To me this book was mish mash of stuff all put together and it was hoped it would come together. I got the ending that there was no (spoiler alert) Nick, but there was so much time and effort spent on him that I kind of felt cheated. Also was Alice or was she not assaulted in the back of the car or did the boys just say nothing happened to get out of trouble. And what was that whole thing with Q anyway? Alice was strange, so was she kind of a hypochondriac or was he poisoning her? There were so many sidelined stories and then the ending-after reading the ending I could have cared less about any of the characters!!

Using an intriguing variety of formats, this book shows how stories reverberate over the years and how they effect the real (and made up) people. The chainsaw scene near the cabin won't leave my head for a while.

This is the powerful story of a young woman named Alice whose life is forever changed one night at a party when she is in high school. The rumors of what happened to Alice when she was driven home blackout drunk from that party have haunted her for her entire life. They have led her to make unfortunate choices for herself and have impacted how she sees herself and how others see her. Her friend Hayley, who has grown up to be a documentary filmmaker, has been begging Alice to tell her story since they were teenagers. To use her voice to punish those who were involved and to let her story impact others, but Alice is reluctant. Alice doesn't actually remember what happened that night and she isn't anxious to relive it.
This story is told in alternating timelines with shifting narrators. Their stories and how they all connect aren't immediately clear, and we have some of Alice's teenage and adult work interspersed in the story (she grew up to be a ghostwriter). Alice expressed a lot of the trauma that she dealt with through her writing. The reader learns about how her teen years were impacted by reading the multiple drafts of her college application essay. They learn about her adult traumas by reading the screenplay scenes she is writing.
I found the writing style a little hard to follow at times, mostly because we shift narratives several times. There's also some unexplained seemingly paranormal activity revolving around a character named Nick and the packaging at the end of the story that is supposed to explain everything didn't quite convince me (no spoilers so I can't go into detail). I thought the story itself was very strong, and I can understand why certain stylistic choices were made, but they frustrated me as a reader because I wanted to get to the heart of the story and that was hard to do when I wasn't sure which character I was meant to be focusing on.

This is a timely subject but the story fell flat. The change between characters so often was confusing and a little irritating. Told mostly by Nick, who was battling survivor's guilt gave insight into the feelings of a person who did little to prevent the incident. Alice, having been blindly drunk gave little voice since she couldn't remember. I could see many viewpoints being discuss in a group about this novel may benefit some.

My favorite thing about this book was Kate Reed Petty's captivating writing style. Alice and Nick's characters felt so alive and very real that I was compelled to keep reading and find out where the story took me. However, the constant switch in narration left me a bit confused and was jarring especially at the beginning. I also found myself disappointed by the ending. It felt so abrupt and unsatisfying. I believe the issues in the book are very timely, and the impact of sexual assault on Alice is apparent, but I wanted so much more from the book's ending that honestly fell a bit flat. I also thought Nick was cast as a heroic figure when he really shouldn't have been, and that soured the book for me as well. It's a creative concept, and I appreciated the twists and turns, but I hoped for a better conclusion.

5+ out of 5.
Absolutely phenomenal debut. Using a mix of genres and POVs (not to mention some neat structural tricks), Kate Reed Petty delivers a riveting look at the ripple effects of a high school sexual assault and the ways in which rumor and storytelling can define our whole lives. I don't want to say too much because each twist and turn (not in a OMG-thriller! kind of way, rather... well, I never knew quite what to expect from one section to the next) is a delight to discover on one's own. I'll be thinking about this one for a while and I have ~got~ to get my hands on that UK cover (which hints at the book's structure in ways I now fully appreciate).

This “found footage” style story tells about Alice, the girl (now woman) at the heart of a “he said she said” high school sexual assault, and Nick, a teammate who was a bystander. I found the found footage of diary entries and college essays to be repetitive and at times unnecessary, and struggled with the time, location, and character jumps. It was hard to connect with the characters because of the different styles of the writing (which I understand was purposefully done, and perhaps just not my taste). I felt like the reader didn’t get to know Alice well enough through this format, and that none of the characters was relatable or one with whom the reader could sympathize. I thought this was a timely story and enjoyed the idea of considering who controls the narrative in stories such as these, but I wished there was more to it in terms of character development and overall viewpoints and plots tying in to one another.

I really enjoyed the storyline, it gave me a perspective that kids in sports may feel while opening my eyes to how girls also interpret their feelings. I thought the plot of the story was really interesting - fast forwarding through their lives. I didn’t like the plays or the college essays. I felt disconnected to those parts of the story, at times I was confused. I think this is an important topic for high school kids to read I just wished I loved more of the writing style. Overall I enjoyed this book! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early release of this book.

