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To Be Perfectly Honest: A Novel Based on an Untrue Story
Her friends
have a joke about her:
How can you tell if Colette is lying?
Her mouth is open.
Fifteen-year-old Colette is addicted to lying. Her shrink says this is because she’s got a very bad case of Daughter-of-a-famous-movie-star Disorder—so she lies to escape out from under her mother’s massive shadow. But Colette doesn’t see it that way. She says she lies because it’s the most fun she can have with her clothes on. Not that she’s had that much fun with her clothes off. At least not yet, anyway…
When her mother drags her away from Hollywood to spend the entire summer on location in a boring little town in the middle of nowhere, Colette is less than thrilled. But then she meets a sexy biker named Connor. He’s older, gorgeous, funny, and totally into her. So what if she lies to him about her age, and about who her mother is? I mean, she has to keep her mother’s identity a secret from him. If he finds out who she really is, he’ll forget all about Colette, and start panting and drooling and asking her for her mother’s autograph. Just like everyone always does.
But what Colette doesn’t know is that Connor is keeping a secret of his own…
have a joke about her:
How can you tell if Colette is lying?
Her mouth is open.
Fifteen-year-old Colette is addicted to lying. Her shrink says this is because she’s got a very bad case of Daughter-of-a-famous-movie-star Disorder—so she lies to escape out from under her mother’s massive shadow. But Colette doesn’t see it that way. She says she lies because it’s the most fun she can have with her clothes on. Not that she’s had that much fun with her clothes off. At least not yet, anyway…
When her mother drags her away from Hollywood to spend the entire summer on location in a boring little town in the middle of nowhere, Colette is less than thrilled. But then she meets a sexy biker named Connor. He’s older, gorgeous, funny, and totally into her. So what if she lies to him about her age, and about who her mother is? I mean, she has to keep her mother’s identity a secret from him. If he finds out who she really is, he’ll forget all about Colette, and start panting and drooling and asking her for her mother’s autograph. Just like everyone always does.
But what Colette doesn’t know is that Connor is keeping a secret of his own…
496 pages, Hardcover
First published August 27, 2013
40 people are currently reading
2769 people want to read
About the author
Sonya Sones
17 books764 followersSONYA SONES has written seven young adult novels in verse: Stop Pretending, What My Mother Doesn’t Know, What My Girlfriend Doesn’t Know, One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies, To Be Perfectly Honest, Saving Red, and The Opposite of Innocent.
Her books have received many awards, including a Christopher Award, the Myra Cohn Livingston Award for Poetry, the Claudia Lewis Poetry Award, a Los Angeles Times Book Prize nomination and a Cuffie Award from Publisher’s Weekly for Best Book Title of the year. But the coolest honor she ever received was when her novel, What My Mother Doesn’t Know, landed her a spot on the American Library Association’s list of the Most Frequently Banned Authors of the 21st Century. (To find out why, see page 46.)
Sonya has also written a novel in verse for grownups—the Los Angeles Times bestseller The Hunchback of Neiman Marcus, a coming of middle-age story about learning to grow old disgracefully, which was optioned by Michelle Pfeiffer, and has contributed poems and short stories in verse to lots of anthologies.
Her books have been recognized by the American Library Association as Best Books for Young Adults and Quick Picks For Reluctant Young Readers, and have received a dozen state awards for Best Young Adult Book of the Year.
Her books have received many awards, including a Christopher Award, the Myra Cohn Livingston Award for Poetry, the Claudia Lewis Poetry Award, a Los Angeles Times Book Prize nomination and a Cuffie Award from Publisher’s Weekly for Best Book Title of the year. But the coolest honor she ever received was when her novel, What My Mother Doesn’t Know, landed her a spot on the American Library Association’s list of the Most Frequently Banned Authors of the 21st Century. (To find out why, see page 46.)
Sonya has also written a novel in verse for grownups—the Los Angeles Times bestseller The Hunchback of Neiman Marcus, a coming of middle-age story about learning to grow old disgracefully, which was optioned by Michelle Pfeiffer, and has contributed poems and short stories in verse to lots of anthologies.
Her books have been recognized by the American Library Association as Best Books for Young Adults and Quick Picks For Reluctant Young Readers, and have received a dozen state awards for Best Young Adult Book of the Year.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 233 reviews
March 17, 2017
A book narrated by a compulsive liar should maybe be a bit more interesting than this. Not that this is bad, just a fairly ordinary story about a girl getting caught up in a summer romance. Colette's lying does add a bit of interest, and her character arc is certainly convincing. There's also a very precocious and actually lisping little brother, who borders on annoying more than once.
September 21, 2013
This book was perfectly brilliant, but it also made me question my faith in humanity. I'll talk about the perfectly brilliant part for the main portion of the review; the questioning my faith in humanity has to be saved for the spoilers section, because I don't want to ruin the book for you.
To Be Perfectly Honest tells the story of Colette, the daughter of a famous movie star and a self-admitted liar. Colette lies--or tells stories, depending on how you look at it--constantly, because despite her privileged life, she's actually pretty miserable. She's stuck spending the summer in a middle of nowhere town, babysitting her younger brother while her mom shoots a film. Luckily, she meets this awesome guy which makes things much more interesting, though she worries that he'll discover her lies.
