Book Review - The Truth About Alice

The Truth About Alice
Author: Jennifer Mathieu
Standalone
Genres: Contemporary | Young Adult
Release Date:  June 3rd 2014
Publishers: Roaring Brook Press
No. Pages: 208
Source: Review Copy - Roaring Brook Press
Rating:
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Everyone has a lot to say about Alice Franklin, and it’s stopped mattering whether it’s true. The rumors started at a party when Alice supposedly had sex with two guys in one night. When school starts everyone almost forgets about Alice until one of those guys, super-popular Brandon, dies in a car wreck that was allegedly all Alice’s fault. Now the only friend she has is a boy who may be the only other person who knows the truth, but is too afraid to admit it. Told from the perspectives of popular girl Elaine, football star Josh, former outcast Kelsie, and shy genius Kurt, we see how everyone has a motive to bring – and keep – Alice down.

The Truth About Alice, like so many others, is another book that caught my eye thanks to the cover. Netgalley is dangerous to me, I see, I like, I request. I am left with a pile of books that I can't get around to reading and until Charnell from Reviews from a Bookworm recommended this book, it was going to be another on the list. Yet again, she came through and told me about a good one. So for that I say thank you.

As much as I liked this book it unfortunately wasn't without it's flaws, but that was mainly to do with the characters. The best thing about this book however was the storytelling and perhaps the most interesting thing about this book is that its set not from Alice's POV but mostly from the person who bullied her and turned their back on her.

Being set from four different POV's would be confusing if not done right, thankfully this was perfect. We have the ex friend, who bailed the minuet  the going got tough. We have have the best friend of Brandon, the star athlete at Healy. We have the popular girl and on and off girlfriend of Brandon and lastly we have the shy boy who has watched and admired Alice from afar for a long long time. All very different people, all very different ideas and thoughts on who Alice is.

One thing the whole school seems to be united on though is Alice Franklin is a slut. She's be branded as one ever since she slept with two boys in the same night. Problem is no one know's what really happened that night, but everyone sure has an opinion on it. Things being to slowly escalate till Alice is left isolated and alone, and if things weren't bad enough, Brandon dies in a car crash and everyone is pointing the blame yet again at Alice.

Reading the book from so many different point of views not only offers the reader a unique reading experience but it also gives the author the chance to let the other characters reveal the truth behind that night at the party and Brandon's tragic accident. Alice, though the main character in theory, becomes some what secondary to the characters who would normally be in her place, and it really works. This books show's just how much rumours can wreck someone's life.

I'll be honest with you, at times I didn't find my self connecting with any of the characters (apart from Alice) but that didn't have an impact on my feelings for this book. It was such a great read and it shows that shit sticks as they say, if your innocent of what you've been accused of or not, you will always be known as the person who did x, y, z. And I loved how Alice found it in her to rise above it all.