Truths I Learned from Sam

Truths I Learned from Sam #1

by Kristin Butcher

Dani's mother is getting married -- again -- because that's what she does, and while she and her new husband jet around Europe for six weeks, 17-year-old Dani is sent to stay with an uncle she didn't know she had in a small community in Cariboo country she didn't know existed. It promises to be the summer from hell. But Dani's uncle turns out to be an okay guy. In fact, Dani really likes him. And she finds romance, too.Suddenly, a summer that had doom written all over it turns into one of the best times of Dani's life. Until the bottom falls out. In a story about relationships and about how bad things happen to good people, Dani discovers that sometimes the only villain is life itself.

Genres: Young Adult, Teen

184 pages, Paperback

First published March 2, 2013

Reviews

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Truths I Learned from Sam was an excellent book. I admit, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. But I was hooked from the first page, when Dani was mentally preparing for her mother's fifth marriage. I liked Dani as a protagonist- she is good kid, likeable and sweet and brave. She is willing to take a chances.
I would describe this book as "honest"; it is likeable and realistic, yet not depressing like some realistic Canadian fiction. I enjoyed the rural setting, and the horse aspects were very good (I am usually annoyed by the unrealistic horses in books).
This book did make me cry. I won't say why (so I don't ruin the story), but Dani's first discovery about Sam hit very close to home for me. Because Dani's emotions where very close to my own, I wonder if the author went through a similar situation herself? I suspected both of Sam's secrets about half-way through, but that didn't make the book any less charming.

[Diana Stevan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this story by Kristin Butcher. Her work is so accessible and yet very clever. At the threshold of adulthood, her protagonist, Dani, discovers more than she expected when she visits a relative she didn't even know existed. And through that, she learns her mother, who is off on yet another honeymoon, is more than she gave her credit for. The book made me laugh and cry and when a book does that, I can't help but give it top marks.

[Sara Morrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is truly a poignant and beautiful read. I highly recommend. The story plays as a movie in the backdrop of your thoughts. Enjoy. Bring kleenex.

[Anne Patton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book because I wanted a story set in British Columbia for my teenaged granddaughter. The protagonist is seventeen. Aha! I thought, perfect. Of course I read it before wrapping it up for Christmas. And loved it!
The reader is firmly inside Dani's cheeky teenage brain and her on-going commentary is fresh, droll, poignant and anguished as the story develops. Dani's mom is getting married [for the fifth time] and going on a six-week honeymoon. Dani is sent off from big city Vancouver to a pit stop in the Caribou to stay with an uncle she has never heard of. Her uncle lives in a cramped, bare-bones trailer at the end of a rutted dirt track. Dani is expecting a bummed-out summer, certainly not romance with a drop-dead-gorgeous son of a nearby rancher. And most certainly not the truths about life and death she learns from uncle Sam. It's an easy read with big ideas.

[Lisa Dalrymple · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite Kristin Butcher book so far. Dani is a well-drawn, engaging teenage protagonist. I was pulled into her story and found I couldn’t put it down until I discovered how it all played out. Dani’s unlikely summer adventure out west, her description of ‘rodeo life,’ and her complicated relationship with her mother created for me an engaging and sympathetic character who stayed with me long after I put the book down.

[Dayle Gaetz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to read an advance copy of "Truths I Learned from Sam" and found it to be totally enthralling. Dani is a strong, thoughtful, and often funny character. Sometimes confused by what life throws her way, she is never one to give up or give in.

An excellent book. Kristin Butcher's writing just gets better and better.

[J.P. McLean · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Truths I Learned from Sam, Kristin Butcher uses humour, wit and a rodeo to tell the story of a young woman’s six-week stay in the Cariboo. Six weeks with an uncle she’s never met and a summer she’ll never forget. Adults, young and old, can learn a truth or two from Sam.

[Em · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly? I couldn't get through the book. I'm around Dani's age and I HATED this book. I kind of flipped through the pages until I arrived at the end. Even then, I still wasn't satisfied. I would not read this book again.

[Gabriele Goldstone · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm never disappointed when I read a book by this author. Butcher knows how to approach serious topics with a smooth and confident manner. A satisfying read.

[Angelica · Rating 3 out of 5]

predictable but otherwise a good story

[Mary Bronson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, I thought this book was AMAZING!!!! I thought the plot and characters were very well written. Once I got started I could not put the book down. I knocked this book out in about two hours. I loved both Dani and Sam as characters. I did not expect the ending of the book. I figured some stuff out, but the ending did have a bombshell. Now I can not wait to read the next book.

[Amy Mathers · Rating 3 out of 5]

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