Monday, March 3, 2014

"16 Things I Thought Were True" By: Janet Gurtler Review

16 Things I Thought Were True
16 Things I Thought Were True
By: Janet Gurtler
Synopsis

Heart attacks happen to other people #thingsIthoughtweretrue
When Morgan's mom gets sick, it's hard not to panic. Without her mother, she would have no one—until she finds out the dad who walked out on her as a baby isn't as far away as she thought...
Adam is a stuck-up, uptight jerk #thingsIthoughtweretrue
Now that they have a summer job together, Morgan's getting to know the real Adam, and he's actually pretty sweet...in a nerdy-hot kind of way. He even offers to go with her to find her dad. Road trip, anyone?
5000 Twitter followers are all the friends I need #thingsIthoughtweretrue
With Adam in the back seat, a hyper chatterbox named Amy behind the wheel, and plenty of Cheetos to fuel their trip, Morgan feels ready for anything. She's not expecting a flat tire, a missed ferry, a fake girlfriend...and that these two people she barely knew before the summer started will become the people she can't imagine living without.
My Thoughts
     Morgan is having a bit of a hard summer. She’s got a job at the local theme park working with snacks, she’s not making any friends, and her Mom just had a heart attack. She doesn’t know who her dad is, never has really. Her twin brothers aren’t any help so Morgan can’t help but feel alone in world filled with people. However, her one lifeline is Twitter and this is going to be the summer she passes 5,000 followers. She knows once she passes that milestone, something amazing is bound to happen.
     As Morgan’s mother lays on the hospital table, she begins to tell Morgan about her birth father. Having assumed he was dead, Morgan is surprised to find out that he is in fact still alive and living just across the border in Canada. A shy girl, Amy, who has become attached to Morgan, offers to drive her to finally meet her Dad. Her boss, and maybe crush at work, Adam offers to go too.  As the three set off on an epic road trip, they question themselves, family, and what is really means to be a friend.
      I was extremely impressed with how well written this is. I was drawn in from page one and couldn't set it down. Characters, setting, and story come together perfectly to create this fantastic blend. 
     16 Things I Thought Were True is a wonderful character study of teens and what they are going through right now. Life isn’t perfect but moments can be. Morgan begins the book disliking life. She doesn't have any friends that aren’t online, she’s had a terrible embarrassment that chased off her real friends so she’s alone. Friendship plays a key role in this story, both old and new and how they affect our lives.
    Completely delightful, I loved 16 Things I Thought Were True. A great road trip story that has a little bit of everything. Bullying issues, friendships, family problems, insecurities, love, and happiness are all thrown in there to create one of the best Young Adult novels I’ve read in quite a while. Great characters and a heartwarming story show how gifted of a storyteller Janet Gurtler is.

Book Details
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
# of Pages: 304
Date of Publication: March 4, 2014
ISBN: 978-1402277979
Source: Advance Reader’s Copy from Publisher


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