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The Truth About Alice by Jennifer Matthieu

This post contains a review and a bookish manicure.

Hey there! It's been three moths since my last post, in that time I've completed my nail technician course and I'm looking forward to getting my business going! I've also been working on other projects so I found I had little time to blog and my reading rate really dropped. Most of the time the idea of reading made me tired, so I just stopped reading for a while. I've been getting back into reading now that I have some more spare time, and it seemed appropriate to get back into blogging starting December 1. I have a bunch of reviews that I never got around to posting, so I'll share those in the weeks to come. The Truth About Alice by Jennifer Mathieu
Published June 1, 2014
Source: the publisher

From the blurb: There are a lot of rumours about Alice Franklin, and it's stopped mattering whether any of them are true.
It all started at a party, when Alice was supposedly with two guys in one night. Soon everyone at Healy High has picked a side in this game of he said/she said. Do they believe Brandon Fitzsimmons, the most popular guy at school and the football hero of Healy? Or do they believe Alice, the girl who wears too-tight T-shirts and was caught kissing Brandon in a closet a couple years before? When Brandon dies in a car crash, there are serious allegations that his death was Alice's fault. As the rumour mill spins into overdrive, Alice's small town becomes suffocating. And when the truth becomes a matter of opinion, something's got to give.

Set in Healy, Texas, The Truth About Alice by Jennifer Matthieu, is a story that revolves around a group of teens, with a strong focus on a girl named Alice Franklin. Alice’s life changed after a rumour spread that she’d slept with two boys in one night, and things only got worse when one boy, Brandon, died in a car accident.

This story is told via four narratives: Elaine O’Dea is a popular girl at Healy High, via her perspective we learn that she’s had it in for Alice because she’s afraid Brandon really likes her. Kelsie Sanders moved to Healy from Michigan a couple of years ago and she and Alice were best friends, until the rumour started and then Kelsie started ignoring Alice so she could stay cool with the popular girls. Josh Waverly was Brandon’s best mate, they played football together, hung out together, and Josh was in the car with him when the accident occurred. Kurt Morelli is considered a loner at their school, but he’s okay with that. He’s had a thing for Alice for a while, and he’s the only one to try and help her when the rest of their town wants to shame her.

I really enjoyed the four different perspectives, each sounded unique and very teen-like. I had my favourites: Kelsie and Kurt, but by the end I also felt for Elaine and Josh. Kelsie’s story made me sad, I was really angry with her mum, but Kelsie’s chapters also made me laugh, plus she loves Grease 2, so I adored her for that. Kurt was so sweet, I was so happy to see someone step up and be there for Alice, plus he knew the truth about the rumour and didn’t know what to do about it. Elaine annoyed me because of her mean girl mentality but she also had issues with her mum and eventually she won me over. Josh was interesting, it was easy to see what was going on for him, but also really sad after the truth regarding the accident is revealed.

What happens to Alice is awful, and it really makes you think about the power of words. These days we all use words without really knowing their meaning and it’s definitely something to focus on. I’ve read some really excellent books on bullying this year, including Carrie, Tease, and now The Truth About Alice. They are all really powerful and thought provoking, and so relevant these days, to both teens and adults.

Thank you to Hardie Grant Egmont for my review copy. I really love the Aussie version of the cover, it's so pretty and intricate. I started by painting my nails with 2 coats of Mode Cosmetics Luv-A-Lot. I sponged on some Wet N Wild On a Trip for the purple gradient. I used acrylic paint to outline the face and to paint the flowers, vines, and leaves. I love how this turned out, blue on purple is a great combination and I definitely want to do more nails like this in the future. Labels: book review, bookish manicure, contemporary, nail art, realistic fiction, USA YA, YA


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