The Truth About White Lies

by Olivia A. Cole

For fans of I'm Not Dying with You Tonight, this gripping YA novel digs into the historical and present-day effects of white supremacy and the depths of privilege.

Shania never thinks much about being white. But after her beloved grandmother passes, she moves to the gentrifying town of Blue Rock and is thrust into Bard, the city's wealthiest private school. At Bard, race is both invisible and hypervisible, and Shania's new friends are split on what they see. There's Catherine, the school's queen bee, who unexpectedly takes Shania under her wing. Then there's Prescott, the golden boy who seems perfect…except for the disturbing rumors about an altercation he had with a Black student who left the school.

But Prescott isn't the only one with secrets. As Shania grieves for the grandmother she idolized, she realizes her family roots stretch far back into Blue Rock's history. When the truth comes to light, Shania will have to make a choice and face the violence of her silence.

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Fiction, Audiobook, Realistic Fiction, Young Adult Contemporary, High School

384 pages, Hardcover

First published March 8, 2022

About the author

Olivia Cole is an author and blogger from Louisville, Kentucky. She spent eight years in Chicago and two in South Florida before finding her way back home. She is the author of PANTHER IN THE HIVE and its sequel, THE ROOSTER’S GARDEN, as well as her latest young adult series, A CONSPIRACY OF STARS and its sequel AN ANATOMY OF BEASTS. She is on the Creative Writing faculty at the Kentucky Governor’s School for the Arts and is the founder of the sci-fi art show for young Kentucky women, KINDRED: MAKING SPACE IN SPACE.

Reviews

[Jay · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Truth About White Lies follows Shania as she moves to Blue Rock after the death of her grandmother. In Blue Rock, Shania starts attending Bard, the most prestigious private school there. Shania is quickly befriended by Catherine, the most popular girl at Bard, and she also has no trouble catching the attention of the mysterious Prescott.

I think this book had the right idea (attempting to bring to light a white girl's blindness to her privilege), but it wasn't well executed. How are we as readers supposed to follow a character's journey if that character is a caricature of a teen girl? I couldn't root for nor relate to Shania at all. She was so ridiculously naive. Like I find it hard to believe she's unfamiliar with Mexican food (a food 86% of Americans enjoy or the 3rd most popular food in the US). It also bothered me how time and again she felt uncomfortable by blatant racism right in front of her face, but she didn't learn or grow from those experiences. I mean I didn't expect her to become woke immediately, but a little growth would have been nice. Don't even get me started on how deplorable Catherine (who really talks like that?) and Prescott were. Awful characters. And what was that ending?

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC, but this book was not something I could ever see myself recommending.

[Nainika Gupta · Rating 3 out of 5]

(2.5 stars)

Hmm.



Okay, so I'm super conflicted here. The way this book ended didn't leave me very settled and I couldn't help feeling that I needed to know more. Like a lot more.

But I did particularly like the fact that our character is a spoiled selfish brat who ends up STILL a spoiled selfish brat. Like, yeah, people don't change. (most of them)

[Elyse (ElyseReadsandSpeaks) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm struggling with rating this one. On one hand, I think the message is really powerful and deserving of notice, so I want to give it 4 stars. On the other hand, I just didn't like the writing to the point that I nearly DNF'd it so I feel that's more in the 1-2 star range.

So let's start with what I really liked - this story is about complacent racism. Maybe Shania didn't personally use slurs or make racist jokes, but she was silent. Even when something inside her nagged at her that something wasn't quite right, she stayed silent. That silence then turned into something darker as she was presented with information and chose to do and say nothing. It became a question of "How far are you willing to go?" and I really liked that the term "pre-radicalization" was used to show where Shania was in life. I think without a shove from a cop in the right direction, Shania would have continued to stay silent. It wasn't so much that she chose the right path, but that she was forced onto it. Does that make someone anti-racist? No.

There were some really good things in here that I think I'll mull over for a while. Maybe I'll eventually bump it up to 4 stars. Who knows.

But let's chat about why I just couldn't get into this for the first third of the book. A bunch of names are dumped at once and I had a really difficult time deciphering who was who for a while. Because I couldn't tell who everyone was, I also had no clue what their races were for a while which is a main theme of the book. It is not a good thing that a main theme of the book was lost to me for a good amount of time because I couldn't remember who was who. The writing made it really confusing for about 30-35% of the book that I almost put it down. Which sucks because like I said earlier, this book had some really good things in here that I think people should read.

I think 3 stars is a fair assessment when I take everything into account.

