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racheleprince's review against another edition
3.0
It was interesting and believable. I liked the different perspectives and hearing Alice at the end. But it was really hard to relate to any of the stereotyped characters.
ebaker219's review against another edition
4.0
This book was an interesting take on what occurs in high school. As a high school teacher I know things like bullying occur and I liked the way that Alice dealt with it. I would definitely recommend this book to others
janaw71's review against another edition
4.0
4 fudgy brownies.
Cover Love: Yes. It's very eye catching and thought provoking.
Why I Wanted to Read This:
The synopsis made me want to read this one.
Romance?: Not really, but several relationships are hashed out during the course of the book.
My Thoughts:
This author did a great job finding the voices of the various characters who tell the story. I especially loved Elaine's voice (but not her character). She talked the way that teens do, the author nailed this one!
Read the rest of this review here.
Cover Love: Yes. It's very eye catching and thought provoking.
Why I Wanted to Read This:
The synopsis made me want to read this one.
Romance?: Not really, but several relationships are hashed out during the course of the book.
My Thoughts:
This author did a great job finding the voices of the various characters who tell the story. I especially loved Elaine's voice (but not her character). She talked the way that teens do, the author nailed this one!
Read the rest of this review here.
nyxshadow's review against another edition
4.0
Sans jugement sans leçon de moral ... Glaçant
http://www.nyx-shadow.com/2016/04/la-verite-sur-alice-jennifer-mathieu.html
http://www.nyx-shadow.com/2016/04/la-verite-sur-alice-jennifer-mathieu.html
absbia777's review against another edition
4.0
I truly believe this book should be required reading for every high school English. Seriously. Way more useful than The Great Gatsby, for sure. Jennifer Mathieu paints a great picture of how rumors get started and how damaging they can really be to others. It shows how quickly things can spread and how easy it is to get these lies going. She also shows us the reasoning behind the rumors, why other teens would choose to make these things up.
favelibrarian's review against another edition
5.0
Review of The Truth About Alice by Jennifer Mathieu
Publication Date: June 3, 2014
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Age Group: 14-18 years old
Format: eGalley
Everyone knew all the rumors about Alice. I mean, she'd had sex with two boys in one night, right? But can you really believe everything that you hear? Sometimes you should just go with your gut.
The events that surrounded Alice Franklin’s eventual fall from popularity are some that had me thinking that teenagers are so superficial. Supposedly, Alice sleeps with two boys at a party and before you know it, the rumor has spread around town. Everyone knows about it. But, to make matters worse, the popular quarterback dies in a car crash and she is also blamed for his death.
As a teenager, I wouldn’t say that I was a social outcast. I wasn’t a part of the popular clique, but I was a cheerleader, so everyone knew who I was. But, I didn’t have a car or wear the latest designer clothes, so in that aspect, I could almost relate to just about every character in this book.
This book is told from the point of view of four different people that are either directly or indirectly involved with Alice. There is Elaine, who was the on and off girlfriend of Brandon, one of the guys that Alice is rumored to have slept with and also the guy that passes away. There is Kelsie, Alice’s former best friend, who was once a social outcast. She turns her back on Alice once the rumors begin to swirl. Then there is Josh, Brandon’s best friend and Kurt, the school nerd, who harbors deep feelings for Alice.
Masterfully written, The Truth About Alice, is a teenaged cliché, woven into the book pages. It brings to light those rumors we heard as children, about words not hurting and crushes them into tiny dust particles. Words can sting to the core. I felt strange emotions for Alice and wanted to hug her and tell her that things would eventually work themselves out. I like how the author told the story from different perspectives and allowed each character to have their own reasons as to why they treated Alice the way that they did. My favorite character above all was Kurt. He won my heart because no matter what people thought about him, he simply didn’t care.
I’m giving this book five stars. Why? Because it deserves it. It is by far one of the best young adult books that I’ve read this year. Great job, Ms. Mathieu!
