Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.31 AVERAGE
3.31 AVERAGE
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a 3-star book for entertainment, but I could not get over some of the messages in this book which dropped it a star.
Jasmine "Jaz" Evans is one of the only biracial girls in town. Her popular blond mother got knocked up by a black football star during high school. Jaz's mother gave the baby to her parents to raise and Jaz's father left town to concentrate on his football career. Jaz's world is shattered when she sees her almost-stepfather, Simon, making out with her older best friend at a party. She is devastated that he cheated on her mother. Her mother then announces that she's pregnant. Jaz thinks it's better to be cold, angry, and strange to her mother and Simon than to tell either of them what she saw. So of course everyone thinks she is just upset about a new baby. Meanwhile, Jaz is falling for a "bad boy" new coworker.
The things I liked about this book were exploring Jaz's extreme reluctance to open up to anyone (besides her beloved grandfather, who has passed away) and how this has been harmful in her life (and continues to cause conflict throughout the book). I also thought Jaz's family dynamic was incredibly interesting and often explored effectively.
But there were quite a few bits that were painful. I won't get into whether Gurtler's exploration of racism was authentic or not - I did wonder, but I don't have the lived experience to know how much was accurate/realistic.
The painful bits are probably at least partly due to this being published in 2011. The worst was that Jaz is sexually assaulted by a boy who has a crush on her and is her "friend" and then it is completely brushed off. Underage Jaz gets drunk and goes upstairs at a party with the older Nathan, who attempts to rape her until she knees him. He then gets angry with her, telling her that she's a "tease" and that she's lucky because "not everyone would stop after the way you were leading me on." He then tells everyone that they did sleep together. Jaz doesn't tell anyone what Nathan did, and doesn't seem to recognize it as sexual assault. Which could be a trauma reaction - I've read a whole novel about a similar situation that was focused on exploring this idea. But it really feels more that the book itself is not treating this seriously. At the very end, a mutual friend (who does not know about the attempted rape) says, "You know, believe it or not, I think Nathan is really looking for true love." If this issue is going to be explored so shallowly and poorly, it should not have been explored at all.
The other very 2011 aspect is that pretty girls are all shallow and mean (especially pretty blonds) and girls who sleep around are "sluts." That term gets used a lot . The girl-on-girl hate was much more popular in 2010s YA, but still frustrating to read.
Jaz herself is really super judgmental. Even though she spends her life feeling judged for her skin color, she judges others constantly. Not only the whole slut thing, but she also hears a rumor that new boy Jackson was a drug dealer (which did turn out to be true, but she wouldn't have known that) and just decides he's a "druggie." When they get in a fight, she then throws the "druggie" label in his face, even though he's been clean for a while. She really loves getting on her high horse and trampling over everyone else. And it doesn't really seem like she's grown by the end of the book.
And then the final message of the book was "Sometimes keeping secrets was the right thing to do." I just plain disagree. Keeping the secret of adultery is not necessarily the best choice - and it didn't seem like the best long term choice in this case either. Especially since part of the conflict of this book was that Jaz DID keep it secret and it DID hurt her and those she loved because she became volatile and spiteful from keeping the secret.
Even though I didn't care one way or another about the romance (which played quite a large role), this book would have been a solid three stars if not for these issues.
Jasmine "Jaz" Evans is one of the only biracial girls in town. Her popular blond mother got knocked up by a black football star during high school. Jaz's mother gave the baby to her parents to raise and Jaz's father left town to concentrate on his football career. Jaz's world is shattered when she sees her almost-stepfather, Simon, making out with her older best friend at a party. She is devastated that he cheated on her mother. Her mother then announces that she's pregnant. Jaz thinks it's better to be cold, angry, and strange to her mother and Simon than to tell either of them what she saw. So of course everyone thinks she is just upset about a new baby. Meanwhile, Jaz is falling for a "bad boy" new coworker.
The things I liked about this book were exploring Jaz's extreme reluctance to open up to anyone (besides her beloved grandfather, who has passed away) and how this has been harmful in her life (and continues to cause conflict throughout the book). I also thought Jaz's family dynamic was incredibly interesting and often explored effectively.
But there were quite a few bits that were painful. I won't get into whether Gurtler's exploration of racism was authentic or not - I did wonder, but I don't have the lived experience to know how much was accurate/realistic.
