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6th out of 239 books
—
1,807 voters
The Fine Art of Truth or Dare
by
Melissa Jensen (Goodreads Author)
Pretty in Pink meets Anna and the French Kiss in this charming romantic comedy
Ella is nearly invisible at the Willing School, and that's just fine by her. She's got her friends - the fabulous Frankie and their sweet cohort Sadie. She's got her art - and her idol, the unappreciated 19th-century painter Edward Willing. Still, it's hard being a nobody and having a crush on t...more
Ella is nearly invisible at the Willing School, and that's just fine by her. She's got her friends - the fabulous Frankie and their sweet cohort Sadie. She's got her art - and her idol, the unappreciated 19th-century painter Edward Willing. Still, it's hard being a nobody and having a crush on t...more
Paperback, 380 pages
Published
February 16th 2012
by Speak
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Oh my!
I need this NOW.
I could say I'm the person most excited about this in the whole wide world,
I bet everyone's excited :D!
_________________________________
December 14, 2011:
REVIEW TO COME... lemme just finish my swooning
__________________________________
December 15, 2011:
Official review:
You know what they say, it’s not very bright to get your hopes up because you know nothing is going to be as good as you make it in your head to be…
this book went past my expectations and up and up until it...more
I need this NOW.
I could say I'm the person most excited about this in the whole wide world,
I bet everyone's excited :D!
_________________________________
December 14, 2011:
REVIEW TO COME... lemme just finish my swooning
__________________________________
December 15, 2011:
Official review:
You know what they say, it’s not very bright to get your hopes up because you know nothing is going to be as good as you make it in your head to be…
this book went past my expectations and up and up until it...more
Everyone keeps talking about that tagline ~"Pretty in Pink" meets "Anna and the French Kiss"~ I wouldn't describe it that way, but it was just as sugary sweet as those two.
Truth: Was this book as good as I thought it would be? No.
The synopsis for this book doesn't give much away and I love that. I'll admit that I read this one for the cute cover. So sue me.
Ella is a kind of strange girl. Not in a totally bad way, either. She's obsessed with art, and has a crush on an artist from the 19th cen...more
61 likes · like · see review
Sorry guys. Not sure if I'll review this as I didn't enjoy it as much as I wanted.
Note: this has nothing to do with the comparison with Anna, it just wasn't my cup of tea. The only character I liked was Frankie, nothing else managed to grab my attention. Hopefully you will enjoy it a lot better.
Pre-reading thoughts:
Oh heavens, did someone just say "Anna and the French Kiss"?! :D
Note: this has nothing to do with the comparison with Anna, it just wasn't my cup of tea. The only character I liked was Frankie, nothing else managed to grab my attention. Hopefully you will enjoy it a lot better.
Oh heavens, did someone just say "Anna and the French Kiss"?! :D
12 likes · like · see review
From: fmarino@thewillingschool.org
To: abainbr@thewillingschool.org
Date: December 19, 6:54 p.m.
Subject: Three Things
1. Truth: I’m terrified of an embarrassing number of things, including Ferris wheels, rusty nails, being alone, and being with someone.
2. Truth: I’m working on that.
3. Dare: Take a chance on me, Alex Bainbridge. Qu’ieu sui precieuse, Ieu lo sai.*
Those Gifs out there truly show how excited and happy i was for when i came across it's ebook .
this one had to be one of the most anticipat...more
To: abainbr@thewillingschool.org
Date: December 19, 6:54 p.m.
Subject: Three Things
1. Truth: I’m terrified of an embarrassing number of things, including Ferris wheels, rusty nails, being alone, and being with someone.
2. Truth: I’m working on that.
3. Dare: Take a chance on me, Alex Bainbridge. Qu’ieu sui precieuse, Ieu lo sai.*
Those Gifs out there truly show how excited and happy i was for when i came across it's ebook .
this one had to be one of the most anticipat...more
11 likes · like · see review
I don't think I've ever been so uncomfortable with anybody, much less a fictional female character. I just really hope that I don't ever meet anyone who talks to a picture of a dead old guy like one talks to their boyfriend/girlfriend. It's just
not
right. And to take advice from him constantly?...*shudders*
Now I could certainly settle for doing a bullet list for the things I didn't like and be done with it, but then it'd look a whole lot like this:
Things I Hated:
•Ella.
•Ella.
•Ella.
•Ella.
•Ella.
•...more
Now I could certainly settle for doing a bullet list for the things I didn't like and be done with it, but then it'd look a whole lot like this:
Things I Hated:
•Ella.
