The Truth About Alice by Jennifer Matieu

The Truth About Alice

Author: Jennifer Matieu

Pages: 208

Published: June 3rd, 2014 by Roaring Books Press

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Summary: Everyone has a lot to say about Alice Franklin, and it’s stopped mattering whether it’s true. The rumors started at a party when Alice supposedly had sex with two guys in one night. When school starts everyone almost forgets about Alice until one of those guys, super-popular Brandon, dies in a car wreck that was allegedly all Alice’s fault. Now the only friend she has is a boy who may be the only other person who knows the truth, but is too afraid to admit it. Told from the perspectives of popular girl Elaine, football star Josh, former outcast Kelsie, and shy genius Kurt, we see how everyone has a motive to bring – and keep – Alice down.

MY REVIEW  

The Truth About Alice is a story about Alice Franklin. She goes from being one of the popular kids to one of the most talked about and gossiped about. Somethings happen at Elaine's party that get branded on Alice. Rumors start to fly, and when the death of Brandon happens even more lies about Alice get spread. Each chapter is a different point of view and how gossip originates. The chapters are told from the point of views of Kelsie, Alice's former best friend, Kurt who is a nerd and befriends Alice when no one else would, Josh who was Brandon's best friend and apart of the accident, and Elaine who is the most popular girl in Healy High. 

I LOVE this book. Sometimes when I read books there are one or two characters that I find myself disliking but that wasn't the case with this book. I loved every single character and loved how each chapter told their point of view and how they started or dealt with the rumors surrounding Alice. 

I finished this book quickly because I kept wanting to find out what happened. Would Alice ever find out who started the rumors about her. Sometimes when you leave the ending of the book hanging the way this book did you get frustrated a little bit because it's an awkward place to end, and you as a reader, want more. However, I found the ending of this book perfect. I am glad it ended the way it did. 

This is a great contemporary novel for YA and goes with the category of Hate List and 13 Reasons Why. Those I also enjoyed. The Truth About Alice will go into my own book collection. 

Disconnected by Lisa M. Cronkhite

Disconnected
By Lisa M Cronkhite
Pages 200
Expected Publish: June 3rd 2014 by Poisoned Pencil
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Notes: This book was given to me through NetGalley for an honest review.

Summary: Seventeen-year-old Milly has a huge problem on her hands.  She is being bullied by Amelia Norris. Day in and day out, Amelia torments Milly and even threatens to hurt her, but she can’t tell anyone—not a soul.  Milly’s reasoning—she does not want anyone to know where her tormentor lives.  They only share one thing in common.  Both co-exist as one in the same body. Milly is so disconnected from her past that she feels compelled to find out what truly happened to her when her parents were still alive.  After a mysterious fire, she and Grandpa George move into Aunt Rachel's Victorian home where Milly then begins to unravel puzzling clues to her family history. Through dreams and scattered memories, Milly journals her breaking story, trying to cope by putting the shattered pieces back together, all the while resisting with her inner demon.  Amelia is determined to cut Milly out of the real world—literally.Milly starts to wonder who her real family is after stumbling across Aunt Rachel’s notebook—having the intuitive sense that something terribly awful is missing.  All she had thought to be true now seems like one big lie.

MY REVIEW 

This story is about Milly who suffers black outs and past demons that she is trying to figure out what happened. She is also bullied by a girl named Amelia. Amelia thinks the worst of Milly and she struggles with her harsh criticize daily and at times Milly tries to break free of Amelia and sometimes those lead to dangerous things.  

I could not finish this book, sadly. It had so much potential. Dealing with depression myself I often read these kinds of books because it's a good thing for teens to read about and how a lot of them do struggle with this daily. Lisa had a great idea. Something was off. I wish I could put my finger on it, but this goes in my DNF pile.

Touch by Francine Prose

Touch
By Francine Prose
Pages: 227
Published June 16th 2009 by Harper Teen
Purhcase

Summary: What "really" happened at the back of the bus?

Did they, or didn't they?

Did she, or didn't she?

"Something" happened to fourteen-year-old Maisie Willard--something involving her three friends, all boys. But their stories don't match, and the rumors spin out of control. Then other people get involved . . . the school, the parents, the lawyers. The incident at the back of the bus becomes the center of Maisie's life and the talk of the school, and, horribly, it becomes "news." With just a few words and a touch, the kids and their community are changed forever.

From nationally acclaimed author Francine Prose comes an unforgettable story about the difficulties of telling the truth, the consequences of lying, and the most dangerous twist of all--the possibility that you yourself will come to believe something that you know isn't true.

MY REVIEW

Touch is a story about freshman Maisie who growing up has been friends with three boys Chris, Kevin and Shakes. They have been friends since diapers. Things change when Maisie moves to live with her mom, and comes back her freshman year. She grew up and the boys do not know how to handle the change. One morning, things take a turn on their friendship. Something happens on the bus that causes the friendships to be questioned and tested. Maisie struggles with what really happened and what she wanted others to hear. She deals with the torments of classmates and her own friends. She also tries to struggle with the personal gain of her own family members.

I enjoyed Touch. Sometimes you read so many different young adult books that it’s nice to read a young adult story that touches on a difficult subject. You see how things in Maisie’s world got turned upside down and how she struggled to come with the truth. Some points in the novel I wanted to throw something at kids in her school because of how cruel they were. Such a sad truth that teens act this way at times. I wanted to strangle Maisie’s step mom. She was on her own crusade in making history with Maisie’s case when Maisie just wanted things to go away and she can go back to her life.

I like that Maisie did get closure that she needed with Shakes. She realized what they had become and that things will never return to how they once were, but things were said that made their friendship close on a good note.