The Truth about Lilly Barnes

The Truth about Lilly Barnes

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4.3 of 5 stars 4.30  ·  rating details  ·  64 ratings  ·  34 reviews
“Today is the day it is going to happen. I’m not melancholy or nervous. I just want to get it over with more than anything. Today is the day that I, Lilly Barnes, die.”

Lilly Barnes doesn't want to live anymore. She is prepared to leave her life, family, and more importantly, her best friend Buddy behind for good. But, why? What could be so horrible that it makes a young g...more

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Community Reviews

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Kimberly Russell
Jun 05, 2012 Kimberly Russell rated it 5 of 5 stars  ·  (Review from the author)
Shelves: i-wrote
I guess I'm going to give this one 5 stars. I thought the author showed real ... just kidding. :) I hope you all enjoy the book! It can be purchased at the following links.

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-t...

http://www.amazon.com/Truth-about-Lil...
Watermelon Daisy


When I put a down down as my favourite, don't take it lightly.

This book is one I'm happy to read, over and over again. It has a sort of magic which keeps me glued to the pages, and I love how I don't know instantly why Lilly wanted to commit suicide -it's an ongoing mystery throughout the entire book.

Lilly, the main character, was raw. It gave me shivers how much I could relate to her on a personal basis. Her character manages to put humour even when she's starting to kill herself. She has this...more
Anagha
Sep 04, 2012 Anagha rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Possibly if you're a very big fan of contemporary YA
Recommended to Anagha by: Stormi (Lightning Book Promotions)
"Everyone absolutely knows what a strawberry tastes like, even if you are allergic to them. Everyone absolutely knows what the toilet flushing sounds like. Everyone absolutely scratches their mosquito bites. And I know that I was absolutely ready to die. This wasn't a cry for help. I didn't want to be saved. I was ready to call it quits. Done. Terminado."

I don't know yet whether this just wasn't my kind of book or if it was actually subpar. Looking at one-after-the-other 5-star reviews makes me...more
Disincentive/Feta
Jun 24, 2012 Disincentive/Feta rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: EVERYONE
MY REVIEW, GUST POST BY AUTHOR AND A GIVEAWAY: http://disincentive-reviews.blogspot....

Lily wants to die. That’s the only thing I could be sure at the beginning. Why? Maybe because of her alcoholic mother? It doesn’t matter. She just takes all the pills she can see and drinks a cup of wood polisher. "At least when I die they can say I had lemony fresh breath."
…But she gets saved of course. Asked in the hospital if she’d do it again, she says “yes”.
Why?

Lily is one of my favorite heroines in b...more
Lexxie  (un)Conventional Bookviews
*I received a free ARC of this book in exchange of an honest review*

The full review can be found on my blog (un)Conventional Bookviews.
Allizabeth Collins
Review:

I had trouble putting this book down after the first couple of sentences; Lilly's statement, "I really am dying tonight... it will be all my choice and by my own hands." immediately affected me. Why would someone choose death over life? What in their life could be bad enough to warrant suicide? Lilly's reasoning was not immediately apparent, but I was compelled to read on, her silent goodbyes to school, friends, inanimate objects, and Channing Tatum setting the book's overall tone - dee...more
Ruth Hill
From the moment I began reading this book, I was absolutely engrossed! This is one short, powerful book that I think should be required reading for almost every youth. I have read young adult books that left me wanting more or very disenchanted. Not so with this book! It was an adrenaline rush from the beginning!

There were no bedroom scenes--thankfully! There was some profanity, but I honestly was not turned off by it. While I would caution parents about letting their kids read this if profanity...more
Marissa
From the book description, I can already see and thought that this was most likely going to be an emotional, pulling type read. Even before I read the first page, I felt for Lilly...

