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The Almost Truth
Teen con artist Sadie might be over her head. To escape her backwards small town, delusional mom, jailbird dad, and the tiny trailer where she was raised, she also must leave Brendan. Sadie wants a better life, and she has been working steadily toward it, one con at a time, until her mother wipes out her savings.
Brendan helps devise the ultimate con. But the more lies Sadie spins, the more she starts falling for her own hoax, and perhaps for the wrong boy. Sadie wanted to change her life, but she wasn't prepared to have it flipped upside down by her own deception. With her future at stake and her heart on the line, she suddenly has more than just money to lose.
Brendan helps devise the ultimate con. But the more lies Sadie spins, the more she starts falling for her own hoax, and perhaps for the wrong boy. Sadie wanted to change her life, but she wasn't prepared to have it flipped upside down by her own deception. With her future at stake and her heart on the line, she suddenly has more than just money to lose.
246 pages, Hardcover
First published December 4, 2012
32 people are currently reading
3769 people want to read
About the author
Eileen Cook
40 books997 followersEileen Cook spent most of her teen years wishing she were someone else or somewhere else, which is great training for a writer.
You can read more about Eileen, her books, and the things that strike her as funny at www.eileencook.com. Eileen lives in Vancouver with her two dogs and no longer wishes to be anyone or anywhere else.
You can read more about Eileen, her books, and the things that strike her as funny at www.eileencook.com. Eileen lives in Vancouver with her two dogs and no longer wishes to be anyone or anywhere else.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 172 reviews
December 6, 2012
Originally posted at OMFG!Books
Whenever I see something about cons or con artists, my mind immediately goes to the tv show LOST and Sawyer. LOST was one of the best television shows of all time and Sawyer was one of my favorite characters. I'm always intrigued by stories like these and I was interested to see how a book about a young con-artist and her life would go. Well, I thought it went great.
Sadie's life is anything but perfect. She grew up in a trailer on a resort island full of rich people. Her dad was in prison more often than not. Sadie has had it hard but she has made the best of it. She dreams of getting out, of going to college. She was accepted at Berkley in California which see sees as a brand new start, a whole new life. She had saved up enough money by doing what she calls small-cons, cons that hurt virtually no one and that also have a low likelihood of her getting caught.
Sadie is left with nothing after her mother drains her bank account. She has no college money, no out. She needs to figure out a way to make a lot of money fast or she will lose her spot at Berkley. She has an idea for a con that could get her a lot of money quick and she enlists her best friend to help her but the only problem is the con could cause a lot of collateral damage. There are a lot of emotional ties to it for everyone involved and it has the potential to end badly.
I loved Sadie. She was burdened by circumstances. All she wanted was a way out, to be someone and make something of her life. She is a big dreamer. She doesn't want to be stuck and realize twenty years down the line that she hates who she is and where she is. While these cons that she does, even the little ones, can be dubbed bad or sketchy or wrong, she does it with a moral code. She has a reason, a drive, in her and she will do that and do her best not to hurt anyone in the process. I admired her through all of the book, during the con and all the other things she was going through because while she at times felt lost she still knew her end goal.
While there were many aspects of the book that you could see coming from a mile away I still enjoyed the ride. Some plot points were obvious but that didn't take the enjoyment away. There were also twists to those obvious points that I enjoyed. It was like the author said "I know you know how this is going to go but you don't really know *flirty wink*"
This book had everything I want in a YA contemporary novel: romance that wasn't the driving force of the plot, an interesting plot with well rounded characters and a wonderful ending with twists and turns along the way. You won't be disappointed if you pick this up.
Whenever I see something about cons or con artists, my mind immediately goes to the tv show LOST and Sawyer. LOST was one of the best television shows of all time and Sawyer was one of my favorite characters. I'm always intrigued by stories like these and I was interested to see how a book about a young con-artist and her life would go. Well, I thought it went great.
Sadie's life is anything but perfect. She grew up in a trailer on a resort island full of rich people. Her dad was in prison more often than not. Sadie has had it hard but she has made the best of it. She dreams of getting out, of going to college. She was accepted at Berkley in California which see sees as a brand new start, a whole new life. She had saved up enough money by doing what she calls small-cons, cons that hurt virtually no one and that also have a low likelihood of her getting caught.
Sadie is left with nothing after her mother drains her bank account. She has no college money, no out. She needs to figure out a way to make a lot of money fast or she will lose her spot at Berkley. She has an idea for a con that could get her a lot of money quick and she enlists her best friend to help her but the only problem is the con could cause a lot of collateral damage. There are a lot of emotional ties to it for everyone involved and it has the potential to end badly.
I loved Sadie. She was burdened by circumstances. All she wanted was a way out, to be someone and make something of her life. She is a big dreamer. She doesn't want to be stuck and realize twenty years down the line that she hates who she is and where she is. While these cons that she does, even the little ones, can be dubbed bad or sketchy or wrong, she does it with a moral code. She has a reason, a drive, in her and she will do that and do her best not to hurt anyone in the process. I admired her through all of the book, during the con and all the other things she was going through because while she at times felt lost she still knew her end goal.
While there were many aspects of the book that you could see coming from a mile away I still enjoyed the ride. Some plot points were obvious but that didn't take the enjoyment away. There were also twists to those obvious points that I enjoyed. It was like the author said "I know you know how this is going to go but you don't really know *flirty wink*"
This book had everything I want in a YA contemporary novel: romance that wasn't the driving force of the plot, an interesting plot with well rounded characters and a wonderful ending with twists and turns along the way. You won't be disappointed if you pick this up.
March 30, 2017
Эйлин Кук "Почти правда"
5 из 10
Экранизация: нет
Жанр: романтика, повседневность, детектив
POV: от первого лица
Любовная линия: недо любовный треугольник (парень-девушка-парень)
Отличительные черты: героиня-мошенница, подмена детей
Рекомендовано к прочтению, если вам нравятся: сериал "В поисках Картер", Кэйси Уэст "Дистанция между нами", Сара Дессен "Колыбельная"
РЕЦЕНЗИЯ:
Книга с рейтингом 3.71, о которой я слышала впервые, незнакомый автор… столько причин просто пройти мимо, но к счастью, что-то меня остановило. Читать было нечего, настроения для сложных книг, наполненных драмой книг отсутствовала полностью и я взялась за «Почти правду». И книга оказалась хороша. Сюрприз-сюрприз!
Для начала – я люблю книги/фильмы и прочее о мошенниках. Есть что-то притягательное в историях, где главный герой не положительный и правильный член общества, а этакий антигерой. Столько маневров для сюжета, столько вариантов развития сюжета. Мне гораздо интереснее наблюдать за плохими персонажами, которые вынуждены поступать хорошо, чем за хорошими, которые вынуждены стать плохими. Хотя, если честно для данной книги это слишком громкие размышления, книг конечно хороша, но не настолько, чтобы углубляться в анализ и аналитику.
В общем и кратно, в центре сюжета – Сэди, девушка из бедной, неблагополучной семьи, единственной целью, которой является вырваться из их маленького городка и начать новую жизнь. Там где ее никто не знает, где прошлое не определяет будущее. Она идет к этой цели упорно и тяжело, упорно учась, хватаясь за любую работу и… обманывая людей, по мелкому, но все же.
Все идет прекрасно и новое будущее уже на расстоянии руки, когда ан пути Сэди появляется некая трудность. А именно – пропажа денег с ее счета. Денег столь необходимых ей для осуществления мечты.
Итак, перед нашей героиней вырисовываются два варианта пути – подождать год, заново собирая деньги или провернуть новую, масштабную аферу, которая идет в разрез со всеми ее принципами. Сами понимаете, что героиня выбирает второй путь, а иначе бы и самой книги не было. Сэди заручается поддержкой лучшего друга-с-которым-у-нее-недолюбовь-недодружба и начинает свое Большое Дело.
Ну, а дальше заворачивается сюжет, интересный и нетипичный для книг данного жанра. Читать определенно интересно, героиня вызывает сочувствие, но при этом порой читатель может с ней не согласиться. По крайней мере, у меня было именно так. Любовная линия хороша и полностью в моем вкусе (ах уж эти друзья детства), рост героини есть, юмор присутствует. Мне для счастья всего этого хватило выше крыши.
Плюсы книги:
- несерийность
- небольшой объем
- хороший язык и подача автора, юмор
- нетипичный сюжет
- любовная линия между друзьями детства
- развитие и рост главной героини, да и вообще отличная главная героиня
- никакой пошлятины
Минусы книги:
- возможно СЛИШКОМ открытый конец, из-за которого складывается впечатление, будто автор планировал продолжение, но в итоге не решился
- был там в книге очень милый поначалу парнишка, которого автор под конец выставила… не совсем милым. И на мой личный взгляд, весьма несправедливо. Лично я парнишку поняла и даже пожалела.
