What I Thought Was True

I absolutely LOVED Huntley Fitzpatrick's debut novel, My Life Next Door. It was definitely one of my favorite books of 2013. So when I saw that she had a new book coming out in 2014 I rushed to pre-order it. I was so excited ... and then I started reading some of the advanced reviews of some reviewers that I trusted, and the reviewers were mixed. Several were very disappointed in this book. I got nervous. I held off on buying it, and then I held off even more on reading it. I didn't want to lose any of the love of Huntley Fitzpatrick's writing that I had. But after six months of dragging my feet I finally picked up What I Thought Was True and ...I really, really liked this book a lot.I am sorry that I didn't just jump in and read, trusting those writing skills of Fitzpatrick that I had come to love with her first book. Yes, this book is a slow burner with lots of smaller, seemingly insignificant events that come together to tell a story. But if you can be patient and trust the characters of this novel, I think that you can find an emotionally satisfying story that truly touches on the reality of life and love for so many teens.Gwen is the first person narrator for this story, a girl who is part of the lower to middle class segment of an island community consisting of mini mansions and seasonal upper class residents. Gwen has had some sort of experience that has created a rift between her and Cass, an upper class young man who has taken a summer job as a yard worker on the island. The mystery of exactly what happened on that night is perhaps the most frustrating part of this story, and the reason that this one doesn't get a full five stars from me. The actual event is not revealed until the half-way point in the novel. I don't think that there was any need for this mystery since EVERYONE knew what happened that night ... or I should clarify and say that everyone THOUGHT they knew what happened that night. There was no need to wait forever to say what happened. The more fascinating part of the story was coming to see how Gwen, in particular, had completely misread the situation, leading to months and months of unnecessary heartache and anger. Communication, people. Communication is always the answer. Lack of it is always the problem, no matter how difficult the talking may be.At first it might seem as if this is going to be a Romeo and Juliet sort of story with two people from different sides of the track trying to make a relationship work. But that is not really what this story is about, even though the class differences do come into play in this story. It is obvious from the beginning that Cass and Gwen had some sort of short term relationship. It was nothing that ever got far enough to be really labeled a relationship, but it seemed to be something that might head in that direction. But it didn't. Instead, as the story begins it seems as if Gwen hates Cass and wants to avoid him at all costs. It is not so clear that Cass feels the same way. He seems to desperately want to be Gwen's friend, if she would only let him in. Seeing the transition of Gwen's feelings was super sweet, but quite smasmodic for much of the book. Gwen was convinced that she understood everyone's motivations and history, but it turns out that the world didn't really fit into the box she had created for it.Some thoughts:I thought that this book really did an excellent job of illustrating and then dissecting the tangled web of teenage romance and "love" that exists in the world. It can be exhilarating and fulfilling, but it can be messy and devastating and somewhat harmful as well. There can be moments when two people feel as if they have discovered their soul mates, only to find that feelings and emotions change as life happens. Things that seem so solid can end up being just as temporary as anything. And sadly, these relationships can be thrown into the public domain, used as fodder for community gossip and speculation. It's a roller coaster.I really appreciated the realistic way that Huntley Fitzpatrick portrayed the sexuality of these characters. Too often writers of YA novels throw their characters into intimate relationships right and left, not giving any real attention to the emotional affect of those actions. In this story I thought that it showed that there is no such thing as "just sex." There is emotional damage that is done when these actions are not given the thought and care that they deserve. Gwen liked to believe that she was above that emotional toll, but she was affected by her actions as well as the actions of her peers. The speed in which these characters attached labels to each other regarding their sexual experience was sad ... and sadly, not uncommon in any high school you would enter today. Their sexuality was sometimes used as a weapon to hurt each other, and only when the characters began to recognize the emotional consequences for their behaviors did they begin to actually mature and grow as characters.I LOVED Cass. Even though he was introduced to us through Gwen's often unflattering thoughts, and his actions were seen through her angry lens, it was apparent that this boy had cared about Gwen for a long time ... and still cared for her. I especially loved his interaction with Gwen's special needs brother, Emory. Cass was a charmer, for sure, but while Gwen first viewed this as a negative quality, it soon became evident that he was a truly sincere person. He wasn't perfect. He made a few whoppers of mistakes in this story. But he truly was sincere and tried to do the best that his seventeen year old self could do. I loved his complete confusion at Gwen's motivation for her reactions as she freaks out sometimes when he is trying to do a good thing for her.The best thing about the character of Gwen was the transformation of her understanding about the people around her. She ended up the novel realizing that almost everything she believed about everyone on the island was wrong or skewed in some way. She learned that things weren't quite as bad as she initially believed about this event that supposedly transformed her life. But she also believed that some of the things that she believed were solid and secure were not quite so solid. Here's where the communication among people comes in handy. The more people actually talked to each other, the more they actually learned about each other. The events of this book made me think about my own life and the growth in understanding I gained as I grew older and saw my friends (and enemies) in a clearer light. Things weren't always "what I thought was true."Gwen's family relationships were interesting. I appreciated the friendship she shared with Vivien, and how even that friendship wasn't exactly as clear as Gwen believed it to be. And as a bonus, there was also a great relationship between Gwen and Mrs. Ellington, an octogenarian Gwen was hired to watch over the summer. I loved Mrs. E and her group of fellow elderly ladies who would gather for tea each day as Gwen would read trashy romance novels to them. Although it was secondary to the main story, this was a sweet side story that enriched the overall story and the theme of seeing things as they really are. Overall I found a deep and mature story that caused me to think deeper and reflect on the events of the novel long after putting it aside. I enjoyed it a lot. Huntley Fitzpatrick is still one of my favorite YA authors. Four stars!

