The Thing About the Truth [Hardcover]

Lauren Barnholdt (Author)

Book Description

Release date: July 10, 2012

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.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up-Kelsey and Isaac are new to Concordia Public. She is an honor-roll student who was expelled from Concordia Prep, with the why not revealed until well into the novel. The lie she tells Isaac about the reason is central to her later problems at school. Isaac is a classic bad boy rich kid, whose father is a state senator. He has his own problems with honesty. The story is told from alternating perspectives and chronologies. These narrative and plot devices make it a bit different from the run-of-the-mill high-school drama/romance. The language is sometimes crude, but the voices ring true partly because of that. Readers won't find any saints in this book. The pacing, plot, and voices make it a good choice for light reading.-Nina Sachs, Walker Memorial Library, Westbrook, MEα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Review

"Sharp banter... endearing... [a] well-paced and enjoyable confection." --Publishers Weekly

"Barnholdt's snappy dialogue and deftly woven flashbacks will keep readers turning the pages in comic suspense. Romance fans will find the conclusion satisfying even as it is refreshingly messy. --Kirkus Reviews

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Simon Pulse (July 10, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1442434600
• ISBN-13: 978-1442434608
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.8 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #182,508 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars An imperfect page-turner July 13, 2012

By KeriM

Format:Hardcover

Kelsey and Isaac meet each other on their first day of public school after getting kicked out of their respective private schools (which Kelsey was attending on scholarship, but Isaac comes from influence and money). Sparks fly almost instantly- Kelsey sees Isaac as entitled and arrogant but is attracted to him anyway, Isaac sees Kelsey as uppity but is intrigued and challenged by her dislike. Kelsey wants to prove herself a good student after the debacle at her previous school; Isaac wants to make Kelsey like him. He maneuvers her into starting a school club to foster relations with the private school Kelsey got kicked out of. The book starts after an event related to said club has gone terribly awry. We know Kelsey and Isaac were a couple, but now he is super angry with her for lying to him about something. The story shifts in time between the present- the "aftermath" of the incident, and the past- "before" the incident.

The good: Barnholdt knows how to build tension like nobody's business. Putting the ending ("the aftermath") at the beginning was an inspired move- I felt like I just HAD to keep reading to find out what had happened and why Isaac was so hurt and angry. She crafts some excellent relationship tension between Kelsey and Isaac as well. I very much enjoyed their push-pull/love-hate attraction. Even though I'm not a fan of alternating first person narratives (that's what 3rd person is for!), Barnholdt does fairly well at distinguishing the voices of the two main characters. Isaac sounded totally authentic as a guy. Maybe, uh, too much of a "guy"- at times he came off like a manipulative jerk. Dare I say a sleezoid drunkard jerk with a big temper who hurts first and apologizes later? And yet... there was something so honest, charming, and vulnerable about him that made me root for him too. Secondary characters were amusing and compelling.

The not so good: Kelsey's big secret and her big lie (that the author built up SO much tension about) turned out to be kind... meh, not so big. Isaac's anger and hurt throughout every scene in the aftermath are majorly evident, but then he forgives and forgets very quickly later on. There were plot threads that got left hanging too: the Chloe/Dave/Marshall dynamic; Kelsey's and Isaac's daddy issues; and the biggest one of all- the resolution to the whole external conflict of the novel- the thing that will shake up both their families and their future- knowledge of their punishment for "the incident". Absent. (and maybe this is nit-picky, but I could have done without the use of present tense narration in the past.)

Bottom line: The author easily gets the reader hooked into the conflict and interested in Kelsey and Isaac's relationship, but the payoff to all that tension isn't necessarily there at the end. I hate to say this but I'm somewhat pessimistic about Kelsey and Isaac making it as a couple over the long haul. But they'll have some fun in the meantime- and so will the reader.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Review for The Thing About the Truth by Lauren Barnholdt January 26, 2013

By Alyssa

Format:Hardcover

Summary (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.

What I Liked: This book was an interesting contemporary novel. There are some things that I liked in this book, such as the romance, characters, and writing. The romance was cute and sweet, but I saw it coming from a mile away. That is not a bad thing, but it immediate. I would not call it insta-love, but it was not slowburn and explored. Nevertheless, I really liked Kelsey and Isaac together. They made a cute couple, when they got along.

