Everything but the Truth: Gillian McAllister

Product Information

While the story is one that has been seen in YA before, Mandy Hubbard's nuanced characterizations for Holly, makes her a likable character that readers will want to root for. Holly's struggles to tell Malik the truth, along with the moments where she lets her genuine personality and interests shine through, makes this a fun tale that will keep readers reading and engaged. As Kirkus stated in their own review of Everything but the Truth, Hubbard treads some familiar ground with this tale.

Everything but the Truth Lyrics - Genius Lucinda Williams – Everything but the Truth Lyrics - Genius

Everything But The Truth enters my long list of Top Books of 2017 - worthy of its place there and a contender for one of my top 17 books of 2017. I'm hungry for more from Gillian. A favourite author now, insta-love. Finally, I really liked Mr. Buchannan! He totally reminded me of Blu Mankuma as Gort in Halloweentown ll: Kalabar's Revenge. He's so growly bear, but with a giant soft spot! Deep down, he loves his grandson and his intentions are good. A disquieting exploration of how events in the past take on a whole new perspective when parenthood looms. An assured and gripping debut." - Alex Marwood Thus, a wonderful entertaining, suspenseful, compelling read; tense and intriguing, without ripping my guts out.Anyway, I know no one else cares about that kind of thing except for me so let’s get onto the book. As a reader, I experienced the typical agony that comes when two characters just won’t communicate with each other. Half of the book I was screaming at Holly, “JUST TELL HIM!!!” If she did, though, there would be less drama and tension, so I get it. Malik seemed like a good guy, but he was maybe a little too reformed? He had a troubled past and I find it hard to believe that there wasn’t any of that left in him. Lastly, the secondary characters were pretty great. I liked the senior citizens that were in the book (Charles and Henrietta) because I felt like it added a depth to the cast that a lot of books don’t have. Hubbard builds a convincing and beautiful tapestry of the important relationships in Holly's life, and how each of these relationships have contributed to who she is today. Consequently, when Holly fears the loss of a friendship, Hubbard uses it as a great tool for showing Holly's burgeoning growth and maturity, and the evolution of that friendship. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: So after feeling let down by the last few If Only... titles, Everything But the Truth was a pleasant surprise. It's a short book with a simple plot - mainly focused on the romance - but I liked it. Holly's mother is a single parent, but they have a fairly good relationship and there's little tension there. The sub-plot definitely revolved around Holly and her best friend, Alex. Holly feels her best friend is slowly dumping her for another girl, Rena, and she often feels left out and hurt - a feeling a lot of us know all too well. That sub-plot took a wonderful twist and while at the end, I was still questioning some of the actions a bit, I really liked it.

Everything but the Truth by Gillian McAllister | Goodreads

An e-galley was provided by Bloomsbury USA Childrens via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. Everything But the Truth is definitely my favorite of the If Only books to this point. If it weren't for the plot being based on a stupid lie, I think this would have been a higher rating for me. Thank you to Netgalley & Penguin UK Michael Joseph for my ARC in exchange for an honest unbiased review* Everything But The Truth was a really fun book to read. It was easy and flowing and I found Holly and Malik’s romance endearing. This is the first novel I’ve ever read that centres on a retirement home in any way, but I really liked the atmosphere that Hubbard conveyed. I found that the couple of Sunset Towers residents we met were cute and I really enjoyed the way Holly appreciated them and helped out. Once I'd started I was of course powerless to stop. Everything But the Truth is a dream debut, brilliantly executed, clever and utterly realistic. I loved it." - Jill Mansell

Christmas Gifts

While I had some slight issues with the romance aspect of the ending, I did appreciate Hubbard's overall approach to wrapping up the story. Holly handles the ups and downs of her relationships maturely, and learns how to adjust and let go as needed.