The Truth About Jack

by Jody Gehrman

Can the write guy be the right guy?

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.

This Entangled Teen Crush book contains references to missed connections, mistaken identities, and lots of misbehavior. It may give you all the swoony feels.

Genres: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, New Adult, Young Adult Contemporary, Music

192 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 4, 2014

About the author

Jody Gehrman is a native of Northern California, where she can be found writing, teaching, reading, or obsessing over her three cats most days. She is also the author of eleven novels and numerous award-winning plays. Her debut suspense novel, Watch Me, was published by St. Martin's Press. Her other adult novels are Bombshell, Notes from the Backseat, Tart, and Summer in the Land of Skin. Her Young Adult novels include The Truth About Jack, Audrey's Guide to Black Magic, Audrey's Guide to Witchcraft, Babe in Boyland, Confessions of a Triple Shot Betty, and Triple Shot Bettys in Love. Babe in Boyland was optioned by the Disney Channel and won the International Reading Association's Teen Choice Award. Her plays have been produced or had readings in Ashland, New York, San Francisco, Chicago and L.A. She and her partner David Wolf won the New Generation Playwrights Award for their one-act, Jake Savage, Jungle P.I. She is a professor of Communication at Mendocino College.

Reviews

[Irena BookDustMagic · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,75 stars to be very precise.

Let me tell you the truth about Jack. He is an insecure kid who falls in obsession at first sight. Not in love, obsession (at least that's what seemed to me).
He sees Dakota and all of the sudden he has to be near her, he knows she would be the right for him so he starts showing up in the bakery he thinks she would be in. He follows her around and he gives me chills while reading about those scenes.
In the real life, i don't think any girl would be happy to cross her paths with him. He was a wierdo and I often questioned his intellingence.
No matter if he is insecure, he has no problem in judging others by their look.
I didn't like his POV and I'm not gonna lie, at times, it felt like torture reading his perspective.
I'm glad that thing changed in the second half of the book. I'm not sure if his voice started to sound better or if I just got used to it.

On the other hand, it was such a pleasure reading Dakota's POV. She is one very interesting character. She's the one who saved this book (for me). She is funny and whise, and people she surrounded herself with are interesting as well.
I have never read anything about modern hippies so I enjoyed exploring their community and I wish there were more scenes about them.

The writing style is good.
This was the first Gehrman's book I read and I doubt it would be the last.
I think she is a good author because she managed for two different POVs to sound totally different and if there weren't notifications who's perspective I was reading at time, I wouldn't have a problem to know it by myself.
She also builted complexed characters solidly. At times I would question why would certain character act the way he did, and then I would remember something that happened in his life before and it would make sense.
I liked that.
I like it when characters have a little bit of gray blended in their peronalities.

Overall, the story was okay, cute at times and while reading I didn't have that feeling that often comes with reading contemporary YA novel, the one that tells you you're reading something you've already read or seen in the movie. This time, it felt like I hadn't read anything similar to this novel before.

I know this novel wouldn't be what it is now without Jack's perspective, but that very perspective is the reason why I couln't give this book a decent four stars rating.
Jack and I, we just couldn't get along!
I often wished this book was written only in Dakota's perspective so I could give it higher rating, but I understand stories have to have not only enjoyable moments but the ones not so interesting, or maybe ones that could make you feel the way you don't want to feel as well, to achieve completeness in developing.

I recieved a copy of this book via Netgalley in an exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Entangled Publishing, LLC.

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars for this unique teen romance. On the same day Dakota finds out she's been accepted in to her top choice art school, she gets an email from her best friend admitting that she hooked up with Dakota's boyfriend. Devastated by this betrayal, Dakota goes to the beach where she finds an empty bottle. On a whim, she decides to write a message in the bottle and throw it into the surf. Jack is a talented 18 year old pianist but he's also incredibly insecure. His mom has him living in a bubble where he's not even allowed to drive himself. When he finds Dakota's message in a bottle, he immediately connects with her but is to insecure to tell her who he really is when he writes back. I really enjoyed this story and I really liked both Dakota and Jack. I enjoyed this story and recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good young adult story.

**ARC provided in exchange for an honest review**

[Liviania · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dakota McCloud is on cloud nine when she gets her acceptance to Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). It's the art school she's always wanted to go to, plus she'll be able to reunite with her boyfriend next year. But before she can share the good news, her best friend emails her to let her know that she's hooked up with said boyfriend. To deal with the extreme emotions of the day, Dakota writes it all in a letter which she stuffs into a bottle and throws into the ocean. A bottle Jack Sauvage picks up, because he wanted to meet Dakota and it came right back in on the next wave.

It's a pretty good setup for a romance, but I felt like yelling "No, no, no!" at the book when Jack decides to write back ... as Alejandro Torres from Barcelona. He knows Barcelona is the hook since Dakota says she wants to go there in the cafe where he first say her. And he feels like he can't introduce himself to her as himself because he's been idealizing her like whoa.

Now, I felt for Jack. He's pretty socially awkward, particularly since he was homeschooled after his best friend ODed. His last girlfriend dumped him because he didn't spend enough money on her, so he's not all that confident in his looks and personality as an attraction. But man oh man was I put off by the way he romances Dakota, both as Alejandro and Jack. He uses things she writes to Alejandro to make himself more appealing as Jack. Jody Gehrman does a good job of establishing in THE TRUTH ABOUT JACK that Dakota would like Jack without this malarkey, so the borderline stalking really left a bad taste in my mouth.

Dakota is the easier protagonist to like, since she isn't romancing anyone under a false identity. She's struggling with how to proceed next, and wondering if RISD is really her dream or if there are better ways to become a professional artist. I love that she's shown working on her art, even going to the landfill for parts. I also like how Dakota and Jack both reach out to other people in their lives for advice and help with relationships.

I think THE TRUTH ABOUT JACK is a super cute book with very real chemistry between the leads. But you just have to go with the premise. It's not something I would ever accept in reality, even though Jack does try to make things right. I preferred Gehrman's Triple Shot Bettys books, because I did have so much trouble with Jack's actions.

[Caro · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really cute story overall.

We have Dakota, a free spirited girl full of dreams, who gets her heart broken by her best friend and boyfriend. I have to say, that was really crappy of them. Not just what they did, but also how they handled things, both of them view things very differently, and it gave the idea that one of them was lying. Because her life was so entwined with the both of them, Dakota starts rethinking her idea of going to college right away, and starts to consider that maybe a gap year would be better for her.

At first, I thought she was kind of overreacting about college, but then it made sense that she saw the world before starting her art studies, it also kind of fit her spirit.

