The Truth About Us by Janet Gurtler

Published: April 7^th 2015 by Sourcebooks Fire

A powerful and gripping contemporary YA from the author of I’m Not Her that’s “Just right for fans of Sarah Dessen and Jodi Picoult.”-Booklist

The truth is that Jess knows she screwed up.

She’s made mistakes, betrayed her best friend, and now she’s paying for it. Her dad is making her spend the whole summer volunteering at the local soup kitchen.

The truth is she wishes she was the care-free party-girl everyone thinks she is.

She pretends it’s all fine. That her “perfect” family is fine. But it’s not. And no one notices the lie…until she meets Flynn. He’s the only one who really sees her. The only one who listens.

The truth is that Jess is falling apart – and no one seems to care.

But Flynn is the definition of “the wrong side of the tracks.” When Jess’s parents look at him they only see the differences-not how much they need each other. They don’t get that the person who shouldn’t fit in your world… might just be the one to make you feel like you belong.

I was introduced to Janet Gurtler’s writing a few years ago after the loss of a friendship left me with a massive broken heart. A friend directed me to Gurtler’s work suggesting that it would bring me comfort and let me know that ‘I’m not alone’ in my experience.

Gurtler’s books and her narrative voice have a way of speaking directly to the reader and bringing a sense of calm, direction and peace to heartbreaking situations that we all ultimately endure at some point.

Janet Gurtler has quickly made her way to the top of my list of contemporary writers. This book certainly didn’t disappoint.

The Truth About Us is set in such a vivid and realistic world, paired with characters with fully developed identities and dilemmas. I didn’t connect with the protagonist at all. Which really, isn’t such a bad thing. She was flawed, and unapologetically human. Despite not connecting with her, her deep rooted flaws made her story more emotionally charged and in a sense, more moving.