The story of Seelie Stanton is one that has stayed with me since I had finished it. The author, Mischa Thrace, was successful in making me feel the pain, and grief, that Seelie is suffering with after surviving a violent attack that leaves her assailant, a boy from a popular family, dead.
Seelie's story is one that speaks of the aftermath of what she is dealing with when the people of her community believe that she used excessive force in what she says is self defense. Seelie has an amazing support system within her friend group as they help her heal and get through the legal side of her case. Her mother is one that is unsupportive and selfish to her daughter which makes her a villianlike figure that drives Seelie to seek the comfort from her friends. There are different pieces to the puzzle of that night that are revealed throughout the story and with each reveal the plot gets darker as the harsh reality surrounding that night comes into the light.
Thrace was capable of bringing up many topics that aren't usually addressed in YA fiction and doing so in a way to let the reader connect and sympathize with Seelie's experiences which I think was a huge success for this novel. Seelie's whole truth is one that should be read and shared by many. I really enjoyed reading this novel and the events in the plot have stayed with me as I have been in awe at how wonderful this novel is.

From the very first page, I was captured. The author does a fantastic job of gaining your attention and not letting up until the very end. I usually do not gravitate towards books like this but I’m so glad I read this one!

I did not realize that this book was YA fiction. I may not have read it, if I had known. Having said that, I really enjoyed the novel. It was well written and after finishing it, I think it is an especially thought provoking read . High school can be a treacherous place for young adults who don’t “fit in” the way their peers deem acceptable. It can be a tough ride for many. Having the moral conviction to “do the right thing” and then stand by that conviction, is as commendable as it is arduous. Seelie Stanton, with the enormous help from the “faction”, a steadfast group of loyal and true friends, stays the course. Who can dispute, that having such a support system, regardless of your age, is all-conquering? I am recommending this book to my teenage grandchildren and to my peers as well. Thank you Netgalley and the publisher, for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

Not what I expected and not my favorite read. Decent characters but a somewhat boring narrative with few twists.

I guess authors think that if they give unusual names to their characters, the story would be more memorable... What is the name of the MC here, Seelee, Selee? I don't know and I'm not going back to check.

Anyways, why was the MC so angry at her mother? She didn't want her mother present in anything because according to the MC, her mom was always busy at the restaurant. I think that this whole mother-daughter relationship should've been left for a story of its own. I just disliked the MC because from the very beginning she disliked her mother but I didn't see a reason why.

And why was the MC angry at the world, at large? Is like she hated or didn't care for anybody but her 4 friends.

So she killed in self-defense but then she is acting all shy and crying about it. That did not go with the strong character that she was at the beginning.

I liked that there was some type of trial going on (I love that type of books), and then the MC saved an information-bomb to throw it out during the trial. I think it didn't make sense but it did have a nice shocking effect. Who would thought that a 17 year would be so clever and know so much about the consequences of holding evidence?

The school... why were they bullying the MC when the guy she killed didn't even go to that school anymore? The guy was 20 years old! That means that nobody knew him there any longer. Ah yes, the brother; I guess he was the one vandalizing the MC locker and stuff.

Over all, I liked the plot because I had always wanted to read about the aftermath of a situation like this. Usually, a plot ends when the bad guy is killed. This story is the opposite, it starts with the bad guy already dead and then it takes us through what happened to the surviving victim.

This surviving victim, AKA MC or Seelee, I didn't like one bit. She was a strong girl who didn't want to show weakness and I got that, but she just came across like someone angry at the world for no reason.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this title.

Loved the LGBT rep, discussion of an important topic, portrayal of close, mostly healthy friendships and a gripping plot. There was a spoiler subplot that didn't resonate with me, but that might be because it was a bit too close to home, and sometimes we project our own expectations of representation onto one book that isn't able to tell everyone's story at once, so I'm not letting that affect my overall rating. Recommend!

*Thank you to Netgalley for sending me a free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!*
Release date: October 2nd

More like a 4.5*

This book was really raw and emotional. When I read it, I kept thinking that it couldnt go worse for our main character, but it kept getting worse, and surprising me.