Publication Date: June 3, 2014
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Age Group: 14-18 years old
Format: eGalley
Everyone knew all the rumors about Alice. I mean, she'd had sex with two boys in one night, right? But can you really believe everything that you hear? Sometimes you should just go with your gut.
The events that surrounded Alice Franklin’s eventual fall from popularity are some that had me thinking that teenagers are so superficial. Supposedly, Alice sleeps with two boys at a party and before you know it, the rumor has spread around town. Everyone knows about it. But, to make matters worse, the popular quarterback dies in a car crash and she is also blamed for his death.
As a teenager, I wouldn’t say that I was a social outcast. I wasn’t a part of the popular clique, but I was a cheerleader, so everyone knew who I was. But, I didn’t have a car or wear the latest designer clothes, so in that aspect, I could almost relate to just about every character in this book.
This book is told from the point of view of four different people that are either directly or indirectly involved with Alice. There is Elaine, who was the on and off girlfriend of Brandon, one of the guys that Alice is rumored to have slept with and also the guy that passes away. There is Kelsie, Alice’s former best friend, who was once a social outcast. She turns her back on Alice once the rumors begin to swirl. Then there is Josh, Brandon’s best friend and Kurt, the school nerd, who harbors deep feelings for Alice.
Masterfully written, The Truth About Alice, is a teenaged cliché, woven into the book pages. It brings to light those rumors we heard as children, about words not hurting and crushes them into tiny dust particles. Words can sting to the core. I felt strange emotions for Alice and wanted to hug her and tell her that things would eventually work themselves out. I like how the author told the story from different perspectives and allowed each character to have their own reasons as to why they treated Alice the way that they did. My favorite character above all was Kurt. He won my heart because no matter what people thought about him, he simply didn’t care.
I’m giving this book five stars. Why? Because it deserves it. It is by far one of the best young adult books that I’ve read this year. Great job, Ms. Mathieu!
rekadarnb's review against another edition
5.0
One-Sentence Summary: Alice Franklin is a slut; but, is she really though?
Time/Setting: Present Day
Review: This book made me realize everything I hated about people, especially teenagers, and adults who act like teenagers, which is mainly most of them. I admit that I read a couple of negative reviews before I began to write mine, and a common theme was how everyone hated Alice and thought that she should’ve taken up for herself more. Hm. That got me thinking. Everybody loves to reprimand people because they think they are weak if they don’t overtly demonstrate their disgust with how they’ve been treated. But, I really don’t understand why the people giving the negative reviews felt that way about Alice. How does one person fight a whole town at the age of 16? It’s not possible, at least not on a level that most people would recognize. Alice protesting would have only brought up the saying “Me doth think she protests too much.” People will always find a way to criticize; it never fails. People also always think they are better than they are. Here’s one of the reviewers comments: “If I were Alice, I would’ve stood up for myself more. Alice just lays down and accepts it.” Oh, really, that’s what you would’ve done? Yeah. Right. The person also goes on to explain that she would’ve contributed to the rumor mill to make them all suffer. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why the world will never get any better; not really. The majority just want to fight fire with fire. I’m not saying I’m a good person and I don’t totally understand where that reviewer is coming from (I used to be queen of revenge), but the reviewer is just proving the point that we’re all human and we all have these preconceived notions on how other people need to conduct themselves. I personally felt that Alice was a pretty strong person and the ending to the book only solidified my thoughts on that. Alright, off my soapbox about Alice. The depiction of small town life is spot on. I’m from a small town and I know rumors can take a life of their own. Those other characters were a trip. Kelsie and Josh were the biggest disappointments as people, but honestly, this book portrays them perfectly. Hell, the book portrays humans perfectly.
Favorite Character: Alice. I also like Elaine for some reason; she tried at the end, as pointless and futile though it was. Kurt’s grandmother was cool, too.
