Could. Not. Put. This. Down.

Alice was a popular girl... until a rumor changes everything. Brandon Fitzsimmons says she slept with him and another guy at a party... and then Brandon dies in a car accident and his best friend says it's Alice's fault. Now Alice is the talk of the school and the town. Everybody knows about Alice's slut status- including her former best friend, the most popular girl in school, Brandon's best friend, and Brandon's nerd neighbor. They all give their perspectives on a girl that hasn't had a voice, a girl that didn't choose to be the target of an entire town's anger. In the end, the only person who can tell the real story of Alice, is Alice herself.

My Thoughts:
Talk about love at first page!!! I've been going through a major reading slump. Everything I've been trying to read just hasn't been doing it for me. Then I pick up this book and I. Could. Not. Put. It. Down. I loved every single second of this book, my only problem with it is that I wish it was longer. 199 pages went by way too fast.

The first thing I loved about the book was the honesty. This comes from 4 different perspectives, and all the characters are honest about who they are. Alice's former best friend, Kelsie, tells us up front that she's a coward. She wishes she could be the kind of friend that sticks up for her bestie, but she doesn't ever want to go back to the time when she had no friends and had to eat in the cafeteria alone. Elaine, the most popular girl, doesn't hold anything back either. She doesn't like Alice, and hasn't since an incident in 8th grade. She's tolerated her, but now that these rumors have come out, it just validates the feelings she's had for years. She also is unapologetic about not wanting to get out of her small town. Most people can't wait to escape small town life, but she's perfectly content living in a place where she's happy and well-liked.

Kurt, the odd-ball genius, has always liked Alice. When she goes through her downward spiral, he ends up tutoring her. Kurt reminded me so much of Kent from Before I Fall, which obviously made me love him. I loved the way he was there for Alice without her even realizing it. I also loved that he wasn't a saint. He wanted to help Alice, but he was quick to say that he was still a guy who was attracted to her. And that maybe all his feelings towards her weren't completely pure.

Asides from the bullying Alice goes through, this book is about a lot of other issues. All the characters have issues and secrets they're dealing with... some of them especially heartbreaking. Even though I should have totally hated Elaine and Kelsie, hearing the story from their POV made me understand where they were coming from, while also, yes, feeling anger at some of their actions. I liked the complexity of that.

I would definitely put this on my list of Must-Read Contemporary. If someone were to ask me to name a book that I think showcases a genre, THIS is definitely one of the books I would respond with.

Quote: "I really can't handle talking about this for too long because it just hurts too much, but I do want to say there is one thing I've 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."

OVERALL: A book about mean girls, rumors, bullying, and high school. I could not put it down and loved every second of it. This has to be one of the best debuts I've read in a long time. Can't wait to read more from this author. Everyone should read it!!

My Blog:
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To keep it short and sweet, the Truth About Alice was an emotional filled novel. I honestly hated almost all of the characters. Like, I seriously wanted to punch them in the face. I know that sounds really harsh, but take in example Alice's ex-best friend. She doesn't stop people from bullying her and even spreads rumors about Alice herself. The only person I actually liked was Kurt. I didn't hate Josh either, but I certainly did not like him either, because he knew the truth about what actually happened, yet kept it to himself to save his own popularity.
The Truth About Alice is one heck of poignant novel. I'm usually not a fan of multiple POV's but the ones in this book added in so much detail and emotion to the plot that I really liked how they were incorporated.
Overall I highly enjoyed the Truth About Alice and definitely recommended to people looking for a fast, powerful, and drama/emotion filled read. It definitely doesn't shy away from the topic of bullying and slut-shaming! ( )

Though not a perfect book, it was at least short and told an important message. ( )

Complex character portrayal. Lovely!
A little depressing, but rather realistic.
I'd say it shows growing up done by different people quite well.

I don't think everyone will like this book.
It's an emotional tale.
It's hopeful too.

Gods do I love digging around in human minds. So fascinating!

VERDICT: GO ON, GIVE IT A TRY. I DARE YOU! ( )

Well written, page turner, but troubling due to the extreme nastiness of some of the characters. After more than thirty years of daily interaction with high schoolers, I know they can be mean, but thankfully I've never seen this level of social stoning.

Everyone knows Alice slept with two guys at one party. When Healy High star quarterback, Brandon Fitzsimmons, dies in a car crash, it was because he was sexting with Alice. Ask anybody.

Rumor has it Alice Franklin is a slut. It’s written all over the “slut stall” in the girls’ bathroom: “Alice had sex in exchange for math test answers” and “Alice got an abortion last semester.” After Brandon dies, the rumors start to spiral out of control. In this remarkable debut novel, four Healy High students tell all they “know” about Alice--and in doing so reveal their own secrets and motivations, painting a raw look at the realities of teen life. But in this novel from Jennifer Mathieu, exactly what is the truth about Alice? In the end there’s only one person to ask: Alice herself. ( )