In all of this thinking she meets Jack (and his alter ego). I really liked Jack as well, he was pretty sheltered and talented in playing piano. He longed to be given more freedom from his Mom, and I loved that by interacting with Dakota he started to view and experience the world in a different way. He just needed a lot of confidence, not just to take risks, but also approaching the girl he liked.

It was rather obvious that Dakota would find out about everything before he got the chance to explain, but there were still surprises here, and let’s face it, that was a totally shy teenager boy thing to do, lol. He was still pretty cute and we could see there was a lot of potential for him to grow in the future.

I liked the story, however, I felt it needed a little more depth. I mean, we never really saw more of the issues Jack had with his parents (absent father and overprotective mother) and we only knew that he was affected by his friend’s death, but exactly how aside from becoming a hermit; and similarly with Dakota and her mother. I thought there was potential there for a much ‘deeper’ story with those topics. The story mostly focuses on Jack and Dakota’s falling for each other, and that’s good, but with a little bit more ‘meat’ I thought it would’ve been great.

Still, it was a cute and entertaining read, and I enjoyed it a lot.

*Thank you to Entangled Publishing for providing an ARC in exchange of my honest opinion*

[Claire (Book Blog Bird) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of the Truth About Jack in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to Entangled Publishing. this review is also on my blog: www.bookblogbird.weebly.com

Dakota lives in an artists’ colony in California. She has her own yurt, works in an herbalist’s shop, drinks a bunch of chai and isdesperate to get into the Rhode Island School of Design so that she can join her boyfriend, Cody, and her best friend, River, and start her professional life as an artist. When her acceptance comes through, she thinks everything is falling into place. Only trouble is, she then receives an email from River, telling her that she’s hooked up with Cody and that they’re now an item. In one instant, all of Dakota’s plans seem to be shot down in flames.

In her rage and hurt, she storms down to the beach and pours her heart out in a letter to no one in particular, which she then puts in a bottle and throws out to sea. What she doesn’t realise is that the bottle just washes back onto the shore, where it is picked up by Jack, who had been watching her from down the beach. Too shy to answer her letter as himself, Jack adopts an alternate persona and begins writing to Dakota.

I have to say, I really enjoyed this book. Maybe it helped that I was in the mood for a decent romance, but The Truth About Jack certainly ticked all the boxes for me. It was funny and sweet and romantic and left me with the warm glowies after I’d finished it.

The story is told from dual viewpoints - Dakota’s and Jack’s. We get to see Dakota working through her hurt and betrayal at Cody and River’s behaviour and how she slowly starts to fall for Jack, both as his letter-writing alter-ego and in real life. I liked Dakota a lot - considering she’s a girl who grew up on an artists’ commune, was homeschooled and is an artist herself, she is refreshingly un-flakey and down-to-earth and grows up a lot through the story.

Jack was really sweet, too, and kind of awkward despite all his talent and dashing good looks. At the bit where he picks up Dakota’s bottle on the beach and decides on writing to her as this alternate persona, the arrow on my Skeeve-O-Meter rocketed upwards. But actually when you read on a little bit and see how adorably socially inept he is, you kind of understand why he does it. I really liked Jack and it was interesting to see him grow as a character and start to throw off his isolation as the book progressed.

The plot read like a good romantic comedy. The sort where there’s the boy-meets-girl, there’s some kind of misunderstanding, a few obstacles thrown inn the way and you spend the whole time in a state of ‘Will they, won’t they’. There are some places where it’s actually really funny. There’s this one bit where one character is trying to convince another that the boy she likes is a meth user, and it had me laughing out loud. Okay, when I say it it doesn’t sound that funny, but trust me, it was very amusing. Jody Gehrman has a lovely way of writing that flows well and manages to be descriptive enough without bogging the plot down and keeps a light touch throughout.

All in all, I thought this was a really sweet romance novel and well worth a read.

8.5/10

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Check out more reviews at Little Miss Bookmark!

Dakota was left behind by her boyfriend and best friend when they headed off to college. When she receives the news that she has also been accepted, she thinks that her life is right on track. Little does she know that she's going to be thrown a curve ball and her life will seemingly be in shambles. Until she meets Jack, that is.

When I picked The Truth About Jack up, I was pretty sure I knew what I was getting into ... a feel-good lighthearted romance that would be a simple read. In some ways, that is exactly what I got. It was a very sweet romance novel but it was a little darker than I had imagined. There were a lot of sad things that I hadn't really banked on that surprised me a bit.

I really enjoyed the journey that Dakota and Jack were on together and apart. I thought that the author did a great job of really tuning into teenagers and it read like I was back in high school. Some of the situations were the same ones that I had been through and it made me a bit nostalgic.

Another thing made me a bit nostalgic ... The Truth About Jack was a bit ... Message In A Bottle-esque. In more than one way, it reminded me of that book (and movie). Now, I have nothing against repeated ideas that slightly resemble each other ... isn't that what all books are?!? But I just had a stronger sense of it with this one and I'm not completely sure why. It just popped into my head and decided to take up residence while I finished this one.

There are a bunch of surprises that I didn't expect within these pages and that made the story that much better. I do wish that this book was a little deeper. I think that it would have made the story more interesting if some of the topics discussed had really delved into the issue. For the most part, this was a sweet book about coming of age, growing into and out of relationships and falling in love.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Truth About Jack is one of those books that bring on the warm and fuzzies in spades ;)

Initially, it is easy to think of Dakota and Jack as completely opposite due to their upbringing. Jack is from a privileged but over-protective background while Dakota has grown-up free-spirited in the middle of an artist colony (could be translated as hippy colony, lol) However, as the story progresses it soon becomes blatantly apparent that Jack and Dakota are kindred spirits, this knowledge is aided by the dual narrative providing a deeper level of understanding to their characterisations.

The aspect that stands out the most in The Truth About Jack is the beautiful writing style used by Jody Gehrman employs. Full of stunning simile and metaphor bringing the imagery to Technicolor life. The projection of emotions within the narrative ensures the empathetic connection to the characters. The vocabulary is full of wickedly wonderful words aiding the swoon factor.

I couldn’t really understand why Jack found it necessary to create an alias in reply to Dakota’s message in a bottle. We all know that a relationship built on lies will inevitably fail, lies will always be found out in the long run and cause more problems than their initial worth.

I will say the letters written between Jack/Alejandro and Dakota bear their souls within their words; their letters are far more personal and revealing than any conversation with a ‘new’ person would be.

The characters are very introspective often bordering on psychoanalytical, making the characters very self-aware. This also allows the reader to analyse their own situations/feelings/emotions as a byproduct of the narrative. I stand by my often used statement – it is the tragedies we endure in life that shape us the most. Aptly depicted by Dakota and Jack.