What's brilliant about this book is that it's a contemporary story told in poetry form. The poems are readable and natura/l, yet the verse significantly adds to the storytelling. I loved the way the author integrated the titles of the poems into the story itself, sometimes making it a snippet of the dialogue or a part of the first sentence, and yet always choosing something that was representative of the poem. Each poem or chapter is only 1 or 2 pages long, and I found myself unable to stop between one poem and myself.
Despite being constantly reminded this is fiction, I found myself constantly thinking how real-life this felt and wondering if it really happened. Lies and truth are constantly interwoven, creating a powerful story. If you're feeling in the mood for some YA contemporary fiction, I definitely recommend this novel.
And now for the spoiler-packed part of the review....
To Be Perfectly Honest tells the story of Colette, the daughter of a famous movie star and a self-admitted liar. Colette lies--or tells stories, depending on how you look at it--constantly, because despite her privileged life, she's actually pretty miserable. She's stuck spending the summer in a middle of nowhere town, babysitting her younger brother while her mom shoots a film. Luckily, she meets this awesome guy which makes things much more interesting, though she worries that he'll discover her lies.
What's brilliant about this book is that it's a contemporary story told in poetry form. The poems are readable and natura/l, yet the verse significantly adds to the storytelling. I loved the way the author integrated the titles of the poems into the story itself, sometimes making it a snippet of the dialogue or a part of the first sentence, and yet always choosing something that was representative of the poem. Each poem or chapter is only 1 or 2 pages long, and I found myself unable to stop between one poem and myself.
Despite being constantly reminded this is fiction, I found myself constantly thinking how real-life this felt and wondering if it really happened. Lies and truth are constantly interwoven, creating a powerful story. If you're feeling in the mood for some YA contemporary fiction, I definitely recommend this novel.
And now for the spoiler-packed part of the review....
August 15, 2014
A compulsive liar is telling you a story...
Should be interesting, I think.
I think wrong.
Because all the great potential I thought would be lived out in the book tumbled to the ground (of my mind) like a card tower. After. The. First. Chapter.
So yeah-- that whole "unreliable narrator" factor doesn't exist, because although Collette lies a ton, it is always obvious to the reader when she is lying. There's no moment during a long, elaborate lie-spiel when you're like, oh my gosh, I can't believe this is happening!, because it is always painfully obvious that Collette is lying to you.
And the romance sucked. And the characters sucked. And the cover kind of sucked too, so I guess all this book has going for it is an intriguing title.
Should be interesting, I think.
I think wrong.
Because all the great potential I thought would be lived out in the book tumbled to the ground (of my mind) like a card tower. After. The. First. Chapter.
So yeah-- that whole "unreliable narrator" factor doesn't exist, because although Collette lies a ton, it is always obvious to the reader when she is lying. There's no moment during a long, elaborate lie-spiel when you're like, oh my gosh, I can't believe this is happening!, because it is always painfully obvious that Collette is lying to you.
And the romance sucked. And the characters sucked. And the cover kind of sucked too, so I guess all this book has going for it is an intriguing title.
April 16, 2020
So this book has been on the backseat of my car since I picked it up from the post office on March 12th. See, it was the last book in a book order I had made and then all schools were closed due to preventive measures and so this week I decided to add it to the weekly reading pile. I am so glad that I did because Sonya Sones has a new fan in me.
Lying's What I Do
I'm sort of known
for it
The kids at school
even have a joke about me:
How can you tell
if Colette is lying?
Her mouth
is open.
Written entirely in verse, teenage protagonist Collette and her brother Will are off to spend another summer vacation in a hotel while their Mom films a movie. Collette's quite certain that she'll probably spend the entire summer lost in her dreams because nothing exciting will happen. That's until she meets Connor.
So I was not expecting that this book would keep me lingering over my breakfast but it did. Those looking for a moral tale will surely be disappointed but I did appreciate the escapism. If we ever get back to school I am definitely taking out the other Sones novel in our library.
Goodreads review published 16/04/20
Lying's What I Do
I'm sort of known
for it
The kids at school
even have a joke about me:
How can you tell
if Colette is lying?
Her mouth
is open.
Written entirely in verse, teenage protagonist Collette and her brother Will are off to spend another summer vacation in a hotel while their Mom films a movie. Collette's quite certain that she'll probably spend the entire summer lost in her dreams because nothing exciting will happen. That's until she meets Connor.
So I was not expecting that this book would keep me lingering over my breakfast but it did. Those looking for a moral tale will surely be disappointed but I did appreciate the escapism. If we ever get back to school I am definitely taking out the other Sones novel in our library.
Goodreads review published 16/04/20
March 4, 2021
I love this book so much. To be honest this book did trick me a couple of times but I love how in the end she changes her life and decides to stop lying for her brother and how her brother gives her a notebook to write her stories in and how she says. "Maybe you've just read my first book." I would totally read this book again and never get tired of the romance, comedy, and suspense.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 18, 2017
3.5 stars. This definitely kept me entertained. It's written in verse so it was super quick to read. There were a few parts that really made me angry, but overall a solid read.
June 24, 2013
Colette's mother is a movie star, and this summer, she's shuffling Colette and her little brother away from their home and the promise summer in Paris to a small town in California where she's filming her next movie. Colette's beyond bummed about this, but when she meets Connor, she starts to sing a little bit of a different tune. Maybe it won't be so bad when there's a cute boy around.
