A review by michalice
If I Tell by Janet Gurtler

3.0

I read the description of If I Tell and thought it sounded like a good read, so I requested it and got accepted. If I Tell follows Jasmine as she tries to cope with trying to fit into her little town. Her father long gone, a Mother who didn't even want her as a baby and her Grandfather, who helped raise her, has passed away. She is the only mixed race person and is not treated nicely by most of the people in the town. At a party she sees her best friend and her Mum's boyfriend together and now has to cope with keeping the secret from her Mum and Simon, but the strain soon shows and it start to affect her relationship with everyone.


I enjoyed getting to see how Jasmine lived and how this one secret eventually affected her relationship with everyone she knows. I did feel sorry for how Jasmine was treated by everyone in her town and although it upset and hurt her, I thought she was a strong person just to persevere with continuing her every day life as best as she could. I really like how she stood up for herself, not only to the bullies but also her friend.


I can understand why she would also want to keep her secret that she saw, but it was better being out in the open. I liked seeing the relationships she had with her close friends, and loved how Lesley stood by her even when Jasmine wasn't being the nicest person. I also liked seeing how the friendship developed between Jasmine and Jackson and how even he had his own secrets.


Although some parts of the story are hard to believe it was mostly an enjoyable read.