•Ella.
•Ella.
•Ella.
•Ella.
•...more
8 likes · like · see review
2.5/5
I was half hoping for more of Daniel when the book had ended. And then I realized that this one guy I had such high hopes for was more of a Jiminy Cricket than a freaking Prince Charming! I don’t like how this ended. There. I said it. I liked most everything and everyone prior to it: I did like her with her friends. I did like her with her family. I even liked her and her school with her not knowing if it was “the second best thing or the second worst thing ever to happen to her.” Heck, I e...more
I was half hoping for more of Daniel when the book had ended. And then I realized that this one guy I had such high hopes for was more of a Jiminy Cricket than a freaking Prince Charming! I don’t like how this ended. There. I said it. I liked most everything and everyone prior to it: I did like her with her friends. I did like her with her family. I even liked her and her school with her not knowing if it was “the second best thing or the second worst thing ever to happen to her.” Heck, I e...more
6 likes · like · see review
The Fine Art of Truth or Dare was just the contemporary novel I needed to take a break from all the dark paranormal novels I’ve been reading. I know it has been compared to Anna and the French Kiss, and if you’ know me and have watched my YouTube videos you know how much I love Anna. However I’ve learnt to not start a book with high expectations because of comparisons to other favorite books or raving reviews, since that always leads to disappointment, and im glad I didn’t. While The Fine Art of...more
1-1/2 stars
So...what to say about this book? Let's start with this: Whoever was in charge of writing the summary for The Fine Art of Truth or Dare should be fired. Or at least, his/her work should have to be checked by someone who actually read the book first. Because this:
There's no swoony romance that has you on the edge of your seat, waiting for them to finally realize they're meant to be togeth...more
So...what to say about this book? Let's start with this: Whoever was in charge of writing the summary for The Fine Art of Truth or Dare should be fired. Or at least, his/her work should have to be checked by someone who actually read the book first. Because this:
Pretty in Pink meets Anna and the French Kiss in this charming romantic comedy.is not this book.
There's no swoony romance that has you on the edge of your seat, waiting for them to finally realize they're meant to be togeth...more
10 likes · like · see review
A lot of good and a lot of bad.
This book has a fair amount going for it. The writing is good; intelligent and cute and clear. The premise is intriguing and adorable. Both the concept and the execution of the Truth or Dare games were fantastic--it added a really wonderful dynamic to the trio's friendship, and to the story as a whole. And as for the trio itself, I was very pleasantly surprised by our protagonists's best friends. When they were first introduced, I cringed quite a bit; they seemed d...more
This book has a fair amount going for it. The writing is good; intelligent and cute and clear. The premise is intriguing and adorable. Both the concept and the execution of the Truth or Dare games were fantastic--it added a really wonderful dynamic to the trio's friendship, and to the story as a whole. And as for the trio itself, I was very pleasantly surprised by our protagonists's best friends. When they were first introduced, I cringed quite a bit; they seemed d...more
Feb 22, 2012
Arlene
rated it
2 of 5 stars
Recommended to Arlene by:
Street Corner Booker Read - February 2012
Rating Clarification: Closer to 2.5 Stars
To say I’m slightly disappointed in The Fine Art of Truth or Dare is such an understatement. This book has been on my wish-list for months! I had heard rumblings that it was a cross between Pretty in Pink and Anna and the French Kiss and all that did was increase my anticipation even more. Those were a movie and a book that I have crushed over and have probably watched and read at least half dozen times respectively. So I had nothing but excitement going...more
To say I’m slightly disappointed in The Fine Art of Truth or Dare is such an understatement. This book has been on my wish-list for months! I had heard rumblings that it was a cross between Pretty in Pink and Anna and the French Kiss and all that did was increase my anticipation even more. Those were a movie and a book that I have crushed over and have probably watched and read at least half dozen times respectively. So I had nothing but excitement going...more
24 likes · like · see review
Apr 02, 2013
Eunice
marked it as dnf-lost-interest-skimmed
Oh god. I think I've completely lost my interest in this book. I dunno if I'll continue reading this as I have been getting really bored with everything that was happening (because, seriously, I don't really care about Edward Willing). I really don't want to stop reading books half-way through but I was really struggling with this one. But maybe, one day, I'll pick this up again and finish it and could make a really proper review. :))
2 likes · like · see review
Mar 05, 2012
Sarah
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
young-adult,
ya-contemporary
So, I've been waiting to read this book, well, since I saw it floating around blogs and GR, it sounded like it might be a good one, they did mention Anna and the French Kiss meets something else I haven't read, and blessed him/her who wrote the synopsis, he/she has no clue whatsoever how to compare books, because AatFK rocked, and TFAoToD SUCKED!