[Jessica Gordon · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had the right idea, the concept is an important one. However, Shania is an oblivious idiot and spent the entire book saying things like "what?", "what do you mean?" and "I dont understand" to the most basic things. I have teenagers and theyre not dumb. Shania was unlikable and unrelatable.

[Chantellyne Yoyo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I rated The Truth About White Lies by Olivia A. Cole three stars, selecting this book through a book speed date, having the cover interest me. I had quickly read the summary on the inside of the hardcover and the reviews on the back, getting my hopes up. The book being set in Blue Rock, also known as SoBR, follows Shania navigating herself in a new school, Bard, the most prestigious and private in town. Despite being the new girl, she quickly befriends Catherine, the most popular girl at Bard, also having no difficulty catching the attention of one of the hottest and mysterious guys at school, Prescott. Regardless of the 3-star rating, I thoroughly enjoyed the beginning of the book. Being introduced to the characters, the change of setting, the suspense and everything in between. The writing was quite nice as I was able to picture in my head what was being described in the book, and found myself drawn in. Now, you must be wondering why I've given this book three stars. Well, it's a bit more than halfway through the book I found myself losing interest, as Shania had now gotten the answer to the question she had. This question has to do with racism, white privilege and supremacy. Doing what she could to find out the truth, just to act as she had never done. Yes, she felt some type of way about it, but those feelings weren't conveyed through her actions. Running away until she is confronted near the end of the book. Which was personally the cherry on top for me, but not in a good way. Now for my 2 cents.

Would I read a book by this author again? Maybe. As her writing was to my liking except for all the profanity, it wasn't like a huge amount but quite but. So, if all her books are like this then no, I personally could not see myself taking time to read another one of her books. Still open-minded, nonetheless. However, you, reading this aren't me so if you don't mind the cursing and bits of violence then this book might be for you. Especially if you are into vague endings, subjectively speaking (no shade) and the topics of racism, white supremacy and privilege.

Thank you for reading my review!!!

[Alicia Kizza · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was very complex and packed.
I loved how the author went about explaining racism and how it has deep roots and affects the world today. I think through a theoretical and symbolistic outlook this book is 5 stars. However, towards the end the behaviors between the protagonist and other characters got a little repetitive (which emphasized the realness of the book), but also lengthened the character development. The ending was jam packed and I’m still honestly stuck on how to rate the book although I agree it was a great perspective and a needed book. It explored the idea of the protagonist not always being the savior or ending up with a brighter perspective. It leaves the reader to their own interpretation of how the character could go about the events and how it would end for both the community and individual. Overall it’s good book.
3.5⭐️

[Rebecca McPhedran · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW. This book is a seriously important and necessary part of our current social situation. This book grapples with what it means to have power and privilege in our society right now.

Shania is struggling with the recent loss of her beloved grandmother, and has just moved to the city. When she starts at a new school, she is faced with her grandmothers past-and not everything is as it seems. Shania is also swept up in the social hierarchy within the school, and becomes enamored with the Tane family. But the Tanes aren't what they seem. And Shania needs to figure out if she's going to do better than her ancestors.

I loved this book, and felt very vulnerable at times reading it. It really forces the reader to look at some hard realities that we make take for granted as a white person. A fantastic read. Can't recommend it enough.

[Mia Valdivia · Rating 2 out of 5]

boring not great. characters were way too whiney. honestly... plot kinda was just bad in general. idk didn't enjoy much.

[Living My Best Book Life · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Truth about White Lies is a young adult novel that is both bold and eye-opening. Author Olivia Cole's writing is striking with her perspective on white supremacy and privilege.

In this day and age, racism is sadly still present. And this book looks at it from the perspective of a teenage white young woman and her own experiences dealing with both racism and white privilege. The story follows Shania who is dealing with the loss of her grandmother. It leads to her move to Blue Rock where she soon attends a prestigious private school. She is surrounded by many others that look like her. She befriends some popular people and yet she can always sense something is off/not right.

As she spends more time with her new friends and an almost-boyfriend, things start to happen. Those things include hate towards black people and killings of cats. Who is doing these horrible things?

You can tell that Shania has a good heart but also that she can be easily manipulated. People call her out on this and even mention that her so-called friends aren't who she believes them to be. So, when rumors start going around and the crimes don't stop she is forced to pick sides. Will she choose to dig into the truth even if it means bringing up personal secrets?

I give The Truth about White Lies 4 stars. I like that this book tackled the subject of white privilege and supremacy from a perspective of a young white woman. This is unlike anything I have read before and is an important read to really see right from wrong in different perspectives.