If you need a book that is going to make you swoon, give you hope that romance isn’t dead and make you feel a little giddy – you can’t go wrong with The Truth About Jack :)

[Holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

*eARC kindly provided by Entangled via NetGalley*

I wanted to read this book because the synopsis reminded me of Message in a Bottle by Nicholas Sparks, which is funnily enough the only novel of his I've actually ever finished and loved. And this book was cute enough, fluffy bordering on cheesy (way too much at times). The romance was sweet, though it felt pretty forced in the beginning. The start of their relationship felt a little unbelievable to me, and I wish the whole message-in-a-bottle part had been played out differently. But I liked that it showed how different the worlds the two MCs came from and how it did (and didn't) shape their characters. And that the two of them figured out what they wanted out of life and decided to go after their dreams.

[ninoimwunderland · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5⭐️
——
Wie das Cover und der Klappentext schon vermuten lassen, handelt es sich bei dem „Ein Sommer mit Alejandro“ um eine locker, flockige Sommerlektüre, die bei mir sofort Fernweh ausgelöst hat. Die Autorin schafft es die Orte und das Geschehen so toll zu beschreiben, dass man förmlich über die Seiten fliegt.
Da das Buch aus zwei Perspektiven geschrieben ist, wird man schnell mit den beiden Protagonisten warm.
Zum einen ist da Dakota, die gerade an einem Punkt im Leben angekommen ist, wo sie sich entscheiden muss, wie es weitergehen soll und zum anderen geht es um Jack, der sich in einer ähnlichen Situation befindet. Die beiden könnten jedoch nicht unterschiedlicher sein, sie, die in einer Hippie-Gegend lebt und er, der sich um Geld keine Sorgen machen muss und in einer reichen Gegend lebt. Die Autorin schafft es jedoch ihre Geschichten authentisch und realistisch ineinander übergehen zu lassen, was mir sehr gut gefallen hat.
An manchen stellen musste ich jedoch ein wenig schmunzeln und das Ende hat zwar gepasst, war für mich aber dann doch etwas zu viel.
Alles in allem hat mir das Buch aber sehr gut gefallen und meiner Meinung nach eignet es sich perfekt für einen gemütlichen Sommerabend.
Vielen Dank an den cbt Verlag für das bereitstellen des Rezensionsexemplars!

[dearrivarie · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Copy sent to me by Entangled Crush - my thoughts are completely my own)

3.75 out of 5 stars

The Truth About Jack follows Dakota McCloud and her message in a bottle. After finding out that her best friend and boyfriend have hooked up in the East Coast while she's finishing high school in California, she pours out her feelings in a letter and throws in into the ocean. She expected to never get a response, but her message gets swept back in the next tide right into the hands of Jack Sauvage. Jack's life is the completely opposite from Dakota's; raised the son of a rich winery owner and with plans to attend Juillard in the upcoming fall, he has nothing in common with her. But when he first sees her in the coffee shop, he finds a connection with her and vows to find out more. The letter washing up at his feet on the beach is pure luck and he decides to write back, but not as Jack Sauvage.

Reviewing this book is turning out to be harder than I expected. There were so many factors in this book that made it enjoyable I can't put them all into words. Let's start off with the premise of the romance. Jack writes back to Dakoraa under the pen name of Alejandro, a traveling soul from Barcelona, Spain the very place Dakota wants to visit. I knew just from that very plot line that there was going to be some drama going on especially when Jack finally reveals his true identity, but when that climax came, I found myself a bit hanging. Don't get me wrong, I did feel a punch in the gut when Dakota finds out, but I expected to feel a bit more. However, the writing and creation of the relationships between the characters was very solid and well written.

Okay moving on to characters, Dakota is pretty dang awesome. She's snarky, fun, and easy to relate to. When she first discovers the betrayal you can almost feel it ripping through your heart as if it was happening to you. Hopefully it never does, but you get my point. Throughout the book she constantly put on a tough mask to hide the insecurity that she feels, but she still continues to grow stronger. I guess her testing point of the story could be when she finds out that Jack is Alejandro but I think it's really when her boyfriend shows up at her yurt and tries to win him back. She finds that while lying is one of the biggest sins out there, there is a difference between Jack's lie and Cody's lie.

To be honest, I don't know if I should be creeped out by Jack or to be won over by him. He's a successful pianist and a bit awkward if you ask me. When he first sees Dakota, he decides to follow her to the beach and watches her while she throws her letter into the ocean. Now that's a bit stalkerish if you me. However, he does have some redeeming qualities such as his gentle nature and how he truly cares about Dakota's passions and listens to her. His fake persona, Alejandro, was a creation of who he thought Dakota would want, but he ends up finding out that he's fine just the way he is.

I want to quickly mention Atila who is Jack's chauffeur because he's literally hilarious and one of the best characters out there. He becomes this "dad" figure for Jack, guiding him as Jack tries to navigate his emotions about Dakota and their relationship grows from being strictly professional to one of friendship. There's also River who was Dakota's best friend. I wanted to sympathize for her even just a tiny bit but I ended not being able to. She's sorry that she broke Dakota's relationship, but she even more sad that Cody still loves Dakota not her. Talk about being a terrible friend...

Overall, the story was a cute and enjoyable read. While I did wish there was more umph and push to the ending and Dakota made Jack beg just a little more, I still thought it ended on a pretty magical note~

Read my reviews at:
https://extreemeobsessed.blogspot.com

[books are love · Rating 4 out of 5]

Each book that entangled teen has done in the entangled crush series that I have read has been fantastic and this is no exception. The characters Dakota and Jack are so relatable and fun.

Jack needs Dakota to help him come out of his shell and Dakota finds some on to help her feel safe and secure. But more than that Dakota has a kindred spirit. They understand one another in a deep and fundamental way. Each a artist in their own right one a musician and the other a sculpturist. Each home schooled and feeling out of sorts.

Jack is the sweet quiet boy who feels awkward around others. He sees Dakota and has a instant feeling of attraction and kinship. He is smitten and it is precious to watch him and his reactions. The way he acts is so real. It is like watching yourself in high school when you first see the person you feel will be your everything. He is bumbling and shy. When he sees the note in the bottle he is giddy. I don’t agree with his actions of the different persona to write back to her but do understand why he did it. He was scared and wanted to get to know her without his shyness and awkwardness inhibiting him. He is from a rich family and his encounters in the past haven’t been stellar for most use him for his money. He is still deeply crushed by his friend’s death but with Dakota’s help he begins to feel happy again and see what he wants in life more.

