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thewoodlandbunny's review against another edition
3.0
I give it a 3.5/ 4 stars it's was a cute book!
taylorg_1005's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
iahp_mom's review against another edition
3.0
What can I say without spoiling the book? Not much, so beware.
While the writing style is good, and the character development is decent, the plot is predictable, and the best scenes are left out. You want me to care about Jess's mom and the horrible thing that happened to her? Let HER tell us about it, not Jess telling Flynn a quick version that leaves even Jess wondering what her mom felt like. You want me to think Jess is repentant for her behavior to her best friend? Have her show it by making a grand gesture or a series of little ones, not by issuing a pitiful apology over the phone. You want to show us how much Flynn cares? Show us his conversation with Jess' dad, don't just tell us that he "really stood up for them". Characters that die and leave notes for the main character should have something to say that will advance the plot. The note that was left for Flynn was 100 times better but we don't see that until the last paragraph. The adults that are so vehement about keeping them apart fold without reason. Jess' mom gets better with no catalyst. And Flynn, who we actually trust, betrays us in the last smudge of the book, but is too easily forgiven. The betrayal seems out of character, and his apology is not good enough.
So, why 3 stars? Kyle. The only character that makes 100% sense. He is real, and he makes me like Jess and Flynn much more than they deserve.
While the writing style is good, and the character development is decent, the plot is predictable, and the best scenes are left out. You want me to care about Jess's mom and the horrible thing that happened to her? Let HER tell us about it, not Jess telling Flynn a quick version that leaves even Jess wondering what her mom felt like. You want me to think Jess is repentant for her behavior to her best friend? Have her show it by making a grand gesture or a series of little ones, not by issuing a pitiful apology over the phone. You want to show us how much Flynn cares? Show us his conversation with Jess' dad, don't just tell us that he "really stood up for them". Characters that die and leave notes for the main character should have something to say that will advance the plot. The note that was left for Flynn was 100 times better but we don't see that until the last paragraph. The adults that are so vehement about keeping them apart fold without reason. Jess' mom gets better with no catalyst. And Flynn, who we actually trust, betrays us in the last smudge of the book, but is too easily forgiven. The betrayal seems out of character, and his apology is not good enough.
So, why 3 stars? Kyle. The only character that makes 100% sense. He is real, and he makes me like Jess and Flynn much more than they deserve.
laurasaur112's review against another edition
5.0
So. Freaking. Good.
I really loved this book. I went into it thinking it was going to be just another, clique Teen Romance novels, but it was so much better than that.
The plot was amazing. I loved how it all played out, and how I couldn't put it down because I was so into it. I seriously loved how things happened; it didn't go too slow or too fast. It had everything I wanted to read about; forbidden love, angst, betrayal, great friendships, and family issues. The end happened a bit too fast, but other than that, I loved every part of this book.
The characters were so amazing!
Jess was awesome. I mean, she was pretty spoiled, but she'd been going through so much, and it was great to see her progress throughout the book. She did have spirit and wit and a lot of courage. I completely fell in love with her.
Then...there's Flynn. Oh my God. I totally loved him. He was so kind and caring, and incredibly hot. I liked how protective he was. Now, towards the end, he did make some bad decisions that made me like him less, but still...I enjoyed him for the most part.
The side characters were written very well. I loved Penny and Braxton. They pretty cool. And, I thought the Jess's dad really manned up later on, and that her mom started to get better.
So, overall, totally loved this book and will definitely be reading more from this author.
I really loved this book. I went into it thinking it was going to be just another, clique Teen Romance novels, but it was so much better than that.
The plot was amazing. I loved how it all played out, and how I couldn't put it down because I was so into it. I seriously loved how things happened; it didn't go too slow or too fast. It had everything I wanted to read about; forbidden love, angst, betrayal, great friendships, and family issues. The end happened a bit too fast, but other than that, I loved every part of this book.
The characters were so amazing!
Jess was awesome. I mean, she was pretty spoiled, but she'd been going through so much, and it was great to see her progress throughout the book. She did have spirit and wit and a lot of courage. I completely fell in love with her.
