Name: Lisa ✩ @lifeinlit's review of The Lies About Truth by Courtney Stevens
Item: The Lies About Truth
Rating: 4
Author: Lisa ✩ @lifeinlit

Courtney Stevens

In the same vein as Jandy Nelson and Gayle Forman comes a novel from the gifted author of Faking Normal, Courtney C. Stevens, about hope and courage and the struggle to overcome the pain of loss. Sadie Kingston is living in the aftermath. A year after surviving a car accident that killed her friend Trent and left her body and face scarred, she can't move forward. The only person who seems to understand her is Trent's brother, Max. As Sadie begins to fall for Max, she's unsure if she is truly healed enough to be with him. But Max looks at her scars and doesn't shy away. And Max knows about the list she writes in the sand at the beach every night, the list of things that Sadie knows she must accomplish before she can move on from the accident. And while he can help her with number six (kiss someone without flinching), she knows she's on her own with number three (forgive Gina and Gray) and the rest of the seemingly impossible tasks that must be made possible before she can live in the now again.

The Lies About Truth

Emma letkeman

Lisa ✩ @lifeinlit

Courtney Stevens won me over with her writing in Faking Normal last year. She addresses such sensitive issues in a very mature and tactful manner. I love this approach especially in YA books, where teens can really benefit from reading these books.

Sandie and her friends were in a horrible car accident which took the life of one member of their group, Trent. Now the others are trying to get on with their life after Trent’s loss, but there’s more to that than just the grief. They also all seem to be carrying around one secret or another. Sadie is also carrying around very physical aftereffects of the accident in the shape of scars on her body which she constantly feels the need to cover up with her clothing. Together this group of friends will learn, grow, and change over the course of their grieving.

“Maybe forgiveness was giving the past less power to hurt me. Or even building new memories that were stronger than the painful ones.”

I’d have to say this story is rather character-driven. It took me quite a while to really warm up to Sadie. I did like Max right off the back (total swoon!), and the flashbacks of Trent were probably my favorite part as he seemed like someone I would be friends with in real life. But I honestly could have done without Gray… or at least so MUCH of Gray. I didn’t really like him, so his parts were what made this story drag a bit for me.

Overall, I really enjoyed this sweet story! I’ve been loving the emotional stories we’ve been seeing in this genre lately. A lot of strong friendships and family bonds, beautiful messages regarding love and loss, and the coming-of-age growth that’s always important for these books. I’m so happy to say this is another fantastic book from Courtney Stevens!

(Thanks to HarperTeen for the review copy!)

Find this review and others like it at Lost in Literature!

Courtney C. Stevens

Laura

I read this book on a cold January Saturday in Connecticut and was instantly transported to summer. I felt like I’ve been reunited with a group of friends I’ve known from my childhood for one summer in Florida. Sadie was a great heroine, someone who I could really root for and whose path for forgiveness I emphasized with. The characters felt like real people I could know and become friends with in real life. I love character-driven novels, and while I wasn’t enthused by the plot, the take on grief was unique and interesting. Sadie’s relationship with Max particularly deserves mention. It’s a slow burning, not instalove-y relationship between two people who just want to help each other through a bad time. I wish I knew Trent in real life, but the thing is, I feel like I knew him. I feel like I knew Trent just as much as they did, and I am just as broken about his death as they are. But my absolute favorite part about this novel was the Pirates and Paintball game. That part, for some reason, hit me hard and right in the nostalgia. I have never even touched a paintball gun, and yet I felt like I had been right there with them playing that my entire life. Again, this novel brought me back to summer, running around outside with my bathing suit on and a water gun in my hand with my old friends, occasionally getting pelted by water balloons. I know this is kind of an unpopular opinion, but while I did like Faking Normal, it didn’t make a huge impression on me, and honestly, I think this book is Ms Steven’s best (so far at least). At a time where I’m seriously considering giving up on most YA contemporary (or contemporary in general), this book comes along and rescues me from that. An overall impressive sophomore effort.

Read more like this review on my blog, http://www.bookwormbasics.blogspot.com

Emma letkeman &
The Lies About Truth by Courtney Stevens

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The Lies About Truth by Courtney Stevens