By Lauren Barnholdt
July 2012
304 Pages
Synopsis taken from Goodreads:
In this humorous love story from the author of Two-Way Street, an unlikely romance is the best sort of surprise—but the wrong secret can ruin everything. Kelsey’s not going to let one mistake ruin her life. Sure, she got kicked out of prep school and all her old friends are shutting her out. But Kelsey’s focused on her future, and she’s determined to get back on track at Concordia High.
Isaac’s been kicked out of more schools than he can count. Since his father’s a state senator, Isaac’s life is under constant scrutiny—but Concordia High’s his last stop before boarding school, so Isaac’s hoping to fly under the radar and try to stay put for a change.
When Kelsey and Isaac meet, it’s anything but love at first sight. She thinks he’s an entitled brat, and he thinks she’s a stuck-up snob. So it surprises them both when they start to fall for each other. Kelsey’s happy for the first time in months, and Isaac’s never felt this way about anyone before...But nothing’s ever completely perfect. Everyone has secrets, and Isaac and Kelsey are no exceptions. These two may have fallen hard, but there’s one thing that can ruin it all: the truth.
My Thoughts:
This is the first book that I've read by Lauren Barnholdt. Other reviewers and bloggers have raved about her other books-Two Way Street and Sometimes It Happens so I was very excited to receive this one to review.
One of the things I liked about the book from the get go was that the story came from the perspective of both Isaac and Kelsey-a she said/he said narrative giving the reader a look into both characters. I also liked that the story was told from a before/now timeline starting with "The Aftermath" in the office of the Superintendent.
The author hooks the reader right from the start with the promise of lies, deception and cover ups. There is such a huge build up of secrecy from Kelsey that when the big reveal happens I felt let down. But honestly, the way Kelsey's parents were acting towards her had me thinking that maybe she was selling the tails of newborn kittens on the black market!
I had trouble connecting with Isaac at the start of the story because he seemed so full of himself but he definitely grew on me through the story.
I loved the two supporting characters-Chloe and Marshall so much that I wouldn't mind reading more about them. Marshall's love of baking had me laughing out loud as well as Chloe's way complicated love life.
Readers put off by curse words be warned: f-bombs a plenty are dropped. As well as sexual situations.
The Thing About The Truth is a good story with a great message- "The thing about the truth is that it always comes out, no matter what you do."
Thank you to Simon and Schuster for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. I will be giving away this ARC at the end of this month.
I agree, the ending was kind of a let down. I was expecting some huge secret and disaster, and it wasn't that scandalous. But overall, it was an enjoyable book.
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