Then...there's Flynn. Oh my God. I totally loved him. He was so kind and caring, and incredibly hot. I liked how protective he was. Now, towards the end, he did make some bad decisions that made me like him less, but still...I enjoyed him for the most part.
The side characters were written very well. I loved Penny and Braxton. They pretty cool. And, I thought the Jess's dad really manned up later on, and that her mom started to get better.
So, overall, totally loved this book and will definitely be reading more from this author.
tiffybshelby's review against another edition
4.0
I received a copy of this book from a goodreads first reads giveaway and must say I enjoyed the book. I read the book pretty fast, and had trouble putting it down. I was really attached to the characters and kept wanting to find out more about them. I liked Jess from the beginning, despite her flaws, everyone makes mistakes.
mmllepoulain's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
unapolojaytic's review against another edition
3.0
Jess is from a wealthy family, her father is a lawyer and her mom a real estate agent. But that does not mean that their family is perfect: her mom spends her time in bed, her dad is never there and her sister is closer to her boyfriend’s mom than her actual family. And Jess drinks and parties. Until one day she goes too far and her father forces her to work at the local shelter for the rest of the summer, to teach her a lesson. In that shelter, Jess meets a lot of people from different worlds than her own, including Flynn.
The book was cute, a quick read and not very complicated. There was some dark issues regarding Jess’s mom and Flynn’s family life, but all in all, the book felt easy to read and light.
However the characters lacked depth on a lot of things, I felt like they only had one side to their personalities and therefore, they didn’t feel as real as other YA characters can. And it made the book quite predictable. The hints to what was going to happen next were too big for me to give this book a higher grade than 3/5.
But if you’re looking for an easy summer read, this is the book for you. It’s cute, there’s some darkness to keep it somewhat realistic and overall, it feels nice to read.
see my review on my blog
The book was cute, a quick read and not very complicated. There was some dark issues regarding Jess’s mom and Flynn’s family life, but all in all, the book felt easy to read and light.
However the characters lacked depth on a lot of things, I felt like they only had one side to their personalities and therefore, they didn’t feel as real as other YA characters can. And it made the book quite predictable. The hints to what was going to happen next were too big for me to give this book a higher grade than 3/5.
But if you’re looking for an easy summer read, this is the book for you. It’s cute, there’s some darkness to keep it somewhat realistic and overall, it feels nice to read.
see my review on my blog
katrinamarie's review against another edition
4.0
Review: The Truth About Us This is the second Janet Gurtler book I’ve read, and I was not disappointed.
I love the growth of the characters throughout the book. Jess begins as an unlikeable spoiled brat, but working at a soup kitchen definitely changes her perspective, and allows her to do something more than act out to hide her own frustration. She is such a sweetheart to the people that use the services of the soup kitchen, and makes some friends that show her just how nice she is. She has family drama she’s dealing with but can’t talk about, and she makes ridiculous choices because of it. I really like Flynn. He’s real, and will tell it how it is. He’s got his own hangups about the differences between him and Jess, and it frustrates the hell out of her.
Like I said before the character growth is my favorite thing. Also the relationships between friends and family are a big concept in this book. How can you fix what is broken, and still be okay in the end? Each character deals with the circumstances in the book differently. Some are empowering, and others are not so great. I love the friendship Jess forms with Wilf. It’s sweet and had me laughing at their interactions. He also tells her when she’s acting an ass, and I think she looks up to him for that.
By the end of this book I was a tear-streaked mess. So many awesome things in this book, and I can’t wait to see what Gurtler brings us in the future.
I love the growth of the characters throughout the book. Jess begins as an unlikeable spoiled brat, but working at a soup kitchen definitely changes her perspective, and allows her to do something more than act out to hide her own frustration. She is such a sweetheart to the people that use the services of the soup kitchen, and makes some friends that show her just how nice she is. She has family drama she’s dealing with but can’t talk about, and she makes ridiculous choices because of it. I really like Flynn. He’s real, and will tell it how it is. He’s got his own hangups about the differences between him and Jess, and it frustrates the hell out of her.
