Please Don't Be True

Alice #19-21

by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

The ups and downs of high school life continue in the second and third bind-ups in the Alice series. In It’s Not Like I Planned It This Way, Alice’s sophomore year is chock full of change, from a new living arrangement, to a possible new relationship, to the newfound freedom that comes with driving. And in Please Don’t Be True, the adventure of growing up continues in Alice’s junior year, when she and her friends deal with issues like a pregnancy scare and a heartbreaking good-bye. But no matter what changes, Alice is as relatable as ever.

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Teen, Chick Lit, Childrens, Romance

768 pages, Paperback

First published March 8, 2011

About the author

Phyllis Reynolds Naylor was born in Anderson, Indiana, US on January 4, 1933.

Her family were strongly religious with conservative, midwestern values and most of her childhood was spent moving a lot due to her father's occupation as a salesman.

Though she grew up during the Depression and her family did not have a lot of money, Naylor stated that she never felt poor because her family owned good books. Her parents enjoyed reading stories to the children--her father would imitate the characters in Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer--and her mother read to them every evening, "almost until we were old enough to go out on dates, though we never would have admitted this to anyone."

By the time Phyllis reached fifth grade, writing books was her favorite hobby and she would rush home from school each day to write down whatever plot had been forming in her head - at sixteen her first story was published in a local church magazine.

Phyllis has written over 80 books for children and young people. One of these books, "Shiloh," was awarded the Newbery Medal in 1992, was named a Notable Children's Book by the American Library Association and was also Young Adult Choice by the International Reading Association.

Naylor gets her ideas from things that happen to her or from things she has read. "Shiloh" was inspired by a little abused dog she and her husband found. The little dog haunted her so much that she had to write a story about him to get it out of her mind.

Reviews

[Karen V · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let me start by saying that the ONLY thing that attracted me to this book, at first, was the cover and the title because the thickness was extremely unattractive. This book, called “Please don’t be true” by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, is about 750 pages long, but let me say that it was completely worth it. I won’t lie about this, I was overwhelmed by the length, but as I read, I realized that this one book was actually three, so that calmed me down a bit.
The book is about a girl, Alice, who is in her junior year of high school and who is just like any other regular girl. She has a group of close friends, she likes to go out and have fun, and she just wants to live a normal, happy life. There are so many topics in this book that concern many teenagers nowadays. In this book, there’s a place for loneliness, friends, family, saying goodbye, relationships, and then there’s also a place for other controversial topics such as, sex, drugs, death and pregnancy. It was because of this that I fell in love with this book. Unlike most books, this one doesn’t hide the truth about being a teenager.
The successful part of this book was everything. I loved all of it and that’s not a norm for me. I’m a super hard critic when it comes to a book’s approval. There were so many different characters and they all had their part in the book which makes you think about how the people around you will have an effect on you even if you think that they’re just passing by you.

[Ashley Keener · Rating 5 out of 5]

GIRLS ONLY! I went on vacation this summer. We stopped at a place in Nashville called McCays, and I got this for about three dollars. There are about 700 pages. I'm not a reader, but I've always loved the Alice books. This set is awesome! I love Alice and Patrick together, and things started to heat up as other guys entered the picture.
Alice deals with loss, labels, sex, alcohol, teen pregnancy and tons of other issues that girls go through...it's definitely one for the girls.
SPOILER ALERT...when Pamela gets pregnant, it starts to take over everyones life...but she soon discovers that it's all been a miscarriage. Gosh that's a relief.
I'm not going to completely summarize it because i'm mostly just reviewing it...I love love love this book! many people say "predictable, boring but addicting" and I agree that the books tend to be predictable, but also, Naylor throws in lots of twists! And addicting is right!
Sorry this review was kind of all over the place!! :P

[Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5 Full Review On http://thegraduatedbookworm.blogspot.ca/
This book was definitely better than the first two. I think that finally for Alice after graduating from her junior year,she realized she needed to grow up and learn to be in control of what she wanted out of life. That being said she still had moments of being "silly" if you will and not completely thinking about certain things and just acting on it on impulse. There has also been a lot of discussion on different taboo topics (like religion) that is discussed in this book which gets you really thinking outside of the book as well.