Вывод: книга понравилась, получила полное удовлетворение и вообще, давно не проглатывала книги за пару часов, а это говорит о многом.
Моя оценка: 5/10
5 из 10
Экранизация: нет
Жанр: романтика, повседневность, детектив
POV: от первого лица
Любовная линия: недо любовный треугольник (парень-девушка-парень)
Отличительные черты: героиня-мошенница, подмена детей
Рекомендовано к прочтению, если вам нравятся: сериал "В поисках Картер", Кэйси Уэст "Дистанция между нами", Сара Дессен "Колыбельная"
РЕЦЕНЗИЯ:
Книга с рейтингом 3.71, о которой я слышала впервые, незнакомый автор… столько причин просто пройти мимо, но к счастью, что-то меня остановило. Читать было нечего, настроения для сложных книг, наполненных драмой книг отсутствовала полностью и я взялась за «Почти правду». И книга оказалась хороша. Сюрприз-сюрприз!
Для начала – я люблю книги/фильмы и прочее о мошенниках. Есть что-то притягательное в историях, где главный герой не положительный и правильный член общества, а этакий антигерой. Столько маневров для сюжета, столько вариантов развития сюжета. Мне гораздо интереснее наблюдать за плохими персонажами, которые вынуждены поступать хорошо, чем за хорошими, которые вынуждены стать плохими. Хотя, если честно для данной книги это слишком громкие размышления, книг конечно хороша, но не настолько, чтобы углубляться в анализ и аналитику.
В общем и кратно, в центре сюжета – Сэди, девушка из бедной, неблагополучной семьи, единственной целью, которой является вырваться из их маленького городка и начать новую жизнь. Там где ее никто не знает, где прошлое не определяет будущее. Она идет к этой цели упорно и тяжело, упорно учась, хватаясь за любую работу и… обманывая людей, по мелкому, но все же.
Все идет прекрасно и новое будущее уже на расстоянии руки, когда ан пути Сэди появляется некая трудность. А именно – пропажа денег с ее счета. Денег столь необходимых ей для осуществления мечты.
Итак, перед нашей героиней вырисовываются два варианта пути – подождать год, заново собирая деньги или провернуть новую, масштабную аферу, которая идет в разрез со всеми ее принципами. Сами понимаете, что героиня выбирает второй путь, а иначе бы и самой книги не было. Сэди заручается поддержкой лучшего друга-с-которым-у-нее-недолюбовь-недодружба и начинает свое Большое Дело.
Ну, а дальше заворачивается сюжет, интересный и нетипичный для книг данного жанра. Читать определенно интересно, героиня вызывает сочувствие, но при этом порой читатель может с ней не согласиться. По крайней мере, у меня было именно так. Любовная линия хороша и полностью в моем вкусе (ах уж эти друзья детства), рост героини есть, юмор присутствует. Мне для счастья всего этого хватило выше крыши.
Плюсы книги:
- несерийность
- небольшой объем
- хороший язык и подача автора, юмор
- нетипичный сюжет
- любовная линия между друзьями детства
- развитие и рост главной героини, да и вообще отличная главная героиня
- никакой пошлятины
Минусы книги:
- возможно СЛИШКОМ открытый конец, из-за которого складывается впечатление, будто автор планировал продолжение, но в итоге не решился
- был там в книге очень милый поначалу парнишка, которого автор под конец выставила… не совсем милым. И на мой личный взгляд, весьма несправедливо. Лично я парнишку поняла и даже пожалела.
Вывод: книга понравилась, получила полное удовлетворение и вообще, давно не проглатывала книги за пару часов, а это говорит о многом.
Моя оценка: 5/10
April 21, 2016
Imagine leading a completely different life than the one others think you have. Sadie lives in a small town and wants nothing more than to leave and better her life. When her mother takes her entire life savings in one go, she realizes she needs to make money and fast. This leads her to con a family that she thinks could be her long lost family.
I liked the plot in this one..You don't get a teenager who cons people in YA books so it reminded me a bit of White Collar. She was particularly humourous which I enjoyed. Especially when she hung around her best friend. I also liked that the main focus was family and not so much romance. Sometimes characters get so wrapped up in their significant others' lives that they don't realize there's more than just that romantic relationship. I liked the mystery element to the plot and it kept me reading until the end. Eileen's writing is very simple and straight to the point, I rather enjoy her contemporary reads, but I also wanted a character that more depth and personality.
The Almost Truth is a rather enjoyable read that I recommend to contemporary fans and whomever likes a good mystery now and then.
I liked the plot in this one..You don't get a teenager who cons people in YA books so it reminded me a bit of White Collar. She was particularly humourous which I enjoyed. Especially when she hung around her best friend. I also liked that the main focus was family and not so much romance. Sometimes characters get so wrapped up in their significant others' lives that they don't realize there's more than just that romantic relationship. I liked the mystery element to the plot and it kept me reading until the end. Eileen's writing is very simple and straight to the point, I rather enjoy her contemporary reads, but I also wanted a character that more depth and personality.
The Almost Truth is a rather enjoyable read that I recommend to contemporary fans and whomever likes a good mystery now and then.
Read
December 18, 2012Won my free copy in Goodreads First Reads. This review is my honest opinion unaffected by having won.
3.5 stars rounded up to 4. This book was an entertaining story. The main character Sadie grew up as one of the poorer people on an island populated by many who are very affluent. Her father is a con artist who spends more time in jail than in Sadie's life and her mom is someone who escapes the harsh world by inventing new versions of events and realties in her mind.
I really liked the character of Sadie. She does some petty cons and I was worried going in about being able to like her but this wasn't a problem at all. She recognized that what she does isn't right even though she justifies the things she does do. That is human nature and realistic, especially in light of her parents and her upbringing. We find out pretty quickly that she does have pretty firm limits as to how far she'll go and she does have her principles and ethical limits. That was nice to see and helped make the character likeable. Sadie's desire to leave her life for something better was easy to understand and relate to.
Her parents were very interesting. I felt like I got a pretty good feel for them and were crafted so that by the book's end I got them. Not all parents are what they should be or the people they should be as is the case here.
I am not sure how I feel about Brendan. I liked him as Sadie's best friend and if things had remained there I think I wouldn't have some of the mixed feelings that I do. I just never got enough of a feel for him to understand him. I liked that he loved Sadie just as she is. I think it is believable that he doesn't want her to go off and leave him and the person she is behind. I don't understand his man whore ways to attract her. Is that supposed to be his immaturity before now? I also didn't feel like he had even close to the same ethical lines as Sadie. I got the feeling that he was actually just a younger version of Sadie's dad and that both bothered me and worried me. Brendan is someone that if I had seen growth away from that I could have gotten behind more. Instead I never felt like he had all that much more potential than her father except for the fact that I hope Sadie calls him on stuff. She does have the potential to push him a little more. It's just that I think with their backgrounds I worry about them as a couple with the little we got from the book.
The romance also wasn't my favorite part due to the fact that I didn't think we had enough time in the book to develop it properly. It had to rely on our knowledge of Brendan's feelings and their past friendship. This kept me from connecting to it properly. Honestly I would have preferred leaving out the whole Chase part of the book in favor of developing Brendan and Sadie as a potential couple and Brendan growing a a character. That is personal preference but it did knock a little off the rating for me.
Read this for the story of Sadie and not so much for the romance and character growth for others and you are more likely to be satisfied.
3.5 stars rounded up to 4. This book was an entertaining story. The main character Sadie grew up as one of the poorer people on an island populated by many who are very affluent. Her father is a con artist who spends more time in jail than in Sadie's life and her mom is someone who escapes the harsh world by inventing new versions of events and realties in her mind.
I really liked the character of Sadie. She does some petty cons and I was worried going in about being able to like her but this wasn't a problem at all. She recognized that what she does isn't right even though she justifies the things she does do. That is human nature and realistic, especially in light of her parents and her upbringing. We find out pretty quickly that she does have pretty firm limits as to how far she'll go and she does have her principles and ethical limits. That was nice to see and helped make the character likeable. Sadie's desire to leave her life for something better was easy to understand and relate to.
Her parents were very interesting. I felt like I got a pretty good feel for them and were crafted so that by the book's end I got them. Not all parents are what they should be or the people they should be as is the case here.
I am not sure how I feel about Brendan. I liked him as Sadie's best friend and if things had remained there I think I wouldn't have some of the mixed feelings that I do. I just never got enough of a feel for him to understand him. I liked that he loved Sadie just as she is. I think it is believable that he doesn't want her to go off and leave him and the person she is behind. I don't understand his man whore ways to attract her. Is that supposed to be his immaturity before now? I also didn't feel like he had even close to the same ethical lines as Sadie. I got the feeling that he was actually just a younger version of Sadie's dad and that both bothered me and worried me. Brendan is someone that if I had seen growth away from that I could have gotten behind more. Instead I never felt like he had all that much more potential than her father except for the fact that I hope Sadie calls him on stuff. She does have the potential to push him a little more. It's just that I think with their backgrounds I worry about them as a couple with the little we got from the book.
