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What I Thought Was True
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.
422 pages, Hardcover
First published April 15, 2014
About the author
Huntley Fitzpatrick
5 books5,835 followersHuntley Fitzpatrick grew up dreamy and distracted in coastal Connecticut. She flourished in a family of bookworms where everyone always had their nose in a book. She kept an exhaustively thorough journal which frightened her boyfriends but has proved very useful in her career as a writer. Her debut contemporary Romance, MY LIFE NEXT DOOR, was published in June of 2012 by Penguin-Dial for Young Readers. Now she laughs with and eavesdrops on her six children who provide her with perspective and material. She is represented by the amazing Christina Hogrebe of the Jane Rotrosen Agency.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,186 reviews
April 27, 2014
Actual rating: 3.5
I thought this would be the simple love story of a boy and a girl growing up and falling in love; it's not. It's about a boy and a girl, there's love and maturity, yes, but it's also about family and friends, morals, ethics, regrets, and possibilities. It deals with sexual promiscuity in a way that never slut shames, it deals with infidelity in a sensitive manner, in a way that I found acceptable...and I am by no means a fan of cheating. This is a book about parents, siblings, cousins, neighbors. It has a strong sense of setting and community.
This was not a light read, but it is a good book. I found the book frustrating at times, but overall, nothing in this book gave me a headache. The writing is solid, the characters were well-developed, the plot and pacing needs work.
The good:
1. A beautiful setting, a Northeastern seaside town, with a lot of class (local vs. tourist) conflicts. I have to admit my bias for the book because of the setting, I have a tremendous soft spot for the Northeastern US coast, and that's a huge reason for why I chose to read this book
Can you blame me?
2. A believable heroine, flawed, hurt, ashamed of herself, unsure of the future
3. No slut shaming, despite the heavy topic of the book, and a nice female friendship
4. An absolutely adorable love interest
5. A believable family dynamic, with a lot of serious family issues
6. Adults are present and active in the kids' lives. They are not relegated to the background
The frustrating:
1. The withholding of information: it got to be pretty frustrating at times. We know that something is bothering the main character, we have a sense of what it is, because of her shame, but it is so slowly revealed
2. The length: this book is far, far too long, without much of a plot in-between
3. The flashbacks: while they're crucial to the story, I felt they were often confusingly placed. I found myself rereading some parts, because I wasn't sure whether or not they were actual flashbacks
4. Too many subplots: they were well-written, but I felt like I was far too involved in the lives of these people, it feels like a silly complaint, but I want more simplicity than this
The Summary:
To make it worse, Gwen can't get away from her mistake, from her reputation.
The Main Characters:
1. Gwen:
I like that she has a sense of morality. She faces several moral dilemmas throughout the book, pressures from her father, and an employee. I felt like she handled them in a realistic manner, she is not a perfect character, and I loved that about her.
I liked her stubbornness, it frustrated me a bit at times, but it made her a realistic character, and I appreciated the fact that she eventually matured and realized her errors.
There is a lot going on in this book, but if you have the patience, I think you will find this book to be enjoyable. At the very least, nothing will give you a headache.
Just sex. Am I never going to be anything more than somebody’s strategy, a destination marked off on a road map and then passed through for someplace better?This book came as a surprise. I expected a light summer read, and I got a whole lot more than that. This is not a fluffy book. It's quite a bit darker and more serious than my anticipated YA Contemporary brain candy (because sometimes I just don't want to think). I have to admit it was rough going at times, because this book did frustrate me somewhat with its slow pacing.
I thought this would be the simple love story of a boy and a girl growing up and falling in love; it's not. It's about a boy and a girl, there's love and maturity, yes, but it's also about family and friends, morals, ethics, regrets, and possibilities. It deals with sexual promiscuity in a way that never slut shames, it deals with infidelity in a sensitive manner, in a way that I found acceptable...and I am by no means a fan of cheating. This is a book about parents, siblings, cousins, neighbors. It has a strong sense of setting and community.
This was not a light read, but it is a good book. I found the book frustrating at times, but overall, nothing in this book gave me a headache. The writing is solid, the characters were well-developed, the plot and pacing needs work.
The good:
1. A beautiful setting, a Northeastern seaside town, with a lot of class (local vs. tourist) conflicts. I have to admit my bias for the book because of the setting, I have a tremendous soft spot for the Northeastern US coast, and that's a huge reason for why I chose to read this book
Can you blame me?
2. A believable heroine, flawed, hurt, ashamed of herself, unsure of the future
3. No slut shaming, despite the heavy topic of the book, and a nice female friendship
4. An absolutely adorable love interest
5. A believable family dynamic, with a lot of serious family issues
6. Adults are present and active in the kids' lives. They are not relegated to the background
The frustrating:
1. The withholding of information: it got to be pretty frustrating at times. We know that something is bothering the main character, we have a sense of what it is, because of her shame, but it is so slowly revealed
2. The length: this book is far, far too long, without much of a plot in-between
3. The flashbacks: while they're crucial to the story, I felt they were often confusingly placed. I found myself rereading some parts, because I wasn't sure whether or not they were actual flashbacks
4. Too many subplots: they were well-written, but I felt like I was far too involved in the lives of these people, it feels like a silly complaint, but I want more simplicity than this
The Summary:
Heaven by the water.Guinevere (Gwen) Castle spends her summer slinging burgers for the rich locals and the tourists at the family restaurant. They are locals of Seashell Island, and they are far from rich. It's a tough life for the locals, there's almost no work outside of beach season, and there's a lot of resentment between the year-round inhabitants of Seashell and the rich tourists who "summer" there as a verb. There is no future for Gwen if she stays in Seashell, short of cleaning houses for the rich locals like her overworked mom.
Best-kept little secret in New England.
Tiny hidden jewel cradled by the rocky Connecticut coast.
Seashell Island, where I’ve lived all my life, is called all those things and more.
And all I want to do is leave it behind.
To make it worse, Gwen can't get away from her mistake, from her reputation.
In another year, I’ll graduate. I can go someplace else. I can leave those boys—this whole past year—far behind in the rearview mirror.It's the last summer before senior year, a year that'll make or break her chances of leaving the only life she's ever known. There's going to be changes, for one, Gwen's not going to be working at the family burger stand, she'll be "companion" to Mrs. Ellington, an elderly lady who's sweet, charming, with a penchant for dirty romance novels (I have a feeling that'll be me in 50 years).
“‘Then he took her, as a man can only take a woman he yearns for, pines for, throbs to possess,’” I read softly.And then there's "José," the yard boy...or as she better knows him...Cassidy Somers, her Kryptonite.
“Speak up, dear girl. I can’t hear a word you’re saying.”
Oh God. I’m nearly shouting the words now.
The yard boy is everywhere on island, all summer long. Cass will haunt my summer the way he preoccupied my spring.The "yard boy" isn't exactly a yard boy, he's a rich local, working at a summer job at his father's behest. Cassidy is someone Gwen knows, rather intimately, in every sense of the word. Gwen and Cass have a past; their current relationship is fraught with shame, distrust, and misunderstanding. This summer will force them together; they will have to confront what happened between them last spring, no matter how reluctant Gwen is to discuss it.
He jams his hands into the pockets of his suit, turns away from me. “Fine, Gwen. Gotcha. And you’ve got me figured out. Clue me in on this, then. Why do I bother with you? Why not just ram my head against a brick wall? It would be easier and less painful. Why are you so freaking—burned, that, that nothing I do counts! How come it’s so clear to you when some made-up fictional characters are massively stupid and you can’t see it at all when it’s you and me?”It would be so easy if Cass and Gwen could have their Happily-Ever-After and leave it at that, but this is not just the story of a boy and a girl. There are family concerns, money is always an issue...and how to get more is always a question lurking in the back. It's always a battle between the Haves and the Have-Nots, here on Seashell Island.
“Just think about it, Guinevere, smart advice from your old man.” Dad takes the pole from me, securing the hook. “Embroider it on a pillow. Spray-paint it on your wall. Just never forget it: Don’t be a sucker. Screw them before they screw you.”There is an beloved younger brother, not quite autistic, but not quite right either. One missed moment, and he will disappear to god knows where. There are questions about ethics, how far will you go to get money, how much can a person overlook? There is the story of a cousin and a best friend, meant to be, or are they? One final summer that will change them all.
What you’ve always had doesn’t mean that’s what you’ll always get. What you’ve always wanted isn’t what you’ll always want.The Setting:
Maple trees arch and curl their branches over me, making the path a tunnel. The air smells earthy and tangy green. These woods have been the same for hundreds of years.I've always been drawn to the Eastern seaboard setting, and this book gave me a much-needed fix of that small-town beachside atmosphere. The place is well-described, there's no question about that, but what makes the town feel alive is how well-drawn the tension feels between the wealthy residents and the local townies who work for them.
We get woods at our back and can only squint at the ocean; they get the full view of the sea—sand tumbling all the way out to the water—from their front windows, and big rambling green lawns in back. In the winter it’s like we year-rounders own the island, but every spring we have to give it back.There is a huge socioeconomic gap between the wealthy and the poor on the island, and it's pretty obvious. The wealthy are sometimes condescending, not always, to the servicepeople running the island, providing the services for them. Most of the island's income comes from tourist season, but the rest of the year the locals (like Gwen's parents) have to pick up odd jobs to pay the bills. There is minor racial tension, played out into humor, like the lady who calls all her workers Josés and Marias, no matter if they're white or Mexican. Not all the wealthy are assholes, not all the poor are nice. There is a realistic portrayal of the island's inhabitants.
The Main Characters:
1. Gwen:
The realization is quick, sharp, and shattering like that bag striking the wall.A wholly sympathetic heroine. Hard-working, a good daughter, and a loving sister to her special-needs brother. Gwen is not perfect, she's got that type of reputation. She is not promiscuous, but she's made some regrettable mistakes in her life. I like the fact that while Gwen is ashamed of what she's done, she never slut shames herself, and she never slut shames others. We've all done things (and people) we have regretted later on, and I can definitely sympathize with Gwen.
I’m not the only one who can get hurt here.
Who was hurt here.
I like that she has a sense of morality. She faces several moral dilemmas throughout the book, pressures from her father, and an employee. I felt like she handled them in a realistic manner, she is not a perfect character, and I loved that about her.
I liked her stubbornness, it frustrated me a bit at times, but it made her a realistic character, and I appreciated the fact that she eventually matured and realized her errors.
He was right. I should come with a YouTube instructional video. Or a complete boxed set. How the hell can I expect him to figure me out when I don’t even get myself? And worse, I’m a total hypocrite.2. Cass:
"I can’t claim to know you”—he pauses, has the grace to turn red, then forges on—“but I know you don’t put up with crap. That made me sick.”A complete gentleman...even if Gwen doesn't think so. The misunderstanding between Gwen and Cass overshadow the book; we know that Gwen both likes him/lusts after him while resenting him, but the reader never got a sense that Cass is anything but a great guy. He is wonderful with her brother, he gets upset, but only when Gwen drives him (and me) to the limits with her lack of communication, he puts up with Gwen's occasional BS, and he's not at all an asshole, despite being a privileged, wealthy townie. He's not afraid of hard work, he never feels like a girl in disguise, and I really, really loved Cass. He never criticizes Gwen for having a past, he never judges her for it. He's a patient guy, he's willing to wait, and we all need a Cass in our lives.
“It’s not about a jumbo box of condoms,” I say.Final comments: The pacing is slow, it really is. I feel like the book could be cut down by 100 pages without losing much relevance, because much of the book is about Cass and Gwen working together over the summer and getting reacquainted. While that's great, I could use less of that because I lost patience at some points. There are also a few small side plots, that of Mrs. Ellington and Gwen's cousin and best friend who have been together forever, Viv and Nic.
“Never was,” Cass says simply.
He slants his hand against my jaw, tips his mouth to mine.
There is a lot going on in this book, but if you have the patience, I think you will find this book to be enjoyable. At the very least, nothing will give you a headache.
July 27, 2016
Heaven by the water.
Best kept little secret in New England.
Tiny hidden jewel cradled by the rocky Connecticut coast.
Seashell Island, where I've lived all my life, is called all those things and more.
