reveriesociety_
Written on Sep 14, 2015
- ISBN10 1511544023
- ISBN13 9781511544023
- Publish Date 6 April 2015
- Publish Status Active
- Imprint Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
- Format Paperback (US Trade)
- Pages 242
- Language English
Reviews
Leah
Written on Apr 17, 2015
The Truth About Jack was such a delightful little read. I’ve never read any of Jody’s books before, though I’ve long wanted to read Babe In Boyland, and after reading The Truth About Jack, I’ll certainly be picking up more of her books because The Truth About Jack made me swoon, hard. At first I was a little dubious – because Dakota lives on an artist colony and I was like “OMG HIPPIES?” but that was a total over-reaction on my part (oops) and the artist colony actually sounded awesome. Imagine being able to live in your own yurt? That’s pretty freaking cool and I admire any parents who just let their kids be their own free spirit, ya know?
It helped tons that Dakota was such a delightful lead! I adored her, right from the off, and I felt so sad that the person she called her best friend and the person she called her boyfriend did such a despicable act to her. Friends just don’t do that!!!! Regardless of circumstance. So she was better off without them, I felt. But I felt for her, because they were still the people closest to her, and that’s just the ultimate betrayal.
And Jack! Oh, he made me swoon! Sure, I wasn’t on board with the whole fake-name thing, with the letter writing, but the letters were actually sooooooo sweet, that I kind of let it fly. I still knew it was a big mistake, and would come back to haunt him, but his reasons for doing it were pure and not deliberately horrible. I really enjoyed getting to know Jack, it’s clear he’s haunted in lots of ways, and it doesn’t help that he’s home-schooled which means he rarely socializes with teens his own age (I can attest to how awful that can be) so it was nice to see him come out of his shell with Dakota, eventually. They were just so sweet and their burgeoning relationship was a beautiful thing to behold.
I really, really enjoyed The Truth About Jack. It was exactly what I was looking for, in my book, without even knowing it was what I was looking for. It had humour and heartache, and laughs and romance, and two super, super sweet lead characters with delightful and sparkling personalities. It was such a delightful, quick read. I really, really liked it.
stressedrach
Written on Apr 6, 2015
I liked both Dakota and Jack’s characters and Jody Gehrman described them well.
Jack did seem like a bit of a stalker at first but getting to know him, it wasn’t long before I realised why he was like he was, home schooled after being kicked out of school and not socialising with people will make you shy. When he spots Dakota though he wants to get to know her more but he goes about it all the wrong way by pretending that he is Alejandro from Barcelona and he is travelling. The problem is Dakota starts falling for Alejandro even though she has sworn off boys and Jack knows he has to come clean.
Things get worse when Dakota’s ex and her best friend come back and she finds out the truth about Jack, will it send her back into her ex’s arms? or will she manage to forgive Jack.
I thought this was a very good book, well written and fast paced. I hope to read more from Jody Gehrman in the future.
Kim Deister
Written on Apr 1, 2015
The author is great at creating complex characters, characters with their own stories and issues and little quirks. There were many moments that a character behaved in a somewhat questionable way, but there were other moments in the history of the character that would ecplain it, turing the questionable behavior into something more sympathetic.
Jack's character is the epitome of this. There were moments when he came off as more than a little obsessive, a little stalkerish, a little to instalove. But, in reality, he was a bit on the dysfunctional side. He had had some issues with his family, with school, with life, and it left him isolated and insecure. There were times when I just couldn't get behind him as a character... until something was said that reminded me of the things he had been through. Then everything fell into place and I just wanted to hug him and root for him. Dakota, too, had been through her own fair share of drama recently and was just as scarred as Jack, albeit in a different way. She had been betrayed and it left her with trust issues that aren't helped along by more lies.
Dakota and Jack are such completely different characters, from totally opposite ends of the spectrum. He is privleged and sheltered, while she grew up in an artists' colony with much more freedom than most. The one thing they share is a love of creativity, Jack in music and Dakota in art. The altering points of view really underscored the differences, and the similarities, between them. I don't think that the story just couldn't have been told nearly as effectively with any other form of narration.
My Recommendation
This is a book that had happy moments, sad moments, funny moments, and even some creepy moments. But what made it a good read were Jack and Dakota, two very different characters that were richly created. Definitely a recommend!
Cocktails and Books
Written on Mar 29, 2015
Rina's Thoughts
This was a beautiful book about two teenagers finding their niche in life. Thye are both artistically talented all expected to go to the school for their skills but one email changes both their lives. Dakota's friend and boyfriend betray her and she's thrown into a loop, stars to question everything in her life and wonders if she was destined to always be hurt. Personally, I think it was very big of her to speak with them without inflicting some serious damage. For Jack, Dakota was what pushed him out of his axis but for a boy who barely knows love in his life even from his own parents, it was understandable the dumb decisions he made.
Thye gravitate to each other adn I love that they were just lightly dating, right up to the very end when they finally get together. It was great to see their journey to the people they wanted to be making the choices for their own lives.
Angie
Written on Mar 28, 2015
The Truth About Jackis super duper cute! Dakota has just been accepted into her dream school on the same day that her BFF e-mails her to let her know that she's seeing her boyfriend. Dakota's joy is immediately transformed into devastation, and she's feeling alone, so she decides to write a message in a bottle. Instead of being swept away to a far off land, Jack picks it up when it washes back. Now, he's got to meet the girl who's written these words that resonate so well with him. Too bad he's too shy, so he creates a fictional pen-pal to get to know her.
I adored The Truth About Jack! I loved how Jack was so unsure about getting close to Dakota, even if it turned him into a liar. This boy asks his chauffeur for girl advice! He also gets a Hispanic friend to help him infuse his letters with Spanish phrases, since his letter writing persona is suppose to be from Barcelona. He goes through so much trouble just to get to know her! He does try in "real life" too, and it doesn't always go his way especially since there's another guy vying for Dakota's attention, but she thinks he's probably a creeper.
I also really liked Dakota! She lives on an artist commune, in a yurt! Her neighbor lives in a tree-house! Dakota is also an artist who uses recycled materials. I felt so awful for her when she got that e-mail from her friend. Cody had been her first boyfriend, and she knew she wasn't in love with him, but it still hurt. I do think she hurt more over being betrayed by her supposed BFF though, and I loved how she stood up to her at the end! River is one of those big, take charge type of personalities, and Dakota always let her have her way. Well, not anymore! You go girl!
The Truth About Jack was just a feel good read. I'm sure you know the story of Cyrano de Bergerac, so I probably don't need to say more about the plot and the way the relationship develops. Jack is hiding behind his letters, but the truth does have to come out! The ending is far-fetched, cheesy, and feels like a made-for-TV movie, but it was adorable! It totally worked for the story and left me in a happier mood.
Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.