The romance also wasn't my favorite part due to the fact that I didn't think we had enough time in the book to develop it properly. It had to rely on our knowledge of Brendan's feelings and their past friendship. This kept me from connecting to it properly. Honestly I would have preferred leaving out the whole Chase part of the book in favor of developing Brendan and Sadie as a potential couple and Brendan growing a a character. That is personal preference but it did knock a little off the rating for me.
Read this for the story of Sadie and not so much for the romance and character growth for others and you are more likely to be satisfied.
January 6, 2013
The Almost Truth is one of those kind-of-perfectly-done books that only come up once in awhile. Sadie's story is so well-drawn, so perfectly paced, so twisty-turny...without being cheesy or cliche. This is how you do a YA contemporary novel.
I can't really explain why this worked so well for me. Maybe it was the fact that every time I thought I knew what was going to happen at the end, I turned a page and Eileen Cook showed me that she was one step ahead of me. Maybe it was the fact that I really didn't know which boy to root for at first, or that if there was a love triangle, I couldn't even call it that. Maybe it was how frustrated I got with Sadie's parents and how horrible I felt they were being to her, only to find out that I might have been wrong about the whole thing.
Read the rest of this review at Mostly YA Lit
I can't really explain why this worked so well for me. Maybe it was the fact that every time I thought I knew what was going to happen at the end, I turned a page and Eileen Cook showed me that she was one step ahead of me. Maybe it was the fact that I really didn't know which boy to root for at first, or that if there was a love triangle, I couldn't even call it that. Maybe it was how frustrated I got with Sadie's parents and how horrible I felt they were being to her, only to find out that I might have been wrong about the whole thing.
Read the rest of this review at Mostly YA Lit
January 31, 2013
This is my third Eileen Cook book. As much as I enjoyed the first two (The Education of Hailey Kendrickand Getting Revenge on Lauren Wood)this is easily my favorite. This story twists and turns and you think you have it figured out, then you change your mind, then you change your mind again. A powerful and heart felt book that will make you question a lot of things that on the surface seem easy. I can't say much about it without giving away important things. Go read it.
July 19, 2017
I read a lot of YA books, even though I am so far from Y I am practically O. However, I am I for Immature, so I rarely have problems enjoying this particular genre.
As I read others' reviews, though, I know I am officially O, because I find the narrator/protagonist Sadie incredibly sympathetic. She has excelled in school and works hard, despite being brought up by a mother who gives up on mothering and a con artist father who is in and out of jail. Her intelligence and industriousness are impressive.
She has gotten into Berkeley, and, in order to pay for her education, she does small cons (her father's expertise comes in handy that way)...but never any cons that could harm individuals.
Berkeley's appeal isn't solely educational; she wants to leave her town and her trailer park existence far behind. This means leaving her best friend Brandon behind, too. Brandon seems to want to be more than just friends, and while she may want that, too, she is determined not to let anything get in the way of the new world order that will come with her Berkeley education.
And then...she discovers almost simultaneously that her bank balance is gone and a singularly lucrative con could change everything for the better.
What she discovers in the rest of the book is herself: who she really is and what she really wants and what is of real value. I am particularly impressed with the way Cook sets up the subtle differences between Chase, Sadie's potential new love and Brandon, her fellow con artist. When we discover Sadie's name, it is late in the book...and it feels like a shock, because the narrator seems nothing like a "Sadie."
This is another clever authorial move--and as I reflect back over the book, I never feel manipulated, despite the "Is she or isn't she" question. This is an incredibly well-crafted and engrossing book. Highly recommended.
As I read others' reviews, though, I know I am officially O, because I find the narrator/protagonist Sadie incredibly sympathetic. She has excelled in school and works hard, despite being brought up by a mother who gives up on mothering and a con artist father who is in and out of jail. Her intelligence and industriousness are impressive.
She has gotten into Berkeley, and, in order to pay for her education, she does small cons (her father's expertise comes in handy that way)...but never any cons that could harm individuals.
Berkeley's appeal isn't solely educational; she wants to leave her town and her trailer park existence far behind. This means leaving her best friend Brandon behind, too. Brandon seems to want to be more than just friends, and while she may want that, too, she is determined not to let anything get in the way of the new world order that will come with her Berkeley education.
And then...she discovers almost simultaneously that her bank balance is gone and a singularly lucrative con could change everything for the better.
What she discovers in the rest of the book is herself: who she really is and what she really wants and what is of real value. I am particularly impressed with the way Cook sets up the subtle differences between Chase, Sadie's potential new love and Brandon, her fellow con artist. When we discover Sadie's name, it is late in the book...and it feels like a shock, because the narrator seems nothing like a "Sadie."
This is another clever authorial move--and as I reflect back over the book, I never feel manipulated, despite the "Is she or isn't she" question. This is an incredibly well-crafted and engrossing book. Highly recommended.
April 7, 2014
OMG!! I was kind of in a reading shlump for quite a few years then discovered my love for reading again, I reccomend this book for people who are unsure of the genre they want to read this made me feel happy to be reading again its one of those books you are not able to pout down when I started reading I understood better maybe a few chapters in that I knew what kind of book I love it kept me on the edge of my seat literally wondering what happens next. I loved the ending and the middle where there isd a twist so I reccomend you read this book if you are inbetween books or love a story that keeps you guessing and if you neeed to reclaim the love you have for readiong this book reminded me why I love to read so thankyou Eileen Cook I loved this book!
December 11, 2014
3.5 *s.
Who doesn't want their dreams to come true, live a life of prosperity. So if you come to know that you are a heir/heiress after living a life of poverty you'll make sure that you get that. I liked this story, it has its fun and sad moments. Its a good read. :)
Who doesn't want their dreams to come true, live a life of prosperity. So if you come to know that you are a heir/heiress after living a life of poverty you'll make sure that you get that. I liked this story, it has its fun and sad moments. Its a good read. :)
December 5, 2012
Sadie's a con artist. I know that makes her seem like a bad person, but she really isn't. She runs small cons, partly because that makes it less likely that she'll get caught but also because that means no one loses more than they can afford to. And it's for a good cause: getting her away from her hometown and into a good college.
And then her mom steals all her money, leaving Sadie completely broke and with just a few months to earn it all back. She has a great idea for a big con, the biggest she's ever done...but it's complicated. Someone could get hurt (emotionally) and it could also affect this new guy, the one she's just met and is already starting to fall for.
You may remember that earlier this year I completely binged on Eileen Cook's novels and then had to wait what felt like forever to get a new one. This one was totally worth the wait! I was excited when I read the synopsis because it sounded like Heartbreakers, which I really liked (and yes, I know most people either didn't see it or hated it, but I don't care). And I am oddly fond of stories about con artists and heists and capers. I blame The Thomas Crown Affair and Ocean's 11.
I love Sadie. I know that a lot of what she does is pretty shady but she's not trying to finance a trip to Europe and for someone who basically steals for a living, she's very moral about it. There are definite lines that she won't cross. And I realize that it's me rationalizing what she does because I love her and I rationalize like crazy for people I love. Apparently even when they're fictional.
Anyway, I thought going in that I knew exactly how this story would go...and I was taken completely off guard.
Well, that's not entirely true. I knew that I would enjoy this story, and I did. I knew that it would be smart and fun and sweet and that I'd probably smile and sigh a little. And all those things happened. :) But plot-wise, I expected one thing and got something completely different. I am a pretty big fan of being unprepared when it comes to books.
What I am not a fan of is having to wait, and I have no idea when the next Eileen Cook novel is coming out. I hope it's not next December; I may die.
Highly recommended.
And then her mom steals all her money, leaving Sadie completely broke and with just a few months to earn it all back. She has a great idea for a big con, the biggest she's ever done...but it's complicated. Someone could get hurt (emotionally) and it could also affect this new guy, the one she's just met and is already starting to fall for.
You may remember that earlier this year I completely binged on Eileen Cook's novels and then had to wait what felt like forever to get a new one. This one was totally worth the wait! I was excited when I read the synopsis because it sounded like Heartbreakers, which I really liked (and yes, I know most people either didn't see it or hated it, but I don't care). And I am oddly fond of stories about con artists and heists and capers. I blame The Thomas Crown Affair and Ocean's 11.
I love Sadie. I know that a lot of what she does is pretty shady but she's not trying to finance a trip to Europe and for someone who basically steals for a living, she's very moral about it. There are definite lines that she won't cross. And I realize that it's me rationalizing what she does because I love her and I rationalize like crazy for people I love. Apparently even when they're fictional.
Anyway, I thought going in that I knew exactly how this story would go...and I was taken completely off guard.