My whole truth is the story about Seelie Shanton, who one October afternoon gets attacked while working, by a guy named Shane. He tried to kill her and hurt her deeply, and in an act of self-defense Seelie kills Shane.
Now she is being charged with murder, and as the story continues, we discover new secrets and new twists.

This was phenomenal. It brought up some very important themes and I think that when this book gets released, it will create debate, which is good.

Not sure where to begin on this one as the storyline was a bit unbelievable but the writing was good and it flowed. There is a small lesbian storyline offshoot for the main character Seelie (Cecelia) and her closest friend Lyssa but it is very minor. The main focus of the book is on Seelie and her small "faction" of friends that include Lyssa and two other close friends of Seelies. I like how her close knit group of friends really stick up for each other. I think Seelie's savage attack that ends in the killing of her attacker (not a spoiler) and her defense of her actions in court are a little too cartoonish and slightly unbelievable. In addition, her horrible relationship with her mother is completely overdone and there is no growth or development at all. All in all, I would recommend to younger adults --Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read and review.

<i>My Whole Truth</i> is a nice quick read, with an interesting plot. I would recommend this book to folks who like YA mysteries. It would be a good book to take to the beach or on vacation.

Seelie Stanton got the short end of the stick in life. Her mom is too busy at the restaurant to notice (or care) what's going on in her daughter's life, and when she does, it's an act for the Martyr Mom Show. The kids at school notice too much, making fun of her brutally. The only ones she can count on are her Faction: Alyssa, Ashlyn, and Finn. And she's going to need them now more than ever.

Because Seelie is in trouble. She's been branded a murderer. Never mind that she *had* to kill that boy to survive. Never mind that she was left bleeding and broken in the aftermath of a terrifying attack. It's not enough that she has to struggle with the images of what she did to him, with what he did to *her*. Now she's got to justify fighting back, making sure he couldn't get up and finish the job.

This book... was amazing. It jumped right into the action, and kept me on the edge of my seat, wondering what was going to happen to this poor kid. Left me seething at the injustice in the world, and at parents who are clueless and thoughtless. The plot was, at times, hard to stomach, but was well written, and well executed. I really only have one complaint, and that's (view spoiler)

I'm honestly not sure how true to life the legal aspects are, but they *seem* well researched, and realistic. I'm just not committing to saying it for sure, because I'm not in the know on such things.

Really, really well done book. Cannot recommend it enough if you like a bit of mystery, a good fight (not physical, although... I guess that's technically there, too), and friends who mean the world.

This one took a while to get into - once I did, I couldn't get enough of it, but it took a while to reach that point. I am not sure if it's the writing style or something else entirely. An interesting premise, but unfortunately one that sounded better on NetGalley than it did in my hands. I think it is well-suited to younger readers, and maybe this is one of those times where YA just doesn't sit well in my 29 year old hands. All together, an interesting - if improbable - story.

Holy crap this read.. Nothing short of a rollercoaster, Seelie is taking us on one bumpy ride through one of the most hellish things that could happen to someone.
My Whole Truth is a story about that; uncovering the truth, even though it’s difficult. And one about unending friendships.

If you’re looking for a book that takes you by your reader-balls and doesn’t let go until the very last page.. this book is for you!

This is a well-written novel with a page-turning plot, and others are sure to sing its praises.

Great opening lines, a great foursome of friends who call themselves The Faction, and plenty of social issues pack this YA novel with topics for discussion. However, the 17-year-old heroine never lightens up in her attitude toward her widowed mother. Dad, who died of cancer, was the girl's go-to person; Mom is a workaholic who just isn't there for Cecelia/Seelie, to the point that every scene with this mother/daughter duo is unpleasant. And it never gets better. Seelie never seems to make that character arc from self-absorbed, snotty teenage daughter to wiser, older daughter who discovers some breathing room with her mother.

As a mother of three, not a teenager reading YA, my viewpoint on this may be irrelevant. But if my daughters were still teenagers, I wouldn't want them reading YA novels that reinforced the idea of high school girls being wiser than their mothers.

