The four voices are distinct and felt like teenagers. I never needed to refer back to whose chapter I was reading, even when I put the book down for a stretch. I like that while everyone got some background on what made them into the kind of people who would lie, slander, and abuse, their behavior is never excused. Elaine could have blamed her bitchy personality on her diet-obsessed mother, but instead her last chapter showed growth and understanding that some things are unforgivable. Josh could have been played off as closeted and jealous, but the subtlety of his feelings kept me thinking and made for a richer reading experience.
In all, The Truth About Alice is a powerful, moving debut that I’m very happy to have read. While I feel the first half is stronger than the last, well written, fleshed-out characters and a fascinating study on mob mentality make this impossible not to recommend.
The Rashomon effect is a term that has been used by scholars, journalists and film critics to refer to contradictory interpretations of the same events by different persons, a problem that arises in the process of uncovering truth. The phrase derives from the movie Rashomon, where four witnesses' accounts of a rape and murder are all different. - Wikipedia
Because of the nature of The Truth About Alice, it’s hard to review with any specificity. I want you to learn the truth for yourself. It’s realistic fiction, yes, but there’s an element of mystery that unravels over the duration. Especially in the beginning, the book makes good use of the Rashomon effect as four students at Healy High tell us extremely unreliable and biased accounts of the party where Alice Franklin slept with two guys.
I will say, I described the book as “Rashomon with rape, drunk driving, and betrayal” at the halfway point, but like the characters, I too was jumping to conclusions. There’s some dubious consent, especially in a flashback involving statutory, that does not sit right at. all. (I got Dazed and Confused vibes from Tommy. You know, “I keep getting older, but they say the saaaame age.”) but it’s not what I feared. The book is much more about the power of rumors and lies than it is about coercion.
One of the things that stands out to me is how badly all the adults fail not only Alice, but all of the children. Why didn’t Brandon’s mother know he was drinking and driving? Why did Josh’s mom spread baseless rumors about a sixteen year old she barely knew? Why didn’t the teachers clean off the “Slut Stall”? Unlike a lot of YA stories where I’m left wondering, “where are the parents?”, because of poor plotting, here I know precisely where they are: engaging in the same toxic, abusive behavior as their children. We have to learn it somewhere, after all.
With a strong, emotionally devastating opening, the end is a bit saccharine for my tastes. I’m happy the character got to a better place, but it almost felt validating of the original lie. “It’ll all blow over in a week or two.” While it took closer to a year...yeah, it kind of did. Friendships were ruined, and at least two characters will probably carry guilt for a long time, but a really tragic end might have driven the point home harder. (Of course, then I might be complaining that we crossed into after school special territory. I only review for a reason.)
I like the writing a lot. One of the stand out scenes is a flashback between Brandon and Kurt which gave a lot of nuance to a standard jock character, without resorting to “oh poor me, everyone loves me and it’s hard,” cliches. There’s also a good deconstruction of the “dream girl” trope as Kurt gets to know Alice and realizes there’s a difference between “Fantasy Alice” and “Real Alice”, (and finds he prefers the one with a crooked tooth and messy pizza eating.)
The four voices are distinct and felt like teenagers. I never needed to refer back to whose chapter I was reading, even when I put the book down for a stretch. I like that while everyone got some background on what made them into the kind of people who would lie, slander, and abuse, their behavior is never excused. Elaine could have blamed her bitchy personality on her diet-obsessed mother, but instead her last chapter showed growth and understanding that some things are unforgivable. Josh could have been played off as closeted and jealous, but the subtlety of his feelings kept me thinking and made for a richer reading experience.
In all, The Truth About Alice is a powerful, moving debut that I’m very happy to have read. While I feel the first half is stronger than the last, well written, fleshed-out characters and a fascinating study on mob mentality make this impossible not to recommend.
I am really impressed with this book! I can't decide whether to give it a 4.5 or 5 star rating.
What I love and hate most about this book was how realistically raw this story was. She gave these stereotyped characters depth.
The characters, situations, conversations, etc are all fucked up and if you want a nice, pleasant read another book, because this book looks at the disgusting truth that can happen in high school, especially in a small town.
