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A review by chellesofbooks
Nothing But the Truth by Holly James
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
3 stars
When I first starting reading Nothing But The Truth, I thought it was cute and inspiring - why do women conform to standards that can be rather uncomfortable? Lucy spends her birthday unable to lie, and this is both revolutionary and exasperating, depending on the situation.
There was a storyline about sexual harassment with Lucy and her boss that, whilst written tastefully enough, felt more thrust in to echo the feminist "fuck the patriarchy" stance this book was beginning to incessantly shout. I found myself grow weary of every interaction being about how women suffer and watching the fmc get everything her way with little to no consequence.
And sure, this was part of the wish concept for the story, but it was hard to navigate at times, especially when everything in this story happens in one day. I honestly struggled to keep up with what time everything was happening at, and this fateful 24 hours felt long enough to be three days instead.
The romance was cute, but with the feminist narrative, it contradicted things. Adam seemed too good to be true, and the way Lucy simpered for him in one breath and was taking on the media coverage about her sexual harassment in the next was a lot to swallow.
I think a lot of the messages are worth hearing, especially if you identify as a woman and subject yourself to the conformities listed in this novel. However, I just found it a little too much and it distracted my attention away from what was otherwise a really sweet story.
When I first starting reading Nothing But The Truth, I thought it was cute and inspiring - why do women conform to standards that can be rather uncomfortable? Lucy spends her birthday unable to lie, and this is both revolutionary and exasperating, depending on the situation.
There was a storyline about sexual harassment with Lucy and her boss that, whilst written tastefully enough, felt more thrust in to echo the feminist "fuck the patriarchy" stance this book was beginning to incessantly shout. I found myself grow weary of every interaction being about how women suffer and watching the fmc get everything her way with little to no consequence.
And sure, this was part of the wish concept for the story, but it was hard to navigate at times, especially when everything in this story happens in one day. I honestly struggled to keep up with what time everything was happening at, and this fateful 24 hours felt long enough to be three days instead.
The romance was cute, but with the feminist narrative, it contradicted things. Adam seemed too good to be true, and the way Lucy simpered for him in one breath and was taking on the media coverage about her sexual harassment in the next was a lot to swallow.
I think a lot of the messages are worth hearing, especially if you identify as a woman and subject yourself to the conformities listed in this novel. However, I just found it a little too much and it distracted my attention away from what was otherwise a really sweet story.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual harassment