Gran is awesome and so is Attila. I kind of feel for Attila I do hope he lands on his feet. These two are so vivacious and full of life. Attila is a hopeless romantic and loves to read. He helps Jack with Dakota and helps him gain confidence as well.

Joquian is awesome. His swagger and the way he befriends Jack without wanting anything in return is great to see. This also helps Jack come out of his shell. He has some fun ways and ideas on how Jack can get Dakota.

Dakota in the beginning of the story has been hurt and loses her fun bubbly personality. You feel for her and feel what she is going through. As Jack and Jack as Alejandro enter her world she begins to feel magic again. She smiles more and laughs. He helps her heal and see that it is okay to trust and love again.

Together these two are so cute. They laugh and tell each other their deepest thoughts. They come together and help each other to be happy again. There is definite attraction but what is wonderful is that they don’t act right away on it. They get to know one another and see who each other is and how they fit in the others life. And they fit like a puzzle.Two pieces sliding together effortlessly.

The ending I was a wee bit anxious. I was afraid after what Dakota found out and Cody coming back she wouldn’t understand Jack’s fear and run to Cody. So glad that Jack did his grand gesture and overcame his shyness so that he can be with Dakota.

This is the fun sweet lighthearted story of Jack and Dakota and how they got to be best friends and more

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC through NetGalley.

The Truth About Jackis super duper cute! Dakota has just been accepted into her dream school on the same day that her BFF e-mails her to let her know that she's seeing her boyfriend. Dakota's joy is immediately transformed into devastation, and she's feeling alone, so she decides to write a message in a bottle. Instead of being swept away to a far off land, Jack picks it up when it washes back. Now, he's got to meet the girl who's written these words that resonate so well with him. Too bad he's too shy, so he creates a fictional pen-pal to get to know her.

I adored The Truth About Jack! I loved how Jack was so unsure about getting close to Dakota, even if it turned him into a liar. This boy asks his chauffeur for girl advice! He also gets a Hispanic friend to help him infuse his letters with Spanish phrases, since his letter writing persona is suppose to be from Barcelona. He goes through so much trouble just to get to know her! He does try in "real life" too, and it doesn't always go his way especially since there's another guy vying for Dakota's attention, but she thinks he's probably a creeper.

I also really liked Dakota! She lives on an artist commune, in a yurt! Her neighbor lives in a tree-house! Dakota is also an artist who uses recycled materials. I felt so awful for her when she got that e-mail from her friend. Cody had been her first boyfriend, and she knew she wasn't in love with him, but it still hurt. I do think she hurt more over being betrayed by her supposed BFF though, and I loved how she stood up to her at the end! River is one of those big, take charge type of personalities, and Dakota always let her have her way. Well, not anymore! You go girl!

The Truth About Jack was just a feel good read. I'm sure you know the story of Cyrano de Bergerac, so I probably don't need to say more about the plot and the way the relationship develops. Jack is hiding behind his letters, but the truth does have to come out! The ending is far-fetched, cheesy, and feels like a made-for-TV movie, but it was adorable! It totally worked for the story and left me in a happier mood.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

[Paula Phillips · Rating 3 out of 5]

All Dakota has wanted was to get into the Rhode Island Art School and join her friend who is at Brown and her boyfriend whom is currently at Rhodes , but what will happen when the day she gets her acceptance letter - she also gets an email from her best friend to say that she and Dakota's boyfriend are now dating . Dakota is really hurt and feels betrayed, considering that her boyfriend didn't even have the decency to break up with her first or give her the heads up. During this time , Dakota thinks that maybe she should take a gap year to Barcelona and at the beach decides to put a message in a bottle.

Jack is off to Julliard when the new school year starts, but at the moment he is busy hanging around home as he has been homeschooled the past few years , when he spots Dakota. He feels that he must get to know her and there is something magnetic about her that drives him wanting more. When he picks up the bottle she chucked into the ocean , he decides to pretend to be a Spanish guy called Alejandro and begins writing to her . Soon enough Jack as Alejandro starts to fall in love with Dakota and vice versa , but what will happen when the real Jack meets Dakota and they start to have fun and she finds her heart torn between Jack and Alejandro ? What will happen though when she discovers the truth about Jack and after feeling betrayed already by her friend and ex-boyfriend - will she be able to forgive Jack and move on or will this push Dakota over the edge and Jack will instead lose her forever ?

Find out in this teen romance story with a Cyrano take on it , The Truth about Jack by Jody Gehrman.

[onceuponatimeareview · Rating 4 out of 5]

**Actual Rating 3.5**

I want to say thanks to YA Bound Book tours and the author for providing this book for me to read. I really wanted to read this book. I really had high hopes don't get me wrong 3.5 stars is still a pretty high rating but it wasn't as good ad I hoped. Though you should read this book because it was super cute and very nice concept. Some people could have related which makes this story even better.

To me the book was very slow and didn't have as much drama as I was hoping. I really enjoyed this book. Dakota is a great character because she is shy but has that innocence that a lot of people want or have. I could relate to her on the level of being feeling alone at times and not ever being a risk taker. She wasn't as annoying as some characters throughout different books. Basically she sends a note into a bottle thinking someone will get. Well that guys name is Jack well he pretends to be someone else who lives in the place she wants to visit. I thought this was funny and it adorable because he got close to her by being himself. I think that maybe surprised him a lot. And you got to read this cute adorable notes and emails from back forth through them. I loved how they became close and cute together.

[Steffi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ich liebe leichte Sommergeschichte, gerne auch im Jugendbuchbereich, so bin ich auch auf "Ein Sommer mit Alejandro" aufmerksam geworden.

Die Geschichte war lesenswert und unterhaltsam, aber insgesamt nichts besonderes und hatte für meinen Geschmack zu wenig Höhen und Tiefen. Auch aus emotionaler Sicht hat mir etwas gefehlt. Die Geschichte plätschert vor sich hin, ist dabei zwar nicht langweilig, aber es passiert auch nicht allzu viel. Die Briefe fand ich wirklich schön und haben das Buch auch ein wenig belebt, aber leider waren diese nur im ersten Drittel das Buches zu lesen.

Die Charaktere waren ebenfalls nett ebenso wie das Setting, aber hier war definitiv noch Potential vorhanden. So ist eine netter sommerliche Lektüre, die zwar unterhält, aber nicht lange im Gedächtnis bleiben wird.

[Jenny · Rating 2 out of 5]

https://snowyy13.wordpress.com/2018/0...

