Shannon A's Reviews > What I Thought Was True

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!