Tell Us Something True: 'I promise you’ll fall in love with River Dean.' E. Lockheart - Softcover

Reinhardt, Dana

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1780749732 ISBN 13: 9781780749730

Publisher: Rock the Boat, 2016

Synopsis

Seventeen-year-old River doesn’t know what to do with himself when Penny, the girl he adores, dumps him. He lives in LA, where nobody walks anywhere, and Penny was his ride; he never bothered getting a license. He’s stuck. He’s desperate. He’s lonely.

One afternoon he does the unthinkable - he starts walking, and stumbles on a support group for teens with addictions. He fakes his way into the meetings and begins to connect with the other kids, but when he finds himself falling for one of the girls in the group a delightful comedy of errors ensues. River wants to tell the truth, but he can’t stop lying, and his tangle of deception may unravel before he learns how to handle the most potent drug of all: true love.

About this title

About the Author

Dana Reinhardt lives in San Francisco with her husband and their two daughters. She is the author of A Brief Chapter in My Impossible Life, Harmless, How to Build a House, The Things a Brother Knows, The Summer I Learned to Fly, We Are the Goldens, and Odessa Again. Visit her at danareinhardt.net.
From the Hardcover edition.

From School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up—After River is unceremoniously dumped by his girlfriend on a paddle boat in the middle of a lake, a chance encounter with a Second Chance support group for teens with addictions sends him into a torrent of lies that spiral out of control. Feeling the need for a reason to return, he invents a marijuana addiction, to the suspicion of some members. Although the rules of the support group specifically state that members are not allowed to date, River falls for Daphne, a Latina struggling with her shoplifting addiction. Despite his research into pot addiction (using the blog of a pot-addicted teen to steal his stories at meetings), River must eventually break the real story to Second Chance and to Daphne, which results in unfortunate yet realistic consequences. River has an authentic, funny, and unpredictable voice; although his actions are questionable, they are ultimately rooted in his need to find connections with others. The unique characteristics of Los Angeles neighborhoods, from downtown to Westside, are briefly sketched. River's relationships with his mother and stepfather are genuine yet refreshingly positive, and his interactions with his eight-year-old stepsister are poignant. The culture of group therapy, with its frequent instances of humor and pathos, is aptly captured. An inclusion of a secondary male character with bulimia adds awareness for teens. VERDICT Although not without some problematic issues concerning River's many attempts to contact his girlfriend, this novel is recommended for libraries needing light realistic reads.—Jennifer Schultz, Fauquier County Public Library, Warrenton, VA

About this edition

• Publisher: Rock the Boat
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 1780749732
• ISBN 13: 9781780749730
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 208