Truth : I felt cheated, I was expecting a lot of fun truths and dares.
Hey! Don't judge me! I loved playing truth or dare!!
Why I think this books sucked:...more
Truth : I felt cheated, I was expecting a lot of fun truths and dares.
Hey! Don't judge me! I loved playing truth or dare!!
Why I think this books sucked:...more
I'd heard some things about this book, and let me tell you, my expectations weren't exactly high, but I was hoping for a little more from this book. I LOVED Anna and the French Kiss, and when I went to the store with my dad to buy two books—after winning a bet—I saw this and got it because Anna re-whetted my appetite for good contemporary romances. I had twenty books that I wanted to buy, and I only just narrowed it down to this book and four others, and my dad finally caved and bought me the re...more
Full of laughs and cute moments galore, THE FINE ART OF TRUTH OR DARE is one 2012 book you are for sure going to want on your keeper shelf. After reading some pretty dark and dismal books, it was just what I needed for a little uplifting. Ella's perspective is a delight to read from and I relished in all her experiences at Willing. While some instances in the story were dramatic and less than believable, Ella's wit and Alex's charm more than made up for them.
Ella is a sweet, insecure girl whose...more
Ella is a sweet, insecure girl whose...more
1 like · like · see review
I'm on Vacation so reading and reviewing will take more time. IOU 2 book reviews for: The Fine art of Truth or Dare and First Date:)
REVIEW
This **cough nonexistent cough** romance was....nice. I had some problems that other reviewers have already pointed out, that I agree with.
1. I don't know about anyone else's family, but if we were struggling with money like Ella's family is, and I was suffering like Ella (from her scars) my family would do whatever possible to get plastic surgery to fix it....more
REVIEW
This **cough nonexistent cough** romance was....nice. I had some problems that other reviewers have already pointed out, that I agree with.
1. I don't know about anyone else's family, but if we were struggling with money like Ella's family is, and I was suffering like Ella (from her scars) my family would do whatever possible to get plastic surgery to fix it....more
3 likes · like · see review
Originally reviewed on reutreads, a young adult book blog.
Even though The Fine Art of Truth or Dare had some mixed reviews, I loved this book. I whipped through the +350 pages and sighed. It was all so true! I loved Ella and her friends Sadie and Frankie.
I find that contemporary YA must have really well fleshed out characters or it will flop. This is something I struggle with in my own writing but from the second I read that Frankie had a thing for Scandinavian blonds and his brother was in some...more
Even though The Fine Art of Truth or Dare had some mixed reviews, I loved this book. I whipped through the +350 pages and sighed. It was all so true! I loved Ella and her friends Sadie and Frankie.
I find that contemporary YA must have really well fleshed out characters or it will flop. This is something I struggle with in my own writing but from the second I read that Frankie had a thing for Scandinavian blonds and his brother was in some...more
3.5 stars
{This review was originally published on Clear Eyes, Full Shelves.}
You know that love-hate thing that everyone has with Julie Taylor on Friday Night Lights?
I had that same relationship with this book and with Ella, the narrator of Melissa Jensen’s The Fine Art of Truth or Dare. On one hand, she really is smart, and she matures throughout the story, on the other hand, like Julie, I didn’t find myself rooting for Ella to get the nice guy love interest, Alex, until the very end (kind of li...more
{This review was originally published on Clear Eyes, Full Shelves.}
You know that love-hate thing that everyone has with Julie Taylor on Friday Night Lights?
I had that same relationship with this book and with Ella, the narrator of Melissa Jensen’s The Fine Art of Truth or Dare. On one hand, she really is smart, and she matures throughout the story, on the other hand, like Julie, I didn’t find myself rooting for Ella to get the nice guy love interest, Alex, until the very end (kind of li...more
2 likes · like · see review
Great book and dry wit funny!
What I liked:
The characters! I really like Ella. She is smart, artsy, FUNNY, and has a great reason for a deeply ingrained insecurity about the large scar on her shoulder and part of her neck. She uses her hair and clothes to hide it, but none the less, it provides a barrier for her to really trust anyone in the love department.
He best friends are great. Frankie…oh my goodness I SO had a friend like him in high school! I just smiled every time I read about Frankie....more
What I liked:
The characters! I really like Ella. She is smart, artsy, FUNNY, and has a great reason for a deeply ingrained insecurity about the large scar on her shoulder and part of her neck. She uses her hair and clothes to hide it, but none the less, it provides a barrier for her to really trust anyone in the love department.