Well, that's not entirely true. I knew that I would enjoy this story, and I did. I knew that it would be smart and fun and sweet and that I'd probably smile and sigh a little. And all those things happened. :) But plot-wise, I expected one thing and got something completely different. I am a pretty big fan of being unprepared when it comes to books.
What I am not a fan of is having to wait, and I have no idea when the next Eileen Cook novel is coming out. I hope it's not next December; I may die.
Highly recommended.
December 10, 2012
The Almost Truth was the first Eileen Cook book I’ve read so I didn’t know what to expect. Cover and synopsis are deceiving. I thought it will be something like Stealing Heaven by Elizabeth Scott and Heist Society by Ally Carter but the whole storyline was revolving around Sadie’s identity and finally accepting herself.
Sadie’s lived with her mum in a trailer park hoping that she will escape her miserable life when she goes to college in the fall but after her mum spent the money she was saving for college she starts to plan to go through a con that will get her a lot of cash. So, mum spent her money on lawyer who was trying to get her con artist father out of prison. Well, we shouldn’t be calling him an artist, after all, he did get caught.
At first I didn’t like Sadie’s mum but after we see what she went through while Sadie’s dad was in prison I changed my mind and she was actually the only character that had personality. Others had these typical roles-best friend/boyfriend, snobbish rich guy…
This book had its twists and turns. Right after we learn the truth from Sadie’s mum I totally didn’t expect finding out something else entirely from her dad. All in all, it was enjoyable.
Check out THISreview and much more on YA Fanatic.
Sadie’s lived with her mum in a trailer park hoping that she will escape her miserable life when she goes to college in the fall but after her mum spent the money she was saving for college she starts to plan to go through a con that will get her a lot of cash. So, mum spent her money on lawyer who was trying to get her con artist father out of prison. Well, we shouldn’t be calling him an artist, after all, he did get caught.
At first I didn’t like Sadie’s mum but after we see what she went through while Sadie’s dad was in prison I changed my mind and she was actually the only character that had personality. Others had these typical roles-best friend/boyfriend, snobbish rich guy…
This book had its twists and turns. Right after we learn the truth from Sadie’s mum I totally didn’t expect finding out something else entirely from her dad. All in all, it was enjoyable.
Check out THISreview and much more on YA Fanatic.
Want to read
April 11, 2012This sounds like such a great premise - it reminds me a little bit of a tv movie I saw a long time ago that I really liked, called Caroline?, starring Stephanie Zimbalist (of Remington Steele fame). It also reminds me of The Face on the Milk Carton, which I never actually read, but somehow I know the story? I also love cover photos where the girl is crossing her fingers behind her back while kissing the guy. It seems like there have been a few lately, and it always portends drama and plot-a-liciousness!
September 19, 2018
Complete and total spoiler rant.
Eileen Cook, why did you cheat me out of an emotional payoff?
WITH MALICE is one of my favorite novels and THE HANGING GIRL was another five star review for me. THE ALMOST TRUTH could have been a nail biting, edge of your seat thriller, but the ending that Sadie is Ava without showing the reunion with her parents is cruel to readers who live for this stuff.
The romances in the book were lukewarm at best. THE ALMOST TRUTH wasn’t going to be higher than three stars unless the ending blew me away.
I still love you Eileen Cook.
Eileen Cook, why did you cheat me out of an emotional payoff?
WITH MALICE is one of my favorite novels and THE HANGING GIRL was another five star review for me. THE ALMOST TRUTH could have been a nail biting, edge of your seat thriller, but the ending that Sadie is Ava without showing the reunion with her parents is cruel to readers who live for this stuff.
The romances in the book were lukewarm at best. THE ALMOST TRUTH wasn’t going to be higher than three stars unless the ending blew me away.
I still love you Eileen Cook.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 13, 2014
(This review is super long because it's going up sometime this week on my blog.
I was scrolling through my ebook library last night, and feeling a bit giddy looking at all the covers since I finally uploaded all my ebooks to Google Play Books, and my eyes fell upon The Almost Truth.
I basically inhaled it.
Like Unraveling Isobel, The Almost Truth
is a mystery set on an island a ferry away from Seattle. It has a side of romance as well, though I admit I didn’t care very much for it this time. The premise — and this may be spoilery as far as the third chapter, but I would have picked this up even quicker if I’d known what the big con in the — atrocious, absolutely awful, what the hell — summary for the book on GoodReads was, so I’m going to tell you.
Sadie lives in a trailer park with her washed-up mom and sometimes her dad, who is a con artist and spends more time in jail than out. She has dreams of going to college in Berkeley, and has been saving money via petty cons and part-time work at the main hotel on the island to put down a deposit and secure her place there. That’s her plan, and she’s extremely excited about it until she opens a bank statement and finds out her mom’s spent all of that money on… other stuff.
So desperate and confused (another relatability point here, Sadie feeling the bottom drop out of her stomach due to money issues), she takes the ferry to Seattle to perch herself on a coffeehouse and think for a few hours (also extremely relatable), and on the ferry, she finds a flyer offering a reward for information about a missing girl — the daughter of a rich couple who disappeared on Sadie’s island and who’s been missing for fifteen years, and who, in a Photoshop rendering of what she’d look like now, looks exactly like Sadie.
People know Sadie around the island and the hotel where the rich couple in question lost their daughter and are now holding a charity fundraiser, so she can’t pose as her — but maybe she can find someone who’d like the missing girl to stay missing, and that’s an angle she can certainly play to make back her college money.
It’s just kind of weird how many things she keeps finding out she shares with that missing girl.
Guess where this is going! Guess! Predictability is my jam, y’all, and I love when writers make it so that by the middle of the book you may actually be okay with either outcome, which Eileen Cook manages very well here.
Mystery aside, I found the book, as usual, very entertaining and engaging, and much like Unraveling Isobel, I wish it hadn’t cut off so soon. Eileen Cook has a habit of ending her books when all the really awesome stuff is about to happen, like the promise of it is enough to satisfy the readers, and — agh, I just want more.
My other issue with the book is the ridiculous amount of casual slutshaming, both internalized and outward-bound. It’s really sad, and apparently a fixture in Eileen Cook’s books, and I wish she had an editor who made her tone it down. It’s really just not necessary.
But back to the good: the book begins with Sadie struggling with money at the supermarket checkout, which I found extremely relatable, and while some things bugged me about, e.g., the way Chase was handled (I’ve never been a fan of love interests who are very charming and then turn out to be assholes without much warning at all to make sure you’re rooting for the other guy in the triangle), I was pleased with the messages here, especially the awareness of poverty and how easy it really is to make the right decisions and find yourself and travel and be educated and experienced if you can afford to randomly pop on a plane from the US to Venice and rent an apartment for a month. I mean, who can do that? I can barely rent a place in London, certainly can’t afford to fly back home, within the EU, any time soon, and my stay is supposed to be permanent.
But Sadie knows that, and it pisses her off. It’s good.
Sadie is also relatable for me in the way she wants to just pack up and leave and not have to deal with who she is and where she comes from. I’ve been there, which is why the fantasy of maybe having been someone else all along works wonders for me. My inner seventeen-year-old eats it up with a spoon, and there’s little I enjoy more than indulging that little pretentious teenager I used to be.
Besides, sometimes you read things like Sadie being afraid she’ll become one of those people who are always talking about the things they want to do and everyone around them tunes them out because they know she’s never going to do any of them, and it’s moments like that that make me think — fuck, I actually moved to London. I actually did this thing.
So yeah. It was a fun book. If you like simple teenage mysteries, The Almost Truth will be just your bag.
I was scrolling through my ebook library last night, and feeling a bit giddy looking at all the covers since I finally uploaded all my ebooks to Google Play Books, and my eyes fell upon The Almost Truth.
I basically inhaled it.
Like Unraveling Isobel, The Almost Truth
is a mystery set on an island a ferry away from Seattle. It has a side of romance as well, though I admit I didn’t care very much for it this time. The premise — and this may be spoilery as far as the third chapter, but I would have picked this up even quicker if I’d known what the big con in the — atrocious, absolutely awful, what the hell — summary for the book on GoodReads was, so I’m going to tell you.Sadie lives in a trailer park with her washed-up mom and sometimes her dad, who is a con artist and spends more time in jail than out. She has dreams of going to college in Berkeley, and has been saving money via petty cons and part-time work at the main hotel on the island to put down a deposit and secure her place there. That’s her plan, and she’s extremely excited about it until she opens a bank statement and finds out her mom’s spent all of that money on… other stuff.
So desperate and confused (another relatability point here, Sadie feeling the bottom drop out of her stomach due to money issues), she takes the ferry to Seattle to perch herself on a coffeehouse and think for a few hours (also extremely relatable), and on the ferry, she finds a flyer offering a reward for information about a missing girl — the daughter of a rich couple who disappeared on Sadie’s island and who’s been missing for fifteen years, and who, in a Photoshop rendering of what she’d look like now, looks exactly like Sadie.
