Review: What I Thought Was True by Huntley Fitzpatrick

Title: What I Thought Was True
Author: Huntley Fitzpatrick
Publisher: Dial/Penguin
Pub. Date: April 15, 2014
Genre: Young Adult
Rec. Age Level: 14+

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Gwen's summer begins like any other: pulling any and all shifts at her father's restaurant, playing third wheel to her best friends, a couple with no qualms about PDA, and taking care of her little brother. She never expects it to be the summer where everything changes... the summer where everything she's always believed to be true becomes muddled and the future that once seemed both inevitable and comforting suddenly shifts. Gwen takes on a caregiver position with an lively older woman, finding herself in difficult and often uncomfortable situations that test her beliefs about right and wrong and her place in the world. And, no matter how hard she tries to avoid him, Gwen finds her path constantly crossing with that of Cassidy Somers, a boy she finds herself trusting against her better judgement.

Huntley Fitzpatrick earned much deserved praise with her debut, My Life Next Door, a novel that became one of my favorite contemporary YA novels before I'd even finished reading it. So, unsurprisingly, What I Thought Was True has landed squarely on my list of favorites as well. 

I quickly fell in love with the characters and struggles within What I Thought Was True. There are many important themes touched on in this novel, but the lessons about finding who you are and what you believe in, even, and especially, in the face of lies, gossip, and misinterpretation, are what carry this novel and make it a must read for teens and adults alike. 

Aaaand the swoonworthy romance doesn't hurt this book's must-read status one bit!