I've heard teenage girls say they don't like novels about heroines who are overweight, unattractive, or lacking in personal charm. Cecelia seems to strike out on all three counts. Add to that her apparent lesbianism, and still more girls will likely pass this novel over for another Edward and Bella story. Which is sad. "Twilight" didn't really tackle social issues like "My Whole Truth" does.

Some of the plot devices annoy me as much as snarky teenage attitude does. I can believe the police are sufficiently incompetent not to ask for certain types of DNA evidence, but medical staff, too, overlooking some critical evidence when a beaten, bleeding girl comes into E.R. ... and what happens later... there was already more than enough unpleasantness in the story without this added scene of tension and deeply personal decisions.

The debate about crimes committed due to the influence of certain illegal drugs also missed the mark. Granted, I know nothing about PCP or other drugs, but I've heard from EMTs that bullets won't stop an attacker who's high on meth. You have to take out the hip joints and legs to immobilize the attacker. At close range, as Seelie would have been, without a gun, the inexplicably available mallet had to be employed, repeatedly, to get the attacker to stop moving.

That mallet. I grew up on a farm, not a horse farm, but who keeps mallets under the hay in the upper loft of a hay mow? That one just had me shaking my head. Too many things like this pull a reader out of the novel and make it hard to stay engaged, to keep caring about the characters.

The Faction, a guy and three gals, ultimately had me no longer caring as much about them as I did in the opening pages. Their bad choices range from trivial to catastrophic, and I'm just too old to read stories that aren't more fun-filled and triumphant. I've read enough tragedy, most of it in the form of historical fiction, and too much of it in genre fiction. It's almost enough to drive a woman to read chic-lit and romance novels.

Almost.

I would have liked to see more evidence of the heroine's love of horses and some scenes of healing, which could have happened, if Cecelia had listened to Elaine, the horse owner who's hired her for the past three years. The horses got nowhere near enough attention, in my opinion. Teen readers may disagree with me on that.

Two minor characters deliver some surprises, one the victim's brother Trevor, the other a girl who hand-writes a note and slips it into Cecelia's locker. In a fast-paced narrative, any potential for character growth is swept aside. Nobody seems to do the growing up I would expect of characters in a YA novel.

Again, this is a well-written novel with a page-turning plot and plenty of social issues worthy of a classroom discussion, but it's not the soaring, triumphant sort of tale I turn to these days. It's dark and brutal to the bitter end, with a victory that just doesn't

I'm still having a tough time on my feelings with this book. On one hand, it was good, on the other hand, it felt underdeveloped.

I can't call this a thriller because there wasn't anything thrilling about it. The incident happens in the very first chapter and it starts after Seelie is running away. It's not a mystery because we know what happens. There's mention in the synopsis that she has feelings for her best friend, but it's not really explored, so I wouldn't put it in the LGBTQIA category. There's some small mentionings here and there and one very small situation, but I wouldn't say there is any angst or any big moment. Her feelings for Lyssa and vice versa feel almost exactly the same as her feelings for Ashlyn and Finn.

This is one of those books where I'm trying to figure out the purpose. Seelie was just a huge brat who made bad decisions the whole time, so I didn't even feel like there was a good strong female message in there. She was terrible to her mom, but in all fairness her mom wasn't exactly the greatest either. There was no resolution with that so, again, I don't understand the point of the conflict. Everything was centered around her "faction" and even the angst that developed from that was overcome very quickly. I guess I could say the message in the book is about great friendships?

I decided to give this book three stars instead of two because it was written really well. The similes and metaphors were interesting, the dialogue was fantastic, and it was structured well. For this to really be called a thriller, suspense, or mystery there needs to be more mystery. It was very, very predictable which made it a little boring at points. I think if the book was a little more thought out it would have been a really amazing book.

Despite all this, I am looking forward to other books by Misha Thrace, because like I said, she is really great at writing. While I don't necessarily recommend this book, I don't think anyone won't necessarily like it.

Wow.