People know Sadie around the island and the hotel where the rich couple in question lost their daughter and are now holding a charity fundraiser, so she can’t pose as her — but maybe she can find someone who’d like the missing girl to stay missing, and that’s an angle she can certainly play to make back her college money.
It’s just kind of weird how many things she keeps finding out she shares with that missing girl.
Guess where this is going! Guess! Predictability is my jam, y’all, and I love when writers make it so that by the middle of the book you may actually be okay with either outcome, which Eileen Cook manages very well here.
Mystery aside, I found the book, as usual, very entertaining and engaging, and much like Unraveling Isobel, I wish it hadn’t cut off so soon. Eileen Cook has a habit of ending her books when all the really awesome stuff is about to happen, like the promise of it is enough to satisfy the readers, and — agh, I just want more.
My other issue with the book is the ridiculous amount of casual slutshaming, both internalized and outward-bound. It’s really sad, and apparently a fixture in Eileen Cook’s books, and I wish she had an editor who made her tone it down. It’s really just not necessary.
But back to the good: the book begins with Sadie struggling with money at the supermarket checkout, which I found extremely relatable, and while some things bugged me about, e.g., the way Chase was handled (I’ve never been a fan of love interests who are very charming and then turn out to be assholes without much warning at all to make sure you’re rooting for the other guy in the triangle), I was pleased with the messages here, especially the awareness of poverty and how easy it really is to make the right decisions and find yourself and travel and be educated and experienced if you can afford to randomly pop on a plane from the US to Venice and rent an apartment for a month. I mean, who can do that? I can barely rent a place in London, certainly can’t afford to fly back home, within the EU, any time soon, and my stay is supposed to be permanent.
But Sadie knows that, and it pisses her off. It’s good.
Sadie is also relatable for me in the way she wants to just pack up and leave and not have to deal with who she is and where she comes from. I’ve been there, which is why the fantasy of maybe having been someone else all along works wonders for me. My inner seventeen-year-old eats it up with a spoon, and there’s little I enjoy more than indulging that little pretentious teenager I used to be.
Besides, sometimes you read things like Sadie being afraid she’ll become one of those people who are always talking about the things they want to do and everyone around them tunes them out because they know she’s never going to do any of them, and it’s moments like that that make me think — fuck, I actually moved to London. I actually did this thing.
So yeah. It was a fun book. If you like simple teenage mysteries, The Almost Truth will be just your bag.
August 15, 2017
3.5 stars. I enjoyed the writing style, but the ending felt rushed and I don't think the author did a great job balancing breezy teen romance with some of the darker elements that emerge later in the novel.
May 1, 2020
The frustrating this is that I actually did really enjoy this book. The concept was great but the entirety of the book was like a bait and switch with the ending. Readers are led into thinking the story is leading to ending A even though the character believes it's ending B and then keeps switching where the story is going. First it was A, then B, then A again and then just kidding it's B and then oh you were right all along it was A. It kept the story from having any depth which is probably why the actual last chapter of the book was so abrupt it left me going "wait that was it?".
Lots of build up only to be left to the conclusion that was figured out in the first few chapters and not much else.
Lots of build up only to be left to the conclusion that was figured out in the first few chapters and not much else.
December 19, 2012
This story revolves around our main character, Sadie, and her struggle with finding herself or discovering her identity. I want to say from the start that I did not enjoy this book as much as I have enjoyed others by Eileen Cook, but I still liked the story and the plot. Sadie wants more than anything to get off the island she has grown up on, and to attend Berkley where she can finally make a new name for herself. Her father has been in and out of jail for most of her life and her mother can barely makes ends meet for her and Sadie. Sadie takes after her father and has become quite the little con artist herself. She has pulled small cons for as long as she can remember in order to save up enough money to go off to college and leave this small nothing town behind. Until one day Sadie learns that her mother spends every penny that she has saved in order to help her jailbird father, and Sadie has to start from scratch. This sends Sadie on a journey of self discovery and she learns more than she ever expects.
To be honest I really didn’t like Sadie’s character. I hated that she felt she had to con people out of money just to get ahead in life, and I hated that she let this define her. She related herself to her father a lot, and what got me was that her father was never around much because of all the cons he had pulled. Why relate yourself to someone like this? Sadie was easier to warm up to around the middle of the book when the story took an unexpected turn and the plot turned out to be something that I really was not expected at all. Sadie finds a picture in the hotel lobby where her mother works of the daughter of one of the wealthiest families on the island who went missing almost fifteen years ago. Sadie becomes interested because the picture of what the little girl would look like now surprisingly looked a lot like her. This sent chills up my spine and I was a little more interested in the story from this point on.
I really liked scenes where Brendan and Sadie interacted. Once I saw how Sadie really felt about Brendan I was able to open up to her more. I liked the relationship that they had developed as friends and I liked that there were complicated aspects involved as well. Brendan would do anything for Sadie and that was apparent from day one. He gets involved when Sadie finds this picture of the missing Ava McKenna and immediately sees that it is important to Sadie, so of course he tries to help her find out the information she wants and is there to comfort her when she does. Sadie had built up so many walls around her heart and only had her eyes set on getting the heck out of dodge, when all along Brendan was right in front of her and anyone could see how he felt about her.
Like I mentioned before this was not my favorite work by Eileen Cook, but there were some parts that I still enjoyed and this does not mean that I will ever give up on her as an author. I wish that I could’ve laughed more in this book like I remember doing with her previous works, but if you are a fan of Eileen Cook then I would say give it a shot!
***A copy of this book was provided by the publishers at Simon Pulse in exchange for my honest review***
To be honest I really didn’t like Sadie’s character. I hated that she felt she had to con people out of money just to get ahead in life, and I hated that she let this define her. She related herself to her father a lot, and what got me was that her father was never around much because of all the cons he had pulled. Why relate yourself to someone like this? Sadie was easier to warm up to around the middle of the book when the story took an unexpected turn and the plot turned out to be something that I really was not expected at all. Sadie finds a picture in the hotel lobby where her mother works of the daughter of one of the wealthiest families on the island who went missing almost fifteen years ago. Sadie becomes interested because the picture of what the little girl would look like now surprisingly looked a lot like her. This sent chills up my spine and I was a little more interested in the story from this point on.
I really liked scenes where Brendan and Sadie interacted. Once I saw how Sadie really felt about Brendan I was able to open up to her more. I liked the relationship that they had developed as friends and I liked that there were complicated aspects involved as well. Brendan would do anything for Sadie and that was apparent from day one. He gets involved when Sadie finds this picture of the missing Ava McKenna and immediately sees that it is important to Sadie, so of course he tries to help her find out the information she wants and is there to comfort her when she does. Sadie had built up so many walls around her heart and only had her eyes set on getting the heck out of dodge, when all along Brendan was right in front of her and anyone could see how he felt about her.
Like I mentioned before this was not my favorite work by Eileen Cook, but there were some parts that I still enjoyed and this does not mean that I will ever give up on her as an author. I wish that I could’ve laughed more in this book like I remember doing with her previous works, but if you are a fan of Eileen Cook then I would say give it a shot!
***A copy of this book was provided by the publishers at Simon Pulse in exchange for my honest review***
December 2, 2012
The Almost Truth is my first Eileen Cook novel and I waltzed into it armed with nothing but the heady feeling of reading a book by a local author. Ever since I started my Masters program, I have been meeting a lot of local authors who write for children and young adults and for the first time ever, I feel a certain fascination with these brilliant people who dig deep into themselves and produce such startling results. Even though I may not personally love all the books I read, I still respect that they write. Anyway, on to the review proper.
The Almost Truth presents a plot that has almost certainly been seen in previous young adult novels. The protagonist is a con artist doing small time cons to supplement her wages so that she can escape the poverty that has ruled her life. When her mother “borrows” the money she had been saving, taking away her chance to escape, Sadie decides to run the biggest con of her life. She sees a poster for a missing child whom she happens to resemble and decides that hey, easy money. I remember reading a book by Lisa McMann that dealt with the same premise with various differences, of course.
What I liked about this book is the angle the author takes to present the premise. The angle is skewed, instead of conning the parents, the main characters decide to be different. I won’t tell you how – for that you have to read but just know that it’s different and it’s interesting. I really liked Sadie as a character. She has a tough life and she has some very obvious flaws but she doesn’t dither and she doesn’t give in to pathos. There is angst but I found it refreshingly juxtaposed with some good sense. The book explores themes of identity and social status. It questions the value of money and the bonds between people whether related by blood or otherwise. The book is quite short so the pacing is very brisk and this works until the very end which I will talk about later.
The romance is interesting but I don’t think the love triangle was particularly necessary in this instance. Cook could have devoted the same time to developing Sadie’s increasing awareness of the wrongness in her life especially since that love triangle somehow fizzled away without adding much to the primary narrative. It also introduced an inconsistency to the character that was at odds with the way he was presented. Also, I liked Brendan a lot and I think more time could have been spent developing the relationship between him and Sadie.
