True Story by Kate Reed Petty
We’ve all been there. Either we heard the rumors, spread the rumors, or the rumors were about us. One thing is for certain...rumors hurt, whether they are true or not, whether they are spread maliciously or not, they hurt. True Story explores the lasting effect of a rumor of a young lady being taken advantage of by two athletes after blacking out at a party. The boys brag when there seems to be an audience for it, but then change their story when the repercussions get serious. The blame game starts and no one really comes out clean. Not even after the true story is revealed. Didn’t love it, didn’t hate it. This one ran in the middle for me.

Maybe I’m too old for this book, but I found it unrelatable. Neither the setting nor the players could get me interested. It is rare for me to put down a book, but I simply couldn’t continue to read it.

Thank you Netgalley.

A compulsive page-turner and thoroughly engrossing read.

In high school, a group of lacosse players get drunk at a part; a young woman, very inebriated, is driven home in the back of someone's car; her fractured memories of that fateful car ride affect her entire adult life going forward, as well as the lives of several of the people who attended the party.

Much of the novel switches back and forth between current day and high school lives of the individuals, trying to live productive lives in spite of the stain on their characters that follows them, both socially and psychologically. All the characters are fleshed out well and become interesting participants in the story. The culmination (within the last 30 or so pages) is unexpected. A psychological exploration of assault as a given in this culture, memory, womens' relationships with each other, and questions about what is actually the truth.

A girl named Alice cries sexual assault after a rumor about her is started by two guys named Richard and Max. According to her allegations, they raped her in the back of a car. By the way- they are also privileged, prestigious athletes. Sound familiar? Oof course because unfortunately, we hear about these situations too much. Athletes throw a big party. Everyone is drinking. Someone is sexually assaulted. Rumors start flying and a girl's life (and sometimes a guy's) is put on display for all to judge and debate. Enter the social media judge and jury: they drag her reputation through the mud and then it becomes a game of he said- she said.

The book will proceed to follow Nick, Richard, Alice, and Haley from their time in high school till they are grown.
While they will grow together and apart over the years, the scars of that night never truly heal and never stop affecting them all. I don't want to go into too much detail because I never like to spoil anyone's experience. I really liked this book and enjoyed the experience between this group. It reminded me in ways of Ohio. This book truly does serve in many groups- it is a horror story, but it's also a psychological story and also a story of growing up with the same people. I highly recommend it. I think it will be a 2020 favorite. I couldn’t put it down. It also makes you really think about how people are portrayed after something significant happens. We make these snap decisions about whose side we are on and who we believe without having everyone's story or even half of the facts. We need to do better.

I tried to get into this book, but nope. Couldn't do it. The voice of the high school narrator in the first section was so cliche and honestly just pissed me off. Do we REALLY need to give more voice to the misogyny that has traditionally been so rampant among high school boys? I thought it might get better when I got into the next section, narrated by the victim, but I just had to bail. Maybe I found the whole premise just too disturbing as the parent of a girl? Oh, and I HATED all of the four covers. Way too gimmicky. Note: I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher. The views here are (obviously) all my own.

The story is good. It is like reading different stories connected. I read this on a Kindle. I think a hardcover or paperback will be better. Several times I wanted to go back and check out things from beginning.
I was confused on Nick. He was a great character. Who and what was real? What happened during her college years? She never had a medical exam? Was there really a meeting with Richard?
The Q story could be another book. No family looked for her. Red hair? No job? Nice tie in with Nick..
I plan to re-read this. Great book club selection. Lots of discussion material.

I loved the prose and I liked the story. But the choppy way it was written (flashbacks, multiple perspectives, unreliable narrators) made it quite hard to finish, and the ending was maddening and made me feel like I wasted my time. Beautiful sentences, but ultimately not for me.

What caught my attention about this book first was the cover. And I know you’re never supposed to judge a book by its cover but I do it a lot. After reading the synopsis, I knew that this was a book that I needed to read immediately.

We hear about similar situations too much in our times (I wish this wasn’t the case) but it’s true. People attend a party thrown by a popular sports team, drinks are thrown back like water, and then the most disgusting thing happens. Someone is sexually assaulted. Rumors start flying and a girls life is put into the spotlight. They tear her life apart without even thinking about it. Then it becomes a game of he said- she said.

This book follows the lives of four people; Nick, Richard, Alice, and Haley. It starts with their lives in High School and then leads into their lives as adults.

When they were teens something awful happened and it was the Lacrosse team against the accuser. Alice accused two players of assaulting her after a rumor was spread by Richard and Max. That they did the unthinkable when she was passed out in the back of Richards car.

That day changed all of their lives. It shaped them into how they turned out in the future. Now a certain situation brings them all back together as they piece together what actually happened that night. But all they know is that they are all haunted by that part of their past.

This book was phenomenal. One of the best fiction debuts that I’ve ever read. The words kept me glued to every single page and I couldn’t put it down. It’s a timeless story that will speak to all of us.

True Story was a spectacular read. It made you really think about how people are portrayed after something significant happens. We are so easy to judge without knowing the facts and it’s time to change that. This is a book that will always stay with me.

P.S. This is a book that I need for my personal collection. I can’t get over how amazing this was.

Decisive and clever, compelling and current, I read this with unfailing urgency, some compassion, and something...bittersweet.