The very end of the book was definitely a twist I hadn't expected and it really got true and raw emotions coming out of everyone in Alice's circle of family and friends.

Overall this book was good and I really enjoyed how Alice has grown up since starting her freshman year.

[Brooke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like the others in the series, this book was way below my age and reading level, but it was a nice walk down memory lane and remembering how it felt to be 17. The ending was very emotional but I think this would be a great series that a reluctant reader in high school might enjoy. Finishing this also left a nice gap on my physical bookshelf too!

[Kalliyan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I went into this book expecting the usual contemporary plotlines. It ended up following every tired, cliché, and boring events that you wouldn't expect to see in a book of this magnitude. I presumed that the length of the novel was due to a detailed and fascinating storyline. Phyllis Reynolds Naylor ended up creating a longwinded book that quite honestly bored me to tears.

I gave up 306 pages in when it rapidly became apparent that it was going to be the same Small-Town-Girl with All-American-Ideals who thinks she isn't good enough for the All-American-Boy and is tired of being a Small-Town-Girl with All-American-Ideals storyline.

The characters were as flat and lacking in the diversity department as the storyline. The fact that there were no main characters of color or LGBTQ+ characters apart from a brief mention of one of Alice's friends having a girlfriend was seriously condemning for this book as I was completely unable to even remotely connect with any of the characters.

Phyllis Reynolds Naylor ended up with a sad, tired plotline that can be found in many other works of literature. As of now, Please Don't Be True is only wasting prime real estate on my bookshelf. I would not recommend this book unless you like reading the same plotline in every single chapter.

[Lorelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well to begin with, you need to read the two other books before this one because it is a series of the main character, Alice's life in highschool. The third book, which I have just finished reading is all about her junior year. This book "Please Don't Be True" is all about dealing with love, death, friends, a step-mother, long-distance relationships, charity, and much more.
In this book, you will find a lot of topics. Of course, it is all teen-related but there is much diversity through out that topic. If you are a guy, you probably would not want to read this because it's only what a girl is dealing with her junior year. Although most of her problems deal with guys, this is definitely a girly type of book.
My overall rating of the series is an eight because even though all of the books have tons of pages (around 600-700), theyu are all really easy to read. My overall rating of this book only is probably a six because it gets boring at parts. Sometimes the main character just goes on and on about her problems. But if you are trying to get lots of pages or need an easy read, these are the books to read.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have absolutely adored Alice McKinley and loved reading about her ups and downs ever since I discovered her in the library when we were both in 6th grade. Naylor is nearing the end of her series and I have been meaning for a while now to check back in with Alice and see where junior and senior year of high school have taken her, as I seem to have grown up faster than she did and left her behind. This edition, a conglomerate of all 3 novels focusing on her junior year, did not disappoint and brought me right back into the thick of things with the "old gang from Mark Stedmeister's pool." I laughed and cried along with them and cannot wait to get out to get my hands on the next book in the series....

[Bella13 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would say the book Please Don’t Be True by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor was one of the best books I’ve ever read. This book basically sums of a struggle for thousands of teens around the world. The main character Alice faces new relationships, new houses with new people, and the freedom you get from driving all in her sophomore year. Throughout Alice's junior year her and her best friend go through it all. They experience a pregnancy scare and the pain of having to say goodbye. Alice’s relationships change with all of her closest friends, Alice and Liz go through a change that makes their relationship awkward, they don’t feel as close anymore. Something big, does happen, which changes everything.

[Zoila · Rating 5 out of 5]

This as been the most serious book I have read from Naylor and I love it. I have always admired the way Naylor created the strong friendships in the series and it actually made me feel like I was apart of it, apart of the group. The things that happened are realistic and the thoughts and conversations she has are thought-provoking. Naylor is not afraid to talk about the real issues that happen in high school and this book was perfect. You should definitely make it through the series for this. There are so many feelings in this book, you won't be able to handle it.