And all I want to do is leave it behind.
This is a story of anger.
Screw them before they screw you.
There's the islanders and then there's the summer people. The island is Gwen's and the islanders most of the year. They live on it, eat from it's sea, and swim in it's waters. But during the summer they become the background music to the wealthy, cleaning their homes, serving their food, and watching as they sail on their waters in luxury boats.
Enter Gwen our heroine in the crux of her self discovery. She feels discarded and abused by the classist system. The island that's been hers most of the year, turns against her, relegating her to the Maria's and the José's of the island, as one tourist charmingly puts it. She can't wait to escape, and leave it all behind. Ah, if only it was that simple for YA protagonists. Alas, no heroine is complete without her prerequisite, betrayal, love complications, and various other problems.
That betrayal comes in the form of Cass, a wealthy local who is not quite an islander and not quite a tourist. He lives on the other side of the bridge, where the rich of the island live.
This is a story of love.
There is an uncertain to-and-fro between Gwen and Cass throughout the book, each held back by their own misunderstandings of the previous spring. Each is hurt and both fail to fully communicate their hurt to the other. Admittedly, this was frustrating for me to read, but the frustration was intended by the author. And that's what is captivating about Huntley Fitzpatrick's writing. How she can tug and pull at my heart strings until I'm feeling exactly what she wants me to feel.
While Cass and Gwen are our main two characters, the story is not just about them. There are supporting actors and actresses with their own story lines and struggles which are very much separate from the protagonists. And how refreshing it is to see this in YA, instead of a mindless focus on the protagonist. There is Gwen's little brother Emory who is 'not quite autistic. He's not anything they've mapped genetically.' Instead he is 'just Emory' a charming voice of innocence. Then there is her tough-love relationship with her father, who wants the best for her, although he goes about it in a highly questionable way. There is her mother, the epitome of the working-class, cleaning the summer houses for those who disregard her. Then there is eccentric Grandpa Ben with his lobsters and nugget of wisdom:
Deixe que as histórias de outras pessoas sejam contadas por elas.
Other people's stories are their own to tell.
This is a story of truth.
And so Gwen waits, and so does Cass, for each to tell their story of what happened the previous spring.
The book is ripe with hormones and tension. The sexually charged air was mixed in with electrically charged thunderstorms. The turmoil of Gwen as she comes to terms with her sexual identity is coupled with the crashing waves. The cloying heat of her bedroom stands with her heated thoughts. Huntley Fitzpatrick is a master of psychological setting.
Cass lifts the bottom of his t-shirt, squeezing water out of the hem, then pulls it entirely off. Sort of like detonating a weapon in the tiny, warm, confined space.
You know those summer books which so perfectly capture the season that you forget that you yourself are in the zenith of winter? Huntley Fitzpatrick compresses the thrill, the freedom and the recklessness of summer into something you can hold in your hands.
She so perfectly slots in little reminders of summer for the reader. Little sentences we carelessly read over and relegate to the back of our minds as unimportant. But our subconscious is hungrily absorbing, cataloging and fitting together all these little details that resonate with us.
I roll over trying to find a cool spot in my bed.
I'm itchy and jangly, so tired of watching the numbers on the clock shift.
This is one of those books, that by the end of it, despite it's bumps and flaws, you can't help but look back on fondly. The overall feeling this book gives you is palpable. It leaves behind the sticky heat of summer, the whoosh of the ceiling fan, and the sweetness of melted ice-cream on your fingers.
Slow, and simmering pacing, this one is definitely worth a read. Or two. Huntely Fitzpatrick, you are officially one of my favourite YA authors.
_________________________________
PRE-REVIEW 1/11/2012
I can't wait for this book! BUT IT'S TOO FAR AWAY!
Fitzpatrick's 'My Life Next Door' had to be one of my favourite books of 2012.
Basically me after finding out about this book:
But then I saw the publication date:
So now I'm just sitting here like HURRY UP 2014: (we're finally in 2014, I REPEAT WE'RE FINALLY IN 2014!)
April 12, 2014
DNF around 200 pages once I realized I was only halfway through and nothing interesting had happened yet. The withholding of information was irritating (I mean, when everyone in the book knows what happened except the reader, it's pretty freaking annoying, especially since we're not talking about a murder mystery here ) and the constant flashbacks were also confusing when the big mystery of what happened in Gwen's past isn't even that shocking.
Positives: the older woman she cares for, the New England beach setting, no slut shaming (though there are plenty of dumb and questionable decisions), and an okay resolution to the story. But this book feels far too long and is far too uneventful, disjointed, and emotionally unfulfilling.
I heard such raves about the author's debut that this came as a pretty big disappointment. Oh, well.
An advance copy was provided by the publisher for this review.
Positives: the older woman she cares for, the New England beach setting, no slut shaming (though there are plenty of dumb and questionable decisions), and an okay resolution to the story. But this book feels far too long and is far too uneventful, disjointed, and emotionally unfulfilling.
I heard such raves about the author's debut that this came as a pretty big disappointment. Oh, well.
An advance copy was provided by the publisher for this review.
April 26, 2014
Since my first language is Portuguese, reading the book I kept trying to understand why Gwen called her grandmother "vovó" but her grandfather was simply Grandpa Ben... Makes no sense. specially because he was the one who came from Portugal not her.
Overall a nice read but the book kind of lost me at the last three chapters. I would've added a few Cass's POV chapters because, clearly, Gwen offers us a skewed and prejudiced version of herself. it would've been nice to see her trough Cass's eyes.
...
STOP RATING UNPUBLISHED BOOKS!
Overall a nice read but the book kind of lost me at the last three chapters. I would've added a few Cass's POV chapters because, clearly, Gwen offers us a skewed and prejudiced version of herself. it would've been nice to see her trough Cass's eyes.
...
STOP RATING UNPUBLISHED BOOKS!
May 5, 2014
Holy crap, just tell me already what the freak happened with Gwen and Cass! At halfway through, not telling the readers what literally everybody in the novel not only knows but that affects all their actions and reactions is just being coy for the sake of coyness. Even worse, you've bracketed the core event with flashbacks that make Gwen look stupid and irrational in the present. So essentially, the author is counting on keeping my interest despite a bitter protagonist who we can see has badly misjudged someone who is genuinely good and interested and she holds that grudge despite every evidence to the contrary. Because I like spending time with stupid, bitter people holding irrational grudges?
And here's a clue for authors: if your protagonist is continually acting based on an event in the past, and dwells on it endlessly, then tell the readers what the crap happened already! Sheesh.
And here's a clue for authors: if your protagonist is continually acting based on an event in the past, and dwells on it endlessly, then tell the readers what the crap happened already! Sheesh.
Want to read
July 3, 2015In honor of Kissing Day, a little taste of kisses from WHAT I THOUGHT WAS TRUE.
"He is absolutely still, motionless.
Very, very slowly, I lift my own hand, slide it up to rest on top of his and squeeze. His breath catches, but he still doesn't move. There's another flash of lightning. One Mississippi. Two Mississippi. The way to count out a storm. Another beat of silence, then I turn my face to the side and catch his mouth with mine.
Someone pinch me.
"He is absolutely still, motionless.
Very, very slowly, I lift my own hand, slide it up to rest on top of his and squeeze. His breath catches, but he still doesn't move. There's another flash of lightning. One Mississippi. Two Mississippi. The way to count out a storm. Another beat of silence, then I turn my face to the side and catch his mouth with mine.
Someone pinch me.
March 21, 2014
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Although Fitzpatrick’s sophomore novel has made it onto many “Waiting on Wednesday” posts and “Top Ten Most Anticipated” lists, it’s one of the last books I expected to be reading this year. While Fitzpatrick managed to hit the nail on the head concerning quite a few issues with her debut novel, My Life Next Door fell seriously flat for me. Thus, to find myself quite besotted with her sophomore piece is a surprise, to say the least. But What I Thought Was True battles the crashing waves of adolescence with an honesty that is forthcoming, a romance that is flawed, and relationships that really do withstand the test of time.
What I Thought Was True is a tale with multiple plot threads, but Fitzpatrick manages to make these complex story lines converge in a cohesive manner. While Fitzpatrick’s debut was set in a small town, her sophomore novel takes place on a quaint island whose class divisions are starkly felt. Gwen Castle, the protagonist of our tale, hails from a long line of Portuguese fishermen and lives on the wrong side of the bridge. Stony Bay, just across the bridge, is home to rich private schools, decadent clubs, and wealthy homes while in Gwen’s own household her mother is a house-cleaner and both she and her cousin take on summer jobs to help carry the economic weight of the household.
Fitzpatrick instills the very mentality of this town slowly, but deeply, into your very bones itself. It’s always difficult to convey the sense, the feeling, of a fictional location without spelling it out explicitly but Fitzpatrick outdoes herself with What I Thought Was True. Gwen’s household, as well, is so vibrantly portrayed. First and foremost, it is an interracial setting with Gwen herself being only half-Portuguese but her cultural heritage is keenly felt, as are the personas of all her family members. Gwen’s parents, though divorced, are both still very much present in her life, albeit in different ways, as is her grandfather whose presence adds to the ethnic feel of the story. Of utmost importance, though, is Emory, Gwen’s eight-year-old brother who isn’t autistic, but isn’t perfectly normal either, as well as Gwen’s eighteen-year-old cousin brother, Nic, who has lived with them for as long as Gwen can remember.
Gwen, her best friend Vivian, and Nic have been the three musketeers for years and although Vivian and Nic have now been dating for years, their friendship hasn’t changed. While Vivian and Nic share the type of relationship that Gwen – and everyone, really – only dreams of, the summer brings forth unexpected cracks. For one, there is the wild rumor that Vivan and Nic have been looking at engagement rings – a fact kept wholly secret from Gwen. Add to that the fact that Nic dreams of joining the Coast Guard while Viv simply wants to stay in their small island town and Gwen is officially caught between the two people who mean the most to her. Fitzpatrick does such a skillful job of navigating the multiple relationships that Gwen possesses in her life, taking the time to develop these integral friendships through meaningful conversation. While these three teens start their summer thinking they want one thing, they wind up realizing that life doesn’t always give us what we want and, even scarier, what we want can change – quite suddenly, too.
Surprisingly enough, though I enjoyed Gwen’s incredibly developed relationships, as well as the growth that she and her loved ones go through, the romance truly did sweep me off my feet. In fact, there are no love stories I love better than those which feature protected sex, a feminist heroine, and a respectful hero. What I Thought Was True starts off with Gwen trying her level best to avoid Cassidy and failing quite spectacularly as he seems to pop up wherever she goes. Cassidy lives in Stony Bay, the rich side of the bridge, and Gwen, for all her helpful tendencies, has a bit of a reputation. Fitzpatrick takes her time to unveil the truth of Gwen’s past, not just with Cassidy, mind you, but I loved that she never judged her own character for her actions. Even better, Gwen isn’t ashamed of her actions. Granted, she does have regrets – which teenager doesn’t? – but she isn’t embarrassed by wanting physical affection and, what’s more, isn’t a simpering virgin.
Yet, Gwen is a good girl. Not only is she honest, but she is respectful and kind. Not a slut, not a bitch, and not a whore. With Gwen, Fitzpatrick has created a heroine who doesn’t fit into the typical boxes – white, virgin, innocent – but she also hasn’t flaunted her protagonist. We don’t realize that Gwen is ebony-skinned until almost half-way through the book (although it’s quite easy to surmise from her heritage). We aren’t made to question Gwen’s virginity – or lack of it – or even gasp at the honest sexual discussions she shares with her best friend. Fitzpatrick makes it seem so effortlessly easy to include friendships, close family ties, culture, heritage, and a meaningful romance that stresses a respect for boundaries. I only wish more authors would write contemporary novels like this one because, frankly, this is what the industry needs, not more
Twilight
Fifty Shades of Grey rip-offs.