The characters individually were a little intriguing. I really like Isaac, although I cannot figure out what makes him such a bad student. He does not act like a bad boy, or a bad student. He seems responsible and poised at times, and then at other times, relaxed and cheeky. Kelsey was snarky and assertive, and she handled herself well in a new environment. I liked that she would have compassion on a girl she never met, in a bathroom, and try and talk to the girl.

The writing style is pretty nice, in my opinion. I thought this book flowed pretty well, and it was paced slowly at the beginning and began to pick up quickly at the last quarter of the book. I liked the occasional switch between past and present, although in the beginning, I was so confused. But, I got into the book, and liked the switches.

What I Did Not Like: Here's where things get confusing for me, and I do not want to spoil anything for anyone, so I will try my best. I was so confused about Face It Down Day. Honestly, I am still confused as to what it is. I do not think the author clearly explained to us what was going to happen on Face It Down Day. And when that day did come, I still did not understand what it was, because the whole day was eclipsed by some stupid fight.

I do not understand why Kelsey's lie is such ahuge deal. I do not understand why she could not tell Isaac to begin with. I do not understand what is up with Kelsey's parents. On that note, I can see the autor trying to show that Kelsey does not get attention from her parents, which may psychologically lead to her boy problems or something, but even that is a stretch. It did not make any sense. We get to see Kelsey's parents all of like, maybe four times. And they just ignore her. Which I get, and it impacts Kelsey, but we do not get to see HOW it impacts Kelsey. On Isaac's side, we kind of get to see how his cold father and robotic mother impact him.

The ending was NOT resolved at all. I want to know what the administration decided. This was not explained in the end. All we get to see is how Kelsey and Isaac decide to go about things. I want to know the repercussions of their actions! Speaking of that, for what exactly are they being punished. I understand about Isaac, but I do not understand about Kelsey. So she lied about something. It did not directly hurt anyone. Isaac made his choice. So did Rex. I do not get why Kelsey would be in trouble, and what the school administration would have to do with any of that. This is NOT representative of the school administrations of which I know (not that I have ever gotten in trouble with school administrations).

Would I Recommend It: Probably not. There are better contemporary novels out there.

Rating: 2 stars. In the end, I was just too confused by certain things in this book to really enjoy it. Some things needed to be fleshed out, and they were not. It really brought my liking and my rating of this book wayyy down.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars The "Climax" really fizzled!! August 16, 2012

By The Book Runner TOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover

This was written in the same style as Two Way Street and One Night That Changes Everything as far as going back and forth in time. Chapters labeled "Before" consist of Isaac and Kelsey meeting, starting a club, falling in love, and Kelsey not being completely honest with Isaac and potentially losing him. Chapters labeled "The Aftermath" consist of Isaac and Kelsey in the Office of the Superintendent who has to decide their punishment for their club getting out of hand. This one also had alternating points of view (which I love).

Kelsey was kicked out of her private school for bringing Carrie Underwood's Before He Cheats song to life with her cheating boyfriend's electric car science experiment (Go girl!). Trying to sort her future college goals out in her new public school experience, Kelsey is determined to start an after school club that will impress ivy league colleges. Isaac is also new at the school having been kicked out of several private schools and being sent by his Senator father to the public school to show the Senator's (faux) support of public education. Both Kelsey and Isaac have father issues that compel them to succeed at making the club, Face It Down, a success, and that draws them into a romantic relationship. But Kelsey's desire to control everything and to start over with a clean slate leads her to lie to herself and others and is the (silly)"climax" of the book.

Things that were strange: 1) Like most Barnholdt stories, this one seemed to encompass so much in such a short period of time. All this took place over one month, including Isaac falling in love with her. 2) Both Isaac and Kelsey's parents are underdeveloped so that all we know is that their fathers are disappointed in them and exhibit no familial love. 3) Never find out the end to Chloe's story (maybe another in the series?) 4) The Lie (and the questions used in Face It Down Day that exposed it - really how are those going to overcome differences?) 5) Abrupt, non conclusive ending.

I like Lauren Barnholdt stories and was caught up in this one, but was discouraged when the climax of the story was revealed and it really amounted to nothing in the end.

Profanity (f-word, sh, etc) kissing, but no sex.

Would I/Did I buy it? No. Public Library
Would I read it again? Probably Not
Would I recommend it to friends? Yes