[Erika · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book in 2012. Saw it in a book store, fell in love with the cover, read the blurb and bought it! I know, I was young and impulsive. I spent money for a book knowing that it's in the middle of a series and I'll probably have no clue of some references from previous books but who cares! lol I liked it but not enough to reread it. It's here in my actual shelf gathering dust.

[Kelly K · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a bind up of the books that cover Alice's junior year of high school and the summer before senior year.

Overall I really enjoyed this bind up. I kind of miss the crazy antics of Alice and her friends from the first hunk of books I read of this series but Naylor is doing a great job of showing how teenagers grow up.

[Megan Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is amazing! It took me a little longer to read but I'm glad I read it! You never know what is going to happen next, Alice's life is so un-predictable! You'll never see whats around the corner.

[Yeime · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book was a very good book i liked it a lot it has a lot of high school drama and you can tell the author put a lot of emotion into this book. I bought this book in the summer but i finally found it and read it and i liked it it was a very good book.

[Baylie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finished this book in 2 days! It was awesome!

[Brynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read all the books in this series so far and loved them. This book was no exception. Great series.

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

We’re starting this off strong with the theme of labels, something everyone fears and something people often use to bully others. Alice is being labeled by people she once considered friends. On top of that, she’s dealing with the pressures of school, more plays going into production, and the pain of having braces. Still, she manages to lighten her load with her growing crush on Scott, the senior from her journal group.

We finally witness Alice and Sylvia’s first major fight, with hidden feelings and unspoken words finally coming to the surface. Changing their relationship for the better.

Alice also steps things up with her articles, especially the ones about what it’s like to be a runaway, along with other thought-provoking topics. We also see her become involved in new groups and activities, such as the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Club and volunteering at the soup kitchen.

A large part of this book centers around car accidents and reckless driving, particularly Brian’s drunk driving situation. Alice’s fear throughout the ordeal, the police involvement, and the terror felt by both her father and Sylvia were all portrayed vividly. Marc’s tragic death, caused by someone else’s reckless driving, further highlights the devastating consequences of dangerous behavior behind the wheel, which I found to be a very important message in the story.

We also see other aspects of Alice’s life develop, such as the ongoing situation with Patrick(which personally I hoped it would end), the tendency to focus on everyone else’s successes while ignoring your own, and even events like weddings and bachelorette parties.

Finally, one of the most powerful and emotionally raw parts of the book was Pamela’s teen pregnancy. It was written with so much depth and emotion. It was especially interesting to see every perspective involved and how deeply it affected her relationships.

And can I just say, those last two chapters felt like a punch to the gut. Wow. I truly was not expecting that ending. I had tears in my eyes. After spending over a month with these books and reading about these characters every day, it genuinely felt like all of this was happening to a personal friend. Extremely well written.

[Lilian So · Rating 2 out of 5]

I personally did not enjoy this book, it is difficult to get in to. There had been a point where I was interested but it ended very quickly. My favorite character had been Tony but he was gone before I knew it and I didn't enjoy that. Him and Alice deserved endgame no cap. My favorite event was any event Tony had been in because he seems like the guy I'd hang out with. The writing style had not been the best though it felt as if a middle schooler wrote the book. It had many typos and errors which got on my nerves. It had also been a very slow paced book by the most part nothing big ever happened nothing interesting or intriguing so it had been hard to motivate myself to read it.

[Amy Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was definitely better than the first two. It seems “silly” to read about the impulsive and emotional reactions that Alice has to certain situations, but you also have to remember that she’s a teenager who is learning and growing throughout each chapter. And we’ve all been there.

This book definitely had more depth to the plot, especially the ending. We got to see more of the people in Alice’s life, and how they are growing too. I think the reason I appreciate these books is because they’re so real — there’s not really a big climax in the plot, but rather the tale of a regular teenage girl and her friends. There’s good days and bad days, just like the rest of us.

