All Of This Is True - Lygia Day Peñaflor
Book Synopsis: Miri Tan loved the book Undertow like it was a living being. So when she and her friends went to a book signing to meet the author, Fatima Ro, they concocted a plan to get close to her, even if her friends won’t admit it now. As for Jonah, well—Miri knows none of that was Fatima’s fault. Soleil Johnston wanted to be a writer herself one day. When she and her friends started hanging out with her favorite author, Fatima Ro, she couldn’t believe their luck—especially when Jonah Nicholls started hanging out with them, too. Now, looking back, Soleil can’t believe she let Fatima manipulate her and Jonah like that. She can’t believe that she got used for a book. Penny Panzarella was more than the materialistic party girl everyone at the Graham School thought she was. She desperately wanted Fatima Ro to see that, and she saw her chance when Fatima asked the girls to be transparent with her. If only she’d known what would happen when Fatima learned Jonah’s secret. If only she’d known that the line between fiction and truth was more complicated than any of them imagined. . .
UGH. This book was on the verge of being a DNF (Did Not Finish), but I powered through and was able to come to the conclusion that I hated it.
A lot of people have mixed feelings about this and I am one of them.
Not only was I mad, I was miffed, I had wasted so much time reading this book. Only to be found with these emotions, I could've read something worth my time.
Although this book was addicting, I couldn't put it down and stop, I wanted to know what happened and I was left feeling annoyed and bitter.
Trigger warnings: assault, lying, secrets, violence, etc.
This is a non-spoiler review and I think that those things were not necessary to make this book good. And I didn't think that it was good anyway. If the author had more time to write this book, without a doubt, it would've been better executed. My review and other readers might have had nicer things to say about it.
Full on rant time...
Nothing about it was realistic, the writing was awful, and it had the potential to be much more. I won't be reading anything from this author in the near future, or perhaps ever. Which sounds extreme, but if I had to read a book like this again, I would be a real unhappy camper. Soleil, Penny, and Miri really set me over the edge, they were so blah and just had such a twisted perspective of what happened to them. If I were ever in their shoes, I would have approached it differently and not taken any interviews or even gotten involved with Fatima Ro.
(Thanks for bearing with me, and being so patient while I just vented.)
All of this is true by the way. Pun intended.
Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆ 0/5 Stars