Something to know about Colette: she's a liar. She lies about everything. And it's not that she's an unreliable narrator. She's completely reliable -- if you accept she's a liar.
Colette and Connor are in lovvveee or so it feels. And when Colette tells her mother she needs alone time with Connor, away from her brother, her mother grants this wish to her. She even leaves a box of condoms, in order for them to be truly safe.
But Colette's not ready for that quite yet. Even though she's told Connor she's 18 (she's not -- she's 15) and that she's experiences (she's not -- she's a virgin), when the time comes for them to take their relationship somewhere more physical, she takes a stand and says no.
That's when Connor gets back at her for her lies.
The turnaround in Colette is believable and I was appreciative of it. I didn't love her as a character but that's why I was compelled by her. In fact, when she was prepared to take Connor for a ride herself, I was really invested. Would she REALLY go through with her plans or was this a rouse on us, as readers?
I felt the end of this book was almost a cheap way out of the story. But I had to remember the main character is 15 -- just turned 16 at that point -- and so it was less of a cheap way out and more of a realistic way out of HER story. I believe her and it, even if it wasn't my favorite ending.
Sones masters verse novels. This is how verse WORKS. It plays with the story, and it tells enough, leaving enough UNSAID to make the reader wonder where and how Colette is leading us on. Her voice is spot on, and I thought the relationship she had with her learning-disabled younger brother was sweet and authentic. The wrap up with her mother and her mother's boyfriend was a little schmaltzy for me, but it was believable in context of the story.
This one is for YA readers who like challenging characters, who like verse novels, and who are good with "tough" topics like sex, drugs, and drinking in their books. Even though Colette is on the younger side, this is one to hand to younger teen readers only if they're ready and like those topics tackled in their books (and many do!). I wouldn't put this on the level of Ellen Hopkins in terms of content, but I'd say it's a stepping stone to readers who will go to Hopkins down the road.
Longer review to come!
Something to know about Colette: she's a liar. She lies about everything. And it's not that she's an unreliable narrator. She's completely reliable -- if you accept she's a liar.
Colette and Connor are in lovvveee or so it feels. And when Colette tells her mother she needs alone time with Connor, away from her brother, her mother grants this wish to her. She even leaves a box of condoms, in order for them to be truly safe.
But Colette's not ready for that quite yet. Even though she's told Connor she's 18 (she's not -- she's 15) and that she's experiences (she's not -- she's a virgin), when the time comes for them to take their relationship somewhere more physical, she takes a stand and says no.
That's when Connor gets back at her for her lies.
The turnaround in Colette is believable and I was appreciative of it. I didn't love her as a character but that's why I was compelled by her. In fact, when she was prepared to take Connor for a ride herself, I was really invested. Would she REALLY go through with her plans or was this a rouse on us, as readers?
I felt the end of this book was almost a cheap way out of the story. But I had to remember the main character is 15 -- just turned 16 at that point -- and so it was less of a cheap way out and more of a realistic way out of HER story. I believe her and it, even if it wasn't my favorite ending.
Sones masters verse novels. This is how verse WORKS. It plays with the story, and it tells enough, leaving enough UNSAID to make the reader wonder where and how Colette is leading us on. Her voice is spot on, and I thought the relationship she had with her learning-disabled younger brother was sweet and authentic. The wrap up with her mother and her mother's boyfriend was a little schmaltzy for me, but it was believable in context of the story.
This one is for YA readers who like challenging characters, who like verse novels, and who are good with "tough" topics like sex, drugs, and drinking in their books. Even though Colette is on the younger side, this is one to hand to younger teen readers only if they're ready and like those topics tackled in their books (and many do!). I wouldn't put this on the level of Ellen Hopkins in terms of content, but I'd say it's a stepping stone to readers who will go to Hopkins down the road.
Longer review to come!
Read
March 23, 2014To be perfectly honest, I really got into this free verse poetry novel about a girl who has a tendency to lie, lie, lie. Things that I really enjoyed:
1. Colette and her honesty about lying.
2. Her movie star mother - though I thought she was a little lax on letting a 15-year-old girl spend a weekend with a boy?!?!
3. The brother Will and his lisp.
4. The pacing of the story was great, and I was taken in by the characters.
5. The farmer's market was cool.
6. A great ending.
7. Let's be perfectly honest . . . well . . . most of the time!!!!
Anyone who enjoys free verse poetry will appreciate this novel very much. Great for reluctant readers.
1. Colette and her honesty about lying.
2. Her movie star mother - though I thought she was a little lax on letting a 15-year-old girl spend a weekend with a boy?!?!
3. The brother Will and his lisp.
4. The pacing of the story was great, and I was taken in by the characters.
5. The farmer's market was cool.
6. A great ending.
7. Let's be perfectly honest . . . well . . . most of the time!!!!
Anyone who enjoys free verse poetry will appreciate this novel very much. Great for reluctant readers.
April 25, 2014
This book was really nostalgic for me. I didn't know she had written another book and I was really excited to read this.
February 11, 2016
I finished this book a while ago and it was like literally the best love book ever! I love Sonya Sones books but this was my favorite there was like so much adventure and more!!!!!!
