THE TRUTH ABOUT ALICE is absolutely friggin' CRAZY. CRAZY GOOD! I received a copy of this book for free from NetGalley for an honest review but I really want to buy everybody I know a copy of this book. It should be required reading in every high school across America and the world.
Alice Franklin is the school slut. She was a popular girl at one time and now? Well now she's the school slut. Alice slept with two guys. Brandon Fitzsimmons, THE most popular boy at Healy High and the school's star quarterback. She also slept with Tommy Cray. Tommy Cray graduated from Healy and was now a college freshman home for the summer.
And Alice Franklin slept with both of them at Elaine O'Dea's party. Elaine is the most popular girl in high school and she's still holding a grudge because Alice made out with Brandon Fitzsimmons all the way back in eighth grade.
A short time after that party, Alice sexted Brandon Fitzsimmons and he died in a car crash. His best friend Josh, who was in the car, lived. Josh feels exceptionally guilty because he's still alive.
Kelsie is….was Alice Franklin's best friend. But since Alice lied to Kelsie a gazillion years ago because Kelsie was a virgin at the time, she believes being around Alice will trash her popularity. When Kelsie lived in Flint, Michigan, she wasn't popular at all. Moving to small-town Healy, Texas gave Kelsie a "do over." So she became friends with the popular Alice Franklin and climbed the social ladder.
And there's Kurt Morelli. He's the school nerd. A total loner. Not popular. A geek.
Jennifer Mathieu has created a brilliant piece of art. It belongs on the shelves of every school library everywhere. She has mastered how to tell a story from FOUR different points of view. It's easy to write such a story and confuse the hell out of everybody. It's masterful to write such a story and make four points of view work.
This book not only reveals how Alice Franklin became the school slut with no friends but it also reveals each person's knowledge about what really happened. How these characters are so shallow, they know they're shallow, and they justify it to themselves. All too easily.
I was sucked into this book from page one. I know a book is going to be THAT good when it gets me on page one. And then I only put it down once because I had to sleep at some point. One could make an argument that Jennifer Mathieu didn't really end it "right." I think she ended it how it was supposed to end: realistically. And I think you get to write your own "what happens next" when you get to the end. It's not a cliffhanger and it's not unresolved. You'll have to see for yourself.
You will see yourself or perhaps your younger self in one, some or all of these characters. I saw just a little bit of Kelsie in my younger self and a lot of Kurt minus the loner, unpopular part in myself as a whole. Do we ever hear from Alice? Does she ever weigh in on all of this? Yes. And Jennifer Mathieu knows EXACTLY where to bring her voice into the story.
If EVERY kid entering high school would read this book and do the exact opposite of what these kids did, high school would be a much better experience for so many.
I give it five stars because this book just knocked me out! I just plain old loved it.
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