Dakota, die mit unermüdlichen Glück ihren Morgen beginnt, da sie eine Zusage ihres gewünschten Colleges bekommt, bekommt kaum danach eine Email von ihrer besten Freundin, die besagt, dass sie mit Cody, dem festen Freund von Dakota, jetzt zusammen ist und das es nun mal so ist, weil sie ihr Verlangen nicht zügeln kann, auch wenn sie seit Kindheitsjahren beste Freundinnen sind. Wer startet nicht gerne seinen Tag so? Aus Traurigkeit heraus wirft Dakota eine Flaschenpost ins Meer, welches Jack entdeckt, der sich schon seit deren ersten Begegnung am selben Tag von ihr angezogen fühlte. Doch mangels seines Selbstbewusstseins gibt er sich auf Alejandro aus, ein Junge aus Barcelona. Tja, nur sieht die Wahrheit anders. Und so baut sich ein Lügengebilde auf, obwohl wahre Gefühle im Spiel sind.

Ich möchte zuerst erwähnen, dass ich den Schreibstil sehr toll fand. Es war humorvoll und immer passend beschreibend. Nur macht so etwas allein ein Buch nicht aus. Die Hauptcharaktere Jack und Dakota waren ganz gut ausgearbeitet. Jack, der sensible Junge aus reichem Hause, der seinen besten Freund an einer Überdosis verloren hatte und seitdem nicht nur mit seinem Selbstvertrauen zu kämpfen hat, sondern auch mit dem Gefühl, alles was ihm in die Hände gelegt wird falsch macht. Dakota, die gerade eine Trennung hinter sich hatte oder auch wie sie ihn nennt, den Doppelverrat, erfreut sich an den kleinen Dingen in ihrem Leben, besonders an den Briefen, die von Alejandro zugesendet bekommt. Nicht nur entwickelt sie Gefühle für ihren Brieffreund, sondern auch für Jack. Doch man muss anmerken, dass sie sehr leicht zu manipulierend war und fremde Meinungen übernommen hat, dass nicht nur anderen, sondern auch ihr geschadet hat.

Das erste was mich leider in diesem Buch gestört hat, war, dass diese vermeintliche Trennung von Cody so leicht zu überbrücken war. Ich stelle mir es viel schlimmer vor, wenn der Freund und die beste Freundin einen hintergehen. Und direkt am selben Tag war die Rede davon, dass man von einer Beziehung hinweg kommt, wenn man auf andere Jungs aufmerksam wird. Und das mag ich nun mal nicht, wenn in Büchern so.. kindliche Beziehungen gehandhabt werden. Auch ihre beste Freundin könnte kein flacherer Charakter sein. „Es ist so passiert, ich will ihn, leb damit“ Welche beste Freundin benimmt sich so? Und dann noch zu erwarten, dass ihr verziehen wird. Schwachsinnig.

Danach ging das Buch, für mich zumindest. Ich habe gerne mitverfolgt, wie die beiden sich angenähert haben und wie Jack es bedrückt hat, dass er sich als Alejandro ausgegeben hat und er ihr die Wahrheit sagen wollte, nur nicht wusste wieso.

Doch das Ende, es war mir viel zu gehetzt. Als wäre es ein Actionfilm, man müsse für seine große Liebe sich sputen, weil die Zeitspanne nur 30 Minuten betrüge, obwohl sie ganz entspannt in einem Café saß. Und dann noch von Liebe zu reden und was mir besonders ein Dorn im Auge war, so zu handeln, als würde Geld alle Probleme lösen. Ja, sie wünscht sich mal nach Spanien zu fliegen, aber Lügen werden doch schlichtweg nicht vergessen, nur weil man ein großes Geschenk ihr vor die Nase setzt. Was für eine Vertrauensbasis ist das für eine Beziehung?

Ich weiß nicht. Wäre das Ende nicht so gehetzt und die Charaktere empathischer, hätte mir das Buch besser gefallen. Mir kam es vor, als müsste man unbedingt Drama einfügen in den letzten 40 Seiten und dadurch wurde alles extrem gestelzt. Ich meine, man lässt eine Kerze auch in Ruhe runterbrennen, statt sie bei dieser Länge auszupusten, wo man sie nicht mehr anzünden kann, oder?

Fazit:
Die Grundidee war ziemlich süß, der Schreibstil gut, aber die Umsetzung nicht so pralle und viele Nebencharaktere sehr flach. Das Ende war gehetzt und vieles wirkte dadurch erzwungen, was ich ziemlich schade fand. Das Buch hatte definitiv Potenzial, aber bei jungen Erwachsenen erwarte ich schon eine gewisse Reife besonders in Liebesbeziehungen. Wer denkt sich denn schon am ersten Tag, nachdem der Freund einem mit der besten Freundin betrogen hat, dass man schon über die Beziehung hinweg kommt, weil man auf andere Jungs achtet? Uff.

2 von 5 Sternen!

[Sabrina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eine nette Sommerlektüre, die allerdings ohne viele Höhen und Tiefen vor sich hin plätschert. Ich hätte mir ein bisschen mehr Spannung gewünscht. Das Cover hingegen finde ich wunderschön und macht Sommerlaune.

[Ela's Welt der Bücher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eine Geschichte, die dir den Sommer versüßen kann und auch eine gute Unterhaltung. 3,5 Sterne

[Lindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

My Thoughts:

The Truth About Jack was a very sweet and cute little love story. I think this book would be perfect for young teens. There is absolutely no explicit content whatsoever. This story deals with the heartache and growing pains that we all go through as we grow up, such as when some parents go their separate ways and stop being a part of their child's life, heartbreak from first love, finding who you are as a person, and gaining the confidence to make your own decisions.

In, The Truth About Jack, we get Dakota and Jack's story told from their dual perspectives. Dakota is an sculptor who lives in an artist colony and resides in a Yurt with her father. Her mother abandoned them years ago, remarried, and barely talks to her daughter. Dakota is so excited to be accepted in to the Rhode Island School of Design in the fall. Her boyfriend Cody attends there and her best friend, River, goes to Brown. Now the three of them will be together in the fall However, Dakota is devastated and completely caught off guard when she receives an email informing her that River and Cody are now together.

Jack has been living a lonely life. He's been haunted by his best friend's suicide for the last couple of years. Jack's family is wealthy and he is use to people using him for his wealth and prestigious background. Jack plays piano beautifully and has a passion for it. His mother makes him practice for hours every day, but he feels like he is missing something in his life.

One day when Jack goes to a little coffee shop, he see's Dakota and is intrigued by her. However, he doesn't have the courage to approach her. He ends up leaving for the beach and see's Dakota in the distance. She puts a message in a bottle, and then leaves. Instead of the message going out in to the ocean, it ends up washing up on the shore. Out of curiosity, Jack reads the letter, and decides that he wants to get to know Dakota. He ends up creating a fake persona, and begins exchanging letters with Dakota under this fake persona. Jack quickly realizes that he wants to get to know Dakota in real life. Little by little, he finds a way to insert himself in to Dakota's life as Jack, and realizes that he has put himself in a tough situation. He wants to tell Dakota the truth about his fake letter-writting persona, but is scared to take the risk of losing her....