January 31, 2018
Although I've really enjoyed some of Sonya Sones' more recent work, To Be Perfectly Honest was disappointing. The central gimmick--that Colette frequently lapses into elaborate lies--felt like an annoying distraction rather than a clever narrative device. It was always frustrating to learn that certain episodes of the story didn't actually occur, particularly since there was no real payoff--I just had to strike the section from my memory and continue reading. There were also several incidents which I was certain would be revealed as lies but never were (such as Connor bumping into Colette at the fair after their only contact had been passing on the highway or the single stanza in which Colette and Connor are described as going hang gliding, seeing a meteor shower, and learning to juggle in the space of a week). Although these improbable events may have been intended to intensify the impression that Colette's narration isn't trustworthy, they just lowered my investment in the narrative.
An additional issue with this book is that the fun, jokey tone of the narration seems mismatched with the content of the plot, which involves a manipulative 21-year-old seducing a 15-year-old and making repeated attempts to have sex with her, including one effort which involves feeding her pot brownies without her knowledge. Between a storyline that made me extremely uncomfortable and a narrative gimmick that left me frustrated, I did not enjoy To Be Perfectly Honest. If you're interested in Sonya Sones' books, I would strongly recommend you start with Saving Red or What My Mother Doesn't Know.
An additional issue with this book is that the fun, jokey tone of the narration seems mismatched with the content of the plot, which involves a manipulative 21-year-old seducing a 15-year-old and making repeated attempts to have sex with her, including one effort which involves feeding her pot brownies without her knowledge. Between a storyline that made me extremely uncomfortable and a narrative gimmick that left me frustrated, I did not enjoy To Be Perfectly Honest. If you're interested in Sonya Sones' books, I would strongly recommend you start with Saving Red or What My Mother Doesn't Know.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 7, 2019
Probably would be 5★ except for Collete's super annoying little brother.
August 11, 2013
A couple of months ago I got an email from Simon & Schuster with a list of galleys they had available and was quick to take a fast glance at the synopsis and cover for To Be Perfectly Honest and put my request in. Upon receiving the book I was sure that the swiftness with which I requested it had surely come back to bite me in the butt because I opened it and realized that the book is told in verse. But I requested it so I had to see what it was all about, and I have to say that the way in which it was told wasn’t bothersome to me at all though I did have a few issues with the actual story itself.
First of all, let me say that reading verse books makes you feel like a speed reading machine! This book was just shy of 500 pages and I read it in one sitting in the beginning part of a Sunday afternoon. Saying I breezed through this thing doesn’t even describe the quickness with which I finished it. I had also worried that the writing would feel choppy to me, but it didn’t. It actually read in my head just like a regular book would have, to the point that I wondered why it was told in verse and not just written like a regular book. I mean there were a few rhyme-y parts here and there but for the most part it felt just like reading a regular book with weird lines to me. I guess all the classic poetry you get stuck reading in school has you frightened of huge words and imagery that you can’t quite grasp, but rest assured that this is nothing like that. It felt incredibly natural and I actually enjoyed how much I was able to get from the book with it’s straight to the point writing.
So as far as characterizations and plot go I have to say that I was also surprised with how well our MC Colette was developed. She wasn’t someone that I would like in real life, she was a liar, a huge liar. This girl lied about the most trivial things and was pretty proud of herself about how good she was at it. She took compulsive liar to a whole new level. That being said, I did feel like I understood her. Looking back, I lied about some pretty stupid stuff when I was her age as well (though definitely not to this extreme) so I think I was able to connect with her a little bit even though I didn’t expect to be able to. I also really liked her little brother Will. He had a lisp and everything he said was written in such a cute way and I found myself trying to decipher his words and giggling to myself a bit here and there.
We get to go through a tumultuous summer romance with Colette and see her realize first hand how her lying affects those around her. We didn’t get to see as much growth as I was hoping for because the ending felt incredibly rushed. And really, to get to the end we had to wade through quite a bit of outlandish happenings. We had to cherry pick what we believed in the story and all of the lying gets taken to some pretty weird extremes. So I guess I am saying that while I breezed through this novel and was interested enough in it, I didn’t really connect to any of the happenings. It felt really over the top to me, which I think it was supposed to, but that kept me from getting lost in it as anything more than a fun passive read. On the bright side, I came out of it not so scared of verse books anymore!
An Advance Reader's Copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
--
You can read all of my reviews at Alluring Reads.
First of all, let me say that reading verse books makes you feel like a speed reading machine! This book was just shy of 500 pages and I read it in one sitting in the beginning part of a Sunday afternoon. Saying I breezed through this thing doesn’t even describe the quickness with which I finished it. I had also worried that the writing would feel choppy to me, but it didn’t. It actually read in my head just like a regular book would have, to the point that I wondered why it was told in verse and not just written like a regular book. I mean there were a few rhyme-y parts here and there but for the most part it felt just like reading a regular book with weird lines to me. I guess all the classic poetry you get stuck reading in school has you frightened of huge words and imagery that you can’t quite grasp, but rest assured that this is nothing like that. It felt incredibly natural and I actually enjoyed how much I was able to get from the book with it’s straight to the point writing.