Least Favorite Character: Kelsie, the hypocrite, and Josh, the passive idiot.
Favorite Quote: I liked Kelsie’s explanation of why she’s “honest” with her admitting, though not out loud, that she’d be a Nazi cause she’s too much of a punk to go against the grain. But, my fave comes from good ole Alice:
“I do want to say that there’s one thing I learned about people: they don’t get that mean and nasty overnight. It’s not human nature. But if you give people enough time, eventually they’ll do the most heartbreaking stuff in the world."
Recommend? Most definitely.
Re-read? Yes; I’d even like to own it.
Time/Setting: Present Day
Review: This book made me realize everything I hated about people, especially teenagers, and adults who act like teenagers, which is mainly most of them. I admit that I read a couple of negative reviews before I began to write mine, and a common theme was how everyone hated Alice and thought that she should’ve taken up for herself more. Hm. That got me thinking. Everybody loves to reprimand people because they think they are weak if they don’t overtly demonstrate their disgust with how they’ve been treated. But, I really don’t understand why the people giving the negative reviews felt that way about Alice. How does one person fight a whole town at the age of 16? It’s not possible, at least not on a level that most people would recognize. Alice protesting would have only brought up the saying “Me doth think she protests too much.” People will always find a way to criticize; it never fails. People also always think they are better than they are. Here’s one of the reviewers comments: “If I were Alice, I would’ve stood up for myself more. Alice just lays down and accepts it.” Oh, really, that’s what you would’ve done? Yeah. Right. The person also goes on to explain that she would’ve contributed to the rumor mill to make them all suffer. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why the world will never get any better; not really. The majority just want to fight fire with fire. I’m not saying I’m a good person and I don’t totally understand where that reviewer is coming from (I used to be queen of revenge), but the reviewer is just proving the point that we’re all human and we all have these preconceived notions on how other people need to conduct themselves. I personally felt that Alice was a pretty strong person and the ending to the book only solidified my thoughts on that. Alright, off my soapbox about Alice. The depiction of small town life is spot on. I’m from a small town and I know rumors can take a life of their own. Those other characters were a trip. Kelsie and Josh were the biggest disappointments as people, but honestly, this book portrays them perfectly. Hell, the book portrays humans perfectly.
Favorite Character: Alice. I also like Elaine for some reason; she tried at the end, as pointless and futile though it was. Kurt’s grandmother was cool, too.
Least Favorite Character: Kelsie, the hypocrite, and Josh, the passive idiot.
Favorite Quote: I liked Kelsie’s explanation of why she’s “honest” with her admitting, though not out loud, that she’d be a Nazi cause she’s too much of a punk to go against the grain. But, my fave comes from good ole Alice:
“I do want to say that there’s one thing I learned about people: they don’t get that mean and nasty overnight. It’s not human nature. But if you give people enough time, eventually they’ll do the most heartbreaking stuff in the world."
Recommend? Most definitely.
Re-read? Yes; I’d even like to own it.
oceanatthesky's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
jackiestone's review against another edition
5.0
I really loved this book. It talked about so many really important topics that haven't been breached in a lot of the books I've read. There was such a thin line between good and evil in the books. I got to read this book from a lot of different perspectives so I really got to see how every different kind of person in every social standing would view this situation. This book was unflinchingly honest and I admired that. More books should be like this one. I highly recommend it.
howifeelaboutbooks's review against another edition
5.0
I was able to read an ARC of this book, and I'm so glad I had the chance. This is a book about high school bullying, told from the points of view of several different characters. Some are popular, some rank lower on the high school totem pole. The story has been told numerous times over - rumor goes around about a girl being a slut, it's not true, will anyone ever believe her? But Mathieu tells it so beautifully that it seems fresh and original. You'll get sucked into the story, but it's not overly emotional, unnecessarily tugging at heartstrings. It's a great book about how rumors get started in high school and stories spin out of control and keep going just because it's easier than making them stop.