And speaking of alpha males, can we all applaud the fact that Cassidy might just be the total opposite of one? Admittedly, his relationship with Gwen has a bit of a rocky past but at the core he's an absolute sweetheart. Gwen and Cassidy's romance is slow, tortuous, and an enticing sizzle to read unfold. Full of open discussion, unsaid secrets, and an undercurrent of sexual tension, I loved every one of their interactions (particularly when Cassidy turns on his charm!). Yet, what I love most about their relationship is that it affirms the boundaries these two desire in their relationship and reaffirms them all over again when they change. It's such a healthy relationship, one in which both parties are happy and the pace is moving according to their own desires, not their past experiences. Of course, getting to the relationship in question is one of the best arcs in the story, but the sustaining romance is a favorite of mine as well.
Ultimately, I cannot recommend this book enough. What I Thought Was True is an incredible story about growing up and facing the hard truths that life throws at you. It’s a novel about coming to terms with the hand you’ve been dealt, learning to cope with change, and, most importantly, sustaining relationships despite the hurdles. Fitzpatrick could have easily molded this into “just another” summer romance but, trust me, it is so much more than that. Needless to say, I’ve already ordered a copy of this for my own bookshelf to hug, just as much as I will.
Although Fitzpatrick’s sophomore novel has made it onto many “Waiting on Wednesday” posts and “Top Ten Most Anticipated” lists, it’s one of the last books I expected to be reading this year. While Fitzpatrick managed to hit the nail on the head concerning quite a few issues with her debut novel, My Life Next Door fell seriously flat for me. Thus, to find myself quite besotted with her sophomore piece is a surprise, to say the least. But What I Thought Was True battles the crashing waves of adolescence with an honesty that is forthcoming, a romance that is flawed, and relationships that really do withstand the test of time.
What I Thought Was True is a tale with multiple plot threads, but Fitzpatrick manages to make these complex story lines converge in a cohesive manner. While Fitzpatrick’s debut was set in a small town, her sophomore novel takes place on a quaint island whose class divisions are starkly felt. Gwen Castle, the protagonist of our tale, hails from a long line of Portuguese fishermen and lives on the wrong side of the bridge. Stony Bay, just across the bridge, is home to rich private schools, decadent clubs, and wealthy homes while in Gwen’s own household her mother is a house-cleaner and both she and her cousin take on summer jobs to help carry the economic weight of the household.
Fitzpatrick instills the very mentality of this town slowly, but deeply, into your very bones itself. It’s always difficult to convey the sense, the feeling, of a fictional location without spelling it out explicitly but Fitzpatrick outdoes herself with What I Thought Was True. Gwen’s household, as well, is so vibrantly portrayed. First and foremost, it is an interracial setting with Gwen herself being only half-Portuguese but her cultural heritage is keenly felt, as are the personas of all her family members. Gwen’s parents, though divorced, are both still very much present in her life, albeit in different ways, as is her grandfather whose presence adds to the ethnic feel of the story. Of utmost importance, though, is Emory, Gwen’s eight-year-old brother who isn’t autistic, but isn’t perfectly normal either, as well as Gwen’s eighteen-year-old cousin brother, Nic, who has lived with them for as long as Gwen can remember.
Gwen, her best friend Vivian, and Nic have been the three musketeers for years and although Vivian and Nic have now been dating for years, their friendship hasn’t changed. While Vivian and Nic share the type of relationship that Gwen – and everyone, really – only dreams of, the summer brings forth unexpected cracks. For one, there is the wild rumor that Vivan and Nic have been looking at engagement rings – a fact kept wholly secret from Gwen. Add to that the fact that Nic dreams of joining the Coast Guard while Viv simply wants to stay in their small island town and Gwen is officially caught between the two people who mean the most to her. Fitzpatrick does such a skillful job of navigating the multiple relationships that Gwen possesses in her life, taking the time to develop these integral friendships through meaningful conversation. While these three teens start their summer thinking they want one thing, they wind up realizing that life doesn’t always give us what we want and, even scarier, what we want can change – quite suddenly, too.
“And this is the hardest, weirdest part of not being that barefoot girl and that towheaded boy running down the sand to the water, all legs and elbows and unself-conscious. Suddenly, you edge your way to the end of your second ten years and BOOM. Your choices matter. Not chocolate or vanilla, bridge or pier, Sandy Claw or Abenaki. It’s your whole life. We’re suddenly this close, like Nic said, to the wrong move. Or the right one. It matters now.” (Page 236)
Surprisingly enough, though I enjoyed Gwen’s incredibly developed relationships, as well as the growth that she and her loved ones go through, the romance truly did sweep me off my feet. In fact, there are no love stories I love better than those which feature protected sex, a feminist heroine, and a respectful hero. What I Thought Was True starts off with Gwen trying her level best to avoid Cassidy and failing quite spectacularly as he seems to pop up wherever she goes. Cassidy lives in Stony Bay, the rich side of the bridge, and Gwen, for all her helpful tendencies, has a bit of a reputation. Fitzpatrick takes her time to unveil the truth of Gwen’s past, not just with Cassidy, mind you, but I loved that she never judged her own character for her actions. Even better, Gwen isn’t ashamed of her actions. Granted, she does have regrets – which teenager doesn’t? – but she isn’t embarrassed by wanting physical affection and, what’s more, isn’t a simpering virgin.
Yet, Gwen is a good girl. Not only is she honest, but she is respectful and kind. Not a slut, not a bitch, and not a whore. With Gwen, Fitzpatrick has created a heroine who doesn’t fit into the typical boxes – white, virgin, innocent – but she also hasn’t flaunted her protagonist. We don’t realize that Gwen is ebony-skinned until almost half-way through the book (although it’s quite easy to surmise from her heritage). We aren’t made to question Gwen’s virginity – or lack of it – or even gasp at the honest sexual discussions she shares with her best friend. Fitzpatrick makes it seem so effortlessly easy to include friendships, close family ties, culture, heritage, and a meaningful romance that stresses a respect for boundaries. I only wish more authors would write contemporary novels like this one because, frankly, this is what the industry needs, not more
And speaking of alpha males, can we all applaud the fact that Cassidy might just be the total opposite of one? Admittedly, his relationship with Gwen has a bit of a rocky past but at the core he's an absolute sweetheart. Gwen and Cassidy's romance is slow, tortuous, and an enticing sizzle to read unfold. Full of open discussion, unsaid secrets, and an undercurrent of sexual tension, I loved every one of their interactions (particularly when Cassidy turns on his charm!). Yet, what I love most about their relationship is that it affirms the boundaries these two desire in their relationship and reaffirms them all over again when they change. It's such a healthy relationship, one in which both parties are happy and the pace is moving according to their own desires, not their past experiences. Of course, getting to the relationship in question is one of the best arcs in the story, but the sustaining romance is a favorite of mine as well.
Ultimately, I cannot recommend this book enough. What I Thought Was True is an incredible story about growing up and facing the hard truths that life throws at you. It’s a novel about coming to terms with the hand you’ve been dealt, learning to cope with change, and, most importantly, sustaining relationships despite the hurdles. Fitzpatrick could have easily molded this into “just another” summer romance but, trust me, it is so much more than that. Needless to say, I’ve already ordered a copy of this for my own bookshelf to hug, just as much as I will.
December 13, 2021
i am officially declaring that i have never been wrong, ever, in my life.
for many years, i thought that on the fence (which is by kasie west) and my life next door (which is, like this book, which i will eventually get to reviewing, by huntley fitzpatrick) were the same book.
and even though their insides are very similar, featuring girls with unhappy home lives who begin spending time with families that are rowdy and large and containing many siblings and precisely one cute boy whose eyes and/or abs and/or hair will be a frequent topic of conversation until their romance, which is ultimately broken up by the aforementioned home life, only to come back together just pages from the end...
and even though their outsides are very similar, with titles alluding to the proximity of our protagonist's home to their love interest's, and faceless teen couples embracing in front of fences...
even though they have more in common than they do not, i blamed myself.
but no longer.
because i thought this book, by huntley fitzpatrick, was the same book as the distance between us, by kasie west.
fool me once, i will take the blame. fool me twice, IT IS YOU WHO SHOULD BE ASHAMED.
(don't mind me, i'm just punching up expressions now.)
this book and the distance between us both have earnest, melancholy titles alluding to relationship drama. they both have very early 2010s pinterest fonts in which these titles are written. they both have faceless teen couples touching each other.
and they are both about poor girls who live and work in the summery towns where hot rich guys (sorry, hot guys with rich dads) come to be condescending and fall in love with them.
worst trope ever, also. who enjoys being patronized and babied until a crush comes into fruition? i don't want to have an enemies to lovers arc with these polo-wearing future business majors of america. i want to stomp on their loafers until they leave me alone.
and then leave fiction forever.
how is this nightmare book actually two nightmares!!
part of a series i'm doing in which i review books i read a long time ago in order to be mad
for many years, i thought that on the fence (which is by kasie west) and my life next door (which is, like this book, which i will eventually get to reviewing, by huntley fitzpatrick) were the same book.
and even though their insides are very similar, featuring girls with unhappy home lives who begin spending time with families that are rowdy and large and containing many siblings and precisely one cute boy whose eyes and/or abs and/or hair will be a frequent topic of conversation until their romance, which is ultimately broken up by the aforementioned home life, only to come back together just pages from the end...
and even though their outsides are very similar, with titles alluding to the proximity of our protagonist's home to their love interest's, and faceless teen couples embracing in front of fences...
even though they have more in common than they do not, i blamed myself.
but no longer.
because i thought this book, by huntley fitzpatrick, was the same book as the distance between us, by kasie west.
fool me once, i will take the blame. fool me twice, IT IS YOU WHO SHOULD BE ASHAMED.
(don't mind me, i'm just punching up expressions now.)
this book and the distance between us both have earnest, melancholy titles alluding to relationship drama. they both have very early 2010s pinterest fonts in which these titles are written. they both have faceless teen couples touching each other.
and they are both about poor girls who live and work in the summery towns where hot rich guys (sorry, hot guys with rich dads) come to be condescending and fall in love with them.
worst trope ever, also. who enjoys being patronized and babied until a crush comes into fruition? i don't want to have an enemies to lovers arc with these polo-wearing future business majors of america. i want to stomp on their loafers until they leave me alone.
and then leave fiction forever.
how is this nightmare book actually two nightmares!!
part of a series i'm doing in which i review books i read a long time ago in order to be mad
April 22, 2014
Buddy read with Jasprit
It would have been a good four except that... (you may proceed to read my rant under the spoiler tags)
It would have been a good four except that... (you may proceed to read my rant under the spoiler tags)
February 2, 2015
It's been over a year since I read this novel, and I am still thinking about it! If you missed this novel, I highly recommend checking it out! (Feb. 2, 2015)
ADD THIS TO YOUR "to-read list" IMMEDIATELY . . .
I read this novel almost straight through - I only had a break for dinner with my husband - and I have so many things that I am thinking about . . .
This novel:
is layered,
beautifully written,
has an incredible setting,
contains rich prose,
has emotionally charged characters,
explores deep relationships,
shows family complexities,
shows the differences between working class/upper class,
explores sexuality and the power and influence it has on one's life,
explores "just sex" (hookups) versus sex with someone you love,
shows embarrassment/shame/humiliation and the pain "hookups" can cause,
shows how sex can be used as a weapon to hurt someone you care about,
shows the complexity of love,
explores the power of lies and secrets & how they deeply effect people,
shows how communication is critical in relationships,
includes a special needs child & some of the dynamics that go with taking care of and loving that child,
interweaves expectations of parents,
explores the challenges and difficulties of working with the elderly, not just for a YA, but how it might feel to suddenly need help when you've always taken care of your own needs.
WHAT I THOUGHT WAS TRUE isn't one of those YA contemporary novels that you finish, and then sigh with a "Awww, that was so sweet." Yes, I think people will LOVE the ending - I definitely did! - but what makes this novel so awesome is its authenticity to REAL LIFE! The complexities and flaws of real relationships are what make this novel so phenomenal. Cass is definitely swoon-worthy and a great match for the strong, generous-of-spirit, kind, best-sister-of-the-year, and vulnerable Gwen. If any couple can make it forever, these two will.
But there will be challenges. Welcome to real life. It's very cool that Huntley showed the foundation of how they'll most likely handle any problems/challenges/complexities that might come up in the future. Cass and Gwen learned to handle problems/challenges/complexities through honesty, communication, give and take, and a foundation of trust and loyalty. THAT!!!! IS!!! A BRILLIANT STRENGTH OF THIS NOVEL!!!