TRUE STORY is another novel about the ramifications of sexual assault, domestic abuse, bullying and rumor. It begins with an incident at a high school party involving several members of the lacrosse team, a fact that while meant to feel “ripped from the headlines”, made it feel, at least initially, like something I’d read several times already.

Probably by design, the men in the novel are difficult to like—one is an alcoholic slacker, one systematically abuses the women he’s with, and one is a successful but pompous businessman. I found the novel a little lacking because I found it difficult to care about Nick, even though so much of the book is from his point of view. It’s easy, of course, to empathize with the women, and I enjoyed the varied writing styles that included emails and movie scripts in addition to straight prose, but on the whole, it did not feel like a new story. I can see it leading to interesting book discussions, though, so I might recommend it in that circumstance.

This debut novel hit it out of the park! This book goes beyond the typical genre boarders and has something for everyone; romance, horror, thriller, feminism. Without giving too much away, the book starts off telling the story of high school senior jocks. One party changes their lives and the lives of their dates forever. With all that is going on in the world right now, this book with definitely help you go to another place.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this title! I really wanted to love it. The premise felt relevant to the struggles women of my generation went through in high school, and the first part of the story was very compelling. The shifts in storytelling methods and perspective were hard to piece together, and by the end I felt more confused than anything about what I had just read. I appreciate the attempt to approach this sensitive topic from a surrealistic viewpoint, but for me it just didn't come together the way I'd hoped as I read.

I have mixed feelings about this novel; I did feel the need to finish it but got frustrated during the reading of it. I really didn't like any of the characters; they ALL made me angry -- their actions were frustrating. I guess what it all boils down to is that everyone was lying about something or had immoral behavior or were weak! I felt that I couldn't trust any of them!

Written using a variety of strategies and perspectives kept the story unexpected... just like the characters. Overall, an interesting memoir of truth through shaded stories.

This book was a contradiction to me. At times, I couldn’t put it down and at other times, I felt the story line dragged.

This is a story about how the past can haunt you forever. Alice is a ghost-writer, who makes it her mission to help other people tell their stories. But she is unable to tell her own - of a night of teenage drinking when her life changed. After an epic party to celebrate the boys' lacrosse team victory, rumors begin to spread about the attempted suicide of a girl and the sexual assault that may have led to it. The team joins forces, the community accepts their story, and life moves on. But 15 years later, readers glimpse into the lives of 4 individuals who were involved and learn that the past has a way of resurfacing.

Most of the time while reading this I thought, "what a weird book" (because of the different styles for the character POVs and the genre blending) but by the end I added "the author clearly read <i>The Outsiders</i> a few times too many". No spoilers - you'll see what I mean when you read this.

The challenge of portraying the fallout from one incident in high school, showing the effects on perpetrators, victims and bystanders, is pretty deftly handled here. That no one walks away from these scandals emotionally scott free should be evident, but frequently we forget that even though "outside" events can be affected. By focusing on only a few, rather than all the people involved, Reed Petty allows for a greater exploration of that aftermath. Unfortunately we don't get much of Haley, which would have added a layer of understanding (since it is strongly hinted that she played a vital role before, during and after) ; Richard, too, is given shorter shrift than Nick and Alice. Expanding on them could have made this a 4 star, easily. Possibly a 5.

eARC provided by publisher.

It was entertaining, but not so great as to be memorable. Thanks to Netgalley for this electronic copy.

This was a solid 3 star read and I definitely would recommend it to others. While I love reading stories they have multiple points of view and jump around a timeline, reading it electronically is difficult for me. It took me about 50% of the story to really feel immersed in it and understand the path the author was making. When all is said and done if you want a story with a bit of teenage stupidity, friendship, loyalty, and some trauma this is yours to pick up. (Trigger warnings: possible rape, alcoholism, domestic violence)

While True Story definitely kept me guessing, I almost felt like it was challenging to follow to the point that I considered abandoning the book. I stuck with it, and the ending was definitely unexpected. While I appreciated the ending, I don't know that I'd recommend this book to others.

This was a tough one to follow initially. I couldn't wrap my head around the alternating narrative styles. About 1/4 of the way through it clicked and it was hard to put it down! Male privilege, the rumor mill, bullying, teenage drinking, and "friendships" - this novel covers it all and is heart wrenching at times. At times, I didn't know who to believe! The ending was satisfying. A good, solid read. Thank you NetGalley and publisher for ARC.

I read about 100 pages of this book but just couldn't get into it. I have a 50 page rule and tend to stop reading at page 50 if the book doesn't grab me. I read twice as much as I usually do but couldn't finish the book. The teenagers seemed two-dimensional, the protagonist didn't elicit empathy from me and I found the overall narrative quite dull. Perhaps it's my age or the fact that the corona virus shelter in place has made me stir crazy, but I couldn't relate to this book.