He best friends are great. Frankie…oh my goodness I SO had a friend like him in high school! I just smiled every time I read about Frankie....more
I loved the way this book was written, it was quite witty. It starts off with Ella sharing her undying love for Edward Willing. The only problem with this is that he died...long ago, as in years before Ella was even born. Through the course of the book she has many an interesting conversations with her idol Edward. If only she could find someone alive who could live up to Edward. Of course there is always her crush Alex Bainbridge, but he's a "Philitte" who will likely never notice her.
Ella and...more
Ella and...more
5 likes · like · see review
Probably like 3.75 stars
The Fine Art of Truth or Dare is the story of a girl named Ella. She has two fab best friends, a hilarious Italian family that reminded me of the family in My Big Fat Greek Wedding, and a nasty scar left from a boiling water accident when she was younger. This causes her to be EXTREMELY self-deprecating and self-conscious. The poor girl can't even see how awesome she is!
This book is blurbed as "Anna and the French Kiss meets Pretty in Pink" and I can definitely see the co...more
The Fine Art of Truth or Dare is the story of a girl named Ella. She has two fab best friends, a hilarious Italian family that reminded me of the family in My Big Fat Greek Wedding, and a nasty scar left from a boiling water accident when she was younger. This causes her to be EXTREMELY self-deprecating and self-conscious. The poor girl can't even see how awesome she is!
This book is blurbed as "Anna and the French Kiss meets Pretty in Pink" and I can definitely see the co...more
4 likes · like · see review
This review originally appeared at Tripping Over Books*
THE FINE ART OF TRUTH OR DARE by Melissa Jensen is a CRAZY cute contemporary, friends, that fills what I think is a really important role on my bookshelves: that of a breezy, light, fun but heartfelt story about two crazy kids overcoming obstacles to be together, while all along being swoony and sweet and conflicted about their feelings. It’s an ace formula, guys, and when it’s done well it’s like eating a really pretty, delicious, sweet cup...more
THE FINE ART OF TRUTH OR DARE by Melissa Jensen is a CRAZY cute contemporary, friends, that fills what I think is a really important role on my bookshelves: that of a breezy, light, fun but heartfelt story about two crazy kids overcoming obstacles to be together, while all along being swoony and sweet and conflicted about their feelings. It’s an ace formula, guys, and when it’s done well it’s like eating a really pretty, delicious, sweet cup...more
Feb 13, 2012
Lindsay
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Shelves:
arc,
young-adult,
contemporary,
romance,
high-school,
family,
friendship,
secrets,
reviewed,
own,
signed
Ella Marino is nearly invisible at the Willing School, but she's okay with that.She's got her friends, Frankie and Sadie, she's got her art, and she's got her idol, the unappreciated 19th-century painter Edward Willing. Still, it's hard being a nobody and having a crush on the biggest somebody in the school: Alex Bainbridge. Especially when he's your French tutor, and lessons have become more interesting than French ever has been before. But can the invisible girl end up with the golden boy when...more
Feb 19, 2012
Mika
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
ya-contemporary-romance
After the messy start of this book I'm glad to report that it did improve and I'm giving it 4 stars. It seems that all heroines in YA romantic novels are social outcasts, have low self esteem, and fall for the popular guy at school OR are sort of popular and fall for the outcast, bad-boy guy. I guess that is what makes the story interesting, right? Having complete opposite characters get together. But it's not always that this formula works for me. At first, I had a problem with Ella's personali...more
1 like · like · see review
ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS?! I'm all yours!
Edit after reading: Hm. I definitely saw traces of both Anna and Pink but I must say that I was expecting sooooo much more. Comparing a book to one of my all-time favorites (Anna) is something to take very seriously here! Anna was such a different and spunky and fun girl. While Fiorella was cute, she was no Anna. She was painfully shy and insecure--trust me, I can relate--but was also kind of...blah. Maybe my expectations were too high? Alex was adorable...more
Edit after reading: Hm. I definitely saw traces of both Anna and Pink but I must say that I was expecting sooooo much more. Comparing a book to one of my all-time favorites (Anna) is something to take very seriously here! Anna was such a different and spunky and fun girl. While Fiorella was cute, she was no Anna. She was painfully shy and insecure--trust me, I can relate--but was also kind of...blah. Maybe my expectations were too high? Alex was adorable...more
Melissa Jensen tells the story of Ella, a teenager who is an outcast at school. She only has two friends, has a strange obsession with a dead painter and has large scarring on her body due to an accident as a child. I absolutely loved Ella’s friendships with Frankie and Sadie and how close the three of them were. The title of the book comes from the three of them playing Truth or Dare every time they go out to eat together, which is quite often. The game was a fun way of getting to know each of...more
I did really enjoy this book, despite what 3/5 stars might suggest. I do tend to pick at details a lot though. So I'll start with the positives first.