I really commend Huntley for creating characters that have such depth. I'm not sure too many writers could pull this off. By far, this will be a novel I'll be thinking about for a long time. It's revealing and eye-opening and painful and heartbreaking and swoony! WOW!
Thank you, Huntley, for sending me the ARC. I will cherish it & the inscription.
ADD THIS TO YOUR "to-read list" IMMEDIATELY . . .
I read this novel almost straight through - I only had a break for dinner with my husband - and I have so many things that I am thinking about . . .
This novel:
is layered,
beautifully written,
has an incredible setting,
contains rich prose,
has emotionally charged characters,
explores deep relationships,
shows family complexities,
shows the differences between working class/upper class,
explores sexuality and the power and influence it has on one's life,
explores "just sex" (hookups) versus sex with someone you love,
shows embarrassment/shame/humiliation and the pain "hookups" can cause,
shows how sex can be used as a weapon to hurt someone you care about,
shows the complexity of love,
explores the power of lies and secrets & how they deeply effect people,
shows how communication is critical in relationships,
includes a special needs child & some of the dynamics that go with taking care of and loving that child,
interweaves expectations of parents,
explores the challenges and difficulties of working with the elderly, not just for a YA, but how it might feel to suddenly need help when you've always taken care of your own needs.
WHAT I THOUGHT WAS TRUE isn't one of those YA contemporary novels that you finish, and then sigh with a "Awww, that was so sweet." Yes, I think people will LOVE the ending - I definitely did! - but what makes this novel so awesome is its authenticity to REAL LIFE! The complexities and flaws of real relationships are what make this novel so phenomenal. Cass is definitely swoon-worthy and a great match for the strong, generous-of-spirit, kind, best-sister-of-the-year, and vulnerable Gwen. If any couple can make it forever, these two will.
But there will be challenges. Welcome to real life. It's very cool that Huntley showed the foundation of how they'll most likely handle any problems/challenges/complexities that might come up in the future. Cass and Gwen learned to handle problems/challenges/complexities through honesty, communication, give and take, and a foundation of trust and loyalty. THAT!!!! IS!!! A BRILLIANT STRENGTH OF THIS NOVEL!!!
I really commend Huntley for creating characters that have such depth. I'm not sure too many writers could pull this off. By far, this will be a novel I'll be thinking about for a long time. It's revealing and eye-opening and painful and heartbreaking and swoony! WOW!
Thank you, Huntley, for sending me the ARC. I will cherish it & the inscription.
January 4, 2020
This was cuuuuuute. I really liked the whole boy-wins-girl back kind of feel but I still feel like some things weren’t totally addressed and the ending felt a little rushed.
Overall though, a cute fluffy contemporary where the characters learn quite a bit. It was good!
Overall though, a cute fluffy contemporary where the characters learn quite a bit. It was good!
May 19, 2015
What I Thought Was True is my second Huntley Fitzpatrick book, and to say I had high hopes for this book would be an understatement. I mean, you all know my love and adoration for My Life Next Door right? Let me just get this out of the way… You need to go into this book as you should each and every book… not letting previous books by the author influence your expectations of the characters and events that are about to happen. ( I mean, unless it’s a series LOL)
What I Thought Was True was an amazing read for me. Which of course means this is going to be a hard review for me to write.
Gwen Castle spends her days working hard and imagining the day that she will be able to escape the island she lives on. Her blue collar family spends their days toiling in the family restaurant and cleaning houses for those a bit more fortunate than her and the summers are their busiest times. But you also find out pretty quick that Gwen has a few secrets of her own… and they involve rich boy Cassidy Somers. She was sure, with him living across the bridge in Stony Bay, that she wouldn’t have to worry much about him, but he chooses this summer to get a job as the island ‘yard boy’ and no matter what she does, they can’t seem to avoid each other.
From the get go, you know that something horrible happened between them, but I wasn’t at all prepared for what it actually was.
But Ms. Fitzpatrick creates some amazing characters in this story. From Gwen, who you can’t help but feel a bit of sisterhood with, to Cass who has all the charm and charisma you would expect, to her determined cousin Nic and his girlfriend Vivien… they all play integral parts in this amazing story and I promise they will jump off the page and into your heart.
There are so many layers to this story that for me to try and explain them all would make this review incredibly long, but I’ll touch on a few things that you will find here …
Fitzpatrick explores first love and how it’s not always exactly as we expect it to be. Gwen and Cass definitely have their struggles, but when you as the reader get the full story, it’s easy to see why. These two are young, and they struggle with miscommunication and shitty friends and rumors and parents and feelings of low self-worth. But we also get a second story about first love… not just with our main characters but this one is about our secondary characters of Nic and Vivien.
She also gives us a story filled with the complex dynamics of family and the expectations that they have on you and how that can affect decisions. Gwen doesn’t have what some would call a typical household. Her parents are no longer together, yet her mother does her father’s laundry and her grandfather lives with her and her younger brother and her cousin Nic. It makes for an interesting story and some unique interactions. Add in the fact that her brother has special needs and this also impacts everyone and everything adding just one more layer to an already complex story.
There is also something to be said for a boy with dimples. If you’re looking for swoon, you’re definitely going to find some here. As I said above, Cass is charming and charismatic and he knows how to throw Gwen off with just a smile. Throw in swimming lessons with her little brother and I was swooning right along with her.
What do you think, Gwen? Want to come check out my form?”
He flashes the dimples at me.
Oh dear Lord.
I wrinkle my nose, toss my hair back. “I couldn’t care less about your form.”
“Right,” Cass says. “I can tell.”
But Cass isn’t all confidence…
”Does this ability to map things mean you never get lost?”
“I get lost.” He said firmly. “Like now, I can’t tell what you’re thinking. About me.”
If you’re looking for a light summer read… this isn’t it. Instead, what you’ll find are strong, intriguing characters with depth and layers. A story that encompasses so much more than just falling in love… one that touches on heavy topics and family issues, feelings of shame and the divide between those who have more than enough and those that are barely scraping by. A story of forgiveness and moving on and a story about being at that pivotal point in life where you’re not quite a child, but you’re definitely not quite an adult.
I should stop now right?
If you haven’t already, make sure you put this book on your ‘to be read’ list. Who am I kidding, if you read MLND you already have it there, but those of you who don’t… do it now. And then go read My Life Next Door!
Thank you to my lovely sister Erin for allowing me to read the copy that she won from Huntley Fitzpatrick.
And Ms. Fitzpatrick...
This review will post to Fiction Fare closer to release.
What I Thought Was True was an amazing read for me. Which of course means this is going to be a hard review for me to write.
Gwen Castle spends her days working hard and imagining the day that she will be able to escape the island she lives on. Her blue collar family spends their days toiling in the family restaurant and cleaning houses for those a bit more fortunate than her and the summers are their busiest times. But you also find out pretty quick that Gwen has a few secrets of her own… and they involve rich boy Cassidy Somers. She was sure, with him living across the bridge in Stony Bay, that she wouldn’t have to worry much about him, but he chooses this summer to get a job as the island ‘yard boy’ and no matter what she does, they can’t seem to avoid each other.
From the get go, you know that something horrible happened between them, but I wasn’t at all prepared for what it actually was.
But Ms. Fitzpatrick creates some amazing characters in this story. From Gwen, who you can’t help but feel a bit of sisterhood with, to Cass who has all the charm and charisma you would expect, to her determined cousin Nic and his girlfriend Vivien… they all play integral parts in this amazing story and I promise they will jump off the page and into your heart.
There are so many layers to this story that for me to try and explain them all would make this review incredibly long, but I’ll touch on a few things that you will find here …
Fitzpatrick explores first love and how it’s not always exactly as we expect it to be. Gwen and Cass definitely have their struggles, but when you as the reader get the full story, it’s easy to see why. These two are young, and they struggle with miscommunication and shitty friends and rumors and parents and feelings of low self-worth. But we also get a second story about first love… not just with our main characters but this one is about our secondary characters of Nic and Vivien.
She also gives us a story filled with the complex dynamics of family and the expectations that they have on you and how that can affect decisions. Gwen doesn’t have what some would call a typical household. Her parents are no longer together, yet her mother does her father’s laundry and her grandfather lives with her and her younger brother and her cousin Nic. It makes for an interesting story and some unique interactions. Add in the fact that her brother has special needs and this also impacts everyone and everything adding just one more layer to an already complex story.
There is also something to be said for a boy with dimples. If you’re looking for swoon, you’re definitely going to find some here. As I said above, Cass is charming and charismatic and he knows how to throw Gwen off with just a smile. Throw in swimming lessons with her little brother and I was swooning right along with her.
What do you think, Gwen? Want to come check out my form?”
He flashes the dimples at me.
Oh dear Lord.
I wrinkle my nose, toss my hair back. “I couldn’t care less about your form.”
“Right,” Cass says. “I can tell.”
But Cass isn’t all confidence…
”Does this ability to map things mean you never get lost?”
“I get lost.” He said firmly. “Like now, I can’t tell what you’re thinking. About me.”
If you’re looking for a light summer read… this isn’t it. Instead, what you’ll find are strong, intriguing characters with depth and layers. A story that encompasses so much more than just falling in love… one that touches on heavy topics and family issues, feelings of shame and the divide between those who have more than enough and those that are barely scraping by. A story of forgiveness and moving on and a story about being at that pivotal point in life where you’re not quite a child, but you’re definitely not quite an adult.
I should stop now right?
If you haven’t already, make sure you put this book on your ‘to be read’ list. Who am I kidding, if you read MLND you already have it there, but those of you who don’t… do it now. And then go read My Life Next Door!
Thank you to my lovely sister Erin for allowing me to read the copy that she won from Huntley Fitzpatrick.
And Ms. Fitzpatrick...
This review will post to Fiction Fare closer to release.
June 6, 2017
Although I didn't enjoy this as much as My Life Next Door (which I LOVED), this was still a cute and enjoyable read! I just want all the cute, summer contemporaries from Huntley Fitzpatrick please!
April 23, 2015
It is the rare book that only earns one star from me. I don't like giving only one star as I know that someone worked hard to write whatever I've read. Only this doesn't feel like it was worked at much at all. It feels sloppy and poorly constructed and just basically clichéd and a waste of time and paper. Sorry to say that, but it is my honest opinion.
First, let us discuss continuity. I've said this before in other reviews, but an author has to proof-read, not just for spelling and grammar, but so that what they write flows without major mistakes.
Page 112:
"Today's Nic's and my four-month anniversary," Vivien said absently, still staring at the water.
"Five months? Try twelve years. I was the one who married the two of you when you were five."
One glimpse of Vivien's downcast eyes and the slight smile playing at her lips and I get it. Right. Five months since they've been doing it."
Did you catch that? Four months and in the next sentence five months. I kept reading over thinking I missed something or looking for the reaction when she says four months and is answered with five months. But, nope, it is just an author's mistake.
Page 222:
"If he talked, I'd think, and stop those fingers, which were edging my bra straps down and off, smoothing a slow caress back up my forearms, trailing goose bumps in their wake." There is some dialogue and on page 224: "I shrugged off my shirt, pushed myself further onto his lap and reached down for the button of his jeans."
So she took off her bra and is enjoying his hands on her skin, but she still has her shirt on. So she was wearing a bra over her shirt?
How hard is it to simply make sure what you write makes sense? This is irritating and I might have given this book a begrudging two, except for this nonsense.
Second, if any author is going to have a disabled character, they had best make sure they get every detail of that correct. Or again, it is sloppy writing. Do the research.
Page 195:
"Bills, bills, bills. Your little brother’s got asthma. He’s got physical therapy. He’s got speech therapy. He’s got occupational therapy. Insurance covers some, but the damn bills just keep on coming.”
So, this child is developmentally and physically disabled. His parents have no money. I mean, really no money. The dad lives in a beach shack and the mom, who is a cleaning woman, lives in a two bedroom shabby house sharing one of the bedrooms with her daughter while the other is shared by the little brother, cousin and grandfather. They have old second-hand furniture, rattling, barely running automobile(which, btw, a Bronco is not a truck. That happens on page 3, one moment it’s a truck and the next it is a Bronco).
