The Truth About Us

I'll tell you the truth. I picked up The Truth About Us because it was written by Janet Gurtler. I've read two of her other books, and each time I was pleasantly surprised. I'm finding it harder and harder to fully immerse myself in contemporary YA lately. I'm constantly left wanting more character depth and less cliched romance. I crossed my fingers, and settled in to see if Janet Gurtler could pull me out of my slump.

Now, I won't deny that Jess was a character I started out disliking. It was obvious I was supposed to though. She was the perfect picture of a vapid rich girl. Of a person who lets her popularity dictate her actions, without any thought whatsoever to those around her. However, just like I was hoping, Jess soon grew on me. As the layers of her character slowly peeled back, I was able to see the causes behind her behavior. Able to see the amazing girl lurking underneath. By the time I reached the ending, I was misty eyed and smiling.

Other things I enjoyed? The fact that Flynn was such a vibrant, and strong character. He wasn't just a broken boy for Jess to fix. I also loved Jess' connection with the people that she met throughout this story. It was the little things. Her love of plants, the introspection that she showed as her character slowly realized that her life wasn't what she wanted. Jess showed that money definitely doesn't buy happiness.

So why the four star rating? The presence of a mild case of instalove, and then a very over the top breakup, made me cranky.. My other issue was that some of my questions were never resolved. Jess' friend Nance plays a big part in this story, but nothing is ever wrapped up with her. Still, my heart was too full of happiness from before, and my eyes were too misty, to let that bother me too much. This was still one wonderful book.