Tuesday, January 13, 2015

(Review) The Truth About Alice by Jennifer Mathew

 
Title: The Truth About Alice
Author: Jennifer Mathew
Pages: 199
Published: June 3, 2014
PublisherMacmillan US
Review Copy: Yes

Why did I want this book?
I've read a lot about it on Goodreads, so I was curious.
Synopsis:
Everyone knows Alice slept with two guys at one party. When Healy High star quarterback, Brandon Fitzsimmons, dies in a car crash, it was because he was sexting with Alice. Ask anybody.

Rumor has it Alice Franklin is a slut. It's written all over the "slut stall" in the girls' bathroom: "Alice had sex in exchange for math test answers" and "Alice got an abortion last semester." After Brandon dies, the rumors start to spiral out of control. In this remarkable debut novel, four Healy High students tell all they "know" about Alice--and in doing so reveal their own secrets and motivations, painting a raw look at the realities of teen life. But in this novel from Jennifer Mathieu, exactly what is the truth about Alice? In the end there's only one person to ask: Alice herself.

Cover:
OMG, I love the artwork. This is one of the prettiest covers I've ever seen!

Title:
The title fits very good, because the whole book is build up on lies and rumors.

Writing style:
The book is written in first perspective and from different point of views. You get the feeling, that everyone has a word to say in this except Alice. The four protagonists tell you, what the think they know but after some chapters, you'll find out, that they barely know anything at all.
The writing style is easy to read and really interesting. The only thing I was missing was a classic arc of suspense. Don't get me wrong, it was captivating but there weren't any real twists and turns in it.

Characters:
Besides Alice, we have four important classmates. Josh, who is Brandons best friend (The boy who died in the car crash, Alice gets blamed for), Elaine, the girl who organized the party where everything begun, Kurt, who is the school nerd and Kelsie, Alice's former best friend.
The caracter development was good, even though we do have some cliches, but that was necessary in my eyes, because each of these characters will help you to understand how this rumors started and why.

Noteworthy:
An important topic, discussed in a very appealing book.

Stuck in my Head:
I thought about the stall on the second floor that I'd heard students talking about, so recently covered in graffiti about Alice Franklin. They're calling it the Slut Stall.” (p. 88)
What I didn't like:
As I said, I missed a classic arc of suspense. 50 pages more would have been good.

Quick and dirty:
Great cover image and good story with a very current topic. The book only has 200 pages, so I guess it is easy to finish during one day and I would definitely recommend it!
Thank you to ... 
... Macmillan US, who gave me this review copy in exchange of a honest review!

No comments :

Post a Comment