Review : What I Thought Was True by Huntley Fitzpatrick
What I Thought Was True by Huntley Fitzpatrick
Pages : 416
Genre : YA, contemporary fiction
Stand alone
My Rating : 3/5
About the Book :
Gwen worries a life of cleaning houses will be her fate too, but just when it looks like she’ll never escape her past—or the island—Gwen’s dad gives her some shocking advice. Sparks fly and secret histories unspool as Gwen spends a gorgeous, restless summer struggling to resolve what she thought was true—about the place she lives, the people she loves, and even herself—with what really is.
My Thoughts :
When I started my Month of Reading Contemporary YA, I promised myself that I would enjoy what I read. Meaning : if a book wasn’t working for me, I would drop it and go to the next without a second thought. Surprisingly, despite being less than enthusiastic while reading it, I still managed to get through What I Thought Was True.
I believe this is the worst kind of books to review. The ones who make you go “meh”. We all have these, I believe. I didn’t love the book – but I didn’t hate it either. And to pinpoint what didn’t work is almost impossible : I didn’t think the story was bad, or the characters too shallow. I enjoyed the setting, I was in the mood for a cute summer romance (which this book is), and I thought the writing was okay.
And yet, it was missing something. This little “oomph” of magic that connects a reader to the story. It’s a very personal and indescribable “oomph”, but its absence will never go unnoticed.
So for me, the whole thing felt a little flat. I wasn’t completely charmed, even though I wanted to be. But I flipped and flipped the pages, and it simply never happened. Maybe I wasn’t in the right mood for it. Or maybe the awesome book I read before (Everything Leads to You by Nina Lacour) was casting too big a shadow on my TBR pile. Who knows!
There were things I enjoyed more than others : I liked that there was an honest but very respectful talk of sexuality. I liked the discussion about “being a slut” Gwen had with her best friend. I liked her best friend and her cousin Nic’s relationship, and the very realistic issues they faced. The lady she worked for was fun. The book’s approach wasn’t all rainbows and unicorns; its romances was weighed down by reality here and there, giving complexity to the characters.That’s a big plus for me, even though I sometimes appreciate cutesy happy stories.
So, I guess I’ll conclude by saying I don’t want to recommend or not recommend What I Thought Was True. Most of the reviews have been much more positive, and I can see why. It’s a shame that the book and I didn’t click, but I am still willing to read Huntley Fitzpatrick’s previous novel, which is sitting on my shelf. Hopefully, we’ll have better chemistry!
Yep, I know the feeling.
Yes so much to this review. I thought this book was such a let-down. And especially after reading the superb Everything Leads to You! FWIW I liked My Life Next Door much better than this one. Very balanced review! It’s so hard to write about those 3-star books.
Ah, thank you! And I am so glad to know I’m not the only one on this; most of my goodreads friends absolutely loved this book! I am happy to read you liked My Life Next Door better – I’ll try to give it a fair chance!
I completely know the feeling. I have actually really only had this problem since I started reviewing books. Before, I just read. And I didn’t ever not finish books or really worry all that much about how much I was reading. And then I started reviewing books and wondering what I could insightfully say about a book. The best books to review (for me) are the ones that open up my thinking about a particular topic in some exciting way. Perhaps this book although entertaining didn’t do that for you.
I agree! I have a much easier time not finishing books now though, but reviewing those that leave me “cold” is always more difficult. I try to still review them from time to time though, because I love trying to untangle what worked and what didn’t in my mind.
I agree though, books that open your mind are exciting to review. I also love the ones that give me strong emotional reactions!