It’s such a great feeling when you pick up a new book and it immediately clicks, and that’s the feeling I had within the first few pages of What I Thought Was True. I knew right away that this was going to be another Huntley Fitzpatrick masterpiece. I am so in love with this woman’s writing; whether it’s the way she describes the smell of low tide on a hazy summer night or the angst of a young woman who never felt as though she was worth very much to anyone. Fitzpatrick has a talent of getting you to the heart of the matter by allowing you to become intimately familiar with the story and the characters. I absolutely adore how she takes the time to immerse you in their stories but at the same time moving the plot forward with impeccable pacing.I’m also a huge fan of how beautiful her descriptions of even the smallest of details can be. There were so many passages in this novel that I had to stop and re-read again because they were just so perfect.“I shift my gaze to the limitless blue of the sky, acutely aware of every sound–the sighing ocean, the hum of the bees in the beach plum bushes, the distant heartbeat throb of a speedboat.”I’m a New England girl through and through, and this novel reminded me of everything I love about the summers here; salty skin, sunsets from the pier and warm nights by the sea. The beach-side community was the perfect setting for the novel and it became a character all on its own. You can tell that Fitzpatrick is New England born and bred as well, she gets all of the details perfectly right. Even down to the crushed seashell driveways and Hoodsie cups.What really touched me about this novel though was how often Gwen’s situation reminded of the feelings I had as young woman, learning to love myself despite the mistakes I made. Her family life is complicated and she has to deal with so many influences at home that force her to be wise beyond her years. Living under the same roof as your mom, a little brother with special needs, your cousin AND your grandfather is bound to create some drama. Luckily she loves and is loved by her family so completely that it makes the strain a little easier and they all know they can rely on one another. even though it was filled with its’ fair share of drama, I really enjoyed the dynamics between Gwen and her family, and how it just added to the dynamic layers of her character.One relationship that she isn’t so sure of is the one with Cassidy (Cass) Somers, the rich boy from the mainland who takes a job as a yard boy with the rest of “the help” on the island she lives on. Gwen doesn’t know why he decided to take the job and she certainly doesn’t know how to interact with him considering their history. Throughout the book, both Gwen and Cass work on finding a way to define a new friendship without letting the mistakes of their past get in the way. She definitely wants to keep the relationship strictly platonic, but Cass’ good looks and charm end up making that a pretty difficult task. Slowly but surely he finds a way to insert himself into nearly every aspect of Gwen’s life and she’s forced to find a way to accept that. At the same time, Cass is forced to deal with the repercussions of “that night” and find a way to get Gwen to trust him again. It’s such an honest portrayal of former friends navigating their way back to each other, with both of them not having any clue of how to get there or what will happen once they do.Speaking of Cass, he earns his spot in my book boyfriend hall of farm for his sincerity, kindness and persistence. He’s so honest with Gwen and you can tell that despite everything he truly cares for Gwen and only wants the best for her. His messy blonde hair, tan skin, strong arms and habit of being shirtless also paint a pretty swoon-worthy picture. I think it’s pretty safe to say that I am obsessed!One of the things I really appreciated about this book was how honestly the topic of sex was handled. It’s not always sunshine and roses, mistakes are made and you start wishing things had been done differently. I’ll get real for a sec and admit that I’ve been there and to see myself in Gwen’s situation was so refreshing. It was great to read a YA book in which the main character faces the dilemma head on and fights her way through to the other side. More so for herself than anything else and no matter how scary it may be. The trick is not to let those mistakes own you and find a way to move beyond the past with out it dragging you down. I adored Gwen for her humility and ultimately her strength, and found myself wishing that this book had been around when I was younger.Huntley Fitzpatrick masterfully weaves three love stories into one with this novel; the complicated love between a boy and girl, the story of a girl learning to love herself and Huntley’s love letter to summer in New England. The common thread throughout this book was the journey we all take in life to discover what it is we truly love. What you thought you wanted isn’t always what you get..it may turn out to be something even better.

I found this book pretty good, but it was no comparison to my life next door which is one of my absolute favorites.

Como hablante no nativa del inglés, la lectura de este libro me ha sido complicada. La manera en la que se narra la historia no me acaba de gustar. En definitiva es un libro para adolescentes con un nivel de inglés avanzado.

This book assent as good as the first one, but still good. Do you know if the author has written any more books

Very relatable characters, a nice summer read.

I really enjoy Huntley Fitzpatrick's writing. I loved that you can catch a glimpse of some of her other characters from her previous book(s) and overall it was worth a read