The painful bits are probably at least partly due to this being published in 2011. The worst was that Jaz is sexually assaulted by a boy who has a crush on her and is her "friend" and then it is completely brushed off. Underage Jaz gets drunk and goes upstairs at a party with the older Nathan, who attempts to rape her until she knees him. He then gets angry with her, telling her that she's a "tease" and that she's lucky because "not everyone would stop after the way you were leading me on." He then tells everyone that they did sleep together. Jaz doesn't tell anyone what Nathan did, and doesn't seem to recognize it as sexual assault. Which could be a trauma reaction - I've read a whole novel about a similar situation that was focused on exploring this idea. But it really feels more that the book itself is not treating this seriously. At the very end, a mutual friend (who does not know about the attempted rape) says, "You know, believe it or not, I think Nathan is really looking for true love." If this issue is going to be explored so shallowly and poorly, it should not have been explored at all.
The other very 2011 aspect is that pretty girls are all shallow and mean (especially pretty blonds) and girls who sleep around are "sluts." That term gets used a lot . The girl-on-girl hate was much more popular in 2010s YA, but still frustrating to read.
Jaz herself is really super judgmental. Even though she spends her life feeling judged for her skin color, she judges others constantly. Not only the whole slut thing, but she also hears a rumor that new boy Jackson was a drug dealer (which did turn out to be true, but she wouldn't have known that) and just decides he's a "druggie." When they get in a fight, she then throws the "druggie" label in his face, even though he's been clean for a while. She really loves getting on her high horse and trampling over everyone else. And it doesn't really seem like she's grown by the end of the book.
And then the final message of the book was "Sometimes keeping secrets was the right thing to do." I just plain disagree. Keeping the secret of adultery is not necessarily the best choice - and it didn't seem like the best long term choice in this case either. Especially since part of the conflict of this book was that Jaz DID keep it secret and it DID hurt her and those she loved because she became volatile and spiteful from keeping the secret.
Even though I didn't care one way or another about the romance (which played quite a large role), this book would have been a solid three stars if not for these issues.
If I Tell is first and foremost a deeply realistic novel (maybe you can't tell by the summary which at first sounded to me like a soap opera blurb), but given any other setup, any other place and situation, the core of it is as realistic as it can be. The main conflict revolves around an alcohol-induced mistake. If told, it could destroy several lives. As Jasmine struggles with herself weighing the pros and cos of telling the truth,she learns that everyone makes mistakes, but also that some of them have to be forgiven and forgotten.
Janet Gurtler addressees issues such as alcoholism, postpartum depression, racial and sexual identity with honesty and frankness (given that there was a lot of talk recently about making gay characters straight in YA literature, I really appreciated it), which added more depth to the novel and characters.
I loved the characters. They are well-developed, multidimensional, perfectly flawed and so real. To quote from the book-We're human. We're an imperfect species. From characters that are easy to judge in the beginning they grow and spread to unveil the morale of the story; can you dismiss all the good in a person because of one mistake?
I read If I Tell in a day. It made me laugh out loud and filled my eyes with tears more than once. What I loved most about this novel, beside it's emotional charge and strong morale, was the tenderness in voice and compassion Janet wraps her characters in.
Janet Gurtler addressees issues such as alcoholism, postpartum depression, racial and sexual identity with honesty and frankness (given that there was a lot of talk recently about making gay characters straight in YA literature, I really appreciated it), which added more depth to the novel and characters.
I loved the characters. They are well-developed, multidimensional, perfectly flawed and so real. To quote from the book-We're human. We're an imperfect species. From characters that are easy to judge in the beginning they grow and spread to unveil the morale of the story; can you dismiss all the good in a person because of one mistake?
I read If I Tell in a day. It made me laugh out loud and filled my eyes with tears more than once. What I loved most about this novel, beside it's emotional charge and strong morale, was the tenderness in voice and compassion Janet wraps her characters in.
Although I have been flying through books on spring break, I believe this one was a record. I was so pulled into the story that I had it completed within 24 hours after picking it up from the Wheels Bag! A satisfying realistic fiction that is a stand alone title. I will admit it has a semi-happy ending, but who needs to cry with every book. :)
Jasmine is bi-racial, born to a 17 year old mother, raised by her very loving grandparents. Jasmine’s father hasn’t had anything to do with her, except for setting up a trust fund for her on the condition she never try to contact him…NICE! This, she feels, sets her apart and she’s never made friends because it was easier to hang with her Grandfather and her guitar.
One night at a party, Jasmine sees something she wishes she hadn’t and it shakes her to the core. Once she decides to tell her Mom what she saw, her mother reveals she is pregnant. Now what is Jasmine to do?