I liked the characters a lot. Ella is very insecure, and this can mainly be attributed to her horribly scarred shoulder from an accident. Kids used to call her "Freddy Kruger" because of it. Yikes. Most teenaged girls are insecure, so I think that her character should be easy to relate to in that respect. She has some awkward moments that make you...more
I liked the characters a lot. Ella is very insecure, and this can mainly be attributed to her horribly scarred shoulder from an accident. Kids used to call her "Freddy Kruger" because of it. Yikes. Most teenaged girls are insecure, so I think that her character should be easy to relate to in that respect. She has some awkward moments that make you...more
This book needed some serious editing.
The writing wasn't bad (for YA fiction.) But just about everything else was. Bad. I will summarize with a list:
1. The main character, Ella was not likable. You don't hate her, but you don't really enjoy her. Kind of a problem when the book is about her.
2. Side characters that had nothing to do with the plot. And did not further the story: most notably Edward the dead artist that she had conversations with. The whole thing was just really, really strange. Se...more
The writing wasn't bad (for YA fiction.) But just about everything else was. Bad. I will summarize with a list:
1. The main character, Ella was not likable. You don't hate her, but you don't really enjoy her. Kind of a problem when the book is about her.
2. Side characters that had nothing to do with the plot. And did not further the story: most notably Edward the dead artist that she had conversations with. The whole thing was just really, really strange. Se...more
I was expecting this book to about Ella and Edward Willing, and it was. Just not the way I was assuming and expecting. Instead, I read a story that was went way beyond what I was expecting and how. I'm not sure where to start with the praises. I loved the historical parallel. I loved Ella and Alexei Bainbridge. I found it very easy to relate to her and her fears, as well as her struggles to overcome them. I loved her large and loud family, her Nonna especially. Alex was a surprise. I was hesitan...more
This had good moments, but it also focused WAY too much on the Edward Willing "scenes". While I enjoyed moments between Ella and Alex, it almost felt like this actually took a back seat to Ella's creepy obsession with Willing. She actually had conversations with an inanimate statue. Not once, which may have been cute, and not one-sided, which would've been sort've ok, but full conversations.
There's also long chunks where you just read history about Willing that seemed completely forced and out o...more
There's also long chunks where you just read history about Willing that seemed completely forced and out o...more
The blurb for this book is misleading. This book is not a romantic comedy at all. I can't recall a single moment that made me laugh. It's more like a typical YA romance novel.
Ella, the main character, is not too bad. She's shy and damaged and very self conscious about a scar she got as a child. Her best friends and her family are even better - Frankie and Sadie and her grandma are all awesome. Ella and her friends attend a private school and are the outcasts. She's had a crush on popular boy Ale...more
Ella, the main character, is not too bad. She's shy and damaged and very self conscious about a scar she got as a child. Her best friends and her family are even better - Frankie and Sadie and her grandma are all awesome. Ella and her friends attend a private school and are the outcasts. She's had a crush on popular boy Ale...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Annoying First Half | 5 | 33 | Dec 05, 2012 11:58pm | |
| The Big Wait Delivers.. Nothing | 10 | 51 | Feb 29, 2012 05:51pm | |
| Have you read the teaser? | 1 | 24 | Sep 23, 2011 11:03am | |
| Sneak peek at the Fine Art of Truth or Dare! | 1 | 26 | Sep 20, 2011 07:00pm | |
| Sneak peek at the Fine Art of Truth or Dare! | 1 | 8 | Sep 20, 2011 06:35pm |
I grew up in San Francisco, which gave me a love of fog and funny-colored houses. My mother is an amazing watercolorist, my father an architect. I can’t draw. Never could. But I always loved telling stories (occasionally of the sort involving passing Vegetable Fairies and disappearing sweet potatoes at dinnertime). I read lots of pretty wonderful books as a kid, but haven’t been quite the same sin...more
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“sometimes no matter how many eyelashes or dandelion seeds you blow, no matter how much of your heart you tear out and slap on your sleeve, it just ain't gonna happen.”
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aw, thanks! (:
Mar 04, 2012 01:28pm
May 17, 2013 12:14am