[Meher · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although well-written and I enjoyed the descriptions of feelings, I was extremely confused about the perspective it was written from. It was written from somewhere between a third-person omniscient and third-person limited perspective, since Shania's feelings were evident, but her random racist/ignorant outbursts seemed so out-of-place. I didn't understand why she was characterized as "silent" and "always looking", sometimes self-identifying as such, but then she would have an extremely strong opinion about something which would take the reader by surprise. For that reason, I spent the book super confused whenever she would side with Catherine or Prescott, because her own beliefs weren't clear in any way. While this may have been purposeful in order to have the reader understand how she wanted to fit in at Bard, I think it was poorly executed because it was not evident that she was trying to fit in.

[Jasmine]

"About a 17-year-old white girl who moves to the gentrifying town of Blue Rock and reckons with her role in racism in her new town, as well as the historical and present day effects of white supremacy, and the danger in silence." (x)

[Jaime · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is not my favorite. I wanted to like it. The plot sounded really interesting. However, I just did not care for it. I don’t know if it was the writing style or what, but I didn’t feel any connection to the characters whatsoever. Overall, this book was just really difficult to read.

[jordyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

christ. just bereal shania.

[Alyssa Lentz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. I am so impressed by this book. I thought the story was going in one particular direction, but the point it ends up making was much more ambitious and necessary in YA today. I appreciate the lens this book takes and honestly I think it's really brave... this is not the same old story you've read before about a white person confronting their history and unconscious biases and coming out of that journey changed and better, and it doesn't talk down to kids about white supremacy or violence or white privilege. It's an inherently frustrating read for a reason, and while it took me a little bit to be able to distinguish characters, the pacing and narrative work here are so impressive. The prose itself is also really sensory and memorable. I can't wait for this book to come out and be able to recommend it widely to teens at my library. I think it would make a great choice for book clubs or discussion groups.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

[USOM · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Disclaimer: I received this book from the author. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)

more like a 4.5

TW: racism, fatphobia, islamaphobia, homophobia

The Truth About White Lies is a book that was not written for me. It's written for white teens who are at the beginning of their journey. At the stage where they feel that pit of the stomach feeling that a comment is wrong, that a joke isn't funny, but aren't yet at the point of speaking up. Of knowing and putting into words why it isn't funny. To seeing the ways they benefit from their skin color in a world that judges based on appearance. Because to not be aware of your skin color is very much an experience only for certain people.

So while Shania can be a frustrating character, part of that is precisely the point. Because that feeling already can examine the bystander effects, the ways she doesn't understand why 'it always has to be about white people'. She's at the beginning moments. And where The Truth About White Lies excels is by illustrating a story where Shania has to truly reckon with her privilege, to allow what others are saying in, and to have her moment of understanding.

Not only that, but Cole does a fantastic job of never excusing the comments, of providing these clues and breadcrumbs we fail to see, and also dismantling the comments of white supremacy. To not portray a sense of white savior mentality or of glorifying this journey. Shania is very much a flawed human - like us all - in her quest for love and being 'seen', for craving closure about her grandma, and wanting so desperately to have friends. But the point about The Truth About White Lies is that we have to be responsible for our choices and we can chose differently.

full review: https://utopia-state-of-mind.com/revi...

[Knight Of · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings. On the one hand, I sigh upon seeing all the complaints in the reviews about unlikeable characters since the author very clearly didn't want to make them approachable and kind. Personally, I couldn't bring myself to hate Shania. There were times I did roll my eyes at her behavior and her reluctance to act. She is not a hero by any stretch of the word but I did see why she did what she did since she still has the choice of remaining in a comfy world and lying to herself. I do agree with the complaints that the ending was clumsy. I get that it was meant to be ambiguous but personally I think it would have been better if the book ended with Michelle calling her out and Shania just standing there doing nothing.

[Nicole Darrow · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a tough one - it would prompt good conversation. However.., many of the characters read flat - not a lot of gray area - and while I do appreciate that it’s trying to communicate a message, I think young readers can handle a bit more subtlety. The most frustrating part was as clear as some things were, our main character was constantly confused. While I do think there is something to having a main character be naive and privileged, Shania felt like a passive character in her own life.
Content worth discussing but the story and characters weren’t there for me.