So as far as characterizations and plot go I have to say that I was also surprised with how well our MC Colette was developed. She wasn’t someone that I would like in real life, she was a liar, a huge liar. This girl lied about the most trivial things and was pretty proud of herself about how good she was at it. She took compulsive liar to a whole new level. That being said, I did feel like I understood her. Looking back, I lied about some pretty stupid stuff when I was her age as well (though definitely not to this extreme) so I think I was able to connect with her a little bit even though I didn’t expect to be able to. I also really liked her little brother Will. He had a lisp and everything he said was written in such a cute way and I found myself trying to decipher his words and giggling to myself a bit here and there.
We get to go through a tumultuous summer romance with Colette and see her realize first hand how her lying affects those around her. We didn’t get to see as much growth as I was hoping for because the ending felt incredibly rushed. And really, to get to the end we had to wade through quite a bit of outlandish happenings. We had to cherry pick what we believed in the story and all of the lying gets taken to some pretty weird extremes. So I guess I am saying that while I breezed through this novel and was interested enough in it, I didn’t really connect to any of the happenings. It felt really over the top to me, which I think it was supposed to, but that kept me from getting lost in it as anything more than a fun passive read. On the bright side, I came out of it not so scared of verse books anymore!
An Advance Reader's Copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
--
You can read all of my reviews at Alluring Reads.
August 7, 2013
The original review of this book can be found on my blog.
I love this book! I would recommend it to anyone who likes Ellen Hopkins or books written in verse.
Colette lies. A lot! She loves to make up stories and that is going to be her downfall. She uses the excuse of her mothers stardom as the reason she lies/reinvents her life.
I did find it kind of rude that Marissa Shawn changed her kids summer plans at the last minute for selfish movie star reasons. I know this probably isn't really how famous peoples children live but I am glad that my parents are boring and normal.
Will was an adorable little brother. He was definitely wise beyond his years. When I read the line saying "thith ith either about bacon or thex." I died laughing. Oh, yeah, bacon is a staple in this book. Which for most people would have them instantly sold. But I don't like bacon. So the book had to use other charms to draw me in.
Enter Conner. He seemed like such an awesome, amazing guy. I was hoping he would be good for Colette and help her learn to not lie. In the end, he did help her start to not lie, but for entirely different reasons than what I was initially hoping for.
With Conner, Colette met her match. You'd think with how much she like to make things up that she would be about to tell when someone is doing the exact same thing. But the reality is, ever liars don't like to believe that other people lie.
I did and I didn't like the ending. I was kind of hoping the Colette would go through with her revenge plot. I understand that she wanted to "do the right thing" but sometimes people do really need to be taught a lesson.
I am glad that Jack truly wanted to stay in the picture. Having him around will probably help balance Colette out and make her life more family oriented. I am also glad that by the end of this book Marissa Shawn seems to be more of a motherly figure than she started out as.
I have heard people say that books written in verse are stupid/pointless because you don't get much of a story out of it. These people, honestly, couldn't be more wrong. I feel that I got more out of this book than I have gotten out of any of the 500+ page books I have read that were written with the tiniest font.
Overall, I gave this book 5/5 stars. In short, I would say, sometimes the truth hurts, but lying is much worse.
I love this book! I would recommend it to anyone who likes Ellen Hopkins or books written in verse.
Colette lies. A lot! She loves to make up stories and that is going to be her downfall. She uses the excuse of her mothers stardom as the reason she lies/reinvents her life.
I did find it kind of rude that Marissa Shawn changed her kids summer plans at the last minute for selfish movie star reasons. I know this probably isn't really how famous peoples children live but I am glad that my parents are boring and normal.
Will was an adorable little brother. He was definitely wise beyond his years. When I read the line saying "thith ith either about bacon or thex." I died laughing. Oh, yeah, bacon is a staple in this book. Which for most people would have them instantly sold. But I don't like bacon. So the book had to use other charms to draw me in.
Enter Conner. He seemed like such an awesome, amazing guy. I was hoping he would be good for Colette and help her learn to not lie. In the end, he did help her start to not lie, but for entirely different reasons than what I was initially hoping for.
With Conner, Colette met her match. You'd think with how much she like to make things up that she would be about to tell when someone is doing the exact same thing. But the reality is, ever liars don't like to believe that other people lie.
I did and I didn't like the ending. I was kind of hoping the Colette would go through with her revenge plot. I understand that she wanted to "do the right thing" but sometimes people do really need to be taught a lesson.
I am glad that Jack truly wanted to stay in the picture. Having him around will probably help balance Colette out and make her life more family oriented. I am also glad that by the end of this book Marissa Shawn seems to be more of a motherly figure than she started out as.
I have heard people say that books written in verse are stupid/pointless because you don't get much of a story out of it. These people, honestly, couldn't be more wrong. I feel that I got more out of this book than I have gotten out of any of the 500+ page books I have read that were written with the tiniest font.
Overall, I gave this book 5/5 stars. In short, I would say, sometimes the truth hurts, but lying is much worse.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 11, 2013
It's been a long time since I've read a novel in verse, but I have to say that I liked it. This books was a fast read, one that I really enjoyed.
Colette is addicted to lying. Lies come more naturally to her than the truth. This made for an interesting read because a lot of what she says isn't true. As she points out, she is a very unreliable narrator. Of course, she always fesses up to her lies (at least to the reader), so this wasn't a hard book to follow. You didn't have to try to shift through all the stories and figure out what was true and what wasn't, which was nice.