So, disabled child would most likely qualify for Social Security Disability benefits and Medicaid to help with therapy and medical costs. If they also have insurance, they should not be swimming in bills for this kiddo. Easy for an author to place the blame for things on the disabled kid’s situation, but some research should have been done. Again, sloppy.
So, getting to the actual story-telling, I have no idea why the author chose to tell the story in this way. There are party scenes within party scenes while Gwen thinks over what she has done. Why do this? Make constant reference to this or that, but not actually share the this or that until most of the way through the book. It feels as if the author has so little faith in the ability of her own story to hold a reader’s interest, that she needs to withhold parts of the story just so that the curiosity will help the reader stay involved because the story likely won’t.
And the romance is all Gwen objectifying the boy she wants/lusts for. IF you reversed it and all the time Cass is thinking, look at those boobs, can’t wait to get my hands on those! Look at that butt! Wow, is she built!
Is this a relationship? No. She lusts after him and wants him to have sex with her. She doesn’t even want to get to know him. He tricks her into doing so, but still she would rather have her and his clothes off. Okay then.
The one person in this whole story who I was interested in was Nic. And wow, is that story a convoluted mess which makes no sense.
Last, but certainly not least, we have Gwen's dad's sage advice: Working in the home of an elderly rich lady, take this opportunity to steal. Or, better yet: Your heart has just been broken. Get drunk, underage young person. Yeah, great advice dad. So, the Islandies really are kind of low-lifes? Wow.
And even if I put all of that aside, it is boring. Nothing really happens until the last 40 pages or so. It just shuffles along.
I might be able to excuse the lack of continuity and research, but add in boring I can’t find anything positive to say.
Skip it.
One last thing, her first book, My Life Next Door, is actually very good. It is hard to believe that this is actually the same author. I would recommend that one.
First, let us discuss continuity. I've said this before in other reviews, but an author has to proof-read, not just for spelling and grammar, but so that what they write flows without major mistakes.
Page 112:
"Today's Nic's and my four-month anniversary," Vivien said absently, still staring at the water.
"Five months? Try twelve years. I was the one who married the two of you when you were five."
One glimpse of Vivien's downcast eyes and the slight smile playing at her lips and I get it. Right. Five months since they've been doing it."
Did you catch that? Four months and in the next sentence five months. I kept reading over thinking I missed something or looking for the reaction when she says four months and is answered with five months. But, nope, it is just an author's mistake.
Page 222:
"If he talked, I'd think, and stop those fingers, which were edging my bra straps down and off, smoothing a slow caress back up my forearms, trailing goose bumps in their wake." There is some dialogue and on page 224: "I shrugged off my shirt, pushed myself further onto his lap and reached down for the button of his jeans."
So she took off her bra and is enjoying his hands on her skin, but she still has her shirt on. So she was wearing a bra over her shirt?
How hard is it to simply make sure what you write makes sense? This is irritating and I might have given this book a begrudging two, except for this nonsense.
Second, if any author is going to have a disabled character, they had best make sure they get every detail of that correct. Or again, it is sloppy writing. Do the research.
Page 195:
"Bills, bills, bills. Your little brother’s got asthma. He’s got physical therapy. He’s got speech therapy. He’s got occupational therapy. Insurance covers some, but the damn bills just keep on coming.”
So, this child is developmentally and physically disabled. His parents have no money. I mean, really no money. The dad lives in a beach shack and the mom, who is a cleaning woman, lives in a two bedroom shabby house sharing one of the bedrooms with her daughter while the other is shared by the little brother, cousin and grandfather. They have old second-hand furniture, rattling, barely running automobile(which, btw, a Bronco is not a truck. That happens on page 3, one moment it’s a truck and the next it is a Bronco).
So, disabled child would most likely qualify for Social Security Disability benefits and Medicaid to help with therapy and medical costs. If they also have insurance, they should not be swimming in bills for this kiddo. Easy for an author to place the blame for things on the disabled kid’s situation, but some research should have been done. Again, sloppy.
So, getting to the actual story-telling, I have no idea why the author chose to tell the story in this way. There are party scenes within party scenes while Gwen thinks over what she has done. Why do this? Make constant reference to this or that, but not actually share the this or that until most of the way through the book. It feels as if the author has so little faith in the ability of her own story to hold a reader’s interest, that she needs to withhold parts of the story just so that the curiosity will help the reader stay involved because the story likely won’t.
And the romance is all Gwen objectifying the boy she wants/lusts for. IF you reversed it and all the time Cass is thinking, look at those boobs, can’t wait to get my hands on those! Look at that butt! Wow, is she built!
Is this a relationship? No. She lusts after him and wants him to have sex with her. She doesn’t even want to get to know him. He tricks her into doing so, but still she would rather have her and his clothes off. Okay then.
The one person in this whole story who I was interested in was Nic. And wow, is that story a convoluted mess which makes no sense.
Last, but certainly not least, we have Gwen's dad's sage advice: Working in the home of an elderly rich lady, take this opportunity to steal. Or, better yet: Your heart has just been broken. Get drunk, underage young person. Yeah, great advice dad. So, the Islandies really are kind of low-lifes? Wow.
And even if I put all of that aside, it is boring. Nothing really happens until the last 40 pages or so. It just shuffles along.
I might be able to excuse the lack of continuity and research, but add in boring I can’t find anything positive to say.
Skip it.
One last thing, her first book, My Life Next Door, is actually very good. It is hard to believe that this is actually the same author. I would recommend that one.
July 19, 2015
***Review posted on The Eater of Books! blog***
What I Thought Was True by Huntley Fitzpatrick
Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: April 15, 2014
Rating: 4 stars
Source: Kindle copy bought from Amazon
Summary (from Goodreads):
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.
What I Liked:
I bought this book months ago, just a little bit after it was published in April of 2014, and it took me THIS LONG to get to it. Review books get maximum priority over books I buy or borrow from the library, so a lot of times, I'll buy a book I've not read before, and it just sits there. Like this one. My Life Next Door is one of my favorite YA contemporaries, and while I don't think this is another *favorite* (it's a tough title to earn!), it is definitely a YA contemporary that I actually really enjoyed. I often have a tough time with YA contemporary.
Gwen wants to forget what happened last year, especially with Cassidy Somers, who was a mistake. She lives on an island with her mother, grandfather, little brother, and cousin. They are poor and work for the richer folk on the island. Gwen takes a job "babysitting" an older lady whose leg is injured. But she isn't the only one working - rich, privileged Cassidy Somers is now the yard boy of the island. Sparks fly and secrets unfold as Gwen's summer pans out to be not what she expected.
I loved and hated Gwen. She and I are very, very different, and while I respect her as a female and like her as a person, I will start by first saying that her decisions regarding boys are not decisions I like, would do, or approve of. If that makes sense. I don't want to spoil much, but I thought I'd add that note. Don't get me wrong! I like Gwen. But I wouldn't have made the choices she did.
Nevertheless, Gwen is a hard worker. I like her work ethic - she and I came from similar backgrounds, financially. Although, Gwen is a child of divorced parents, and has a brother who has a an unknown condition similar to autism. Gwen and her cousin Nico act like third and fourth parents for Emory, which isn't fair to them (he's not either of their child), but they sacrifice much for Emory selflessly. Gwen is constantly helping her mom, her father at his store, and takes on a job she doesn't want, babysitting old Mrs. Ellington.
I felt weird about Gwen, and didn't like her, in the beginning of the book. As well as when we discover why she is running from Cass. It's not revealed all at once, it takes a while, but after each revelation, I was a bit more disappointed in Gwen. And then we find out WHY she did what she did (which I suspected all along), and I was angry and disappointed, but then at least I understood. She is a teenage girl that I have seen over and over in college, so I think I understand her, even if I am not her.
I like Cass a lot. He is a sweet guy, and he is totally misjudged by Gwen. Gwen jumps to all kinds of conclusions (for no substantial reason, really), and she pushes him away. He isn't a "bad boy" or a player or flirtatious. He's charming, a gentleman, with wicked appeal. He is working as a yard boy despite being the son of a very rich family. He needs to improve his performance at his school, which is why he is working (doing hard work), why he is training for his swim team over the summer, and why he asks Gwen to tutor him in English over the summer.
The story is very flowy, like it meanders, in a very story-like way. It doesn't feel like there will be some catastrophic climax that will decide everything, though I did catch foreshadowing more than once (and was right about all of it - especially with Spence at the end!). I like the flow of the story - it's almost conversational, though it's told from Gwen's first-person POV.
Romance! The romance in this story is a difficult one. Gwen and Cass have history, and Gwen has serious trust issues, and doesn't see her flaws. She's blind and naive and wants Cass to want her but then gets mad when he wants her and he confused and I'm confused! She's way too complicated for me, way too much like many college girls, who over-analyze everything in terms of boys and turn everything into a problem. But then again, most boys lead girls to be like that. But then again again, Cass wasn't like that. It takes a while for Gwen to realize this. But I love seeing Gwen and Cass actually fall for each other. Their relationship is rocky but developed, and towards the end, very swoon-worthy!
Character development is so good in this novel! It's not just Gwen's story - it's Cass's story, and how he deals with accepting the consequences of his actions at his school. It's Nic and Vivian's story, as they explore their relationship, the good and the bad. It's Emory's story, as he learns to swim. It's Gwen's mother's story, who cleans houses around the clock every day and never seems to be angry or frustrated. This book has so many positive relationships (despite three very crappy ones from Gwen's past), and it has very developed and well-rounded characters!
Overall, I liked this book. I didn't like it at first, as I was reading, but I started to understand Gwen better, and I really got into the story. There is so much more than Gwen and Cass - Gwen's job, Nic and Vivian (who is Gwen's best friend, and also Nic's girlfriend), Emory learning to swim, Spence Channing becoming more... likable. I didn't like him at first, and I'm still wary of him, but he's okay. I totally saw the ending coming. It was odd, sad, but uplifting!
What I Did Not Like:
Like I said about Gwen - I didn't like her at first. It went in waves - sometimes I liked her, sometimes I didn't. Her choices would never be my choices, but I understand her. I don't think even she is proud of her choices, and I'm happy with her character development!
Would I Recommend It:
I would recommend this one! Despite not being one for YA contemporary, I really enjoyed this book. Huntley Fitzpatrick really knows how to dig deep into YA contemporary and write more than fluff or romance. There are so many issues at hand in this story, and she writes the story beautifully!
Rating:
4 stars. I'm so glad I bought this one! Even though I didn't read it until about a year later. I'm getting ready to crack open my review copy of The Boy Most Likely To, so it's good timing!
What I Thought Was True by Huntley Fitzpatrick
Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: April 15, 2014
Rating: 4 stars
Source: Kindle copy bought from Amazon
Summary (from Goodreads):
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.
What I Liked:
I bought this book months ago, just a little bit after it was published in April of 2014, and it took me THIS LONG to get to it. Review books get maximum priority over books I buy or borrow from the library, so a lot of times, I'll buy a book I've not read before, and it just sits there. Like this one. My Life Next Door is one of my favorite YA contemporaries, and while I don't think this is another *favorite* (it's a tough title to earn!), it is definitely a YA contemporary that I actually really enjoyed. I often have a tough time with YA contemporary.
Gwen wants to forget what happened last year, especially with Cassidy Somers, who was a mistake. She lives on an island with her mother, grandfather, little brother, and cousin. They are poor and work for the richer folk on the island. Gwen takes a job "babysitting" an older lady whose leg is injured. But she isn't the only one working - rich, privileged Cassidy Somers is now the yard boy of the island. Sparks fly and secrets unfold as Gwen's summer pans out to be not what she expected.
I loved and hated Gwen. She and I are very, very different, and while I respect her as a female and like her as a person, I will start by first saying that her decisions regarding boys are not decisions I like, would do, or approve of. If that makes sense. I don't want to spoil much, but I thought I'd add that note. Don't get me wrong! I like Gwen. But I wouldn't have made the choices she did.