[Celeste · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phenomenal. This story really opened my eyes more to racism and white privilege. If I was reading a physical copy, I would have chucked it bc its so frustrating reading as Shania tries to figure out what's right and wrong, and she continuesto make the wrong choices among her confusion. This book really helped me understand more how white people get so defensive when racism is in discussion, or when they are told they are bing racist. A lot of people go strait to defensive mode with; what white people are lacking, how white's are struggling with as a race, or why what they said isn't racist. It's insane and mind blowing. When I say everyone should read it, everyone should read it.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this book says some really important things, but it almost doesn’t go far enough? And the ending felt too unresolved. We’d also met SO many characters and there was little to no resolution with many of them. I know not every book needs a tidy ending tied up with a neat little bow, but the conclusion of this one felt completely unwrapped with not enough questions answered.

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Just wow. Olivia A. Cole really just did that. Next level hard-hitting YA. This is the sort of book that needs to be taught in the schools.

And now every time I look at a tomato, I'm going to think about this book and it's CTA for white people.

[Britta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Actually the ending is exactly right.

[Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love the message the author was sending through this book, so for me, the theme was its strong point. Unfortunately, the story line just didn't hold my interest, and the figurative language was distracting rather than descriptive. I read it a chapter or two a day to finish it.

[Alicia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Staggeringly disappointing. Maybe the most tone-deaf book about race I've ever read. No, definitely that.

I hope I never think about it again

1/5

[Marie Fairchild · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an important book about an important topic, and for the most part, it pulls it off.

The writing was good, and there were a lot of symbols in it, which I liked. The author does a good job of showing how invisible white supremacy is to those it benefits, yet how visible it is to those who are hurt by it. Unfortunately, there are many Prescott Tanes, and maybe even more Catherine Tanes in the world, and many communities are hurt by them every day. This book deals with a heavy topic, but it does it with grace, and it does a good job of showing the consequences of racism.

However, I did have issues with this book. The first issue that I have is that the reader never actually learns what happened between Prescott and Eric, or what happened between Willa and Catherine. It's sort of implied, but there's never a good description of the events that occurred. The author's characterization of the Tane family also leaves a lot up to the reader's imagination. The reader knows that Prescott and Catherine are horrible people, but we never get to meet their parents, who sound like they're equally as horrible. The reveal that Prescott was the one who was terrorizing SoBR/Southtown also wasn't done as well as it could have been. In other words, the author does more telling than showing.

My second issue is that Shania, the lead character, is an idiot. While her ignorance was believable at first, that believability faded as the story escalated. By the end of the book, I found myself wanting to grab her by the shirt collar and shake some sense into her. Prescott literally treated people like dirt and went on several questionable rants, and Shania still continued to pseudo-date him. Even if she missed the racist meaning behind his rant in the art museum, it should still have rubbed her the wrong way. If someone had said stuff like that to me, I would have gotten the heck out of there without hesitating. Even after she finds evidence that Prescott is a literal white supremacist in his room, she still won't stop seeing him or talking to him. Even after she hears from Michelle that Prescott put Eric in the hospital and is violent, she still finds a way to defend him. He literally tried to murder Earl at the end of the book, and Shania goes out of her way to hide the evidence. Even in Shania's friendship with Catherine, she let so many things slide that would have turned off any sane person. For the majority of the book, Catherine was either drunk or was pissing people off with her problematic comments (or both), and being a horrible friend in general. And Shania still wanted to be friends with her. Even after Catherine admitted that four of her friends quit hanging out with her because she's such a terrible person, Shania won't leave her side. Shania, if your 'friend' goes through friends like most people go through soda cans, then she's probably not a good person. Shania was also a terrible friend to Michelle and Willa, and even went as far as to lie about Michelle to the school counselor towards the end of the book because she's mad that Michelle called her out because of her absurd amount of loyalty towards her horrible boyfriend and 'best friend.'

In conclusion, this is an important book and not to be missed, but the lead protagonist is an idiot.

[Hope]

I picked this up after reading a brilliant article from the author. In the article, there are many references to the genesis of this book so I was super curious to see how the book was, especially since it's fiction. I think it's hard to pull off a book like this. That article was so freaking good and after finishing the book (which I read in one sitting, I was certainly intrigued and wanted to know where it was going to go), I kinda wish that article could be expanded into a book. I think that's where the magic's at (nonfiction). A few scenes were a little too forced, a few things weren't quite believable. I think the potential in the story was great but it was a bit too stagnant for me. I went back and read the article again after I finished and was like, yeah, this is it.