I don't usually like liars, but I found myself starting to connect with Colette and feel sort of sorry for her and even like her. Her mother's so wrapped up in her own life that she doesn't seem to realize what she's doing to her kids. Will is sort of annoying sometimes but it still one of my favorite kids in books. Usually little kids are annoying all the time and are only really there to make me want to put the book down (or at least that's what it feels like to me). But Will was a good kid. He was annoying at times, but more often than not he went along with Colette and made her happy, which was nice to read about. It seemed like a realistic relationship.
Even Colette's mother seemed realistic. I've read a lot of books with an evil mother character, so it was nice to see that Marissa wasn't all bad. I hated her in the beginning, but she came around eventually, which I appreciated. That felt more like a real relationship. She's selfish sometimes and loving other times. Just like real people are.
Connor's a fascinating character. He and Colette were on the same wavelength most of the time, and that made it really easy for me to believe why she became obsessed with him so fast.
That's not to say that this book was perfect. Some parts were sort of cheesy. The ending, especially, seemed a bit sudden and not that realistic. Still, the rest of the book was good, so I can deal with a sort of cheesy ending.
I will definitely be reading more from this author in the future.
Colette is addicted to lying. Lies come more naturally to her than the truth. This made for an interesting read because a lot of what she says isn't true. As she points out, she is a very unreliable narrator. Of course, she always fesses up to her lies (at least to the reader), so this wasn't a hard book to follow. You didn't have to try to shift through all the stories and figure out what was true and what wasn't, which was nice.
I don't usually like liars, but I found myself starting to connect with Colette and feel sort of sorry for her and even like her. Her mother's so wrapped up in her own life that she doesn't seem to realize what she's doing to her kids. Will is sort of annoying sometimes but it still one of my favorite kids in books. Usually little kids are annoying all the time and are only really there to make me want to put the book down (or at least that's what it feels like to me). But Will was a good kid. He was annoying at times, but more often than not he went along with Colette and made her happy, which was nice to read about. It seemed like a realistic relationship.
Even Colette's mother seemed realistic. I've read a lot of books with an evil mother character, so it was nice to see that Marissa wasn't all bad. I hated her in the beginning, but she came around eventually, which I appreciated. That felt more like a real relationship. She's selfish sometimes and loving other times. Just like real people are.
Connor's a fascinating character. He and Colette were on the same wavelength most of the time, and that made it really easy for me to believe why she became obsessed with him so fast.
That's not to say that this book was perfect. Some parts were sort of cheesy. The ending, especially, seemed a bit sudden and not that realistic. Still, the rest of the book was good, so I can deal with a sort of cheesy ending.
I will definitely be reading more from this author in the future.
May 30, 2013
Addicted to lying is an understantement for Colette, half the time I could not tell when she was lying and telling the truth! I think I need to keep this book away from my daughter, less she gets some ideas. lol. I dont want to give anything away in the book, but I found myself highty upset at Connor at the end and was impressed with the how Colette handled the situation. I have to say there were moments that shocked me with the mom. I mean I cannot imaging handing my 14 year old daughter a box of condoms as a gift and giving her a hotel for the weekend! Insaine-even for a "movie star."
This was a fantastic, light hearted, funny 2 day read just when I needed it. It lightened my spirits and took me back to when I was a teenager myself. The characters were humerous, and drew you into their lives.I felt the character growth was right on target for their ages and situations they went through in the book. I remind my daughter all the time of the extreme boys will go to to get "the goods" that are rightfully her husbands alone, despite how it will tarnish her. My sons I remind them on how easily it is to ruin a young ladies reputation and to treat a girl as they want to see their sister and mother being treated-with repsect and dignity of a future wife.
I would receommend this book for anyone ages 13 and up who want a great summer read to lighten your heart.
Disclaimer: I received an advance copy of this book from Simon and Schuster in exchange for my honest opinion.
This was a fantastic, light hearted, funny 2 day read just when I needed it. It lightened my spirits and took me back to when I was a teenager myself. The characters were humerous, and drew you into their lives.I felt the character growth was right on target for their ages and situations they went through in the book. I remind my daughter all the time of the extreme boys will go to to get "the goods" that are rightfully her husbands alone, despite how it will tarnish her. My sons I remind them on how easily it is to ruin a young ladies reputation and to treat a girl as they want to see their sister and mother being treated-with repsect and dignity of a future wife.
I would receommend this book for anyone ages 13 and up who want a great summer read to lighten your heart.
Disclaimer: I received an advance copy of this book from Simon and Schuster in exchange for my honest opinion.
July 16, 2013
Holy mother of unreliable narrators, this takes compulsive liars to the brink! I was a little bit wary going into this book because I've never read anything in verse before but Sones masters it - the verse is perfect and reads so well, only going into noticable verse at some points which worked really well. I was totally sold on the idea of an unreliable narrator and I was expecting this book to be a bit heavier. This book does deal with some heavy issues but it deals with them so well, I loved watching Colette's growth and seeing how she matured throughout the novel. The last part of the book was fantastic, when Colette realises that she needs to stop lying and face up to her life.
To start with I really liked Connor, he seemed really genuine which I guess is why Colette liked him so much as well, but then the reader begins to see through him. I was screaming for Colette to get a grip and realise what was going on! Despite the fact that she was an unreliable narrator, I really did like Colette - she was a unique character but she has her issues in life and deals with them the best that she could. I absolutely loved little Will, he was a joy in this book!