I feel like I just spent the past few days binge watching a Nextflix show called “My whole truth: the Cecilia Stanton story” <-- (I would totally watch that!!)

This book was captivating. From the first chapter, I wanted to do nothing else but to keep reading to find out what happens.

Here are some things that I liked about this book:

- Strong female protagonist - Seelie had strong ideas about her self and her values. I liked that she wasn't looking for approval or easily influenced - especially in a time when social media is so relevant and self-value might be measured by popular opinion.

- The importance of having good friends that you can trust – quality vs quantity! yes!

- Being able to have a choice.

- The woman who answered the phone. (loc 2779 - at 71% of the book) She was amazing and she didn't even know it. She deserves recognition.

-The image of a tattoo of an open book with “there are other worlds than these” flying from the pages. Amazing. I want one!

- The truth. Even though I think it should have come out sooner, I appreciate the fact that it did. It will set you free.

The one thing that I didn't completely understand was the relationship (or absence of) between Seelie and her mom. Maybe that can be addressed in season 2...

I enjoyed reading this book. It was like a YA crime drama! I liked how the events unfolded as I got to know the characters better. I would recommend it!

“Too often we teach stories that have no connection to real life, especially for high schoolers. But literature is supposed to make us feel something, even something unpleasant. It’s a sign of life.”

Thank you to Netgalley for providing a copy of this book.

The book begins with Seelie calling 911. She has locked herself in the tack room of a horse barn. Her leg is bleeding badly, and she can barely see. Her attacker is up in the loft of the barn, which she tells the 911 operator. When emergency personnel arrive on the scene, they have to break down the door because Seelie can't get up to let them in.

Seelie's friends surround her with support at the hospital. Her self-centered mother keeps remarking on the inconvenience of Seelie's situation, and it's several days before Seelie finds out that her attacker is dead. Seelie must then deal with the guilt of killing her attacker and the reactions of her peers.

This beautifully written story will appeal to a wide variety of teen readers. Although a tad predictable, Seelie's message is so timely and important. I will definitely be promoting this one with my students.

Oh my...this book...this one will stay with you for a while. There were times I wanted to throw this book down and not go back to it. So many things made me furious....the way things were handled. Seelie deserved more.

What I loved: The writing in this. It pulls you in. This line was by far my favorite of the whole book: "Minutes as long as days and as short as heartbeats slip by."
What I liked: I was pretty certain I knew the whole truth, but I liked the way it unraveled.
What I hated: Ugh... the Mom character. I know, I wasn't supposed to like her. I was supposed to not have much feeling for her, and I sure didn't. I just wanted more for Seelie...but she had her tribe, her faction.
Actual stars....4.5.

I read this soooo fast! The first sentence just grabs you until the end...and as much as I wanted to shake the main character a few times, the book ended really well.

A very enjoyable read and I was captivated all the way through by this page turner. I love Thraces writing and I can't wait to read more from this author, I would highly recommend it.

***Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a complimentary copy of MY WHOLE TRUTH by Mischa Thrace in exchange for my honest review.***

4.5 STARS

Seelie kills Travis to save her life. Too bad his father is a judge, because now she’s charged with murder. Her friends believe in and support her; her lawyer is great. Seelie’s widowed mom, not so much.

Debut writer Mischa Thrace hits a home run in her first at bat. Throughout reading MY WHOLE TRUTH, I had the same curiosity and interest in the pit of my stomach as I did reading Eileen Cook’s WITH MALICE and Abigail Haas’s DANGEROUS GIRLS with an imperfect narrator I wasn’t certain I could trust. Seelie misses her dad and resents her mother. Even when her mom tries to reach out and be helpful, Seelie is downright mean. I wish their relationship has been explored further. Seelie keeps a lot of secrets, to her own detriment often choosing secrecy over friendship. I loved attorney Cara and best friend Lyssa and her two dads.

Thrace gave Seelie a compelling voice with a balance of positive and negative attributes. At times I wanted to shake her. MY WHOLE TRUTH read like a fast paced thriller never letting up on the hold-your-breath feeling. I can’t wait to see what Thrace writes next.