Truth About Alice
By the author of Moxie, a powerful feminist novel that deals with slut-shaming, told through the perspectives of four small-town teens, about how everyone has a motive to bring--and keep--a teen girl down.
Winner of the Children's Choice Book Awards' Teen Choice Debut Author Award 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. This title has Common Core connections. Also by Jennifer Mathieu:Devoted: A girl with a controlling, conservative family realizes that her life is her own--if only she can find the courage to fight for it.
Afterward: A tragic kidnapping leads to an unlikely friendship in this novel about finding light in the midst of darkness.
Moxie: An unlikely teenager starts a feminist revolution at a small-town Texas high school. Praise for The Truth about Alice:
"Fans of Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson and Speechless by Hannah Harrington will welcome first time author Mathieu, who has crafted a realistic and hard-hitting debut." --VOYA, starred review "A tough, unapologetic look at slut-shaming from a promising new voice." --Booklist "Swift pace and compact size may entice reluctant readers as well as those interested in a juicy yet thoughtful take on human dynamics." --BCCB "Debut author Mathieu brings new life to a common girls' narrative through her multiple first-person narrators." --Kirkus Reviews "Each narrator shares elements of culpability for the rumors and mistreatment of Alice, and teens are introduced to the potential damage that rumors and lies bring." --School Library Journal "Alice gets the final word, yet Mathieu avoids reducing her story to a revenge narrative, instead offering a quietly powerful testament to perspective and personal resilience." --Publisher's Weekly
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Community Reviews
See this review and more on my blog Lilybloombooks
Do you ever wonder what goes on inside the mind of those awful, cruel people who thrive on drama and being popular? You know the type, right? Well, The Truth About Alice will give you that. Don't care to? Read this anyway because it is such a heartfelt, brutally honest story, that I believe everyone should read.
We have four different POVs throughout the story. Each one close to, or in direct contact with Alice and play a huge part in the lies, betrayal and damaging things done to her over the course of the year. There was Elaine, the popular, girl in school. Josh, the best friend of Brandon. Kurt, the outcast (I know the blurb says Kelsie but technically, it's Kurt), who had adored Alice from afar for years. And finally, Kelsie, Alice's "best friend."
Of all the different characters, Kelsie is the one that brought out the most emotion out of me. Granted, everything that happened and was done to Alice was horrible. But Kelsie? Ugh. She has her own justifications for why she did what she did - hell they all did - but I just couldn't fathom how someone could go to such lows. You have to respect their honest too.
One thing I found very interesting was the lack of POV from Alice. There wasn't any time where Alice is defending herself, or what had exactly went on, from her perspective. Which worked. We learn about what REALLY happened through the other's views anyway. And trust me, it is NOT pretty. Yet, it's so brutally honest and real I couldn't STOP reading. No matter how hard it was, how uncomfortable it made me. Let's face it, it's reality.
Let's set aside that aspect of the book and talk about the other issues brought up and mentioned. Each and every single character had some other underlining issue to deal with. These aren't small, insignificant issues either. You would think with everything going on, with the four POVs, things would be too much, but it's handled so well that it isn't overwhelming at all. All these things are talked about and handled in such a way that me in awe of her writing. Not to mention, gutted.
My Peeve -
It's not really a PEEVE, but it bothered me how quick the remaining residents of the town even turned on Alice. The school, I can see. Kids are not always the nicest of people but the WHOLE TOWN? I mean, these are ADULTS.
Overall -
I absolutely loved! The Truth About Alice is a heavy, emotional and compelling read. It touches on hard to read subjects, but it's handled so well.
Recommend -
Absolutely! Highly recommend this!
*I received this book from the Publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*
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