There are a lot of books that deal with the turmoil of senior year, but none so deftly, I think, as The Truth About Leaving. Blitt beautifully balances Lucy's parental and societal expectations about college with her own assumptions and fears, and offers a view of life post–high school that I think is largely missing from media. Blitt also brilliantly handles a bunch of important threads, from Lucy's complex relationship with her parents, to her history with her ex-boyfriend.

Dov and Lucy's relationship is both unbelievably romantic and fully believable, and I adore them. Lucy is loving, bighearted, and determined, but that doesn't mean she has all the answers. Dov is broken and sometimes angry, but is much more than the broken boy trope—he is complex, soft, and doesn't make excuses for bad behavior. These characters have quickly found a way into my heart.

Delightful side characters abound—I would love this book for Lucy's grandmother alone—but they don't overwhelm the main plot.

As the ending approached, I didn't know what to expect, and I didn't know how I could possibly not be disappointed. But I should have trusted Blitt, who had handled all these delicate threads so beautifully this far, and who gave this book the ending it needed.

Utterly delightful in every sense of the world. Be prepared to be swept up in this story and these characters. Very unique young adult story.

I received this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

You know those books that leave you feeling so impacted by them, even though you can't put your finger on why? This is one of those books.

I felt so deeply while reading this book. My eyes stung with tears, my stomach twinged, my heart clenched... This book will stay with me for awhile.

I related to Lucy with her love for words and analyzing lyrics (and other works).

I'm truly going to miss Lucy and Dov.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing the ARC!

I think I wanted to like this book more than I did. I'm always on the lookout for good Jewish rep and I'd seen this mentioned, so I was looking forward to it. In that respect, it was a decent choice. But as an overall book...less so.

My main issue was that the love story didn't hold up for me. Dov didn't seem to have much personality, and the whole shy/surly guy who has Something Hard In His Past but is really sensitive and into poetry thing doesn't seem tremendously original. The Dov/Lucy falling in love process practically goes down a YA novel checklist: main character is clumsy and awkward in front of the broody new guy - check, trapped outside together in a rainstorm - check, "Do you know how hard it is to keep my hands to myself?!" conversation - check. I just didn't feel a particular chemistry between the two of them, so a large chunk of the book rang hollow and uninteresting for me.

It's especially a shame because there were elements that seemed to be new territory. The discussions of not being inspired by a particular college or subject, the pressure to balance school, home responsibilities, romance, friendship, and having a senior year experience - those had some juice to them. I liked that there wasn't a clean wrapup on the story with Lucy's mother. Most often situations like that don't get suddenly resolved, and her father admitting that they were just muddling through a little was refreshingly realistic. (Although I do wish there had been a further exploration of what seems to have been a depressive period lasting several years, followed by Lucy's mother apparently leaving that whole thing behind and kinda ignoring her daughter.) It was also nice to read a YA book where the main character does ballet without the cutthroat attitudes, eating disorders, and stress over a professional career. But I was disappointed by the treatment of Lucy's best friend Maggie, who basically existed to either say, "You loooooove him!" and "He sucks!" like a romcom best friend algorithm, and the romance plot, which was a driving force for the book, mostly left me shrugging.

This book is a fine read. The writing is solid, with occasional flashes of loveliness. The descriptions of Israel and Israeli culture brought back fond memories of my own year in Jerusalem. I'm always up for new, different, and authentic portrayals of Jewish characters in YA, and especially when it's better integrated than just a casual mention of a bar or bat mitzvah. But I wish there had been better character work done: I think the book would have been stronger for it.

A YA book with not only a hot new guy from Israel, but a Jewish-American family in the forefront. Israel and its beauty and the complex relationship not only between these two teens, but with this beautiful country that holds a sacred meaning to each of them to varying degrees. The parent-child relationship that is also explored and how Lucy doesn’t leave her best friend behind for s boy. This book is different than a lot of TA books for so many reasons—most of them great. Lucy does get annoying at times, but I think it’s her anxiety we really get to feel through the strong character development. This was a good story with romance in the mix of a very crazy, hectic, stressful and important time for high schoolers and this book doesn’t just focus on the romance, which was nice.

