The
Truth About Jack
by Jody Gehrman
Release
Date: 04/14/15
Entangled
Crush
Summary
from Goodreads:
Dakota McCloud has just been accepted into a prestigious art school. Soon
she'll leave behind the artists' colony where she grew up―hippie dad, tofu
since birth, yurt―and join her boyfriend and best friend on the East Coast. It
was the plan…until Dakota finds out her boyfriend and best friend hooked up
behind her back.
Hurt and viciously betrayed, Dakota pours out her heart on a piece of paper, places it in a bottle, and hurls it into the ocean. But it doesn't quite go where she expects…
Jack Sauvage finds the bottle washed up on the shore and responds to Dakota's letter. Except what if his straight-laced life doesn’t jive with the free-spirited girl he’s only seen from afar? As Jack creates a persona he believes she’ll love, they slowly fall for each other with each new letter. Now Jack is trying to find a way to make this delicate, on-paper romance happen in real life…without revealing his deception.
Hurt and viciously betrayed, Dakota pours out her heart on a piece of paper, places it in a bottle, and hurls it into the ocean. But it doesn't quite go where she expects…
Jack Sauvage finds the bottle washed up on the shore and responds to Dakota's letter. Except what if his straight-laced life doesn’t jive with the free-spirited girl he’s only seen from afar? As Jack creates a persona he believes she’ll love, they slowly fall for each other with each new letter. Now Jack is trying to find a way to make this delicate, on-paper romance happen in real life…without revealing his deception.
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Review: I have been excited about reading this book since I saw the cover reveal. Sure, I am supposed to be trying not to choose books by their covers, but old habits die hard, right? It looked like the kind of cute contemporary that I love to read, and I hoped it would be something that would help pull me out of the current, horrible slump that I have been in. I have to say, it certainly did not disappoint. This book goes far beyond just being a contemporary with a pretty cover.
This is the first book I have read by Jody Gehrman, but it certainly will not by my last. The writing was absolutely beautiful, and had me hanging on to every word. The parts where music were involved were so well done, and even the few dark spots were written with such amazing intensity. The imagery and figurative language used was completely beautiful, and it really just added so much more to the story. It is some of the best writing that I have read so far this year, honestly.
I do love how the book offered something a little different, too. Sure, we start with the main character, Dakota, being betrayed by her best friend and boyfriend. They have hooked up together, and her best friend has just sent her a message about it. Heart break is definitely something that most people can relate to. However, unlike most YA books where the character feels sorry for themselves and mopes constantly, that was not something that we saw from Dakota. She remains sure of herself, and still seems to be able to look at things in a positive light.
The real light of this story was Jack, though. I guess that makes sense, based on the title of the book. Jack comes from a very different life than Dakota; his parents are wealthy and his mother has forced him to live in a sort of bubble, while Dakota lived in a carefree artist colony (or hippie colony, really). When he finds Dakota's letter, he decides to write back instead of confronting her in person because he does not think that she would be interested in him, and he is afraid that it will seem creepy (good call, Jack). Instead, he keeps his true identity a secret as he communicates with Dakota via letter. Jack is incredibly charming and certainly musically talented. He was an interesting character, and I really enjoyed reading his parts of the story.
Overall, this book certainly exceeded my expectations. It goes far behind simply being a cute contemporary, and offers aspects that I have not found in many other YA contemporaries at this point. The writing was beautiful, as well. I would certainly highly recommend this book.
This is the first book I have read by Jody Gehrman, but it certainly will not by my last. The writing was absolutely beautiful, and had me hanging on to every word. The parts where music were involved were so well done, and even the few dark spots were written with such amazing intensity. The imagery and figurative language used was completely beautiful, and it really just added so much more to the story. It is some of the best writing that I have read so far this year, honestly.
I do love how the book offered something a little different, too. Sure, we start with the main character, Dakota, being betrayed by her best friend and boyfriend. They have hooked up together, and her best friend has just sent her a message about it. Heart break is definitely something that most people can relate to. However, unlike most YA books where the character feels sorry for themselves and mopes constantly, that was not something that we saw from Dakota. She remains sure of herself, and still seems to be able to look at things in a positive light.
The real light of this story was Jack, though. I guess that makes sense, based on the title of the book. Jack comes from a very different life than Dakota; his parents are wealthy and his mother has forced him to live in a sort of bubble, while Dakota lived in a carefree artist colony (or hippie colony, really). When he finds Dakota's letter, he decides to write back instead of confronting her in person because he does not think that she would be interested in him, and he is afraid that it will seem creepy (good call, Jack). Instead, he keeps his true identity a secret as he communicates with Dakota via letter. Jack is incredibly charming and certainly musically talented. He was an interesting character, and I really enjoyed reading his parts of the story.
Overall, this book certainly exceeded my expectations. It goes far behind simply being a cute contemporary, and offers aspects that I have not found in many other YA contemporaries at this point. The writing was beautiful, as well. I would certainly highly recommend this book.
Rating: 5.0 / 5.0
About the Author
Jody Gehrman is
a native of Northern California, where she can be found writing, teaching,
reading, or obsessing over her three cats most days. She is also the author of
ten novels and numerous award-winning plays. Her Young Adult novels include The
Truth About Jack, Audrey's Guide to Black Magic, Audrey's Guide to Witchcraft,
Babe in Boyland, Confessions of a Triple Shot Betty, and Triple Shot Bettys in
Love. Babe in Boyland was optioned by the Disney Channel and won the
International Reading Association's Teen Choice Award. Her adult novels are
Bombshell, Notes from the Backseat, Tart, and Summer in the Land of Skin. Her
plays have been produced in Ashland, New York, San Francisco, Chicago and L.A.
She and her partner David Wolf won the New Generation Playwrights Award for
their one-act, Jake Savage, Jungle P.I. She is a professor of English and
Communication Studies at Mendocino College.
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AH! Loved your review! I've got to add this to my reading list now! Also, I totally agree the cover is beautiful! I love YA books with this type of plot! Thanks for sharing!
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