This story starts out with Lilly, a 17 year old girl, who attempts to end her life, and does she actually go with it? Well, she ends up going to a facility, I suppose an institution, to get better, and Lilly will have a difficult time of opening up, telling her story, her truth on why she wanted to kill herself, but...more
Tracey (YA Book Addict)
As a reader I get so swept up in a story and it's characters. I swoon over the gorgeous guys, I adore all the sweet romance, I love all the strong and sassy female leads and I love to hate all the bad guys. I ride each and every emotion that a book manages to make me feel. So I can only imagine the depth of emotions that must be felt by an author who writes something as emotional as The Truth About Lilly Barnes.

Lilly Barnes has no desire to live. She has been keeping a secret and it's eating her...more
Alison
I had randomly spotted this on Amazon, downloaded it to my Kindle and read it in one afternoon. I’m drawn to stories about suicide, I’m interested to know the reasons behind the action. The reason behind Lilly’s decision isn’t immediately obvious and in fact I hadn’t guessed the reason until it was revealed.

The story is told mostly from Lilly’s point of view but there are a couple of chapters told from the point of view of her best friend (and possible romantic interest?), Buddy. I liked the var...more
Chapter by Chapter
What a powerful read! I didn’t even realize how quickly I was reading this book. One minute I had just started, and the next minute I was done. I will admit that the opening scene in the book captured my attention, and the rest of the book held it.

The Truth About Lilly Barnes by Kimberly Russell follows the struggles of, you guessed it, Lilly Barnes. Lilly has been planning her death. She has completely made up her mind, has found the way in which she wants to go, and plans on executing it after...more
Laura Ashlee
http://www.owltellyouaboutit.com/posts/the-truth-about-lilly-barnes/

I picked up The Truth about Lilly Barnes for a blog tour and I really enjoyed it. It reminded me a little of Thirteen Reasons Why, mainly because that’s one of the only other books I’ve read that dealt with suicide. Lilly Barnes is certainly more uplifting though. Parts of it were very sad, but I loved the way Kimberly Russell handled the issues.

Most of the story is told from Lilly’s point of view, though Buddy gets a few chapte...more
Paula Mitchell
This was sent to me via the author as part of a blog tour for a honest and fair review. There aren't many people who could pull of this sort of book. Kimberly Russell has the ability to write about things we would rather not talk about. Lilly Barnes has horrible secrets that she can't seem to talk about. She tries to kill herself hoping that would end the horror in her mind but it didn't go as planned. Lilly's family is about as dysfunctional as can get. The only one she cares about is Buddy and...more
Jaclyn
I like this book because through out the story, you don't know why Lilly is doing what she's doing. Sometimes people hide, even from those who know them the best, dark secrets because they are afraid or ashamed. You never know what the people closest to you are going through. As for the characters in this book the stepdad is a DIRTBAG! He's more than that. I absolutely hate the mom. She is a horrible, selfish person who does not deserve the privilege of having a child... I can't wait for another...more
Stephanie Parent
Kimberly Russell’s The Truth about Lilly Barnes is one of the most realistic depictions of depression I’ve ever read, and it’s also a story you won’t be able to stop reading once you start. I really think anyone who has experienced depression themselves, or knows someone who’s struggled with depression and/or abuse, should read this book—and really, isn’t that almost everyone?

At the risk of getting too personal, I will say that I have struggled with depression myself, and a lot of fictional (an...more
ABookVacation
This is a very powerful novel that looks into the life of a teenage girl facing a dark secret that leaves her feeling helpless and alone, choosing death over facing her fears day in and day out. With such heavy topics at hand, it feels almost wrong to say this is a great novel, but it is; it touches on topics that makes people uncomfortable, it deals with sadness and abuse, love and hate, redemption and, of course, suicide, and I think it’s one of those novels that could do more than just touch...more
Amanda


Wonderful! I was drawn to Lilly immediately and needed to find out what made her tick. Couldn't put this down!

Lilly was so relatable. A girl you would like for a friend who's is strong and compassionate. But she has a secret pain that brings her to the end of her endurance and finally breaks her. And like so many things, it's in the breaking that she is made whole. A heartbreaking and redeeming journey.