Like I said before the character growth is my favorite thing. Also the relationships between friends and family are a big concept in this book. How can you fix what is broken, and still be okay in the end? Each character deals with the circumstances in the book differently. Some are empowering, and others are not so great. I love the friendship Jess forms with Wilf. It’s sweet and had me laughing at their interactions. He also tells her when she’s acting an ass, and I think she looks up to him for that.
By the end of this book I was a tear-streaked mess. So many awesome things in this book, and I can’t wait to see what Gurtler brings us in the future.
jeanz's review
5.0
Oh wow! A fantastic, truly emotional read. Why did it take so long for me to get around to reading a book by this brilliant author. Her writing style and this book reminded me of Emerald Barnes Read Me Dead, and some of the Jolene Perry books I have read.
INITIAL THOUGHTS
I've read lots of reviews for books by Janet Gurtler, but had never actually read one of her titles myself. So when I saw this one on Netgalley, requested it, was accepted and decided to read this one and review it for coincide with it's release.
MY REVIEW
As I said above I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
The cover has a couple hugging near a brick wall. I think the couple represent Jess and Flynn. I think that the wall symbolize's the "wall", or divide that is between the couple. Jess living in the opulent side of town, and Flynn existing in a poor and rough side of town.
So would the cover make me pick up the book in a book store? If I was looking for a contemporary read yes.
The central characters in this book are Jess, the youngest in her rather well off family. Until recently she had a perfect life, that was until her mum was attacked whilst out jogging in the park. Since being attacked her mum has suffered awful depression and has quite literally withdrawn from life. Since Jess's mother is always in her room, Jess' father is away working hard trying to keep the family in the style of life they are accustomed to as his wife is no longer working, so he isn't around much. Jess' older sister Allie is always staying over at her friends houses, well that's what she is telling her father, she is secretly almost living at her boyfriends house. So Jess is somewhat at a loose end, alone for the majority of the time. Jess has sort of been going off the rails, she's become closer friends with her mothers friends daughter Nance. Nance has an older brother who takes money from them and buys them alcohol. It's coming to a point where Jess can't function in company without a drink. Jess and Nance certainly loose their inhibitions one day at Nance's house when they decide to sunbathe topless. Nance's usually absent mother Carol, returns home early and catches the girls, she telephones Jess' father and drives her home. Her father takes drastic action and as a punishment set Jess up with a part time summer job in a missionary shelter called New Beginnings for poor over in the "rough end of town" . What is meant to be a punishment ends up as a life changing experience in more ways than one for Jess.
At the shelter Jess rapidly learns that not everyone has as easier life as she did before her mothers attack. Jess works hard to prove herself to the other workers at the shelter, and also becomes friends with some of the people that go to the shelter regularly.
The three characters I immediately loved in this book were Wilf an elderly ageing man who enjoys a verbal sparring match with Jess on a regular basis, though he also shows his sensitive side allowing Jess to help him out in the greenhouse tending his treasured azalea's that his late wife Rhea loved so much. The other two characters are Flynn and his younger brother Kyle. Flynn is embarrassed about needing to go to the shelter to have a decent meal, he actually insists on working at the shelter to "give back" and show his gratitude for the meal. So Jess and Flynn live totally different lives but there sure is an attraction there . . .and with Wilf playing cupid, things should be straight forward shouldn't they?
There are lots more great characters in this book too, from Jess's mother, and Stella from New Beginnings, we learn that where people live does not define what type of person they are. Jess really does go on an emotional journey, there's happiness, love, friendship, hardship and loss in this book. I could go on and on but really want to be super careful not to give away spoilers. I would like to add that the name of the missionary shelter really is perfect as this book does see a lot of it's character having a "New Beginning"
So did I enjoy the book? I really enjoyed the book a lot, I loved the writing style, the pace of the book was perfect I didn't want to put the book down. I wanted more at the end too.
Would I recommend the book? Yes, it's a great, "feel good" read. I highly recommend this book. The great "feel good" feeling reminded me of my reaction to Dash & Lily's Book Of Dares by Rachel Cohn & David Leviathon. Would I want to read more about these characters? I did get to the end of the book and was sort of "Oh no that's the end" Would I want to read other titles by Janet Gurtler? I certainly intend to read more of her books. Her style of writing reminded me a little of the book One Moment by Kristina McBride that I read earlier. The book also reminded me a bit of Katie McGarry's Pushing The Limits series and the relationship between her characters Noah & Echo.