The Truth About Jack took me back to my teenage years. I was taken to a time when I too was insecure, and unsure about who I was. I was also very optimistic of the future and the unlimited possibilities and adventures that awaited me. In this way I could relate to both Jack and Dakota. Jack was a sweetheart, and I felt his loneliness and need for something more. I enjoyed Dakota's quirky and artistic personality. The pacing of the story felt a bit slow to me, and there weren't any major plot twists or climaxes. The story was predictable, but a nice read nonetheless.


My Rating:

I give, The Truth About Jack, 3 Sweet, Growing Up and Finding Your Way Filled Stars! I would recommend this story for 7th-10th graders that enjoy a romantic love story.


*To Read More Book Reviews, Visit A Bookish Escape at http://www.abookishescape.com

[Anjie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Copy provided by publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

First, let me say how much I love the cover! It’s so cute. It matches the story exactly. The story of Dakota and Jack is just so adorable. This story isn’t for everyone but it’s very interesting and at many points in the plot, very relatable. It’s a great coming of age novel. It’s an easy read and you’ll fly through the chapters. We’re introduced to our main characters and they’re at the time of their lives where everything will change: college. Dakota gets accepted into RISD and Jack to Julliard. Both are different in so many ways yet alike their loneliness. It’s all kismet — fate ( I love that this was used in this book).

This book was very reminiscent of so many books. It reminded of To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han, Isla and the Happily Every After by Stephanie Perkins, and Flat-Out Love by Jessica Park. The characters were very likable and the novel is written in dual points of view. Being able to read both Dakota’s and Jack’s POV helped me understand the characters and the decisions that they made. While both protagonist experience pain in their lives due to death, betrayal, and abandonment, they were still somewhat sheltered. How they behaved and reacted to the situations they faced were pretty realistic, in my opinion. I especially loved Dakota. She’s absolutely unique and quirky. I love how dramatic she can get and I love that she even admits to it. As for Jack, I love how he’s not the typical rich boy. He’s so unsure of himself and is actually embarrassed of his social economic status.

This is my first book from Jody Gehrman and if her other books are like this, it won’t be the last. I really liked Jody’s writing style. I loved the imagery that she wrote. It helped me visualize the settings. It made it easier for me to relate to the characters, to understand their emotions, to empathize with them. I loved the secondary characters, Attila, Joaquin, and Anya. They added comic relief. I loved Attila’s and Joaquin’s friendship with Jack. He really needed them and in a way they helped him break out of his shell. I wish I knew characters like those in real life. The book ended but it left me wanting more! I needed more of Dakota and Jack. Their story isn’t over but this part of their life is but it’s not enough for me. I want more of their conversations, their dates, and their adventures. The Truth About Jack is a surprise wrapped up in a book! It’s light-hearted, funny, warm, yet delves into the heavy topics of death, betrayal, loneliness, guilt, and abandonment.

This review was originally published on Love thy Shelf Blog.

[Mal ✨ | Tales Of A Bookbug · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating:4 stars

Review:I've read Jody Gehrman's books before and I had loved Babe in Boyland.So naturally I jumped at the chance to review her new book The Truth About Jack, which had such an interesting premise.

I really liked this book.It had the perfect mix of cuteness,romance and real life.The book starts with the protagonist Dakota, who lives in a hippy artists' colony, discovering that she has been accepted into RISD.She is very ecstatic, but soon she reads an email sent by her BFF that she and Dakota's boyfriend had gotten together.She feels very hurt and betrayed and starts questioning her choice to study in RISD.

Meanwhile our other protagonist Jack, who is a home-schooled music prodigy, is once again denied the chance to drive a car by his overprotective mom.He goes out for a drive with his chauffeur intending to find beauty, when he sees Dakota at the cafe.He is immediately attracted to her but is too shy to make a move.Soon they both end up at the same beach as a coincidence.Dakota in her anger and sadness,writes out a letter, puts it into a bottle and tosses it into the sea.Then she leaves.But due to the tide the bottle washes back on the shore and Jack finds it.He is captivated as he reads the letter.

He is unable to bring himself to approach Dakota in real life so he pens a response to her letter under the fake name Alejandro Torres and sends it to her.Then they begin to form a relationship through letters but Jack begins to feel increasingly bad about his deception.

I loved the characters of Jack and Dakota.They were incredibly fleshed out with very interesting backstories that made them the way they were.Even the supporting characters of Anya,Dakota's dad,Emily,Attila,Joaquin,etc were very good.All the characters in the story were mature.Though, I could understand Jack's motivations for the deception, I wished he had gathered up his courage and approached her.I think I liked Jack's character more than Dakota's.

Though I could feel Dakota's anger,hurt and betrayal, I still felt that it was a foolish move to give up RISD just because her boyfriend and BBF would also be present there.But still I could relate to her wish to see and discover the world before embarking into college life.The ending was really sweet and I loved Jack's gesture.It was the most brilliant thing to do.I also loved the fact that Dakota forgiving Jack wasn't dragged out like in other books.

So if you're looking for a book with the perfect mix of a sweet romance,characters facing dilemmas and the trademark Jody Gehrman humor, I urge you to pick this one up.

The review can also be found here.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes I like a light, sweet read. I want a book that I just know will make my heart sing, and The Truth About Jack more than promised me that! Just look at the cover, and it’s published by Entangled’s new CRUSH line, which told me ALL I needed to know, so I couldn’t wait to give it a read!

The Truth About Jack was such a delightful little read. I’ve never read any of Jody’s books before, though I’ve long wanted to read Babe In Boyland, and after reading The Truth About Jack, I’ll certainly be picking up more of her books because The Truth About Jack made me swoon, hard. At first I was a little dubious – because Dakota lives on an artist colony and I was like “OMG HIPPIES?” but that was a total over-reaction on my part (oops) and the artist colony actually sounded awesome. Imagine being able to live in your own yurt? That’s pretty freaking cool and I admire any parents who just let their kids be their own free spirit, ya know?

It helped tons that Dakota was such a delightful lead! I adored her, right from the off, and I felt so sad that the person she called her best friend and the person she called her boyfriend did such a despicable act to her. Friends just don’t do that!!!! Regardless of circumstance. So she was better off without them, I felt. But I felt for her, because they were still the people closest to her, and that’s just the ultimate betrayal.