To Be Perfectly Honest is a short book and so it doesn't go too deep into any of the characters or the issues, but I really think that it does what it intends to - nothing less and nothing more. It was a fun book that dealt with some less than fun issues and it's executed very well.
Overall Rating: B
To start with I really liked Connor, he seemed really genuine which I guess is why Colette liked him so much as well, but then the reader begins to see through him. I was screaming for Colette to get a grip and realise what was going on! Despite the fact that she was an unreliable narrator, I really did like Colette - she was a unique character but she has her issues in life and deals with them the best that she could. I absolutely loved little Will, he was a joy in this book!
To Be Perfectly Honest is a short book and so it doesn't go too deep into any of the characters or the issues, but I really think that it does what it intends to - nothing less and nothing more. It was a fun book that dealt with some less than fun issues and it's executed very well.
Overall Rating: B
September 23, 2014
Colette, the protagonist, is one of the most annoying little sh*ts it has ever been my displeasure to see through the eyes of. She's even a failure as an unreliable narrator because she tells you when she's lying and when she's not. The whole point about an unreliable narrator (Pale Fire) is that you can't actually tell if they're lying.
There are no characters in this book worth thinking about: Connor the boyfriend; Self-Absorbed Woman aka mom & her thinly drawn boyfriend, Cardboard Man. Colette's little brother (did he have to lisp? It's such a cheap parody of a little kid) is obnoxious, but growing up in a train wreck of a family, it's not his fault.
The "plot" centers around Colette, spoiled daughter of Hollywood royalty, deciding whether she's really in love ... LOVE!!! OMG!!! with the cute idiot boy on the motorcycle.
The writing is
in blank verse.
Just in case
the book could be
any
worse more pathetic.
The good thing about the verse style is it shrinks the massive book down to about three hours of reading. Still, that's three hours of my life
I'll never
get
back.
OMG!
There are no characters in this book worth thinking about: Connor the boyfriend; Self-Absorbed Woman aka mom & her thinly drawn boyfriend, Cardboard Man. Colette's little brother (did he have to lisp? It's such a cheap parody of a little kid) is obnoxious, but growing up in a train wreck of a family, it's not his fault.
The "plot" centers around Colette, spoiled daughter of Hollywood royalty, deciding whether she's really in love ... LOVE!!! OMG!!! with the cute idiot boy on the motorcycle.
The writing is
in blank verse.
Just in case
the book could be
any
The good thing about the verse style is it shrinks the massive book down to about three hours of reading. Still, that's three hours of my life
I'll never
get
back.
OMG!
September 30, 2013
Collette is a liar. Her friends say you can tell she's lying if her mouth is open. She's the daughter of a famous movie star, but there's no father in the picture--just a much loved lisping younger brother, Will. No father for him either. Just a string of men her mother sleeps with and then dumps. Wow. Big surprise that Collette is a liar. Collette and Will sort of cling to each other-especially this summer. They've been dragged along with mom on a location shoot for her new movie to the back of beyond. Then Collette meets perfect Connor, and tumbles helplessly in love. But she can't tell him the truth about herself,(she's fifteen and he's eighteen) and she certainly can't tell him who her mother is! Written in Sones' trademark verse, the book does a great job of letting the reader inside Collette's head. Collette is not such a bad kid. She's young and confused, but she has a good heart and she respects herself. I'm afraid I saw the big reveal coming a mile away, but I still enjoyed it. The story is sweet and corny and warm.
June 24, 2013
I'm about to write my School LIbrary Journal review of this entertaining book that had me laughing and crying --I'm an easy faucet --at turns. What can I say here? There's enough twists and turns to be nearing a roller coaster. Smart writing -- Sones is great with the apt simile, funny lines by Colette, the protagonist ; and her sidekick little lisping brother. As often in Shakespeare, things are not what they seem. I ended up really rooting for Colette. She's a great character who's had a lucky break in life that is also quite understandably difficult. I highly recommend this book and would like to see it actually replace Catcher in the Rye. Women's lives, include teenage women, should be the subject of more high school English classes. There were a few moments I wasn't sure about that were promptly rescued by the writer. All's well that ends well.
December 17, 2016
To Be Perfectly Honest: A Novel Based on an Untrue Story, is a wonderful book. This story is about a girl, a daughter/oldest child to a movie star, who lives on a life of lies. All she does is lie. She and her brother go with their mom on a 'business trip'. When she meets this guy who isn't who he says he is, this girl might've just met her match.
She might find out now than never that lying isn't always the best way through life.
She might find out now than never that lying isn't always the best way through life.
September 12, 2013
Quick read, I had to stop myself from just turning to the last page to see if the entire book was a lie. I get it that she's an unreliable narrator and that made for an interesting read, but I turned every page waiting to see if she was like "oh, wait, I was just kidding!" I guess that's what made it such a fast read!
April 22, 2016
I loved this book! Daughter of movie star, Marissa Shawn, Colette is a lying addict. You never know when she is telling the truth or if she's lying. When her mother needs to go shoot a movie she is forced to move to San Luis Obispo . There she meets handsome, tiger haired man she falls in love with. Something unexpected happens. I recommend this book to people who like sad stories.