I did not agree with how things pan out in the end and this is probably just me. I am not very forgiving and I thought that the whole issue wrapped up a bit too neatly for my tastes. I wanted some blood, to be honest. I also wanted to know what happens after the book ends – Sadie is such a strong character that I wanted to accompany her on this new journey she was setting out on and I was slightly miffed that I wouldn’t be able to (noooo!!).
However, after everything is said and done, The Almost Truth is extremely readable. It is short and packs quite a punch. It is entertaining but also has depth in the questions it asks its readers. So while I do have some minor quibbles with it, I recommend it.
The Almost Truth presents a plot that has almost certainly been seen in previous young adult novels. The protagonist is a con artist doing small time cons to supplement her wages so that she can escape the poverty that has ruled her life. When her mother “borrows” the money she had been saving, taking away her chance to escape, Sadie decides to run the biggest con of her life. She sees a poster for a missing child whom she happens to resemble and decides that hey, easy money. I remember reading a book by Lisa McMann that dealt with the same premise with various differences, of course.
What I liked about this book is the angle the author takes to present the premise. The angle is skewed, instead of conning the parents, the main characters decide to be different. I won’t tell you how – for that you have to read but just know that it’s different and it’s interesting. I really liked Sadie as a character. She has a tough life and she has some very obvious flaws but she doesn’t dither and she doesn’t give in to pathos. There is angst but I found it refreshingly juxtaposed with some good sense. The book explores themes of identity and social status. It questions the value of money and the bonds between people whether related by blood or otherwise. The book is quite short so the pacing is very brisk and this works until the very end which I will talk about later.
The romance is interesting but I don’t think the love triangle was particularly necessary in this instance. Cook could have devoted the same time to developing Sadie’s increasing awareness of the wrongness in her life especially since that love triangle somehow fizzled away without adding much to the primary narrative. It also introduced an inconsistency to the character that was at odds with the way he was presented. Also, I liked Brendan a lot and I think more time could have been spent developing the relationship between him and Sadie.
I did not agree with how things pan out in the end and this is probably just me. I am not very forgiving and I thought that the whole issue wrapped up a bit too neatly for my tastes. I wanted some blood, to be honest. I also wanted to know what happens after the book ends – Sadie is such a strong character that I wanted to accompany her on this new journey she was setting out on and I was slightly miffed that I wouldn’t be able to (noooo!!).
However, after everything is said and done, The Almost Truth is extremely readable. It is short and packs quite a punch. It is entertaining but also has depth in the questions it asks its readers. So while I do have some minor quibbles with it, I recommend it.
September 19, 2014
This book was one of the worse books I have ever read. I was looking around my local library to find something short to read. I just needed something short and YA because they are easy to read.
So starting this book was easy, and reading about how she is a con artist, I wasn't sure how I would feel about her. But once I read about how she switched the $10 for a $5 and asked for another $5 because she wasn't given enough change. And since then I didn't like her.
Brandon was annoying too. And she would constantly talk about her family, saying: "Yep, that's my family. Real classy." and "Real classy family I got here. and the most original description of her family: "Real classy". She was a piece of work. She walked into her trailer park home saying: "I live in a trailer park. My mom only has her bra in. Yep, that's my family. real classy ."
Anyways, she decides that to get a bunch of money she is going to pretend to be Ava, the missing daughter of these billionaires. I could already guess what was going to happen. Sadie was just a piece of work.
SPOILERS BELOW:
So she falls in love with some rich guy. And of course, it turns out that because she is poor, she doesn't identify with him. Wow.
So now she is going to be with Brandon.
So it turns out that Sadie really is the daughter, Ava! Wow! Shocking! It turns out nothing is what it seems!
And now it also turns out that there was a daughter named Sadie, and Ava ran out to see toddler Sadie. Then Sadie and Ava were jumping off rocks into the water and her father was watching them. Then Sadie died and he stole Ava to be their daughter because he had just gotten Sadie back from an orphanage. Now it turns out that yes, as I said above, Sadie is Ava. Sadie is dead, buried behind their trailer.
And Brandon and Sadie asked her dad about it and now they plan on giving them a night to leave so that Sadie can now go and get the money she desperately wanted to go to college. So this issue was not really solved, did she really care that her real parents are her real parents? I mean, doesn't she just miss her 'Classy' family?
So Sadie, this is for you:
Rating: 1/10
Parental Rating: 13+
So starting this book was easy, and reading about how she is a con artist, I wasn't sure how I would feel about her. But once I read about how she switched the $10 for a $5 and asked for another $5 because she wasn't given enough change. And since then I didn't like her.
Brandon was annoying too. And she would constantly talk about her family, saying: "Yep, that's my family. Real classy." and "Real classy family I got here. and the most original description of her family: "Real classy". She was a piece of work. She walked into her trailer park home saying: "I live in a trailer park. My mom only has her bra in. Yep, that's my family. real classy ."
Anyways, she decides that to get a bunch of money she is going to pretend to be Ava, the missing daughter of these billionaires. I could already guess what was going to happen. Sadie was just a piece of work.
SPOILERS BELOW:
So she falls in love with some rich guy. And of course, it turns out that because she is poor, she doesn't identify with him. Wow.
So now she is going to be with Brandon.
So it turns out that Sadie really is the daughter, Ava! Wow! Shocking! It turns out nothing is what it seems!
And now it also turns out that there was a daughter named Sadie, and Ava ran out to see toddler Sadie. Then Sadie and Ava were jumping off rocks into the water and her father was watching them. Then Sadie died and he stole Ava to be their daughter because he had just gotten Sadie back from an orphanage. Now it turns out that yes, as I said above, Sadie is Ava. Sadie is dead, buried behind their trailer.
And Brandon and Sadie asked her dad about it and now they plan on giving them a night to leave so that Sadie can now go and get the money she desperately wanted to go to college. So this issue was not really solved, did she really care that her real parents are her real parents? I mean, doesn't she just miss her 'Classy' family?
So Sadie, this is for you:
Rating: 1/10
Parental Rating: 13+
March 29, 2013
Sadie is an 18-year-old con artist, saving up little by little to help pay for her college tuition so she can finally be off the small Washington island where she lives and away from her in-and-out of prison dad and trailer-living mom. When she sees a flyer about an upcoming event to help bring awareness to a missing child case that happened on the island 15 years earlier, she's startled to see her own resemblance to the time-elapsed photo of the missing girl. She thinks maybe this could be the ultimate con, pretending to be the missing girl to collect a reward, but soon she starts to wonder if she actually is the missing girl.
This was an extremely quick and very light read. Sadie is not the most likable main character, especially at first, because she's scamming people for her own benefit. No matter how little she takes, it still isn't likable behavior, although it did set the stage for her personality and motivation throughout the story. It also helped set up the relationship between Sadie and her best friend, Brendan, who was interested in various cons as well, although mostly for the sheer entertainment aspect of it. Their friendship was quite strong, and even though I didn't love them or want them to be my own friends, they were interesting main characters.
The main plot of the book kept me hooked. Sadie wasn't much of a detective, but this also wasn't a mystery; instead, it's about a few weeks over the summer before college, when she's trying to figure out who she wants to be and who she is. The author did a nice job of showing the similarities between Sadie and the missing girl, leading the reader to understand how she could think (and why she would want to think!) she could be the missing girl.
I wish parts of the book had been a little more developed, but once again, that wasn't what the book was going for. It was simply a light read, and it filled that niche well. I guess my only complaint is that the ending seemed to happen slightly before the story should have ended; it felt like slightly more was needed, or at least an epilogue to know what happened after the end. I think I've had this complaint with some of the author's other books as well. It didn't ruin the book, but it just left a little more hanging than I would have liked. But who knows, perhaps there will be a sequel.
This was an extremely quick and very light read. Sadie is not the most likable main character, especially at first, because she's scamming people for her own benefit. No matter how little she takes, it still isn't likable behavior, although it did set the stage for her personality and motivation throughout the story. It also helped set up the relationship between Sadie and her best friend, Brendan, who was interested in various cons as well, although mostly for the sheer entertainment aspect of it. Their friendship was quite strong, and even though I didn't love them or want them to be my own friends, they were interesting main characters.
The main plot of the book kept me hooked. Sadie wasn't much of a detective, but this also wasn't a mystery; instead, it's about a few weeks over the summer before college, when she's trying to figure out who she wants to be and who she is. The author did a nice job of showing the similarities between Sadie and the missing girl, leading the reader to understand how she could think (and why she would want to think!) she could be the missing girl.
I wish parts of the book had been a little more developed, but once again, that wasn't what the book was going for. It was simply a light read, and it filled that niche well. I guess my only complaint is that the ending seemed to happen slightly before the story should have ended; it felt like slightly more was needed, or at least an epilogue to know what happened after the end. I think I've had this complaint with some of the author's other books as well. It didn't ruin the book, but it just left a little more hanging than I would have liked. But who knows, perhaps there will be a sequel.