I thought Janet did a fantastic job of tackling the feelings of being bi-racial in a primarily Caucasian environment. A lot of the things Janet wrote about were the same feelings many bi-racial friends have shared with me that they experienced growing up, only my friends were growing up in large urban areas with their family unit intact, unlike Jasmine.
I felt tremendous sympathy for Jasmine all the way around. I loved that Jaz spent a lot of time in self-reflection and did finally find two people who were willing to climb the wall Jas had erected to separate herself from her schoolmates. I also loved the honesty with which Jackson carried himself. I appreciated that he’d made his mistakes, done his time, and was doing everything he could to stay on the straight and narrow. I loved the potential influence he would have had on Jasmine and the growth I believe she would have experienced with him in her life.
I so enjoyed this book that I finished it in one sitting. I am adding Janet Gurtler to my list of authors I want to read more from.
One night at a party, Jasmine sees something she wishes she hadn’t and it shakes her to the core. Once she decides to tell her Mom what she saw, her mother reveals she is pregnant. Now what is Jasmine to do?
I thought Janet did a fantastic job of tackling the feelings of being bi-racial in a primarily Caucasian environment. A lot of the things Janet wrote about were the same feelings many bi-racial friends have shared with me that they experienced growing up, only my friends were growing up in large urban areas with their family unit intact, unlike Jasmine.
I felt tremendous sympathy for Jasmine all the way around. I loved that Jaz spent a lot of time in self-reflection and did finally find two people who were willing to climb the wall Jas had erected to separate herself from her schoolmates. I also loved the honesty with which Jackson carried himself. I appreciated that he’d made his mistakes, done his time, and was doing everything he could to stay on the straight and narrow. I loved the potential influence he would have had on Jasmine and the growth I believe she would have experienced with him in her life.
I so enjoyed this book that I finished it in one sitting. I am adding Janet Gurtler to my list of authors I want to read more from.
I liked the writing style, however I didn't like the fact the author is white and she's writing about a biracial girl who is going through a hard time growing up because she isn't as light as everyone else in her hometown... too much ridiculous racial stereotypes and underlying white or white-passing privileges in the dialogue. I am biracial myself, definitely white-passing... I just feel that the author really has no right writing about race and being biracial if she's white.
Jaz has secrets. Deep secrets that she is afraid to share with anyone else. After all, she has been let down and ostracized before. Who's to say that by letting anyone new in it won't happen again? Cue a story that is stunningly written, and heartrendingly intriguing. From page one I was involved in Jaz's life. I read long into the night, unwilling to stop until I flipped that very last page.
One of the reasons I've fallen in love with contemporary fiction is how amazing and real the characters can be. In If I Tell, Janet Gurtler shows this beautifully with each character that she builds. Jaz and the people around her are all vivid depictions of teenage life. In fact, Jaz herself is a character that I don't see very often but hope to see more of. Raised by her grandmother in a small, and rather racially prejudice, town Jaz has it tough. She constantly feels bullied by her peers, and doesn't feel like she really fits in anywhere. For Jaz, being biracial isn't something to be proud of. It's just another bump in her road to fitting in and leading a "normal" life.
To add it it all, her life happens to be populated with some rather interesting and unique people. There's Lacey, an older girl whose promiscuity and drinking habits hide a dark past. There's Simon, the boyfriend that Jaz isn't sure her mother should have, especially after what she witnessed. Then there is sweet Jackson. The boy who is labeled a "bad boy" by all the people around him, but who doesn't quite seem to fit the bill. Each one of these characters leads Jaz on her road to self-discovery, and helps her learn that what is on the outside is only a small part of what a person truly is.
Truth be told, this book deals with a lot of really tough themes that I think need to be addressed for teens. Janet Gurtler doesn't sugar coat anything at all, which I really admired her for. Racial prejudice, broken families, and isolation are all addressed in this book. Jaz's life isn't easy, and it's through this struggle that we get to see her grow. However things aren't all stormy. There are also themes of love, self-worth, and even understanding woven in as well. If I Tell is a delightfully balanced book from start to finish. It's the type that will have you smiling one moment, and tearing up the next.
Overall this was a quick, sweet, and amazing read. As I said I read it straight through and loved every minute of it! Jaz is a character that I really fell in love with. I hope to see more like her, and thank Janet Gurtler for letting me meet her in the first place.