Nevertheless, Gwen is a hard worker. I like her work ethic - she and I came from similar backgrounds, financially. Although, Gwen is a child of divorced parents, and has a brother who has a an unknown condition similar to autism. Gwen and her cousin Nico act like third and fourth parents for Emory, which isn't fair to them (he's not either of their child), but they sacrifice much for Emory selflessly. Gwen is constantly helping her mom, her father at his store, and takes on a job she doesn't want, babysitting old Mrs. Ellington.
I felt weird about Gwen, and didn't like her, in the beginning of the book. As well as when we discover why she is running from Cass. It's not revealed all at once, it takes a while, but after each revelation, I was a bit more disappointed in Gwen. And then we find out WHY she did what she did (which I suspected all along), and I was angry and disappointed, but then at least I understood. She is a teenage girl that I have seen over and over in college, so I think I understand her, even if I am not her.
I like Cass a lot. He is a sweet guy, and he is totally misjudged by Gwen. Gwen jumps to all kinds of conclusions (for no substantial reason, really), and she pushes him away. He isn't a "bad boy" or a player or flirtatious. He's charming, a gentleman, with wicked appeal. He is working as a yard boy despite being the son of a very rich family. He needs to improve his performance at his school, which is why he is working (doing hard work), why he is training for his swim team over the summer, and why he asks Gwen to tutor him in English over the summer.
The story is very flowy, like it meanders, in a very story-like way. It doesn't feel like there will be some catastrophic climax that will decide everything, though I did catch foreshadowing more than once (and was right about all of it - especially with Spence at the end!). I like the flow of the story - it's almost conversational, though it's told from Gwen's first-person POV.
Romance! The romance in this story is a difficult one. Gwen and Cass have history, and Gwen has serious trust issues, and doesn't see her flaws. She's blind and naive and wants Cass to want her but then gets mad when he wants her and he confused and I'm confused! She's way too complicated for me, way too much like many college girls, who over-analyze everything in terms of boys and turn everything into a problem. But then again, most boys lead girls to be like that. But then again again, Cass wasn't like that. It takes a while for Gwen to realize this. But I love seeing Gwen and Cass actually fall for each other. Their relationship is rocky but developed, and towards the end, very swoon-worthy!
Character development is so good in this novel! It's not just Gwen's story - it's Cass's story, and how he deals with accepting the consequences of his actions at his school. It's Nic and Vivian's story, as they explore their relationship, the good and the bad. It's Emory's story, as he learns to swim. It's Gwen's mother's story, who cleans houses around the clock every day and never seems to be angry or frustrated. This book has so many positive relationships (despite three very crappy ones from Gwen's past), and it has very developed and well-rounded characters!
Overall, I liked this book. I didn't like it at first, as I was reading, but I started to understand Gwen better, and I really got into the story. There is so much more than Gwen and Cass - Gwen's job, Nic and Vivian (who is Gwen's best friend, and also Nic's girlfriend), Emory learning to swim, Spence Channing becoming more... likable. I didn't like him at first, and I'm still wary of him, but he's okay. I totally saw the ending coming. It was odd, sad, but uplifting!
What I Did Not Like:
Like I said about Gwen - I didn't like her at first. It went in waves - sometimes I liked her, sometimes I didn't. Her choices would never be my choices, but I understand her. I don't think even she is proud of her choices, and I'm happy with her character development!
Would I Recommend It:
I would recommend this one! Despite not being one for YA contemporary, I really enjoyed this book. Huntley Fitzpatrick really knows how to dig deep into YA contemporary and write more than fluff or romance. There are so many issues at hand in this story, and she writes the story beautifully!
Rating:
4 stars. I'm so glad I bought this one! Even though I didn't read it until about a year later. I'm getting ready to crack open my review copy of The Boy Most Likely To, so it's good timing!
April 12, 2021
This wasn't bad at all, just way longer than I'm used to in a contemporary romance. There are some quite heavy subjects that my heart wasn't set for when I picked it up. But the writing is strong, the characters are diverse, the setting is beautiful, and the plot is multilayered.
It's just that it's not what I expected, a fun summer read which the author's debut novel, My Life Next Door, is and which I really enjoyed. I guess I was expecting the same vibe and it's what kept me from fully appreciating What I Thought Was True. Still, it might have been a great read had I not set expectations. I'm still looking forward to reading The Boy Most Likely To.
It's just that it's not what I expected, a fun summer read which the author's debut novel, My Life Next Door, is and which I really enjoyed. I guess I was expecting the same vibe and it's what kept me from fully appreciating What I Thought Was True. Still, it might have been a great read had I not set expectations. I'm still looking forward to reading The Boy Most Likely To.
August 13, 2014
Meeeehhhhhhh....
I'm actually kind of upset. I wanted to like this. But Gwen? Oh, my god, what a bitch. Running around with a chip on her shoulder about being poor, being completely unfair to people who don't deserve her shit, giving her cousin a pass for being a total douchebag....
I couldn't like her. I couldn't like her cousin. And I couldn't like Cassidy for actually liking her.
I'm actually kind of upset. I wanted to like this. But Gwen? Oh, my god, what a bitch. Running around with a chip on her shoulder about being poor, being completely unfair to people who don't deserve her shit, giving her cousin a pass for being a total douchebag....
I couldn't like her. I couldn't like her cousin. And I couldn't like Cassidy for actually liking her.
May 6, 2014
Review also posted at Ja čitam, a ti?
When I first read My Life Next Door I couldn't describe how much I enjoyed it. It was all I asked for, sweet, innocent and extremely emotional. Honestly, April couldn't be here soon enough to finally grab this one and enter Fitzpatrick's world once again. I wish I could say everything turned out great this time around but that's not the case. So I'll just split my review into things I liked and those that I did not.
Good:
- I'll start from the setting here. I always felt some connection with sea and water and I always felt comfortable around it so to be in a world where sea is part of everyday life was a huge enjoyment for me.
- Cass. Well while I assume some people will have problems with his perfection I loved him so much. It's unreal taken in consideration his age but it was wonderful to imagine someone like him existed.
- Humor. Maybe my favorite thing in this book. I loved how in certain moments our characters became really witty and I had to suppress my chuckle couple of times as my family thinks I'm crazy enough already.
- Multiculturalism. Now I do sound like an English lit student but cannot help myself. I loved every word of Portuguese, only what bothered me was that I have no idea what was the background of it.
Bad:
- I don't want to rant here but I'm afraid it'll turn out like that. But I don't think that this book has a single responsible parent/adult. I mean sure you are all busy and stuff but these kids are going wild in front of your eyes.
- Gwen. Our main character here. I did like her wit and the way she puts up with everything, but that's about it. I have huge problems with her recklessness and they way she acts towards sex and boys. My main fear in life is losing control over myself and it comes so easily to Gwen.
- Viv. This is tricky. She is Gwen's best friend and her cousin's girlfriend and while she might have had reasons for her actions I don't approve them.
- Length. My biggest problem her, but this book was unnecessarily too long. I got bored a lot and I do understand why some people gave up.
- Way of storytelling. It's really confusing at the start as you don't understand Gwen and her attitude but her memories showed like flashes in right situations. So you discover things bit by bit. Which isn't bad idea but I was lost through most of the book. Besides there is painfully too much narration.
In-between:
- Romance. Well as this is contemporary romance book of course I wanted to see romance on every page, which I did get. I liked that things moved relatively slow after the drama at the start of everything, but I wasn't feeling it. I did at the moment and it was sweet but not entirely.
- Class-division. It's a good thing that it showed the relationships in their society, but Gwen sometimes annoyed me with Cass being a white-collar. If he doesn't care, why do you?
This turned out a bit too long, sorry for that. All in all, I expected more.
Rating: 2.5 or 3 stars.
Buddy-read with - well I shall call us The Balkan Gang!
When I first read My Life Next Door I couldn't describe how much I enjoyed it. It was all I asked for, sweet, innocent and extremely emotional. Honestly, April couldn't be here soon enough to finally grab this one and enter Fitzpatrick's world once again. I wish I could say everything turned out great this time around but that's not the case. So I'll just split my review into things I liked and those that I did not.
Good:
- I'll start from the setting here. I always felt some connection with sea and water and I always felt comfortable around it so to be in a world where sea is part of everyday life was a huge enjoyment for me.
- Cass. Well while I assume some people will have problems with his perfection I loved him so much. It's unreal taken in consideration his age but it was wonderful to imagine someone like him existed.
- Humor. Maybe my favorite thing in this book. I loved how in certain moments our characters became really witty and I had to suppress my chuckle couple of times as my family thinks I'm crazy enough already.
- Multiculturalism. Now I do sound like an English lit student but cannot help myself. I loved every word of Portuguese, only what bothered me was that I have no idea what was the background of it.
Bad:
- I don't want to rant here but I'm afraid it'll turn out like that. But I don't think that this book has a single responsible parent/adult. I mean sure you are all busy and stuff but these kids are going wild in front of your eyes.
- Gwen. Our main character here. I did like her wit and the way she puts up with everything, but that's about it. I have huge problems with her recklessness and they way she acts towards sex and boys. My main fear in life is losing control over myself and it comes so easily to Gwen.
- Viv. This is tricky. She is Gwen's best friend and her cousin's girlfriend and while she might have had reasons for her actions I don't approve them.
- Length. My biggest problem her, but this book was unnecessarily too long. I got bored a lot and I do understand why some people gave up.
- Way of storytelling. It's really confusing at the start as you don't understand Gwen and her attitude but her memories showed like flashes in right situations. So you discover things bit by bit. Which isn't bad idea but I was lost through most of the book. Besides there is painfully too much narration.
In-between:
- Romance. Well as this is contemporary romance book of course I wanted to see romance on every page, which I did get. I liked that things moved relatively slow after the drama at the start of everything, but I wasn't feeling it. I did at the moment and it was sweet but not entirely.
- Class-division. It's a good thing that it showed the relationships in their society, but Gwen sometimes annoyed me with Cass being a white-collar. If he doesn't care, why do you?
This turned out a bit too long, sorry for that. All in all, I expected more.
Rating: 2.5 or 3 stars.
Buddy-read with - well I shall call us The Balkan Gang!
April 17, 2014
I will say I was a HUGE FAN of her first book, My Life Next door so I could not wait for this book to come out! I was expecting big things for this book since I enjoyed the author's first one and I am happy to say it did not let me down!
Now I am a big fan of contemporary books, I can read them very quickly. I read this book in two days, which is no surprise there.
Huntley Fitzpatrick has a way with making me fall in love with each and every character she writes. I loved Gwen from the get go. She is a good girl who has a checkered past when it comes to boys.
It's refreshing to see this in a YA book for me. I feel like we either have the really good girl who meets the really good/bad guy or the bad girl who learns she is a good girl after all.
Gwen worries she will be stuck on the island that she lives on for forever. That she destined for a life of making the island's summer people happy. Enter Cass- Gwen's biggest mistake ever. We learn in the novel what went down between them and to be honest I was a little down with the situation and how they both handled it at the time. I mean it's called 'talking it out' people but then I realize that they are teenagers. We all make mistakes, when we are teenagers it just seems every mistake has been amplified.
I loved the supporting characters in this book too. From Gwen's family, her adorable brother and hardworking mom to her awesome grandpa with her very determined cousin, Nic. Gwen's cousin Nic and her best friend Vee have been an item since forever. I loved the twist ending with that.
Gwen & Cass had amazing chemistry and I loved Cass. He was a rich, preppy kid that has multiple layers under him. I loved watching their relationship progress.
This book is perfect for the spring/ summer months. It makes you want to lounge out by the beach and feel the salty air. I'd say this is a definite read if you are a fan of contemporary.
Now I am a big fan of contemporary books, I can read them very quickly. I read this book in two days, which is no surprise there.
Huntley Fitzpatrick has a way with making me fall in love with each and every character she writes. I loved Gwen from the get go. She is a good girl who has a checkered past when it comes to boys.
It's refreshing to see this in a YA book for me. I feel like we either have the really good girl who meets the really good/bad guy or the bad girl who learns she is a good girl after all.
Gwen worries she will be stuck on the island that she lives on for forever. That she destined for a life of making the island's summer people happy. Enter Cass- Gwen's biggest mistake ever. We learn in the novel what went down between them and to be honest I was a little down with the situation and how they both handled it at the time. I mean it's called 'talking it out' people but then I realize that they are teenagers. We all make mistakes, when we are teenagers it just seems every mistake has been amplified.