January 9, 2013
My Thoughts: I was blown away by this one. I read a few reviews saying it didn't have much romance and wasn't all they thought it would be.
But myself, I still loved it quite a bit. We are introduced to Sadie who has always lived with her mother and father. Her mother is kind of a loner and her father is always in and out of jail. He is good at cons, or maybe not so good since he sure does get caught a lot. Sadie has picked up a bit from him but she only uses it to steal money for college and never over five dollars. She likes to think what she is doing is alright.
Sadie has a best friend named Brendan. Man, I loved this boy. He was charming and knew he was hot, but also had a soft spot for Sadie. I could tell from day one, he had a thing for her even if he was always sleeping with different girls.
Sadie gets quite a surprise and has to come up with a way to earn more money for college. It’s not going to be easy so she invents a story that she might look a bit like that girl Ava who went missing years ago. But as Sadie discovers more and more, she starts questioning things and what the truth may actually be.
I loved Sadie. I even loved how she started seeing Chase, even though she knew he couldn't be much more to her. He didn't really know her.
The Almost Truth is the cute little novel I wanted it be. Its hilarious, yet heartwarming. I liked the mystery, I liked the characters, and I liked Sadie in general. I liked learning about her life and what was right and wrong. I loved how she put clues together and it all dawned on her!
This one actually made me laugh a few times and smile constantly. Brendan was so cute and funny! Who wouldn't fall for this guy?
Even though this did have some serious messages, it was also a very fun read for me. I just had to know what was going to happen next and where Sadie would end up!
Overall: A fan of contempts? You have to give this one a chance! I adored it and loved it! It was a quick read for me but I loved every second of it. Fun plot, fun characters, and overall FUNTASTIC!
Cover: Love it! Love how she’s crossing her fingers, and love how he is holding her. CUTE!
What I’d Give It: 5/5 Cupcakes
____________
Taken From Princess Bookie
www.princessbookie.com
But myself, I still loved it quite a bit. We are introduced to Sadie who has always lived with her mother and father. Her mother is kind of a loner and her father is always in and out of jail. He is good at cons, or maybe not so good since he sure does get caught a lot. Sadie has picked up a bit from him but she only uses it to steal money for college and never over five dollars. She likes to think what she is doing is alright.
Sadie has a best friend named Brendan. Man, I loved this boy. He was charming and knew he was hot, but also had a soft spot for Sadie. I could tell from day one, he had a thing for her even if he was always sleeping with different girls.
Sadie gets quite a surprise and has to come up with a way to earn more money for college. It’s not going to be easy so she invents a story that she might look a bit like that girl Ava who went missing years ago. But as Sadie discovers more and more, she starts questioning things and what the truth may actually be.
I loved Sadie. I even loved how she started seeing Chase, even though she knew he couldn't be much more to her. He didn't really know her.
The Almost Truth is the cute little novel I wanted it be. Its hilarious, yet heartwarming. I liked the mystery, I liked the characters, and I liked Sadie in general. I liked learning about her life and what was right and wrong. I loved how she put clues together and it all dawned on her!
This one actually made me laugh a few times and smile constantly. Brendan was so cute and funny! Who wouldn't fall for this guy?
Even though this did have some serious messages, it was also a very fun read for me. I just had to know what was going to happen next and where Sadie would end up!
Overall: A fan of contempts? You have to give this one a chance! I adored it and loved it! It was a quick read for me but I loved every second of it. Fun plot, fun characters, and overall FUNTASTIC!
Cover: Love it! Love how she’s crossing her fingers, and love how he is holding her. CUTE!
What I’d Give It: 5/5 Cupcakes
____________
Taken From Princess Bookie
www.princessbookie.com
November 28, 2012
First off, the cover is a little bit deceiving. The 2 teens in an embrace would scream love story, then read the back and see that its about con artistry and your mind just races with other ideas. Though there is a bit of romance play out in The Almost Truth, it is no where near as much as one would think based on the cover alone.
Sadie has had it rough, she lives in a trailer with a hotel maid for a mother, and a father who can't stay out of jail. All Sadie wants is to get away, go to school and become someone else. A better version of herself. Her best friend Brendan wants more after the one night they spent together, though Sadie has no interest because she's counting down the days until she is out of here. The relationship between Sadie and Brendan is fun, they've been friends forever and you really see how Sadie will miss him, and Brendan downplays how much he'll miss Sadie. He's willing to do whatever to help Sadie though, even if it means losing her.
The con they are doing starts to take turns neither of them were expecting. Chase, the guy Sadie is hoping to get information from starts to play a bigger role to Sadie than just someone she's using, and secrets are revealed that no one is expecting.
While reading, I thought I had the whole story figured out. It was predictable (or so I thought!), I had it all figured out in my head but then plots take on new twists and turns and where I once thought I knew what was going to happen, I didn't anymore. Eileen Cook definitely has a way to get the reader sucked in and all of a sudden I was hooked and couldn't put the book down. And BAM, we are hit with the ultimate twist at the end of the book. I think I sat there with my mouth gaping because I was so shocked.
Fans of Eileen Cook will be pleased with this book, I'm assuming. This is my first book from this author but I really enjoyed it. The characters, the emotion, the twists and turns were great and I'd be interested in reading more from Cook. This is definitely a book you should ask to get for Christmas! (3.5)
Sadie has had it rough, she lives in a trailer with a hotel maid for a mother, and a father who can't stay out of jail. All Sadie wants is to get away, go to school and become someone else. A better version of herself. Her best friend Brendan wants more after the one night they spent together, though Sadie has no interest because she's counting down the days until she is out of here. The relationship between Sadie and Brendan is fun, they've been friends forever and you really see how Sadie will miss him, and Brendan downplays how much he'll miss Sadie. He's willing to do whatever to help Sadie though, even if it means losing her.
The con they are doing starts to take turns neither of them were expecting. Chase, the guy Sadie is hoping to get information from starts to play a bigger role to Sadie than just someone she's using, and secrets are revealed that no one is expecting.
While reading, I thought I had the whole story figured out. It was predictable (or so I thought!), I had it all figured out in my head but then plots take on new twists and turns and where I once thought I knew what was going to happen, I didn't anymore. Eileen Cook definitely has a way to get the reader sucked in and all of a sudden I was hooked and couldn't put the book down. And BAM, we are hit with the ultimate twist at the end of the book. I think I sat there with my mouth gaping because I was so shocked.
Fans of Eileen Cook will be pleased with this book, I'm assuming. This is my first book from this author but I really enjoyed it. The characters, the emotion, the twists and turns were great and I'd be interested in reading more from Cook. This is definitely a book you should ask to get for Christmas! (3.5)
April 4, 2016
Meine Erwartungen an diese Geschichte waren... ENORM. Ich schiebe diese Schuld auf eine gewisse Bloggerin, deren Name ich jetzt hier mal nicht nennen werde... hust Tanja hust Ich muss vorneweg sagen, dass meine Erwartungen leider nicht erfüllt worden sind, dass ich aber glaube, dass es eben daran lag, dass sie so hoch waren. Ich fand das Buch also gut, aber eben nicht sehr gut.
Es geht hier um die junge Sadie, die in eine Familie hineingeboren wurde, die ganz unten auf der Karriereleiter steht. Sie ist in einem Trailerpark groß geworden, ihr Vater sitzt im Gefängnis und ihre Mutter interessiert sich kaum dafür, was Sadie tut. Das einzige, was sie will, ist dieser Welt zu entkommen. Genau deshalb hat sie hart für einen Studienplatz gearbeitet und erklaut sich nebenbei ihr Studiengeld zusammen. Aber ihre Mutter nimmt genau dieses hart erarbeitete Geld und verwendet es für den Anwalt, der ihren Vater vertreten soll. Sadie glaubt, alles sei vorbei, bis sie die Anzeige einer sehr reichen Familie sieht, die nach ihrer verschwundenen Tochter suchen und das Fahndungsbild, das das verschwundene Mädchen zeigt, Sadie zum Verwechseln ähnelt. Die Idee für den größten Betrug überhaupt ist geboren, doch je mehr sich Sadie in die Ermittlungen um die Entführung stürzt, desto mehr stellt sich die Frage: Was wenn der große Betrug gar kein Betrug ist?
Ich fand die Geschichte zu Beginn einfach super! Sie war toll erwählt, Sadie als Hauptcharakter mag man sofort und auch ihr bester Freund Brendan war einfach klasse. Die Geschichte war clever und sehr amüsant erzählt und hatte auch sehr viel Tiefgang. Es ging darum, was einen als Person ausmacht, wo man hingehört in der Welt. All diese Fragen, die man sich in diesem Alter eben so stellt. Aber so toll ich den Beginn fand, so wenig mochte ich das Ende, auch wenn es unerwartet war. Es passte für mich nicht so recht zur Handlung und ist für meinen Geschmack auch einfach zu offen geblieben. Trotzdem war das Buch gut und mit Sicherheit nicht das letzte, was ich von Eileen Cook gelesen habe!
