Friday 6 May 2016

What I Thought Was True by Huntley Fitzpatrick

Friday 6 May 2016
What I Thought Was True by Huntley Fitzpatrick
Gwen Castle has never so badly wanted to say good-bye to her island home till now: the summer her Biggest Mistake Ever, Cassidy Somers, takes a job there are the local yard boy. He's a rich kid from across the bridge in Stony Bay, and she hails from a family of fishermen and housecleaners who keep the island's summer people happy. Gwen worries a life of cleaning houses will be her fate too, but just when it looks like she'll never escape her past - or the island - Gwen's dad gives her some shocking advice. Sparks fly and secret histories unspool as Gwen spends a gorgeous, restless summer struggling to resolve what she thought was true - about the place she lives, the people she loves, and even herself - with what really is.
This book was provided to me via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

My Thoughts:
Huntley Fitzpatrick is one of those authors that are extremely hard to come across. Her way of weaving details of characters into every sentence end bringing them to life in front of you is mesmerising and I find it so hard these days to find an author who not only cares about bringing to life the main characters but also the side ones, the family members, the friends, absolutely everyone that we meet in this book is real, breathing and has their own way of moving from page to page and this is just one of the many qualities that made me really love this book.

There are a few things about the book that didn't quite round it off into absolutely-perfect for me, like I found myself not really buying into the romance between Cass and Gwen. Despite me adoring the characters interactions and the characters themselves, I didn't really feel the chemistry between them and I felt it was all a little bit rushed. If the story was focused on them getting back as friends and forgiving and growing past all of the things that caused the tension in the first place then along the line I might have felt the chemistry but the development just feel like, well, underdevelopment.

One thing I really loved about this book is that although the side-characters are quite clearly just that, they all have their own thoughts, feelings and even their own storyline in the plot. I was so relieved to find that Huntley Fitzpatrick was careful enough to fully delve into their story to make sure that it was dramatic and gripping enough to make me want to know more about how this would all end up, while still developing both stories in one, without the side story ever overwhelming the original plot. I really loved those two characters and I am so happy that we get to see how it all wraps up in the end.

The setting was described beautifully and I really enjoyed that the plot didn't feel over-complicated like I find some contemporaries can be. While parts of the plot didn't necessarily tickle my fancy, the characters and the writing really drove this book home for me. So, there you have it, I really enjoyed What I Thought Was True and would thoroughly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a quick, easy and fun beach read this summer, or even just all year round.

2 comments :

  1. I've never read a book by this author before, but the way you've described her writing style really makes me want to. It reminded me of Maggie Stiefvater's writing style, which is just AMAZING. So if it's anything like that, I need Huntley Fitzpatrick novels in my life ASAP.

    I absolutely love it when side characters are really fleshed out, and have their own side stories. It makes the whole novel feel more reaistic, and it shows that the author paid attention.

    It's a shame you didn't really feel the romance, though! It's super sucky when that happens D:

    I'm glad you were able to enjoy it overall, though, lovely!

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    1. I think you should give her books a shot, for sure! I haven't really been a fan of the romances so far (I wasn't keen on the romance in My Life Next Door either) but the way she writes the books is so beautiful!

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