This was a lovely romantic read! Lucy and Dov meet at the beginning of their senior year and both are carrying baggage from past relationships and loss in their lives. Dov and Lucy find each other and as their relationship devlopes, the reader learns more and more about their lives and their families. This is a lovely book because of the growth of character that the reader sees in Lucy. She changes dramatically from the beginning of the story to the end and in a way that many seniors in high school may be feeling. Her journey is a true and believable one. Dov is also a character who goes through a significant growth. His story is just as beautiful as Lucy's and the incorporation of his culture to the story makes it even stronger. I really enjoyed this novel and the way the author deals with family, friends, growth and loss. I look forward to reading more YA by Natalie Blitt. Thank you netgalley for an arc of this in exchange for my honest opinion.

Lucy Green is entering her senior year of high school with a world of possibilities at her feet...as long as that world and all of those possibilities remain in the Chicago metro area. With responsibilties coming in the form of two younger brothers, a dad doing his best to keep them reined in, and a mom across the country, Lucy’s life has been all but figured out for her.

Enter Dov - a transfer student from Israel who makes his feelings very clear that he would rather be anywhere else than spending his senior year at Wilmette Academy.

While Blitt’s story has all of the elements of a young adult romance that can warm your soul and make you gush that internal “AWW,” she brings us characters that are so much more than your typical YA tropes. Dov’s complex background, intricately woven and delicate relationships with his family, as well as the feelings and thoughts he can only express in Hebrew come together to form a character that you long to dive deeper into, to get to know just as much as Lucy does. Lucy’s own complex relationship with her family and her struggle to make the decisions that shape her life after graduation are scenes that feel like they are plucked from a teen’s life.

While the pacing of the story left me feeling like I was tearing through pages just to make it to some kind of plot movement forward, Lucy and Dov’s stories of self-discovery, healing and setting out for life after high school make Blitt’s novel a perfect read when you want a little something more than a lighthearted beach read.

Also, planner friends, bujo addicts and memory keepers everywhere will find a little bit of themselves in Lucy - a collector of scraps of writing, poetry, song lyrics, and anything that speaks to her. The cover of this edition of the novel is sure to draw in anyone who has one of these collections of meaningful little bits of life pasted into a journal, taped to a wall, or simply held in a shoebox ready to be thumbed through.

https://www.letteringandlibraries.com/blog/the-one-with-poetry-high-school-seniors-and-important-life-decisions

The Truth About Leaving tells us Lucy Green's story. Lucy is about to start her senior year when her boyfriend breaks up with her out of the blue. She feels lost in every area of her life and doesn't know what to do with herself anymore. It doesn't help that her mother just left for a job across the country and barely keeps in touch and that it means that she has to help around the house sacrificing her social life and extracurricular activities, like her dancing. When she meets Dov, a transfer student from Israel, she realizes her priorities need to change.

I mostly liked this. Lucy was interesting and so was her family situation. What I had trouble with was her relationship with Dov. The insta-love thing really doesn't work for me. There was also a lot of army talk and glorifying the fact that 18 year old kids have to enlist and I just can't agree with that. I felt for Dov but I didn't fall for him. I enjoyed Lucy's character development but I didn't fall for her either. I guess I didn't really relate to any of them.
Still, it was a pretty interesting book and I'm sure lots of people would enjoy it.

Lucy's mother takes a job that sends her out of state, leaving Lucy to take care of her younger brothers and the home while juggling her senior year of high school. Her perfect plan for her future is interrupted when her boyfriend doesn't want a long distance relationship and breaks up with her right before he leaves for college. School starts with Lucy quite literally running into the new transfer student Dov. They form a friendship and bond over a shared culture and family expectations, and loss. The Romance is a main focus, but it is not the only focus, which I greatly appreciated. The book has a slow pace but tells a good story. A great coming of age for any reader.