[Monique · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh..this one was not it LOL...Decided my next read would be one from my shelves and one I bought about a year ago..The title along intrigued me and I wanted to learn more from this one on white supremacy ..this one starts slow and introduces Shania whose life changes when her plant loving grandmother dies forcing her and her mother to move to another city. The task of finding new friends and fitting in becomes Shania’s new thing and it even means she attends her first party and starts her first crush..Finally feeling normal and settling into the city and her new job she is also blissfully ignorant of race relations and what being White means for her and for others.
“Is that how you know Mrs. Rudoloh?” “Psh. Everybody knows Ms. Rudolph.”
“I don’t.”
“Everybody Black knows Mrs. Rudolph. Plus she goes to my church.” She gets another glimpse of the secret code that had passed between them.
It makes her cagey, like a coyote just beyond the glow of a campfire. ”Why does it have to be a Black-White thing?” she says.
“Because it is a Black-White thing,” he says neutrally, his eyes back on his phone.
“I don’t see color,” she says.
“It sees you.” Jai says laughing. (Pg. 35)
Shania tries to fit into her new town while simultaneously dealing with the loss of her grandmother after her cryptic last words of “Everyone lies”...Looking through her grandmother’s old things she finds an address which incites her curiosity…
“Shania wants to ask why her grandmother, who never set foot in Blue Rock, had an address from a random Black neighborhood in her Farmer’s Almanac. But if it’s a mystery, it’s one she thinks she needs to solve alone.” (Pg. 68)
In between these weak clues into her grandmother’s secrets she is also struggling with friendships as she adores the affluent Tane family–snotty Catherine and her handsome brothers Prescott and Benjamin but is also drawn to the hardworking quiet Black girl she eats lunch with occasionally named Michelle..
“Shania feels a twinge of regret: She and Michelle had actually been having a conversation, and the potential of friendship glitters like Christmas lights. But then Catherine Tane sails in the room blocked by Hannah.” (Pg. 105)
Apparently there are concrete rules of affiliation and Shania is woefully unaware–
“I don’t get you,” he repeats, “ I saw you in SoBR with Catherine and her friends on Friday, you know? I know you’re dating my brother. So how does being cool with Michelle make sense in your head?” (Pg. 111)
Yea she has to choose her sides and also check her privilege as she is riding in the streets of the Black neighborhoods judging and putting her phone away around those she deems poorer than her..it literally made me cringe when she didn’t say Excuse Me and gave the lamest reason why–
“You can’t say excuse me?” the woman say, and Shania’s blush is now lava. She isn’t sure why she’s embarrassed, and it embarrasses her further. She has always expected the world to see her intentions and make way for her. She feels her set of expectations and the woman’s rubbing up against each other, rumbling tectonic plates. (Pg. 111)
Ah poor ignorant Shania…life is so hard as she learns to accept her privilege–
“Sometimes being white feels like walking through a mine field.” Shania’s stirring her soup faster now, creating a whirlpool in the broth. She feels suddenly fragile, a crack running through her. “Like one wrong step and boom.”...........”And who do you think put those bombs there…(Pg. 212)
This was kind of painful to read as the dialogue was terrible and you don’t really care about any of the characters-especially not Shania as she is clueless, silly and entitled..she really has a jaded view of the world and her place in it and it really shows as she tries to navigate being friends with Michelle, a super smart Black girl who she actually has alot in common with aside from their skin....
Shania envies her in a different way than what she feels looking at Michelle. There’s something unattainable and unreachable in the photo of Michelle on a family cruise, her hair braided in designs along the scalp. It’s a club Shania can’t even find the door for, and the feeling of imagined rejection hits her so hard she feels it in her ribs. But Catherine is a club she could be a member of it she tithes it just right. She wonders about the price. (Pg. 295)
Alright so this was an awkward read–there is weird slang like Nardshark and quayloo from the entitled mean White girls, a silly love triangle with brothers, a half ass attempt at a serial killer mystery, lots of random and boring plant trivia and grief passages on Gram, and an obsession with a lame boy named Prescott who turns up being a part of a White supremacist group though even that interesting point was never really fleshed out..This was a chore to read and it was not even that good as there were no real plot points and just a lot of writing..there was promise there as you get in the head of an entitled and spoiled White girl who really wants to be woke but has no clue but it was not enjoyable at all..next please and no I don’t recommend LOL..

[Jamie Gregory · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting premise that many YA readers will benefit from, but I think elements of this book weren't executed as well as they could have been. Some of the characters are too unrealistic, and even some of Shania's naivete is as well. But there is a good bit of dialogue and plot that will provide some excellent book club discussions.

[Shannon Dyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Round up to 4.5 stars.

[Breck Ekenberg · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’ve never wanted to throat punch a main character more in my life.

[Tara Scherner de la fuente · Rating 2 out of 5]

An important issue. With the dumbest, most ignorant protagonist. And not even dumb in a clever way. just... dumb. She deserves the ending. My goodness.