I cannot say adequately just how much I liked this book, 10 stars would not be enough. Bravo...more
Rachel Simons
When I read the synopsis I thought why would a young girl want to end her life when it’s just beginning. Reading the account of how she decided to kill herself was quite disturbing and reading on from this got even more disturbing. It was very heart wrenching and now I know the reasons why she wanted to end her life.

The book was very well written from a teens prospective. It is a book that you can get lost in because you do not learn the reason why she wanted to commit suicide until later on in...more
Lisa
I picked this up last night immediately after finishing another book. I thought I would just read a chapter and see how it was before retiring for the night. I didn't put it down until I turned the last page. True. Exhausted!!
It's a relatively short read of 152 pages but those pages had me comitted to everyword. Kimberly Russell did an outstanding job with Lilly Barnes. I loved it.
Christina
Kimberly Russell did it again, the Truth about Lilly Barnes is another example of the talented upcoming author. The story is full of relationships you wish you had and some your thankful you don't. I've read the book three times now and can't put it down each time! Mrs Russell grows with each new novel and I can't wait to see where her next book takes us <3
Quinessa
I don't know if I liked this books as much as I thought I would. I felt it was a bit slow moving, but, I also felt that it had a lot of depth. I had a strange feeling that there were just some details that was missed in the book. But, I loved the relationship between Buddy and Lilly. I also loved that she was open to talking about herself and what happened.
Rachelle
My emotions while reading this book: Sad. Intrigued. Compelled. It's like seeing the world thru the eyes of a lost soldier of life. It's sad to think that there are a million "Lilly Barnes" out there. Physically fit, but emotionally broken. This book is a definite must read for teenagers out there who think that life is full of sh*t. It's not. Last but not the least, I felt happy that Lilly Barnes found her "sweet days" at the end.
Jennifer
I was obsessed with finding out "the truth" from the second I started reading this book. I loved it. I had the pleasure of reading it before others....I am fortunate enough to call the author my friend, but friend or not, I am honest in my assessment of this book- it was amazing!
Hmr28
This is a poorly written "issue" book. There were so many grammatical, spelling, and word choice errors that it was difficult to read. The bones of a good story were there but the execution was poor.
Amber Brown
I can't put into words how much I loved this book. It moved me and I cried and I cheered for her at the same time. It was stunning and I wished it had never ended.
Jasmine
I adore the character Buddy! Lily is such a strong girl. I hate thinking about other people going through similar problems. It makes me angry and sad.
Sarah Grace James-Miller
Jul 27, 2012 Sarah Grace James-Miller marked it as to-read
Buddy is my old dog's name... Hopefully he isn't a type of love interest cause then that'd be rather creepy to me.
Karie
I read this in just one day I think. Rare for me. I really felt attached to the characters - LOVED Buddy and his family!
Andreana


I loved it! It was heartbreaking (shed a few tears) but hopeful. Buddy was my favorite character:) Great book!
Louisa
Really good book, dealing with serious situations, so I'm glad that Buddy and Lilly got a happy ending, which really added some great things to the book!
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The Truth about Lilly Barnes (Paperback)
5124933
Hello! I have written two novels - BETWEEN BALLOONS and THE TRUTH ABOUT LILLY BARNES. I am currently working on my third novel, THE ADORATION OF EMMA WYLDE.

I’m obsessed with all things Jane Austen. I read a lot of YA but my all-time favorite is a cozy mystery. As far as teen books go I really love Stephanie Perkins, Sarah Dessen, Sara Zara, and Ann Brashares. As far as adult books go I love Sidne...more
More about Kimberly Russell...
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“I think of all the things I will miss. I think about coffee, red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting, Little Women, and Channing Tatum. Oh, how I will miss Channing Tatum.” 10 people liked it
“It seems sort of unnecessary to prolong my life but I guess they can’t just let me die. I’m sure there would be paperwork.” 4 people liked it
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