Lucy is still reeling from Scott breaking up with her when she bumps into Dov. Literally bumps into him and knocks him down. Who is this new student from Israel and why is he so moody. Lucy finds herself wanting to find the answers to these questions and so many more as she begins a rollercoaster relationship with Dov and tries to find herself in the process. Should she go to the college that her parents want her to go to so she can "help out" at home or should she go somewhere far away to get away from it all? So many decisions for her to make during her senior year of high school. The Truth About Leaving is a realistic look at the decisions and stress that many high school seniors feel as they prepare to leave their parents' home to attend college.

I honestly loved this book! It was so cute in so my ways. It was amazing to see the growth in Lucy as th book went on. I would honestly recommend this book.

The Truth About Leaving broke me in all the best ways. Lucy is such a beautiful, caring character who like others, takes care of everyone else's needs before her own. Dov is an immigrant from Israeli who is struggling with his new life. Blitt takes us on a winding journey through the love of two teens whos lives a tearing at the seams, only to be put together again.

It's an engaging and enjoyable story. It's a slow go, and I prefer a faster pace story. Characters are good.

This is not one of those stories that I'll read over and over again. However, I enjoyed the slow pace read I am Lucy-- Lucy is such a caring, open hearted, a girl who , takes care of everyone else’s needs before her own. Lucy has a real life journey I think teens can relate to.

Should Lucy take a chance on love so soon after her betrayal? And why bother investing her time and heart into a relationship with an expiration date? Lucy dealt with these and other questions of the heart during her senior year, which was a year filled with lots of changes, joy, disappointment, and growing up.

• Pro: I adored both Dov and Lucy, which was a good thing, because this was very much a character driven story.

• Pro: Blitt did such a good job conveying the characters' emotions. This was especially true of Dov. His sadness and conviction were so clear. I was really captivated by his desire to serve his country, and Dov reminded me of an Israeli exchange student from my high school, who spoke the same way about her service commitment. I also thought Lucy's unease about her future was well illustrated, and I really appreciated all the different choices Blitt had her explore, because I think those alternatives are often overlooked.

• Pro: Lucy suffered some big changes in her life all at once, but it was great that she had people like her grandmother, her best friend, and her teacher to support her. While Lucy struggled with her loyalty to her family, it was those three who reminded her, that she had rights and needs too.

• Pro: I couldn't even with Lucy's mother, but I thought her father was great. There were these rather honest discussions between them, which were really healthy and productive. I like seeing things like that.

• Pro: I LOVED all the poetry and ballet that was incorporated into the story. Both were such wonderful outlets for the characters and gave them a chance to share their passion with us.

• Pro: I thought the ending was brilliant and meaningful. It wasn't super neat and tidy, if you think about it, but it was a great way to illustrate the tremendous growth Lucy experienced over the course of the book.

Overall: An emotional and heartwarming tale of friends, family, love, growth, and learning to make tough choices.

3.5 stars. Lucy is a senior from a tiny prestigious school who was just dumped by her boyfriend and has a minorly troubling home life. Dov is a sullen teen from Israel with a chip on his shoulder and no desire to make friends. They *literally* crash in to each other during their first meeting. This story was hard to follow at the beginning because it rushed to put a ton of backstory in the first few pages way before we were given a reason to care. The first half of the story doesn’t develop gradually or naturally. It’s like someone has taken a formula for a sad romantic story and simply filled in the blanks, and it doesn’t come off as believable. Why would Dov go from refusing to make eye contact to sharing his deepest secrets and regrets in a matter of hours. How did they turn in to an old married couple in a matter of weeks? How is any of this realistic or healthy?

I liked this story, but couldn’t love it. I still read it in less than a day. I think the story has a lot of potential, it just needed to be slowed down and fleshed out. It needs to decide what it wants to focus on (Selfish absentee parents? Post grad choices and self-discovery? Transcultural romance? Giving up on an old dream? Pressure to have sex in high school?) and give the reader time to love the characters and become invested in their stories. The last half of the book did a much better job at staying in the moment and allowing the reader to get invested in what was happening. In the end though, I didn’t really relate to any of these characters or their struggles. I wanted a happy ending for Lucy and Dov, but I’m still not sure they got one. There’s just too many unknowns.