And Jack! Oh, he made me swoon! Sure, I wasn’t on board with the whole fake-name thing, with the letter writing, but the letters were actually sooooooo sweet, that I kind of let it fly. I still knew it was a big mistake, and would come back to haunt him, but his reasons for doing it were pure and not deliberately horrible. I really enjoyed getting to know Jack, it’s clear he’s haunted in lots of ways, and it doesn’t help that he’s home-schooled which means he rarely socializes with teens his own age (I can attest to how awful that can be) so it was nice to see him come out of his shell with Dakota, eventually. They were just so sweet and their burgeoning relationship was a beautiful thing to behold.

I really, really enjoyed The Truth About Jack. It was exactly what I was looking for, in my book, without even knowing it was what I was looking for. It had humour and heartache, and laughs and romance, and two super, super sweet lead characters with delightful and sparkling personalities. It was such a delightful, quick read. I really, really liked it.

[Quinn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Will I ever be able to resist summer contemporary YA books? I'm pretty sure the answer will always be no. The Truth About Jack by Jody Gehrman certainly wasn’t a book I could resist, and it was a very enjoyable, if not memorable, read.

When Dakota learns that her boyfriend and best friend (who are both away at colleges near each other) hooked up, she is really devastated. She ends up writing her feelings in a letter, and tossing it out to sea in a bottle. That same day, before the message in a bottle, Jack sees Dakota, and likes her right away. And he happens to see her tossing her letter out to sea. When that bottle is dragged back to swore, he can’t resist reading her letter. He also can’t resist writing back to her – the only problem - he writes back to her as some made up person. When Dakota and Jack start spending time together in real life, he’s not sure what to tell her about the letters he’s been writing to her under another name.

The absolute best part of The Truth About Jack is Jack himself. I just loved him. He’s from an extremely wealthy family in California, and has been homeschooled the last few years due to a tragic incident involving his best friend. Some of the chapters are from Jack’s POV, and they were my favorite. Jack has this insecurity about him that seems at odds with the way he was brought up, and it just makes me love him all the more.

Dakota is a pretty interesting character, although I wasn’t madly in love with her. She lives in this artist’s colony with her dad, and lives in her own yurt, which was a little hard for me to imagine. She’s had a lot of automony in her life, and is also homeschooled. She’s an artist, though, and plans to go to Art School in the fall. I really did feel bad for her when she learned about her boyfriend and her best friend. The way she learned totally sucked, and was such shock.

Overall this was a really enjoyable read. More than anything I just loved meeting Jack. He’s just so adorable. If you’re looking for summer contemporary YA, The Truth about Jack is a good option.This review was originally posted on Quinn's Book Nook

[Sunnywonderbookland · Rating 3 out of 5]

Autorin: Judy Gehrman
Verlag: cbt
Seitenanzahl:
Preis: 9,99 Euro
erschienen am 14. Mai 2018



Inhalt


Dakota wollte gerade zu ihrem Freund ziehen, als sie erfährt, dass er sie mit ihrer besten Freundin betrogen hat. Spontan schreibt sie sich ihren Kummer von der Seele, steckt den Zettel in eine Flasche und schleudert sie ins Meer. Antwort kommt von einem Alejandro aus Barcelona, der sie genau zu verstehen scheint. Sie ahnt nicht, dass in Wirklichkeit Jack dahintersteckt, der süße Junge, den sie im Café getroffen hat. Und der weiß nicht, wie er ihr je beibringen soll, dass er sie angelogen hat.


Meine Meinung


Dakota kommt aus einer Kunstkommune und hat auf nichts anderes gewartet, als endlich an der renommierten Kunsthochschule angenommen zu werden und dort zusammen mit ihren Freund zu studieren, als alles anderes kommt. Ihr Freund hat sie mit ihrer besten Freundin betrogen und Dakota hat besseres zu tun, als den beiden nachzutrauern.
An dem Abend wirft sie eine Flaschenpost ins Wasser, die wenig später von Jack gefunden wird, der ihr dann als Alejandro zurückschreibt. Aber nicht nur als Alejandro bleibt er mit ihr in Kontakt, sondern auch als Jake und beide kommen sich langsam näher. Doch Jake muss ihr immer noch etwas beichten.
Die Handlung ist insgesamt gesehen ganz gut und perfekt für jemand, der eine Sommerromanze will. Leider plätschert die Handlung an vielen Stellen ein wenig vor sich hin und man wir wienfach nicht warm mit dem Buch. Es ist auch definitiv ein Buch für 13-14-jährige.
Die Charaktere sind auch ein wenig farblos. Dakota ist 17 Jahre alt und geht in ihrer Kunst komplett auf. Nachdem sie von ihrem Freund betrogen wurde, kann sie nur schwer jemand wieder vertrauen und steht Jungs im allgemeinen eher kritisch über. Leider erfährt man nicht allzu viel über ihren Charakter, außer dass sie ein ganz normales Mädchen ist.
Auch Jake ist und bleibt farblos. Er ist bis über beide Ohren in Dakota verknallt, ist aber viel zu schüchtern, um es ihr zu sagen.
Ein paar der Nebencharaktere sind noch ganz amüsant, wie zB der Butler von Jack, doch im Großen und Ganzen plätschert die Geschichte vor sich hin.


Fazit


Eine ganz süße Sommerromanze, die einen nicht ganz überzeugen kann und keinen Tiefgang hat. Die Charaktere sind farblos und ihnen fehlt es an Individualität.
Insgesamt 3 von 5 Sternen.

[Alex (Pucksandpaperbacks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was contacted by the publisher and sent this through Net Galley from Entangled Publishing. This does not affect my opinions on the book.
This story is set on the cutest beach, Luna Cove in Sebastopol, California. This is the artist part of Sebastopol where Dakota McCloud spent/spends her life.

Dakota has just gotten her heart broken when she finds out that her best friend, River has hooked up with her boyfriend, Cody at college; Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). Dakota’s anger results into writing a letter and putting it in a bottle to throw out to sea. But, she doesn’t have a very good throwing arm.

Jack is tall, dark and handsome. So, we can’t really be angry that he’s kind of a stalker. He’s a …hot stalker. The minute Jack sees Dakota at her favorite coffee shop, his mission is to get to know her. But, not by going up to her! By secretly following her and catfishing her! Weird, I know.

Dakota is a very unique character, she’s artsy and has been home schooled her whole life. Also, she’s very confident which I enjoyed a lot about her. She sees right through the barista, Miles’ who is trying to hit on her every chance he gets. She’s witty and humorous which made me crack a smile or dozens. Since I love coffee so much, my favorite part of this book was Dakota always stopping for Chai at her favorite place, Cafe Vida.