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

I tried so hard. I really did. I pushed through almost 350 pages of this brick because I kept hoping that something, ANYTHING would eventually happen, but the whole thing read like pages from the diary of a teenage girl in the 1970's. Seriously, the whole thing was so dated and felt like it was written by someone who had literally forgotten what it was like to be a teenager. Many of the themes are incredibly problematic, and overall the whole thing just felt clunky and award. I couldn't put myself through any more of it.

[Amy Senter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I gave this a higher rating because I’ve been following Alice since I was in elementary school. It was fun to go back and catch up on the series I loved so much as a girl. Not sure if I would have my younger self read this because it probably would have introduced some concepts I wasn’t ready for...and if I had I probably would have rebelled sooner! Not sure if that’s true or just because I’m reading it as a mom instead of a teenager now!

[Olivia Hotchkiss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Junior year—check! Another enticing year with Alice. The thing I think I noticed the most about this one, was that I could begin to see the gradual change in maturity among Alice and her friends. There was a more serious tone and I related very much to Alice over her most recent struggles and doubts. I loved reading it, as always. Onto Alice’s senior year—and mine!

[Kaylee B · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book by far was one of the best books I have ever read. It was about a guy and a girl who met each other over one summer. The girl changed the guys life but when he goes back into the army it's like they don't know each other anymore and what happens last is just so sad.

[Emilia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved growing up with the Alice series. From childhood mishaps to first romances, so now growing romances, Alice's struggles are incredibly relatable to every young adult in this book. It's wonderful to see her maturing as well. Excited to delve into Alice's senior year.

[Madame Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5 The series is winding down to the end. Its noticeable because the plots keep getting unbelievable, and are executed very fast. I love Alice, but this is turning into Degrassi.

[Kyle Wakerley · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I was about 5 years younger it would've been great. Interesting used book find though

[Carmela :) · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars forever.

[Ernica]

Dangerously Alice- Gosh this is the 7th Alice book I've read (started with her freshman year) and she's definitely changed. I guess it's nice to see that Patrick is still in the picture even asking Alice to the prom(5 months away) and I can definitely relate to this. I know there's some days when I feel like I don't know Who I am either but yay Alice for putting her foot down and realizing that she didn't really like Tony just the stuff he did and for not going all the way with him. Even-though it was pretty stupid to go to his house like that was definitely inevitable and Omg.. Alice arrested? boy, was I shocked but I guess it hadn't really been her fault. I guess next time she'll know better than to go off to places (even though she was with the rest of her friends) when she's not really sure where she's going. And boy oh boy did Alice and Sylvia really let it out in this book..and i'm still shocked that she had gotten on the motorcycle to begin with and if Alice is considered a good-two shoes ..then i'm definitely a goody-two shoes (I highly doubt I'd have the guts to sneak out the house just because she wanted to do a story on what it was like for 2 girls alone in the city with no money after midnight... motorcycle? yes... Arrested? no ...Just as much as a goody-two shoes as Alice :-p) but boy was i laughing when Alice got the wrong present form Lester getting red panties (his girlfriend's present) but yup he definitely wasn't ready for marriage but on top of all that... Alice can drive with other people in the car (yay) and hm a new addition to the family- Annabelle.


Almost Alice- The bad thing about this book being three different books of the series is that i sometimes mess them up but to jog my memory, in this book: Alice turns 17, Alice and Patrick go to his prom, Pamela gets pregnant by Tim but then has a miscarriage (Felt sorry for her at first but then realized that this could have been prevented so.. not really sorry anymore but boy is she lucky!) Umm the house finished getting remodeled and Molly is feeling much better now and Alice had asked Scott to the dance and yup he only liked her as a friend as it turned out smh giving her a kiss on the forehead- she might have well have been his sister. And Alice became the new junior reporter for the newspaper and gosh why can't i remember what happened in this book? and oh yea Liz accidentally got her house caught on fire due to her push-up bra that overheated in the dryer and Pamela had tried out for the school play and not only got the part (well the understudy) but got into the chorus as well and Liz had track and it's nice to finally see her move on from Roz (well not really but she's been a couple of dates with different people since the dance where everyone was hitting on her since she finally allowed her true beauty to shine) and yes hm and Lester can't graduate yet since the thesis paper he was about to submit -someone wrote a book saying the same thing so now he had to wait till December (yay December ) and it was mother's day which was i guess a bit weird since Sylvia isn't really their mother..hm that's all I can remember right now of to read Intensely Alice!