I did love the scenes about poetry and Lucy and Dov in school. I wish there had been more of those and less scenes of them cooped up alone in bed.

I have been eagerly awaiting a new YA read from Natalie Blitt ever since I fell for The Distance from A to Z. This book was so different from her debut but in a powerful and emotional way. I adored the characters, the story and the heart of The Truth About Leaving.

At the heart of it, The Truth About Leaving is the tale of how two lovely teenagers find each other and grow. It made my poor little ache and swell with emotions and it was all thanks to the characters. Lucy was the shining star of this book. Her voice was fresh and relatable. What struck me was Lucy sense of loyalty to her family. In her senior year, her mom decides to accept a job in a different state, leaving Lucy and her dad to fend off for themselves and for her brothers. Instead of spending her time doing teenage things, she would spend her free time looking after her little brothers and she would do it without complaining. Throughout the book, we see how she discovers new parts of herself and learns to stand up for what she wants. I especially the storyline of her making decisions on where to go to college and what she wanted to do with her life. It was thought-provoking and I think many teens will relate to that.

Dov comes into Lucy's life as a transfer student from Israel. At first, I wasn't quite sure what to make of him. He had this intense quietness to him that took a while to figure out. Soon, we realize the grief that he was going through and it just about broke me. Dov was a sweet boy who deserved nothing but happiness. The friendship that he formed with Lucy was one of the highlights of the book. The two of them discover their shared love for poetry and their Jewish identities. What followed was a friendship that had both its ups and its downs, but that slowly forced them to grow while also falling in love. There was something very peaceful about their relationship that's hard to put into words.

As you can imagine, family is also a big part of The Truth About Leaving and it was executed so perfectly. Lucy's grandmother, especially, was insightful, clever and just the funniest. I loved this woman! I also have to give a shout out to Lucy's best friend who was just one of the most supportive girlfriends I have ever come across in a book.

The Truth About Leaving was a touching tale of love, family, and decisions. This one needs to be on your to-read lists.

Lucy’s boyfriend doesn’t want a long distance relationship, so he breaks up with her and then leaves for college. She is now starting her senior year alone when she meets the new Israeli transfer student entering the school on their first day. It doesn’t help that her world is completely out of control; her mother is teaching in California and her guidance counselor has her questioning her college choices. Will Lucy take a chance on a relationship that may not be long term? Will her post-high school choices be her own or what her parents want?

The Truth About Leaving is a stand-alone novel that explores how choices in high school may affect more than just a teen’s day to day life. Blitt has developed a story and characters that are captivating and simple at the same time. Lucy must struggle with relationship questions, family responsibilities, and college choices while also learning who she wants to become. The Truth About Leaving is a wonderful coming of age story that will please readers without all the tragic angst that seems to be in many young adult novels recently.

I found this novel hard to read, the writing style was great, just struggled with the odd pacing. And the language used between characters.
I feel as though the characters were quite vain, especially the protagonist, I really struggled to like her, to find any common ground, which shocked me a little.

Not my favourite read, but I can see how this book will be popular with the younger readers of the Young Adult Fiction Fans.

Lucy is fresh off two different breakups: a more traditional one with her boyfriend, Scott, and a physical one, in which her mother has left their family in Chicago to pursue a career opportunity in Berkeley. Both required Lucy to give up pieces of herself, from her love of dance to the free time she has now ceded to babysitting her little brothers, but when a new kid named Dov transfers to her small school for senior year, he gives her a little piece back, and even finds a few she never knew were absent. The two are assigned to work together on a poetry assignment, and as they bond over the lyrical language of Yehuda Amichai and e.e. cummings, they also learn there’s still joy out there for them both. But how real can it get and how long can it last when Dov is headed back to Israel next year to begin mandatory army service? This contemporary romance is a great choice for teens who already have or who want a special connection to Israel, or just readers who love reading about swoony love!