This book reminded me of "If I Lie" by Corrine Jackson and I absolutely loved that book. It's terrible to focus on terrible people in a book that reflects reality. Popularity>friends, double standards, labels, etc. and I really appreciate that Jennifer Mathieu shows light of it and gave each character such beautiful depth, even though I hated half the characters (Kelsie most of all). There is a few character development and that is fine because not everyone grows up during high school. And there is some closure, which is also fine because not everyone gets closure.
What I didn't really like but isn't enough to make the book a four star rating is the end. I felt like it was a little rushed and I wanted to hear more from Alice. However, it was still a fine ending.
What I love and hate most about this book was how realistically raw this story was. She gave these stereotyped characters depth.
The characters, situations, conversations, etc are all fucked up and if you want a nice, pleasant read another book, because this book looks at the disgusting truth that can happen in high school, especially in a small town.
This book reminded me of "If I Lie" by Corrine Jackson and I absolutely loved that book. It's terrible to focus on terrible people in a book that reflects reality. Popularity>friends, double standards, labels, etc. and I really appreciate that Jennifer Mathieu shows light of it and gave each character such beautiful depth, even though I hated half the characters (Kelsie most of all). There is a few character development and that is fine because not everyone grows up during high school. And there is some closure, which is also fine because not everyone gets closure.
What I didn't really like but isn't enough to make the book a four star rating is the end. I felt like it was a little rushed and I wanted to hear more from Alice. However, it was still a fine ending.
I got this one extremely cheap somewhere along the line. Let it fester because, high school drama. Turns out, should have just left it there, because high school drama.
A must read for adolescents and adults alike. The Truth About Alice reminds us how quick we are to scapegoat others for our frustrations, regrets, and fears. Alice's ostracism is told mostly through her banishers, and Mathieu does a great job revealing their psyches. This book is a mere snapshot of just how hard growing up female can be nowadays.
2 stars
This book is okay, but I feel like it just could have been SO MUCH MORE. Like, it definitely ended on an anti-climactic note. I get that Alice's perspective was kept out of it mostly on purpose, but this story would just be so much more powerful if I'd actually known what she was feeling throughout it all. And what the truth was, and why people would actually believe all the bullshit. Instead all I got was terrible people behaving terribly with some thin reasoning behind it and characters that didn't feel fully fleshed out.
Given the immense praise this book got when it came out, I just expected more.
This book is okay, but I feel like it just could have been SO MUCH MORE. Like, it definitely ended on an anti-climactic note. I get that Alice's perspective was kept out of it mostly on purpose, but this story would just be so much more powerful if I'd actually known what she was feeling throughout it all. And what the truth was, and why people would actually believe all the bullshit. Instead all I got was terrible people behaving terribly with some thin reasoning behind it and characters that didn't feel fully fleshed out.
Given the immense praise this book got when it came out, I just expected more.
Everyone knows the truth about what happened with Alice, or at least a version of it they are comfortable believing or actively want to believe because it fits with their comfort level. Brandon, high school quarterback, star junior, golden boy of the town says that Alice slept with him and another boy (who conveniently leaves for college a couple of days later so isn't around to support or refute anything) at Elaine's party, so it must be true - she's a slut! And then a few weeks later, when Brandon crashes his car and dies, Josh says it was because Alice was texting about all the lascivious things she wanted to do to Brandon, and it distracted him and so it's Alice's fault that he's dead. And Josh is a good guy, a good football player, and Brandon's best friend, so it must be true.
The story of Alice's junior year of high school is told through alternating chapters narrated by 4 other characters: Elaine, the popular girl who loves being queen bee of her little town, Brandon's on-again, off-again girlfriend, and host of the infamous party; Kurt, the nerdy smart guy that was Brandon's neighbor, has plans that will take him far beyond little Healy, TX, and has been somewhat enamored of Alice for years; Josh, who knew Brandon's secrets and harbors guilt; and Kelsie, Alice's former best friend, former nerd who reinvented herself, progenitor of the Slut Stall filled with slutty-Alice graffiti, and harborer of secrets, guilt, and anger of her own. As their stories unfold we see more of what allowed the gossip to spread, to settle in, and to ferment. We see why sometimes people believe things they know aren't true. We see selfishness, kindness, strength, and cruelty, sometimes from the same people.