INITIAL THOUGHTS
I've read lots of reviews for books by Janet Gurtler, but had never actually read one of her titles myself. So when I saw this one on Netgalley, requested it, was accepted and decided to read this one and review it for coincide with it's release.
MY REVIEW
As I said above I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
The cover has a couple hugging near a brick wall. I think the couple represent Jess and Flynn. I think that the wall symbolize's the "wall", or divide that is between the couple. Jess living in the opulent side of town, and Flynn existing in a poor and rough side of town.
So would the cover make me pick up the book in a book store? If I was looking for a contemporary read yes.
The central characters in this book are Jess, the youngest in her rather well off family. Until recently she had a perfect life, that was until her mum was attacked whilst out jogging in the park. Since being attacked her mum has suffered awful depression and has quite literally withdrawn from life. Since Jess's mother is always in her room, Jess' father is away working hard trying to keep the family in the style of life they are accustomed to as his wife is no longer working, so he isn't around much. Jess' older sister Allie is always staying over at her friends houses, well that's what she is telling her father, she is secretly almost living at her boyfriends house. So Jess is somewhat at a loose end, alone for the majority of the time. Jess has sort of been going off the rails, she's become closer friends with her mothers friends daughter Nance. Nance has an older brother who takes money from them and buys them alcohol. It's coming to a point where Jess can't function in company without a drink. Jess and Nance certainly loose their inhibitions one day at Nance's house when they decide to sunbathe topless. Nance's usually absent mother Carol, returns home early and catches the girls, she telephones Jess' father and drives her home. Her father takes drastic action and as a punishment set Jess up with a part time summer job in a missionary shelter called New Beginnings for poor over in the "rough end of town" . What is meant to be a punishment ends up as a life changing experience in more ways than one for Jess.
At the shelter Jess rapidly learns that not everyone has as easier life as she did before her mothers attack. Jess works hard to prove herself to the other workers at the shelter, and also becomes friends with some of the people that go to the shelter regularly.
The three characters I immediately loved in this book were Wilf an elderly ageing man who enjoys a verbal sparring match with Jess on a regular basis, though he also shows his sensitive side allowing Jess to help him out in the greenhouse tending his treasured azalea's that his late wife Rhea loved so much. The other two characters are Flynn and his younger brother Kyle. Flynn is embarrassed about needing to go to the shelter to have a decent meal, he actually insists on working at the shelter to "give back" and show his gratitude for the meal. So Jess and Flynn live totally different lives but there sure is an attraction there . . .and with Wilf playing cupid, things should be straight forward shouldn't they?
There are lots more great characters in this book too, from Jess's mother, and Stella from New Beginnings, we learn that where people live does not define what type of person they are. Jess really does go on an emotional journey, there's happiness, love, friendship, hardship and loss in this book. I could go on and on but really want to be super careful not to give away spoilers. I would like to add that the name of the missionary shelter really is perfect as this book does see a lot of it's character having a "New Beginning"
So did I enjoy the book? I really enjoyed the book a lot, I loved the writing style, the pace of the book was perfect I didn't want to put the book down. I wanted more at the end too.
Would I recommend the book? Yes, it's a great, "feel good" read. I highly recommend this book. The great "feel good" feeling reminded me of my reaction to Dash & Lily's Book Of Dares by Rachel Cohn & David Leviathon. Would I want to read more about these characters? I did get to the end of the book and was sort of "Oh no that's the end" Would I want to read other titles by Janet Gurtler? I certainly intend to read more of her books. Her style of writing reminded me a little of the book One Moment by Kristina McBride that I read earlier. The book also reminded me a bit of Katie McGarry's Pushing The Limits series and the relationship between her characters Noah & Echo.
farre's review against another edition
3.0
Another poor little rich girl. At least she learns a lesson when she works at a soup kitchen. The romance...was sold. Not happy with the ending.