The Truth About Alice by Jennifer Mathieu

The Truth About Alice
Written by Jennifer Mathiew
Published in Australia June 1st 2014
199 Pages
Thank you to Hardie Grant Egmont
Add To Goodreads 
There are a lot of rumours about Alice Franklin, and it's stopped mattering whether any of them are true.

It all started at a party, when Alice was supposedly with two guys in one night.

Soon everyone at Healy High has picked a side in this game of he said, she said. Do they believe Brandon Fitzsimmons, the most popular guy at school and the football hero of Healy? Or do they believe Alice, the girl who wears too tight shirts and was caught kissing Brandon in a closet a couple years before?

When Brandon dies in a car crash, there are serious allegations that his death was Alice's fault. As the rumour mill spins into overdrive, Alice's small town becomes suffocating. And when the truth becomes a matter of opinion, something's got to give.

Everyone in the small town of Healy could tell you what happened to Alice Franklin. She had sex with two guys at Elaine's party. College boy Tommy, and local hometown hero, Healy High Quarterback Brandon Fitzsimmons. But then Brandon died in a car accident within weeks after the incident. Popular girl Elaine can tell you that she and Brandon were once an item, until Alice had ruined it all at an eighth grade dance. She'll never forget what Alice did to her, so the rumour must be true. But the worse was still to come.

When Kelsie moved to Healy, she never imagined that she'd ever be popular, thanks to Alice. Kelsie was sick the night of the party, but the text messages the day after could only spell trouble, and being best friends with Alice may be more trouble than it's worth. So slowly Kelsie neglects to return phone calls, won't reply to text messages and will do anything to cement her place within the popular girls, without Alice, even if it means ruining her life.

Josh doesn't remember too much about that night, the only reason he survived the accident which killed Brandon, was that his seat belt saved his life. But when the police questioned him, knowing both boys were intoxicated, what could he tell him? It was Alice's fault.

Kurt would never have been invited to Elaine's party, he doesn't run in those social circles. In fact, he isn't too social at all. He sees what Alice has become, a shy recluse that now walks the hall with her head down, too afraid to make eye contact. The rumours have even reached Kurt and now when she needs a friend the most, may be the perfect opportunity to talk to her. He may be a genius, but Kurt has no idea when it comes to girls. So when the two form a friendship of sorts, can he tell her what he knows?

The rumours are now reaching boiling point, new fuel being added to the fire by those she once called friends. But with the only one that can clear her name now dead, does anyone else know the truth about what happened to Alice?

My Thoughts


Told from several points of view, from genius Kurt, popular girl Elaine, former best friend Kelsie and Brandon's best friend Josh, The Truth About Alice is heartbreaking. Each tell their own story about Alice, from the rumours they've heard or each started. How Alice slept with two guys at the one party, that she played a hand in Brandon's death, all except Kurt. Kurt had always watched Alice from afar, but is the only one who comes to her rescue and becomes her only friend. The rumours have destroyed the Alice she once was, the sassy girl now drowns herself in oversized sweatshirts, trying to blend into the background. But still the rumours run rife.
How much did it hurt? It was like a million paper cuts on my heart.
My heart broke for Alice. I was so incredibly sad reading what she had to endure at the hands of others. The girls who she once called friends, how quickly they turned on her and chose to believe the life destroying rumours, rather than asking Alice. Regardless whether they were true or not, they simply didn't care. Brandon was promiscuous, often boasting about all the girls he's been with, but it always seems it's the girl who is labelled the slut. Brandon died never being held accountable for destroying Alice's reputation and is seen as the boy who simply could do no wrong. I was so engrossed in the story of Alice, that I was fuming. How dare these girls label this girl as anything when clearly they've all been in the same situation. The only difference is that no one started a rumour about them. 

First time author Jennifer Mathieu is incredible. The storyline was so compelling, and written with care and conviction. Her story has many voices, but when it finally reached Alice, I broke down. It was absolutely heartbreaking. Alice is a representation of girls all over the world that have fallen victim to a vicious lie, a rumour spread and a vendetta forged just because they can. If you're a parent, a teen, teacher or guardian, The Truth About Alice needs to become compulsory reading. This isn't fiction, Alice may be just one character or part of a storyline, but she's real and I applaud Jennifer Mathieu for telling us her story.

13 comments

  1. I've been seeing this book around and the reviews have been good too! I'm just so scared to read this...I feel like it's going to be really heartbreaking for me too. Still, even with the heavy subject matter, from your review this feels like a powerful book...especially with today's times of mob mentality and bullying everywhere. Awesome review Kelly! I can really feel your emotion and how heartbreaking this book is.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is Amir, but it does end with a smile. It's such an emotional journey. But what made it more powerful, was that we don't hear from Alice until towards the end, it's a must read though. Absolutely!

      Delete
  2. I'm with Amir. This sounds absolutely wonderful, but, to be honest, I'm not sure if I'm emotionally ready for it - LOL. It's such a serious and heartbreaking topic, and one that is so real, but I think I'm going to give it a try because you make it sound like such a worthwhile read, despite how it emotionally destroyed you. ;) Alice sounds like such a complex and relatable character, and I can't wait to experience her story for myself. Thanks for sharing, and, as always, BRILLIANT review Kelly! <3

    ~ Zoe @ The Infinite To-Read Shelf

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It definitely is Zoe. It's really emotional, but I couldn't put it down. The rumours that were slowly destroying Alice's life were horrific, but she's was incredibly brave and far tougher than I would have been. Can't wait to see what you think of it Zoe.

      Delete
  3. Wow this looks amazing, I really love books that rip your heart out only to hand it back to you later and this certainly seems like one of them! Thanks to your review Kelly I now need to add another tear jerker to my TBR list.
    Thank you Miss Kelly for the fantastic and compelling review!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This ripped my heart out ten ways to Sunday Katie, but Alice's strength and determination not to give up and find a new kind of happy put me back together. It was incredible and one that I'll read again and again.

      Delete
  4. Oooh, I can't wait to read this book - I'm so glad you enjoyed it, Kelly! It sounds as if this is going to be a tear-jerker. Thank you for your fantastic review. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Ebs. Definitely grab the tissues with this one. Looking forward to seeing what you think of it.

      Delete
  5. I read this and really enjoyed it too - it was so raw in its emotion and the different POV's added so much depth to Alice's story. It is so hard hitting I think because people can relate to the topic of bullying, and Alice's character in a way is inspiring in her strength and ability to live through it all. Fantastic review Kelly!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was incredibly powerful wasn't it. I've been gushing about the brilliance of this book all week. It's a definite must read for everyone. Thanks for stopping by Eugenia.

      Delete
  6. I love your review and now I want to read this! I've been seeing so many people giving this book a lot of praise, and I think it's definitely one I should keep my eye on. I think bullying is such a difficult subject to pull off so to see so many people adoring this book makes me think that it was really done well. This will probably be a heartbreaking read though so I think I'll need to brace myself before plunging into this.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think the power in this book is seeing Alice through the eyes of everyone but Alice. The teen cliques, peer pressure to be popular, to not question your peers and how they continued to kick a girl when she was down. But Alice was incredible. She may not have had much to say, but it was more than enough to get her message across. I really hope everyone can read this at one point, even as adults we can learn from how one rumour can lead to destroying a life.

      Delete
  7. I'm so glad you loved this, will bump it up the tbr pile!

    Mands @ The Bookish Manicurist

    ReplyDelete

© Diva Booknerd. Design by Fearne.