Definitely a story about bullying and slut-shaming. Ultimately a story about human-nature and hope.
I can't decide if the ending seems contrived to offer a hopeful future, or if it's in character **spoilers** - Alice demonstrated great strength in not just fading away or even killing herself, and so keeping Kurt's friendship even when he hurt her feelings seems logical. But it bothered me that there is the possibility he only befriended her because he knew the stories weren't true, and not because he didn't care or didn't think she was a slut if she'd made decisions about sex for herself. Would he have still been kind if she really had slept with Brandon and the other guy at the party? Maybe? He knew she wasn't a virgin and didn't appear to judge her for it, but the stigma of "banging" two guys at the same time is a mighty one. Would he have been a stalwart friend in that case? That was the loss of trust I felt as a reader, although Alice seemed more angry and hurt that Kurt hadn't given testimony to her innocence based on what Brandon told him.
I'd love to discuss this with teen readers to see their take on it.
The story of Alice's junior year of high school is told through alternating chapters narrated by 4 other characters: Elaine, the popular girl who loves being queen bee of her little town, Brandon's on-again, off-again girlfriend, and host of the infamous party; Kurt, the nerdy smart guy that was Brandon's neighbor, has plans that will take him far beyond little Healy, TX, and has been somewhat enamored of Alice for years; Josh, who knew Brandon's secrets and harbors guilt; and Kelsie, Alice's former best friend, former nerd who reinvented herself, progenitor of the Slut Stall filled with slutty-Alice graffiti, and harborer of secrets, guilt, and anger of her own. As their stories unfold we see more of what allowed the gossip to spread, to settle in, and to ferment. We see why sometimes people believe things they know aren't true. We see selfishness, kindness, strength, and cruelty, sometimes from the same people.
Definitely a story about bullying and slut-shaming. Ultimately a story about human-nature and hope.
I can't decide if the ending seems contrived to offer a hopeful future, or if it's in character **spoilers** - Alice demonstrated great strength in not just fading away or even killing herself, and so keeping Kurt's friendship even when he hurt her feelings seems logical. But it bothered me that there is the possibility he only befriended her because he knew the stories weren't true, and not because he didn't care or didn't think she was a slut if she'd made decisions about sex for herself. Would he have still been kind if she really had slept with Brandon and the other guy at the party? Maybe? He knew she wasn't a virgin and didn't appear to judge her for it, but the stigma of "banging" two guys at the same time is a mighty one. Would he have been a stalwart friend in that case? That was the loss of trust I felt as a reader, although Alice seemed more angry and hurt that Kurt hadn't given testimony to her innocence based on what Brandon told him.
I'd love to discuss this with teen readers to see their take on it.
Actual Rating: 4.25
This was a great read. I thought it had a good message and that the story was interesting. As for the characters, most of them seemed shallow except for Kurt and Alice. I loved those two. I enjoyed watching their friendship unfold. Also, I thought that the way that the author made the book a powerful read about rumors and how they can destroy people.
Alice might have changed the way she looked, I found her attitude to be inspiring because she still walked those school halls as the students labeled her. I think Kelsie is shallow because she ditched Alice because she wanted to be popular. Josh seemed to be hiding something, and you find out what and why at the end of the book. This book had a lot of shocks and surprises in it. I really enjoyed it. I recommend it to anyone. Overall, a powerful read.
This was a great read. I thought it had a good message and that the story was interesting. As for the characters, most of them seemed shallow except for Kurt and Alice. I loved those two. I enjoyed watching their friendship unfold. Also, I thought that the way that the author made the book a powerful read about rumors and how they can destroy people.
Alice might have changed the way she looked, I found her attitude to be inspiring because she still walked those school halls as the students labeled her. I think Kelsie is shallow because she ditched Alice because she wanted to be popular. Josh seemed to be hiding something, and you find out what and why at the end of the book. This book had a lot of shocks and surprises in it. I really enjoyed it. I recommend it to anyone. Overall, a powerful read.