3,5 Sterne!
Es geht hier um die junge Sadie, die in eine Familie hineingeboren wurde, die ganz unten auf der Karriereleiter steht. Sie ist in einem Trailerpark groß geworden, ihr Vater sitzt im Gefängnis und ihre Mutter interessiert sich kaum dafür, was Sadie tut. Das einzige, was sie will, ist dieser Welt zu entkommen. Genau deshalb hat sie hart für einen Studienplatz gearbeitet und erklaut sich nebenbei ihr Studiengeld zusammen. Aber ihre Mutter nimmt genau dieses hart erarbeitete Geld und verwendet es für den Anwalt, der ihren Vater vertreten soll. Sadie glaubt, alles sei vorbei, bis sie die Anzeige einer sehr reichen Familie sieht, die nach ihrer verschwundenen Tochter suchen und das Fahndungsbild, das das verschwundene Mädchen zeigt, Sadie zum Verwechseln ähnelt. Die Idee für den größten Betrug überhaupt ist geboren, doch je mehr sich Sadie in die Ermittlungen um die Entführung stürzt, desto mehr stellt sich die Frage: Was wenn der große Betrug gar kein Betrug ist?
Ich fand die Geschichte zu Beginn einfach super! Sie war toll erwählt, Sadie als Hauptcharakter mag man sofort und auch ihr bester Freund Brendan war einfach klasse. Die Geschichte war clever und sehr amüsant erzählt und hatte auch sehr viel Tiefgang. Es ging darum, was einen als Person ausmacht, wo man hingehört in der Welt. All diese Fragen, die man sich in diesem Alter eben so stellt. Aber so toll ich den Beginn fand, so wenig mochte ich das Ende, auch wenn es unerwartet war. Es passte für mich nicht so recht zur Handlung und ist für meinen Geschmack auch einfach zu offen geblieben. Trotzdem war das Buch gut und mit Sicherheit nicht das letzte, was ich von Eileen Cook gelesen habe!
3,5 Sterne!
December 6, 2012
Review first published on my blog Feeling a Little Bookish (http://bookworm-meags222.blogspot.com)
Wow, what can I say about this book? It was fantastic! I have been in the worst reading slump I have even been in since I can remember. It started in August and continued until this month and this is one of those books that reaffirmed that I indeed do LOVE to read. This book is about Sadie whose mother steals her college money from her. Sadie then has to think of a new scheme to try and get money to get away from all the chaos of her current life. She pairs with Brendan and comes up with a pretty intense scam which may or may not involve a story in which Sadie was kidnapped as a child. This scheme ends up opening doors that Sadie never really wanted opened in the first place and in the end she learns a ton about herself and her relationship not only with her parents but also with her partner in crime Brendan.
I don't know what it was about this book that I loved. I don't think it's just one thing but a combination of many things. The writing sucks you in and is light at times but is also serious at other times. You can't help but feel for Sadie but at the same time you fall in love a bit with Brendan. He is a bit of a player but he has deep feelings for his best friend Sadie. I think that a part of my love for Sadie is the fact that I could totally relate to her. When I was a teen the one thing I wanted to do was get out of my small town and away from my family. This is something that I did but I never really stopped to think about how my decisions and my deep want to leave would affect the rest of my siblings and my good friends at the time.
Long story short, I love love loved this book! I couldn't put it down and I would definitley recommend it if you need a fun contemporary with a great main character.
Wow, what can I say about this book? It was fantastic! I have been in the worst reading slump I have even been in since I can remember. It started in August and continued until this month and this is one of those books that reaffirmed that I indeed do LOVE to read. This book is about Sadie whose mother steals her college money from her. Sadie then has to think of a new scheme to try and get money to get away from all the chaos of her current life. She pairs with Brendan and comes up with a pretty intense scam which may or may not involve a story in which Sadie was kidnapped as a child. This scheme ends up opening doors that Sadie never really wanted opened in the first place and in the end she learns a ton about herself and her relationship not only with her parents but also with her partner in crime Brendan.
I don't know what it was about this book that I loved. I don't think it's just one thing but a combination of many things. The writing sucks you in and is light at times but is also serious at other times. You can't help but feel for Sadie but at the same time you fall in love a bit with Brendan. He is a bit of a player but he has deep feelings for his best friend Sadie. I think that a part of my love for Sadie is the fact that I could totally relate to her. When I was a teen the one thing I wanted to do was get out of my small town and away from my family. This is something that I did but I never really stopped to think about how my decisions and my deep want to leave would affect the rest of my siblings and my good friends at the time.
Long story short, I love love loved this book! I couldn't put it down and I would definitley recommend it if you need a fun contemporary with a great main character.
April 20, 2017
Книга мне очень понравилась, несмотря на то, что в самом начале (да и потом тоже) периодически хотелось убить героиню. Конечно, семья у нее не идеальная, но идеальных семей и не бывает. То, как она относилась к матери... Меня это напрягло. После аннотации я думала, что мама у нее пьющая воровка. Ничего подобного, деньги она, конечно, «взяла», но именно «взяла», а не «своровала». Я даже поняла ее позицию. Героине все кругом все должны, а она никому ничего не должна. Ее только не устраивают все окружающие: родители, друг-парень. Все все делают не так, и она просто хочет сбежать. Я понимаю, жизнь в трейлере – не предел мечтаний, но у нее далеко не худшая жизнь. Не стоит истерики закатывать.
Но в целом книга довольно легкая, интересная, читается быстро. Я люблю такие книги (не всегда, но часто). Я прочитала ее за вечер, это порадовало, т. к. все остальное шло тяжело.
Плюс, порадовало, что героиня одумалась. И что автор реально понимал, что описывает ее поведение как неправильное. А то очень часто героини ведут себя просто как стервы-идиотки, а автор уверен, что они правы...
Но в целом книга довольно легкая, интересная, читается быстро. Я люблю такие книги (не всегда, но часто). Я прочитала ее за вечер, это порадовало, т. к. все остальное шло тяжело.
Плюс, порадовало, что героиня одумалась. И что автор реально понимал, что описывает ее поведение как неправильное. А то очень часто героини ведут себя просто как стервы-идиотки, а автор уверен, что они правы...
January 2, 2013
A ripoff of Caroline Cooney's "The Face on a Milk Carton" which left me wanting detergent for my brain at the end because nothing says "healthy, mature relationship" like teen sex after finding out (on the part of the girl) that the only father you can remember actually kidnapped you from your real parents and gave you to his wife to raise after their real child conveniently (for the plot) died and (on the part of the con-man boy) you are helping the girl's pretend parents flee the country while the girl is on the verge of reclaiming her rightful place in richie-rich society. But it's all OK because con-boy loved her before the toddler-switcheroo started coming to light...and the handsome, rich boy whom her real parents trust to help them with their missing child foundation somehow ends up being a jerk...and the mom was innocent of kidnapping even if mom's co-workers at the hotel she was taken from seemed to suspect mom had the kidnapped child....
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 6, 2013
SUCH A GOOD BOOK!
I have never read a book by Eileen Cook before, so this is my first. I am very impressed and will read more by her.
The whole story kept me guessing. I couldn't decide what was going to happen. This book keeps you on your toes, which I love. Secrets are uncovered, Sadie's parents have a strong love and everything about this book is incredible.
Eileen thought of a great idea and executed it well. Her characters were all real and you could feel what Sadie was feeling.
I highly recommend this book. You won't regret picking it up.
I have never read a book by Eileen Cook before, so this is my first. I am very impressed and will read more by her.
The whole story kept me guessing. I couldn't decide what was going to happen. This book keeps you on your toes, which I love. Secrets are uncovered, Sadie's parents have a strong love and everything about this book is incredible.
Eileen thought of a great idea and executed it well. Her characters were all real and you could feel what Sadie was feeling.
I highly recommend this book. You won't regret picking it up.
May 15, 2012
I love Eileen Cook's novels: they always manage to be unique, but with a classic feel, the kind of book teens will read for years to come. Her newest is such a book - surprisingly warm, with an instantly likable main character, and unexpected twists and turns. Despite the sometimes unhappy subject matter, "The Almost Truth" left me feeling good!
December 28, 2012
Publisher summary: When a teenaged con artist realizes that she looks like an age-enhanced photo of a missing child, she decides to pull the ultimate con, then begins to suspect she may actually be the missing child.
Pretty good - reminded me of another book I read ~5 yrs ago, maybe by Deb Caletti. Easily recommend-able to teen readers.
Pretty good - reminded me of another book I read ~5 yrs ago, maybe by Deb Caletti. Easily recommend-able to teen readers.
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