I loved the supporting characters in this book too. From Gwen's family, her adorable brother and hardworking mom to her awesome grandpa with her very determined cousin, Nic. Gwen's cousin Nic and her best friend Vee have been an item since forever. I loved the twist ending with that.
Gwen & Cass had amazing chemistry and I loved Cass. He was a rich, preppy kid that has multiple layers under him. I loved watching their relationship progress.
This book is perfect for the spring/ summer months. It makes you want to lounge out by the beach and feel the salty air. I'd say this is a definite read if you are a fan of contemporary.
June 7, 2018
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2.5/5 Stars
Gwen Castle lives on the island, but she's always dreamed of leaving. This summer, she gets job caring for an old lady on the island after she fell earlier that year. When Cassidy Summers, a rich boy Gwen has a past with, gets the yard boy job on the island, Gwen decides she must avoid him. But as the summer continues, they grow increasingly closer.
I felt that this book just dragged on and on. It could have been 100 pages shorter and still given the same message in the end. There was a lot of drama and scenes that I felt were repetitive after awhile. I got bored very easily with the story and didn't really care what happened to any of the characters. The only character I actually enjoyed was Cass and Mrs. Ellington, everyone else got on my nerves. I hated Gwen as a main character, she whined about everything and I found her annoying, to say the least. The entire book is mostly just Gwen thinking about how much she is lusting after Cass, but then gets angry any time he shows interest in her... this makes no sense to me. It also drove me crazy about the mentions of this disastrous situation that happened between Gwen and Cass, BUT IT TAKES FOREVER TO BE REVEALED... over half way through the book and we still don't know what it is... then when it is revealed, it's not even anything bad...
Overall, the characters annoyed me and the pacing felt off. Definitely not the book for me.
2.5/5 Stars
Gwen Castle lives on the island, but she's always dreamed of leaving. This summer, she gets job caring for an old lady on the island after she fell earlier that year. When Cassidy Summers, a rich boy Gwen has a past with, gets the yard boy job on the island, Gwen decides she must avoid him. But as the summer continues, they grow increasingly closer.
I felt that this book just dragged on and on. It could have been 100 pages shorter and still given the same message in the end. There was a lot of drama and scenes that I felt were repetitive after awhile. I got bored very easily with the story and didn't really care what happened to any of the characters. The only character I actually enjoyed was Cass and Mrs. Ellington, everyone else got on my nerves. I hated Gwen as a main character, she whined about everything and I found her annoying, to say the least. The entire book is mostly just Gwen thinking about how much she is lusting after Cass, but then gets angry any time he shows interest in her... this makes no sense to me. It also drove me crazy about the mentions of this disastrous situation that happened between Gwen and Cass, BUT IT TAKES FOREVER TO BE REVEALED... over half way through the book and we still don't know what it is... then when it is revealed, it's not even anything bad...
Overall, the characters annoyed me and the pacing felt off. Definitely not the book for me.
August 22, 2022
I made the mistake in judging a book by its cover but for all the wrong reasons. I really loved how beautiful the cover is, I am a hopeless romantic buried deep in my masculinity. However, this book was a bore, it was just too cheesy for me to take it seriously. I could not get pass how rudimentary the writing was. I don't think that I was the target audience of this book, it was not my cup of tea or any other beverage.
"What I thought was true", was that this book was actually going to be good. What I thought was that the characters will not be one dimensional, what I thought was that it will be consistent, What I thought was that the book was going to actually be good but what I got was a dense, trite and forgettable story.
I blame myself for thinking that the cover of the book will actually transfer to the contents.
NEXT!
"What I thought was true", was that this book was actually going to be good. What I thought was that the characters will not be one dimensional, what I thought was that it will be consistent, What I thought was that the book was going to actually be good but what I got was a dense, trite and forgettable story.
I blame myself for thinking that the cover of the book will actually transfer to the contents.
NEXT!
December 21, 2015
Awh. I liked this. A lot.
May 19, 2014
Two years ago one of the biggest young adult contemporary surprises for me was Huntley Fitzpatrick's debut novel, My Life Next Door. I was so amazed with this story that I tried to make all my friends read it, I raved and raved and raved about it. No one should be surprised that her new novel, What I Thought Was True, was on the top of my 2014 wishlist. Unfortunately, tale about Gwen and Cass was nowhere near awesomeness of Samantha and Jase.
Last week you could read Tanja's review for this book (if you missed it, you can find it here) and I have to agree with almost everything she wrote. It was not a bad book, but I expected much more. The best part of the story was humor - I laughed so hard at some parts, especially all scenes with old Mrs. Ellington and steamy romances. Setting is beautiful - island and sea, summer and sand.
I had really hard time relating to characters, Gwen for the most part. I think that my main issue was with how the story was narrated, because in the first half of the book you get partial snippets to the previous events and non of those make her look "good". It's like she is begging you to hate her. Second half of the book - after everything that happen during school year is revealed, is much better and story picks up.
What I Thought Was True could be described as a novel with the identity crisis - it is labeled as young adult novel, but there are a lot of things that make it feel more like new adult. That is probably one of the reasons for all mixed feelings in reviews I read around blogosphere. In one moment it's like you are reading Sarah Dessen or Summer series by Jenny Han and then suddenly you have a feeling as if you picked up a novel by J. Lynn, Jessica Sorensen, J.A. Redmerski or Fisher Amelie.
I maybe didn't like Huntley Fitzpatrick's second book as much as I did first, but I am still a big fan of her writing and I can not wait to see what will she write next.
Last week you could read Tanja's review for this book (if you missed it, you can find it here) and I have to agree with almost everything she wrote. It was not a bad book, but I expected much more. The best part of the story was humor - I laughed so hard at some parts, especially all scenes with old Mrs. Ellington and steamy romances. Setting is beautiful - island and sea, summer and sand.
I had really hard time relating to characters, Gwen for the most part. I think that my main issue was with how the story was narrated, because in the first half of the book you get partial snippets to the previous events and non of those make her look "good". It's like she is begging you to hate her. Second half of the book - after everything that happen during school year is revealed, is much better and story picks up.
What I Thought Was True could be described as a novel with the identity crisis - it is labeled as young adult novel, but there are a lot of things that make it feel more like new adult. That is probably one of the reasons for all mixed feelings in reviews I read around blogosphere. In one moment it's like you are reading Sarah Dessen or Summer series by Jenny Han and then suddenly you have a feeling as if you picked up a novel by J. Lynn, Jessica Sorensen, J.A. Redmerski or Fisher Amelie.
I maybe didn't like Huntley Fitzpatrick's second book as much as I did first, but I am still a big fan of her writing and I can not wait to see what will she write next.
March 27, 2016
I really enjoyed the romance and the setting of this book, it was so cute to see the two come together, after a rocky past. The downside was the pacing. The romance plot was slow to begin with, and was resolved by 75% through, which left a quarter of the book to pull the loose ends together for the subplots that I didn't care about as much as Cass and Gwen's relationship. A lot was going on, and I felt the book could have been at least fifty pages shorter, but I was absolutely LOVING the first 30%, and I definitely want to read more of Huntley Fitzpatrick's books!
March 29, 2014
4.5 stars
Originally posted at Writer of Wrongs
This boooooooooooook. I closed this book with a happy sigh and an aching tightness in my chest, equal parts enchanted and sad. What I Thought Was True was just what I was expecting from the author of My Life Next Door, a book I love to pieces. This book, set in the same town and world as MLND, captures the bittersweetness of summer. How it bridges the end of something with the beginning of something else, how it seems to symbolizes your past and your childhood but also the years to come. It's about how sometimes the things you thought you wanted aren't what you really want... or, they aren't all you wanted. It's about the complexities of life and getting your timing right.
What I Thought Was True made me happy and heartbroken and hopeful (and alliterative, apparently). I think the amazing thing about Fitzpatrick is how human all of her characters are, every single one of them. They’ve got flaws and fears and pointy edges and soft middles and I just adored reading about them. I pretty much had this look on my face the entire time:
Oh, and you might not know this by looking at the cover, but this book is so funny. Like, I knew Fitzpatrick could make me giggle (courtesy of George, my favorite Garrett), but man, there was actually snickering going on with WITWT. And most of that boils down to my total adoration of Gwen, our fully human, relatable, brilliant, awkward narrator. This girl is such a spaz and I just love her to bits. She’s in such a flux period of her life where she can’t understand herself at all, where she thinks she’s got the rest of the world and her own future figured out… but, obviously, all of that sort of unravels, and she has to figure out how things really are.
Gwen babbles. She stress bakes. She has a very sarcastic interior monologue. She's forthright and a feminist and totally insecure about herself and her reputation. This book is gloriously sex-positive, stressing how much of an individual choice it is, portraying the decisions and effects and consequences involved in such a mature way. All of Gwen's choices hurt or help her, and watching her sift through the difference is just... well, I've forgotten how to word, because really, Huntley Fitzpatrick does it so much better, so just go read the book, okay? Seriously, is she a wizard? HOW DO YOU MAKE ME FEEL ALL THESE THIIIIINGS?
And then there's the romance. THE ROMANCE. Cassidy Somers, newest addition to my stable of book boyfriends. Cass is just as real as Gwen (and also super darn funny--seriously, every time these two conversed I was laughing like crazy) (also swooning) (much, much swooning). He's polite to a fault, he's honest, and he's insecure, too--but he's sweet and kind and I want to wrap him up in my arms and squeeze him like a very normal human person would. Ummmm. Yeah. And the chemistry? The heat?
The romance is healthy and gorgeous and fraught with poor timing and misunderstandings. Cass is the rich WASP boy from the mainland, and Gwen is the half-Portuguese daughter of a cleaning woman with a "reputation". And on Seashell Island, the haves and the have-nots lead very different lives with very different futures. These two have nothing in common but... a mutual mistake, shall we say? In the beginning, I wasn't so sure about why we were being made to wait so long to learn their true back story, but I liked the way it slowly unfurled, and how you figured it out before you learned it. But I believed this couple and rooted for them and swooned over then and for sure moaned, "Noooooo!" At one particularly tragic roadblock to Happily Ever After.
(Oh, and the "twist"? I SO KNEW IT BUT I HOPED I WAS WRONG and nooooo so sad but so real to life but gahhhhhh wording is hard)
There's just so much going on in this book that I don't have time. They're a loving, lopsided, diverse family, class tensions, identity issues, sexual issues, first love, true love, the future, the past. So much. There's Gwen's beautiful relationship with her younger brother and with her same-age best-friend cousin, Nic, whom I also loved. There's Gwen's other best friend, Vivie, who's been in a relationship with Nic for nearly their whole lives. There's Gwen's Portuguese Grandpa Ben and my personal favorite secondary character, elderly Mrs. Ellington. The cast is rich and full of personality, and best of all, they made me laugh. They made me laugh and feel a lot.
It's safe to say that Fitzpatrick is one of my favorite authors now. I just love the way she writes and the way she never fails to spear her words right through my feels. I love her characters. And most of all, I love that her books are summer books with substance and swoons. (Man, I am killing it with the alliterations today.)
GO BUY THIS BOOK, OKAY? OKAY. THANKS. Sigh hi to Cass for me.
January 3, 2020
Super sweet chick-lit. My biggest issue is that I hate the miscommunication trope, so it annoyed me that it was so prevalent in this book, but the story itself was adorable.
September 20, 2015
What I Thought Was True was one of my most anticipated books of 2014!!
Book Review:
What I Thought Was True is an utterly charming young adult romance about what has happened and what's to come. It's a story about juggling the feelings of first love. I was captivated from the first page until the last by the characters, the writing, and quiet love story. The scenes in were so vividly described. From the crackling of the seashells to the smell of salt in the air, I was transported to a place I've never been with characters I've never met and I long to go back.
Guinevere Castle has a name of fables and fairy tales but her life is anything but one. She lives on Seashell Island, across the bridge from Stony Bay, in a house with her mother Lucy, little brother Emory, her cousin Nic and Grandpa Ben. Gwen and her family are islanders and part of the working class who keeps the island looking pristine for the more affluent tourists who call Seashell Island home for just part of the year.
