arc review

ARC Review: What I Thought Was True

08:00

What I Thought Was True
By Huntley Fitzpatrick

Series: None (stand alone)
Source: Netgalley
Format: eARC
Page count: 496
Published (UK): 7th April 2016 by Electric Monkey
Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, 
What if everything you set yourself up to be was wrong?

 From the acclaimed author of My Life Next Door comes a swoony summertime romance full of expectation and regret, humor and hard questions.

Gwen Castle has never so badly wanted to say good-bye to her island home till now: the summer her Biggest Mistake Ever, Cassidy Somers, takes a job there as the local yard boy. He's a rich kid from across the bridge in Stony Bay, and she hails from a family of fishermen and housecleaners who keep the island's summer people happy. 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.

A magnetic, push-you-pull-me romance with depth, this is for fans of Sarah Dessen, Jenny Han, and Deb Caletti.


**I received a free eARC through Netgalley. This does not affect my honest opinion**

I really enjoyed Huntley Fitzpatrick’s debut book, My Life Next Door, so when I saw this was available for request on Netgalley, I was so excited! I’m really pleased all her books are being published in the UK, because I know many people will enjoy them. Sadly, I believe this is definitely her weakest one. Where My Life Next Door was easygoing and relaxing, What I Thought Was True was boring and confusing. This one highly disappointed me.

The thing that let the book down the most was the pacing. The start was really slow, which made me reluctant to read on to find out what would happen next, and I didn’t connect with the characters instantly either. This shouldn’t have been at all confusing, but the way the flashbacks were laced in the story meant I became confused to what was happening in the past. A whole array of characters were suddenly introduced, but we hadn’t seen them before, so I was at a complete loss as to who was who, and what was going on. 

Gwen, the main character, made the book bearable. She had a great sense of humour, and she stood up for herself when people weren’t giving her the respect she deserved. I liked how she refused to change herself for Cass (who I definitely didn’t like) and stayed true to herself.

I wouldn’t recommend this book. If you’re looking for a light, summer contemporary romance, there’s plenty of others out there, or you could try Fitzpatrick’s other books. This one was too long and slow paced, even if the ending did give full closure. I found it too hard to get into, which is not what I’m looking for in a book like this. 

2016 releases

ARC Review: My Life Next Door

08:00

My Life Next Door
By Huntley Fitzpatrick

 Source: Netgalley
Release date (UK): 7th January 2016
Genres: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary,

"One thing my mother never knew, and would disapprove of most of all, was that I watched the Garretts. All the time."

The Garretts are everything the Reeds are not. Loud, messy, affectionate. And every day from her rooftop perch, Samantha Reed wishes she was one of them . . . until one summer evening, Jase Garrett climbs up next to her and changes everything.

As the two fall fiercely for each other, stumbling through the awkwardness and awesomeness of first love, Jase's family embraces Samantha - even as she keeps him a secret from her own. Then something unthinkable happens, and the bottom drops out of Samantha's world. She's suddenly faced with an impossible decision. Which perfect family will save her? Or is it time she saved herself?

A transporting debut about family, friendship, first romance, and how to be true to one person you love without betraying another.


**I received an e-ARC version of this book for an honest review - this does not affect my opinion**

I really didn’t expect to enjoy this as much as I did! It’s been out across the pond for a while now (I’m British), and I’ve heard loads of good things, so when this popped up on Netgalley, I was super hyped! Also, I read this with some of my best friends on Instagram (Jennifer and Stephanie), so it made me enjoy the book even more as we were doing a buddy read. It was a pleasant surprise that I enjoyed it as much as I did!

This book has a really cute, summery feel to it, and I think that’s one of the reasons I liked it so much, even though I did read it in the middle of winter! It was an easy, light read, which was just what I needed, because before reading this, I was worried that I was falling into a slump. This is definitely one to pick up if you’re in a reading slump, because it’s addictive and so sweet ☺.

Another thing I really enjoyed in this book was all of the family themes. YA Contemporary is a genre with mainly non-existent parents, but families played a key role in this book. I loved the Garretts so much, and all of my favourite scenes were at their house! All of the secondary characters felt so real, so I loved reading about everyone.

I did have a few problems with the book though - one of these being the way it ended. I didn’t like how some plots just weren’t rounded up, especially the one with my favourite character, Nan. There is a companion novel though already released in America (a lovely person on Goodreads told me it’s out in June 2016 in the UK), so I’m hoping these will be rounded up in that. I’m definitely going to try and pick it up!
Overall, if you’re a fan of the genre, I’d highly recommend reading this! It’s a really sweet book, and though there are tense moments, it’s a great feel-good, summer read. All of the characters are so likeable (except for Sam - I wasn’t sure about her...), and it’s a really interesting story. It’s the perfect summer read, and I'm really excited to pick up the companion novel in the summer too.