Intensely Alice- why do things have to change? I mean I know Alice and her friends were getting older like everyone does but why do things change? Why did Mark Stedmeister have to die? why not the 76 year old truck driver who caused the accident in the first place? So now Mark who was only !^ is dead and the 76 year old gets to live. Out of all of the books this one got me to think the most- about life about religion. I guess it was good to read the discussion about religion since I'm always asking those questions myself..if i'm slowly becoming Atheist myself because just like Mavis I volunteer too and at a soup kitchen but don't really know what I believe in anymore just like Alice. This isn't just another book about teenage problems - there are lessons here and thought-provoking topics making me relate in a way like no other. I usually just do these reviews so that I can remember what happened in each book i read but writing about this one all I can remember is Mark but I'll try my best: it's summer now and Patrick is in college in Chicago and Alice goes to visit him since she would have been in Chaitanya anyway for her cousin Carol's wedding but things don't turn out like she'd hope especially since she'd brought new panties and a box of condoms but Patrick's roommates had been there and she ended up having to sleep on the couch but they had a good time. Molly is recovering from her Leukemia and is feeling so much better now and is ready to go to college now but the rest of them are going to start the senior year now -sigh. Umm Liz and keeno are a thing now and hm and the girls had even had a bit of fun house-sitting Lester's apartment for 10 days now it's time for school. Gosh It feels like just yesterday I had picked up "I like him, he likes her" and started reading about Alice's freshman year...they grow up so fast.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

After finishing this, I felt like going straight to the library to get the next book! It was that addictive to me!

This book is unfortunately, more distressing than the previous 2. In them, Alice goes through many sad events, like finding out that one of her friends passed away in a car accident. Alas, the stories did not speak out to me like the previous books. I personally think it's the feelings, the emotions Alice felt which wasn't expressed and conveyed very efficiently. She didn't feel sad enough, happy enough, to me, that is.

BUT! I liked how the stories progressed smoothly and without any paradoxes and weird things. I don't know how to explain this, but I guess it's how you get this feeling that a book is right and doesn't need any editing at all. This book felt like that to me! I love how Alice is maturing in every experience she gets, for better or for worse. In some ways she resemble me. I think every girl who reads this series would find something in her that she can relate to.

I still recommend this series to EVERYONE!

[Mae · Rating 1 out of 5]

I should stop expecting sometimes. I'm actually disappointed for this book. Nevertheless, the efforts of the writer writing this thick and long book were appreciated. You could either love or hate the story. But me? To be really, really honest, I didn't hate or love the book. I didn't feel anything. I should stop now. I'm not making any sense. Maybe you guys could give it a try.

And oh, I just figured out that it was a freaking series. And I am starting on the third book. Not bad, anyway. It was just that the story's too dull I almost fell asleep while reading it. Meh.

But yeah, you got that right, maybe I could appreciate this more if I'd give the first two books a try. Well, I don't know. Whatever.

[J Katryne Clare Bacena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Among the Alice Series, this is my favorite!!! The book has discussed a lot of important issues and one of which is "giving away your virtue". I know in other countries being virgin is really an issue for them. Luckily, Alice didn't gave away her virtue to someone so undeserving. It's a good thing that Alice and Patrick are back together! I love them so much! Alice deserves someone like Patrick who is ambitious and knows what he wants in life. Among the scenes they had, my most favorite was when Patrick went to Alice's house to help in arranging things after their house was remodeled. They just sat down and Alice sat on Patrick's lap and they were just gazing on the fire. And Alice said "It's good to have you back" and Patrick said "Good to be back"... Aww!!!