The messages between “Jack” and Dakota were interesting to read. I learned a lot about them as well as Barcelona while reading them. I enjoy books with emails or message format so this added a star for me! They were very cute and I loved the way Dakota felt about them. Her responses and feelings were very realistic.

This book had a lot of Spanish-esque to it, which I didn’t really understand at most parts because 1.) I’m not Spanish 2.) I’ve never taken Spanish or really know Spanish. This is the only flaw I had.

Nonetheless, this book was very cute and a good read! It is suspenseful, funny and realistic. The challenges Dakota goes through are pretty common to happen IRL. It’s just a few months before she’s heading to college and she’s very torn.

Thank you to Entangled Crush Publishing for sending me this book for review!

[Shannon Rogers · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is more like a 3.5 star review.

My favorite thing about this book... Jack. Obviously, the book is named after him for a reason. He was, to me, the highlight of the story.

Characterization for both Dakota and Jack was very well done. I liked Dakota very much, even though I couldn't really sympathize with her upbringing and setting, However, who hasn't had their heart broken at least once in their life, and on this point, I could definitely feel for her. She wasn't a pathetic character, though. She's ambitious, a free-spirited girl that has a sweet temper that really grabbed me right away. When Jack comes on the scene, after finding her message in a bottle, however, I literally fell in love with his character.

Jack has been even more sheltered than Dakota in a sense. His mother has home-schooled him and kept him hidden, not even allowing him to drive at his age, and although she had a reason for these actions, you still felt bad for him. So he's carted around by a chauffeur who happened to become one of my favorite characters because he was so quirky with such dead-pan humor. I loved how Jack struggled against his sheltered upbringing, and his vulnerability, something the author wasn't afraid to show in both main characters. But it is never more evident than with Jack. His life is playing the piano, and the scenes in which he plays are some of my favorite scenes in the book, because it shows his pure love of music, how deeply he delves into it, and how passionate he can be.

As far as the romance goes, it was sweet, slow-building, and gratifying. I loved the character journey that both Dakota and Jack must go through until the book's conclusion, and I thought the author took us there in a very subtle, very progressive way that wasn't rushed. The pacing was good, and some parts of the book were very poignant and beautiful.

[Madison · Rating 5 out of 5]

"There's beauty out there and we're going to find it".

When Jack first saw the mysterious and intriguing girl in the coffee shop, he didn't know how hard it would be to gather the courage to reach out to her. Finding her on a beach and later discovering her message in a bottle gives him the opening he needs.

As Jack romances Dakota through charmingly-penned letters as Alejandro from Barcelona Spain, he simultaneously struggles through, at first, awkward and stilling attempts at a face-to-face friendship with her as Jack, socially awkward, gifted pianist and only child of wealth parents. Soon though he find himself having to compete with his alter ego for Dakota's attention.

I loved this book. It was refreshing and uplifting. The writing style is artistic and beautiful. I was sucked in from the very first lines. The words just flow off the page to create vibrant pictures, and I loved curling up in the beautiful world it creates. Told in alternating points of view, each voice is distinctive - Jack is charming and amusing, with a little boy-child shyness and introspection mixed in, while Dakota is a free thinking girl, eloquent, lonely and vivacious. Their chemistry, both in person and through their written communication is captivating, like soaking in the warmth of the sun on a brisk day.

While the mix up that comes from writing as someone else is inevitable, the book still feels original and the whole 'I lied to you' fiasco never felt dragged out or over done. Expecting a sweet romance, I was surprised that The Truth About Jack is also imaginative and totally addictive.

The publishers provided a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Sierra the Nerdgirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Truth about Jack was the first great contemporary read of the year that I really enjoyed. The plot, writing, and the characters just really bring together the story.

First off the plot. I went into this book expecting a cute contemporary. I definitely got that. Jack is a boy who finds a message in a bottle from the main girl Dakota who is going through a tough time. Jack decides to lie about who he truly is to get to know Dakota. Both Jack and Dakota are characters I came to love, Jack especially. Jack is a down to Earth musician, a guy I would definitely go for. What I truly love about his character was how honest he was with himself. He realizes falling with a girl after first laying eyes on her is creepy. He isn’t afraid to let his feelings show. That is so rare in a guy which made me appreciate him even more. I definitely enjoyed chapters with his perspective more than Dakota, who nevertheless I still enjoyed. The plot in general was very cutesy. There were a few moments when things got a little dark, but those moments were still nice to read. I knew going in what direction the plot would go and the endgame, but the moments in between still made it good.

Don’t even get me started on this writing. From the very first page of the story I fell in love with the writing. There was something about it that just drew me in. The writing is simple yet elegant, the perfect combination. The writing style was perfect for this type of contemporary.

FAVORITE QUOTES:
“Human beings are incapable of lasting love.”
“I try to lose myself in the music. Sometimes when I practice I can do that—delve so deeply into the notes that I forget my own name.”

Overall this was a lovely contemporary and if you enjoy contemporary you should check this book out.

[Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Message in a bottle gets picked up by the guy who has been following a heartbroken girl around. He pretends to be everything his research tells him she wants in order to get close to her. So, I didn't care for this book. The characters were too immature for me to take their problems seriously, and they were so far out in left field that I couldn't relate to either of them - one of them lives in a yurt in an artist's colony and the other is an overprotected rich kid who isn't allowed to drive himself anywhere. My take -- Dakota was a flake and Jack was a whimp with a proclivity for stalking. I understand I am not the target audience, especially since I still can't figure out the attraction for emo guys. I know this was meant to be a sweet, gentle romance. I'm sure some teens will probably think this is the most romantic thing they have ever read. Gha. It was lighthearted drivel, but at least it didn't get nasty. Would I let my own child read it? Sure, but I would follow it up with a discussion about being an empowered, savvy woman who doesn't let boys dictate big life choices.

[Melissa ♥ Melissa's Eclectic Bookshelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Truth About Jack by Jody Gehrman may be the cutest book I’ve read in a long long time! I literally caught myself stopping and reacting out loud multiple times while reading this one. Saying things like.. “Oh my gosh”… “Aawww” ..etc throughout.

Dakota and Jack were both great characters. I liked them both…even Jack despite his deceit because I knew it was coming from a good place. He was a little bit of a stalker but seeing things from his viewpoint was a comfort and never left the reader fearing his motives. They are both fleshed out enough to be believable and likable without being too complex or angst ridden as so many YA characters tend to be.

The secondary characters in this one really shine especially Atilla and Joaquin…I really loved them and wanted to know more of their back stories than we got in this one.

The plot follows a predicable arc but overall this story is so sweet and cute with such great characters and Jody’s flawless writing style that you won’t mind that one bit.

If you are looking for a super cute read with amazing prose don’t hesitate to pick up The Truth About Jack.