October 11, 2014
3.5 stars. Back and forth on my feelings for this one. I'll try to review it to get my thoughts in order.
December 16, 2014
Lies. Love. All for a boy that has some secrets of his own. In verse so it's a quick read, with a compelling storyline.
Short story short: don't lie. For anyone.
Short story short: don't lie. For anyone.
September 22, 2015
What can I say that I have-not said for every other book I've read... I love it and wish it was actually longer...
September 27, 2019
3.5 stars. I really don’t get why authors write in verse. I just don’t. it’s not that I think it’s an inherently inferior way to express thoughts, but I’ve never read a book that’s made me understand it. I have two main problems with verse. First, it lacks so much of the detail and depth of regular prose that I’m never able to connect to the story or any of the characters. The second problem I have is that it usually feels like the author wrote the story as regular prose and then separated the lines out into verse to make it a longer book. Because it’s not like the lines rhyme and there’s usually not any kind of rhythm so I don’t understand. And this book was no exception. I liked it enough, but I didn’t connect to any of the characters and I don’t think it’s a story I’ll remember much about for very long. There were a couple of segments here that I liked the sound of that made me start to understand the choice of writing in verse. But for the most part it just seemed like regular prose that had been spread out. As for the plot of the story, I really wish they’d gone through with the whole “Colette is dead” plan, because Connor definitely deserved it. I guess the whole point of this story is that she had that epiphany and is now trying to be a better person for her little brother so props for a positive message I guess, but it would have been a lot more entertaining and satisfying if they’d gone through with it. Not to mention that she had all those people giving up their time and putting in effort to help her and then she changed her mind at the last minute. That must have been so frustrating for all of them. And I was looking forward to seeing Connor’s reaction, so that was disappointing. I know we’re not necessarily supposed to like Connor, but I feel like I would have liked him a lot more if our main character was a lot closer to his age, because yikes that was a creepy age difference. I feel like that just made him feel gross and creepy on top of everything else even though he didn’t know how old she was. I’m glad the age difference was at least addressed and they mentioned the fact that he would have gone to jail, because that was what I kept thinking. One thing I did like about this book was the hotel setting. I feel like it would be fun to stay in a hotel like that where each room has a different theme. This book wasn’t horrible – it was enjoyable enough. But it definitely wasn’t great, either, and it’s not something that’s going to stick with me for very long.
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May 22, 2023I'm not sure how to rate this book, but I really enjoyed it! I liked the way it was written in verse, and though the book is big the way it's written made it a quick read. I was fully entertained and hooked within the first couple of pages.
The lack of a real blurb made me feel like I was going into the book blind, so I didn't really have any expectations or idea of what the story would be about besides Collette being a liar. No complaints there, though. It was fun to guess what the plot was going to be and how her lying would play out.
Also, super satisfied with that ending. When she talked about her need to tell stories and that's why she liked lying, I had the same idea as her for what she should channel that into.
The lack of a real blurb made me feel like I was going into the book blind, so I didn't really have any expectations or idea of what the story would be about besides Collette being a liar. No complaints there, though. It was fun to guess what the plot was going to be and how her lying would play out.
Also, super satisfied with that ending. When she talked about her need to tell stories and that's why she liked lying, I had the same idea as her for what she should channel that into.
October 9, 2018
This book is perfect for the little liars in all of us. “How can you tell if Colette is lying? Her mouth is open.” This book is an emotional roller coaster. Every page is plot twist after plot twist, you’d never be able to guess the ending. This is a great read for someone looking for a funny love story. Colette, the daughter of a famous movie star, is notorious for lying. She, her mom, and her brother went on vacation to a tiny town and she meets a boy. Colette, only being fifteen, tells the boy she’s eighteen and spends the whole summer with him. This book shows how easy it is to get caught up in a lie, even if it’s believable. In this story a girl from Hollywood is stuck in a tiny Californian town called San Luis Obispo. ‘To Be Perfectly Honest’ is a book for everyone with a little dark side. This is such a good book for teenage girls. It is so relatable, and, aside from whole the mom being a movie star thing, Colette is just a normal teenage girl, with teenage girl problems. Boys may not be as interested, but it would still be a good read for them.
October 10, 2024
I read this book for the first time back when I was in junior high, now at 23 I thought I’ll give it another try and see if I still liked it. Truth be told, I absolutely loved it , it’s a long story but the way it’s written makes it a fast read. It was truly amazing to read this boon basically for the first time again.
The fact that Colette tells you since the beginning that you can’t believe a word she says makes the story even more fun. For her to actually see that what she was doing was wrong it was obvious she was going to find herself involved with someone much worse than she was. All the deal with Connor always seemed like too much, like there was something weird going on there.
The ending was really fun, it is definitely an easy read, enjoyable and filled with cute and weird moments. My favorite quote is, “They say the truth will set you free. But take it from me, the truth will lock you up in a dungeon and swallow the key”.
The fact that Colette tells you since the beginning that you can’t believe a word she says makes the story even more fun. For her to actually see that what she was doing was wrong it was obvious she was going to find herself involved with someone much worse than she was. All the deal with Connor always seemed like too much, like there was something weird going on there.
The ending was really fun, it is definitely an easy read, enjoyable and filled with cute and weird moments. My favorite quote is, “They say the truth will set you free. But take it from me, the truth will lock you up in a dungeon and swallow the key”.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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