One of the reasons I've fallen in love with contemporary fiction is how amazing and real the characters can be. In If I Tell, Janet Gurtler shows this beautifully with each character that she builds. Jaz and the people around her are all vivid depictions of teenage life. In fact, Jaz herself is a character that I don't see very often but hope to see more of. Raised by her grandmother in a small, and rather racially prejudice, town Jaz has it tough. She constantly feels bullied by her peers, and doesn't feel like she really fits in anywhere. For Jaz, being biracial isn't something to be proud of. It's just another bump in her road to fitting in and leading a "normal" life.
To add it it all, her life happens to be populated with some rather interesting and unique people. There's Lacey, an older girl whose promiscuity and drinking habits hide a dark past. There's Simon, the boyfriend that Jaz isn't sure her mother should have, especially after what she witnessed. Then there is sweet Jackson. The boy who is labeled a "bad boy" by all the people around him, but who doesn't quite seem to fit the bill. Each one of these characters leads Jaz on her road to self-discovery, and helps her learn that what is on the outside is only a small part of what a person truly is.
Truth be told, this book deals with a lot of really tough themes that I think need to be addressed for teens. Janet Gurtler doesn't sugar coat anything at all, which I really admired her for. Racial prejudice, broken families, and isolation are all addressed in this book. Jaz's life isn't easy, and it's through this struggle that we get to see her grow. However things aren't all stormy. There are also themes of love, self-worth, and even understanding woven in as well. If I Tell is a delightfully balanced book from start to finish. It's the type that will have you smiling one moment, and tearing up the next.
Overall this was a quick, sweet, and amazing read. As I said I read it straight through and loved every minute of it! Jaz is a character that I really fell in love with. I hope to see more like her, and thank Janet Gurtler for letting me meet her in the first place.
Fantastic read. Gurtler's writing style is beautiful and once again didn't fail to completely pull me in.
---------------
Janet Gurtler proves with this book that she is an amazing author with an incredible talent to make you involved in her beautifully written story. If I Tell had me pulled in from the first page, and I couldn't stop reading until I flipped the last one.
Where do I even start to describe how much I loved this book?
When Jasmine finds out that her mother's boyfriend cheated on her mom with Jasmine's best friend, she decides to tell her mother what she saw. But when her mom tells her something she was absolutely not expecting, she panics. She can't tell her now, but she also can't face what's happening right in front of her.
Jasmine was a great character. She was loyal, but honest and sometimes even bluntly so. She was flawed, biased and angry, but she was also vulnerable, friendly and loving. She felt so incredibly real that I had no issues whatsoever to feel with her while I experienced her journey. Sure, she made mistakes, but I could see where she was coming from most of the time. She had a difficult upbringing because she was biracial in a place where there were only white people. I loved this part of her, because it made her stand out from other heroines.
I absolutely loved this book, not only because of the plot and the characters, who were completely fleshed out and real, even the snobby side characters, but also because Gurtler's writing has an addicting quality that made me unable to flip the pages quick enough. I was on the verge of tears most of the time while I was reading the book and I thoroughly enjoyed reading Jasmine's story.
If you're looking for a great realistic and often brutally honest contemporary story, this is a book for you.
My overall rating: 5/5
Five big fat stars for the second book of one of my new favorite authors.
---------------
Janet Gurtler proves with this book that she is an amazing author with an incredible talent to make you involved in her beautifully written story. If I Tell had me pulled in from the first page, and I couldn't stop reading until I flipped the last one.
Where do I even start to describe how much I loved this book?
When Jasmine finds out that her mother's boyfriend cheated on her mom with Jasmine's best friend, she decides to tell her mother what she saw. But when her mom tells her something she was absolutely not expecting, she panics. She can't tell her now, but she also can't face what's happening right in front of her.
Jasmine was a great character. She was loyal, but honest and sometimes even bluntly so. She was flawed, biased and angry, but she was also vulnerable, friendly and loving. She felt so incredibly real that I had no issues whatsoever to feel with her while I experienced her journey. Sure, she made mistakes, but I could see where she was coming from most of the time. She had a difficult upbringing because she was biracial in a place where there were only white people. I loved this part of her, because it made her stand out from other heroines.
I absolutely loved this book, not only because of the plot and the characters, who were completely fleshed out and real, even the snobby side characters, but also because Gurtler's writing has an addicting quality that made me unable to flip the pages quick enough. I was on the verge of tears most of the time while I was reading the book and I thoroughly enjoyed reading Jasmine's story.
If you're looking for a great realistic and often brutally honest contemporary story, this is a book for you.
My overall rating: 5/5
Five big fat stars for the second book of one of my new favorite authors.