It's summer and for the first summer in a long time, Gwen has decided not to work at her father's restaurant. Looking for a change of pace (and hopefully more free time), she takes a job watching over Mrs. Ellington, a wealthy woman who has just recently fallen and needs company during the day. I loved Mrs. Ellington!!
Nearly everyone around Gwen is tethered to the island, either by choice or by circumstance. Given her mother's grueling work schedule cleaning houses, she and Nic are often left in charge of Emory, who needs constant supervision due to developmental issues. Gwen is uncertain about what she wants out of her future. She doesn't seem to want to leave the island but she years for something more.
Suddenly, you edge your way to the end of your second ten years and BOOM. Your choices matter. Not chocolate or vanilla, bridge or pier, Sandy Claw or Abenaki. It's your whole life. We're suddenly this close, like Nic said, to the wrong move. Or the right one. It matters now.
Part of her internal conflict is her indecision about her future, the other part involves her heart. And though she'd rather not admit it, her heart is a little bit broken. And it's Cass Somers' fault. Or maybe it's hers.
"The yard boy is everyone on the island, all summer long. Cass will haunt my summer the way he preoccupied my spring."
Part of what made this story so magnetic were the characters, both the main and secondary characters. One of the signs of a great novel is how the author crafts her characters, and this book is a prime example of characters done right. I could tell you a little bit about each of them.
I know that Grandpa Ben comes hope with lobsters and massive amounts of fish without a license. He enjoys playing bingo and smokes a pipe.
Lucia works her fingers to the bone cleaning houses, and in the evenings her favorite thing to unwind is to curl up on Myrtle (the family's ratty old sofa) and read a trashy romance novel.
What's important to Nic is Viven, Gwen's best friend, and getting into the Coast Guard Academy.
Mrs. Ellington likes her tea prepared with silver service, lemon, and sugar. She spends her time with other ladies of the island who all love a good romance novel.
Emory has trouble expressing himself with words, but he understand Dora the Explorer. Cass Somers is his version of Superman.
I could go on and on. All of those people are just the secondary characters, and I cared about each and every one. They all played a pivotal part in the story. I loved them all.
The Funnies
I chuckled so many times while I was reading this book. There were so many funny situations Gwen found herself in. But Gwen herself was had a really great sense of humor.
He's also quiet and I can't see his face and that makes me even more nervous, so I that thing I do and blurt out the first thing that comes to mind. "Where you wearing anything under there?"
_______________________________
Next thing you know I'll be sliding down the wall of our shower, sobbing and singing depressing pop songs into my shampoo bottle.
Early on there was a scene that involved Mrs. Ellington, Gwen, Cass, and a bag of lobsters with an unwavering will to live. I think that scene is where I fell in love with Cass Somers and his caring heart.
The Love Story
But I keep watching him, noticing the small confines of the sailboat and the strange stillness of this moment, things that I hadn't seen before. A tiny white scar that cuts through the left corner of his dark left eyebrow. Faint flecks of green in the deep blue of his eyes. The light pulse beating at the base of his throat. I don't know how long it is that we just look. When I finally turn away, everything on the water seems just the same. Except my sense that something has shifted.
This book was more than a love story, but it was the romance that sucked me in. I was completely wrapped up in all things Cass Somers. He was truly one of the sweetest heroes I have ever read. He wasn't perfect by any means, but he had had the best of intentions at all times.
I love how Huntley Fitzpatrick peeled back the layers on the love story. In the beginning, you learn that Gwen has a "reputation" on the island; one of the non-island boys even called her a "swim team tradition." The source of tension comes with the introduction of Cassidy Somers, a non-islander who, instead of working at his father's thriving boat company, is this year's "yard boy" or as Mrs. Partridge likes to call him (and every other working man) "Jose." Gwen bumps into him early on and she wishes she hadn't. These two have a past that is slowing unraveled throughout the novel, informing the reader exactly what happened between the two of them that led to the present awkward situation.
The romantic tension in this book is what propelled me to keep going. Given what happened in the past, would Cass and Gwen finally get over that? How do they move on? If you require a lot of action in terms of the plot, you may not enjoy this book as much as I did. But I don't really need dramatic plot turns and twists. This book was more of the quiet variety, focused on the characters, their choices, and how their choices affect them.
Lovers of young adult contemporary romance are sure to be swept away by the beauty of this book like I was.
★ Check out my list of UPCOMING BOOK RELEASES!!
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June 27, 2015
Actual rating: 3.5 stars
When it comes to books you want to read in summer, Huntley Fitzpatrick is right up there with Sarah Dessen and Jenny Han. I read Huntley's first novel, My Life Next Door, last year and look forward to it's upcoming companion book, Boy Most Likely To, out in August 2015. What I Thought Was True has been sitting on my shelf for over a year, since it was released last spring, and I finally decided to pick it up with my book club this past week.
What I Thought was true takes place in a classic beach-seaside location. You have the island kids, who live their year round and do not come from money and then you have the wealthy mainland kids who go to private school and have summer homes on the island. Our main character, Gwen, is an island girl who has quite a mixed up junior year. She's been dealing with rumors, boys and drama and wants none of it over the summer. But one of the boys who she is trying to escape lands (almost) on her doorstep when he takes the job of yard boy on the island for the summer. Gwen is not only trying to avoid the drama this boy brings, but she's also trying to figure out what she wants in life and wondering if she'll ever get off the island.
I have to candid here and say that I almost did not finish this book for several reasons. First of all, I didn't think the first 50-100 pages were captivating and the world felt so foreign and unlike anything I've experienced that I wasn't sure if I was going to buy it for an entire book. Secondly, there was too much too fast. The story kind of catapults in with the assumption that the readers knows how it all works and I found that irritating and confusing. And third, I wasn't quite in the mood for a YA contemporary when we started reading it for book club.
So with all those reasons working against the book as I started, I am quite surprised to be sitting here giving you my mostly positive review of said book. Now granted, was it my favorite book ever? No, it won't be on my favorites shelf and I don't know if I'll ever reread it but I did quite enjoy it once I got into the story.
Huntley is really great at writing flawed and real characters. I think a lot of girls (and boys) would relate to Gwen because she was very real. She was a girl who had made some mistakes and wasn't too bad or too good. She was dealing with stuff like a complicated family life and rumors at school. She wasn't portrayed at the most likable girl you ever met or as the badass that everyone is obsessed with -- she was just a girl, and I found that quite refreshing.
I also really ended up liking so many of the side characters. This is something that happened to me while reading My Life Next Door as well. I think Huntley is great at adding a lot of depth and warmth into her stories by having very vibrant and detailed side characters. They have their own stories and are not just their to serve the main character's story. This is something I really appreciate about her books.
I also ended up liking all the twists and turns the plot went on. I liked how we had a possible couple who had a past and it didn't start picture perfect and didn't have a flat timeline. Most relationships are bumpy, with lots of diversions and details, so I felt the authenticity in the romance.
I did not like how unfinished I felt with many (most) of the characters though -- even though we got an epilogue that was intended to tie up a lot of loose ends from the initial story, I didn't feel like I had enough. Either the story needed to have less or the book needs to be a series, but where it left off left me a bit unsettled.
I did feel the story was a bit busy at times. There are a lot of moving storylines and ideas and while I enjoyed so many of the side characters and their journeys, it did at times take away from the story of the main character. I think the author has so many great ideas and sometimes it's hard to cram it in to just one book.
With this in mind, however, I think that this would be an AWESOME TV SERIES. I could imagine a Dawson's Creek type of series because we had 5-6 teen leads that could make an awesome ensemble cast.
Let me know if you've read the book and what you thought!
When it comes to books you want to read in summer, Huntley Fitzpatrick is right up there with Sarah Dessen and Jenny Han. I read Huntley's first novel, My Life Next Door, last year and look forward to it's upcoming companion book, Boy Most Likely To, out in August 2015. What I Thought Was True has been sitting on my shelf for over a year, since it was released last spring, and I finally decided to pick it up with my book club this past week.
What I Thought was true takes place in a classic beach-seaside location. You have the island kids, who live their year round and do not come from money and then you have the wealthy mainland kids who go to private school and have summer homes on the island. Our main character, Gwen, is an island girl who has quite a mixed up junior year. She's been dealing with rumors, boys and drama and wants none of it over the summer. But one of the boys who she is trying to escape lands (almost) on her doorstep when he takes the job of yard boy on the island for the summer. Gwen is not only trying to avoid the drama this boy brings, but she's also trying to figure out what she wants in life and wondering if she'll ever get off the island.
I have to candid here and say that I almost did not finish this book for several reasons. First of all, I didn't think the first 50-100 pages were captivating and the world felt so foreign and unlike anything I've experienced that I wasn't sure if I was going to buy it for an entire book. Secondly, there was too much too fast. The story kind of catapults in with the assumption that the readers knows how it all works and I found that irritating and confusing. And third, I wasn't quite in the mood for a YA contemporary when we started reading it for book club.
So with all those reasons working against the book as I started, I am quite surprised to be sitting here giving you my mostly positive review of said book. Now granted, was it my favorite book ever? No, it won't be on my favorites shelf and I don't know if I'll ever reread it but I did quite enjoy it once I got into the story.
Huntley is really great at writing flawed and real characters. I think a lot of girls (and boys) would relate to Gwen because she was very real. She was a girl who had made some mistakes and wasn't too bad or too good. She was dealing with stuff like a complicated family life and rumors at school. She wasn't portrayed at the most likable girl you ever met or as the badass that everyone is obsessed with -- she was just a girl, and I found that quite refreshing.
I also really ended up liking so many of the side characters. This is something that happened to me while reading My Life Next Door as well. I think Huntley is great at adding a lot of depth and warmth into her stories by having very vibrant and detailed side characters. They have their own stories and are not just their to serve the main character's story. This is something I really appreciate about her books.
I also ended up liking all the twists and turns the plot went on. I liked how we had a possible couple who had a past and it didn't start picture perfect and didn't have a flat timeline. Most relationships are bumpy, with lots of diversions and details, so I felt the authenticity in the romance.
I did not like how unfinished I felt with many (most) of the characters though -- even though we got an epilogue that was intended to tie up a lot of loose ends from the initial story, I didn't feel like I had enough. Either the story needed to have less or the book needs to be a series, but where it left off left me a bit unsettled.
I did feel the story was a bit busy at times. There are a lot of moving storylines and ideas and while I enjoyed so many of the side characters and their journeys, it did at times take away from the story of the main character. I think the author has so many great ideas and sometimes it's hard to cram it in to just one book.
With this in mind, however, I think that this would be an AWESOME TV SERIES. I could imagine a Dawson's Creek type of series because we had 5-6 teen leads that could make an awesome ensemble cast.
Let me know if you've read the book and what you thought!
May 28, 2019
My rating definitely went down a star based on this review.
What I Thought Was True was a very boring read. I'd rather watch paint dry or one of my sister's favorite shows: the bachelor or the bachelorette.. without any alcohol involved. Which means I might die from boredom.. so yeah I would rather do anything else than read this book.
The two characters, Gwen and Cass, were just meh. Super boring to read about and I didn't even try to like them. I'm pretty sure I almost dnf'd this a bunch of times.. but somehow I got through it. I'd like to thank the endless mountains of laundry I did while listening to this because washing the washer do it's thing was exciting.
In the end, I was happy to see that the sun was out and shining because I never thought this book was going to end my suffering.
What I Thought Was True was a very boring read. I'd rather watch paint dry or one of my sister's favorite shows: the bachelor or the bachelorette.. without any alcohol involved. Which means I might die from boredom.. so yeah I would rather do anything else than read this book.
The two characters, Gwen and Cass, were just meh. Super boring to read about and I didn't even try to like them. I'm pretty sure I almost dnf'd this a bunch of times.. but somehow I got through it. I'd like to thank the endless mountains of laundry I did while listening to this because washing the washer do it's thing was exciting.
In the end, I was happy to see that the sun was out and shining because I never thought this book was going to end my suffering.
Want to read
November 27, 2012Summary left me kind of confused but I will read it (of course) because Huntley's debut book was sooooo excellent this one can't be anything but :)
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