Monday, April 13, 2015

The Truth About Jack by JodyGehrman

Title: The Truth About Jack
Author: Jody Gehrman
Length: 192 pages
Publisher: Entangled Teen Crush
Classification: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Release Date: April 14, 2015
Source: e-galley via NetGalley (Thank you, Entangled!)
Read: April 2015
Dakota McCloud has just been accepted into a prestigious art school. Soon she'll leave behind the artists' colony where she grew up―hippie dad, tofu since birth, yurt―and join her boyfriend and best friend on the East Coast. It was the plan…until Dakota finds out her boyfriend and best friend hooked up behind her back. 
Hurt and viciously betrayed, Dakota pours out her heart on a piece of paper, places it in a bottle, and hurls it into the ocean. But it doesn't quite go where she expects…
Jack Sauvage finds the bottle washed up on the shore and responds to Dakota's letter. Except what if his straight-laced life doesn’t jive with the free-spirited girl he’s only seen from afar? As Jack creates a persona he believes she’ll love, they slowly fall for each other with each new letter. Now Jack is trying to find a way to make this delicate, on-paper romance happen in real life…without revealing his deception.
GoodReads || Amazon || Barnes & Noble 

***I received an e-galley of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***

Hmmm....I have mixed feelings about The Truth About Jack. There are aspects and things about the story that I liked and some that just didn't really work for me. Which is why I find this story to be just okay. It didn't take me long to read but I didn't become captivated by the story or the characters.

On the same day, Dakota finds out wonderful and horrible news. She has been accepted into the art school that she has wanted to attend for a long time! But she has also found out that her boyfriend has hooked up with her best friend while away at college. To make matters worse, her boyfriend is currently at the art school that she has been accepted to. Also on the same day, Jack sees Dakota for the first time and is instantly drawn to her. He wants to get to know her, but is too shy to say anything. While at the beach, Dakota decides to let all of her emotions out on paper, and writes a message in a bottle. After Dakota leaves, Jack finds the message in the bottle and decides to read it. Jack decides to respond to the letter, but instead of being himself, he creates a persona that he thinks will impress Dakota. It seems like a good idea at first, but as time goes by, Jack worries about the deception. Will Jack tell Dakota? How far will the deception go?

I really enjoyed the backgrounds and interesting characteristics/quirks that both Dakota and Jack have. Dakota lives in an artist community, which I found really unique and interesting. I enjoyed how passionate she is about art. I also found her art projects to be cool. Jack is the opposite, he comes from a rich family with different expectations. I really like how passionate he is about playing the piano. In fact, I think one of my favorite things about this story was when Jack and Dakota would talk about art and music. I enjoyed how they each were able to understand one another and their passions.

I also liked the interactions the main characters had with other characters in the story. Dakota has a nice relationship with her father. I enjoyed the bonding between them and the development of the storyline between them. I also liked the interactions between Dakota and Anya (her boss). Jack's relationship developments with Attila and Joaquin.

I was really hoping for a bit more of a pen-pal correspondence relationship. For me I was hoping for more than just a couple letters. There were also parts where the story just felt long and a bit dragged on. Also, nothing surprised me. The things that happened and the relationship development, none of it really jumped out at me and grabbed me. I didn't swoon over the relationship or fall in love with the couple. 

My Recommendation:

Overall, I found this story to be okay. For me it is a "take it or leave it" book. I don't regret reading it, but it isn't one that I fell in love with. It also isn't one that I would plan on rereading. 

My Rating:

3 comments:

  1. The premise sounds very interesting! I've seen this on NetGalley, but I had been waiting to see more reviews about it before I made a request. (: If it's still available, I think I might go ahead and request it based on your review! It sounds good! Thanks for sharing!

    Pearl @ AsteriskPearl's Book Blog

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Pearl. I'm not sure if it is still up on NetGalley or not since it released on the 14th.
      The premise is pretty interesting. I'm glad you like my review. :D

      Delete
  2. With these types of books I'm always looking for something out of the ordinary. Like I read the description of this and it sounds like it could be really cute, but a lot of books I think that about tend to turn out being all really similar and blah. I don't know if this type of book is really for me anymore, or maybe I just haven't found the right one. Great review!

    ReplyDelete

Thank you so much for taking the time to visit my blog and leave a comment! I read every single one and they make my day! <3