"The Truth about Jack" Review

Book: The Truth About Jack

Author: Jody Gehrman

Format: ARC

Page Count: ---

Publisher: Entangled Crush

My Rating:★★★★

Synopsis: 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. 

        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.