Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

When an issue hits big in the news, like genealogy tests revealing family secrets, its inevitable that those ideas will make their way into novels. And since teens are already questioning their identity it makes sense for this book to exist. The plot doesn't break any new ground, though. The characters are flat and relatively lacking in nuance.

Really beautiful, but not easy to read. Cordelia is working through her identity and has some life-altering news, and makes bad decisions because she's a teenager facing all of that. But the ending is just beautiful enough to make up for it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I love the concept of this book from the get-go. With all the popularity of DNA kits and geneology there was bound to be a story like this out there. Doing my own kit was one of the coolest experiences for me, learning where I came from opened a whole new world for me! This was an inspiring story, told in verse, emails, and text messages, of self-discovery and learning that your blood doesn't always determine who you are and blood does not always equal family. This was a five star read for me and one that I think anyone could read and feel connected to in some way.

This was such a heartfelt, nuanced, and moving read—the combination of verse chapters and emails created a compelling, immediate voice, and the characters leapt off the page.

Disclaimer: I received this as an eARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

Carefully and wonderfully written. I finished all in one day! My only wish was for a little more closure with her mother.

The Truth Project was a rather odd book, like nothing I had read before in YA books. The situation was an uncomfortable one all the way around with the female protagonist understandably confused and angry. It took her a bit more time to get past the initial shock of learning disturbing information about herself than I would have expected. I was disappointed at the reaction her family had to Kodiak, her childhood friend when they met up later in life. The whole way through the book it seemed to be overcast with a sadness, even unit the last few pages. Even with that sadness, I did enjoy the book and did care about the characters, even the ones who were probably intended to be no so likeable.

Thank you Netgalley for the arc! I really enjoyed the premise of this book. I was excited that it was written in verse and would have diverse characters. However, there were 3 uses of profanity (AF, fucking, and shit) on the first 2 pages. It immediately turned it sour for me. I know, as an educator, that young adults are using profanity, and for the most part I don't mind if they add to the story. THey didn't. I feel like it was just a ploy to engage young readers. The plot was a bit flat and overall just ok. 3 stars.

In the vain of many YA novels written in verse, this one is a standout! Following Cordelia’s path to her “true” identity and the truths she unfolds along the way was engrossing. I’m always amazed when an author can create a novel in verse that absolutely swallows the reader whole. Medema does that.

The Truth Project is about a girl doing a project and consequentially finding out via an ancestry test that she has a different father than both her younger and older sister - their dad is the man who raised them all. She thinks she's adopted, and investigates from there.

What comes next is a story of a girl just trying to make sense of herself and her family, all the while battling college anxiety and a persistent teacher, working closely with an ex-crush on a project, being available emotionally for her best friend and sisters, fighting with her mom and trying to act normal around her dad, and trying to meet her biological father. It was a really layered story and felt realistic. The end, especially, really tugged at the ol' heartstrings.

The most realistic part is Cordelia's relationships with herself and people around her. She goes through a big personal change very suddenly and it makes her really closed off to everyone around her. That is, except her project partner, who she knew when she was younger, and is getting to know again quickly. She lies to her parents, avoids her teacher, forgets about her little sister, and makes questionable decisions even against the advice of her best friend and her project partner.

There's some inclusivity in this book even with a super limited cast of characters- her best friend, Sana, is Asian (I think - it definitely said it on page, but I just forgot already), and interested in girls, and Kodiak, her project partner/childhood crush, is Tlingit - part of an indigenous group from the PNW. It takes place in Alaska, mainly, which is also cool, just because it's not super common in contemporary YA. Her teacher was also not white; I will have to edit this review after looking back in the book, because I don't remember her race and don't wanna just make something up lol.

Kodiak was a really sweet love interest, and was misunderstood. He went through a lot himself with an ex-girlfriend, something that was really public and hard and that he's still not only healing from but putting in community service hours for. He was open and communicative about his crush - well, mostly, he's still a teen boy - and respectful about consent, and also went along with the things Cordelia felt she needed to do but wasn't afraid to speak up when she was pushing herself a little too far. Sana did the same thing, and was a really good friend and listener overall, but was also annoying, but what true best friend isn't annoying at least sometimes? Cordelia's older sister, Bea, was really a brat, and so was their mom. They both had their characterization behind their attitudes, though, which made sense to the story. Cordelia's dad (the one that raised her) was an angel... seriously the sweetest ever.

There's not a whole lot to say about this story, there was just a good cast of characters and a sweet discovering-who-you-are kind of story, and the way it was formatted made for a quick read. (I forgot to mention that between the verses, the story is told in emails and texts, which fill in the story really well.) If this interests you, give it a shot, because I enjoyed it.

Longer Review To Come Shortly: The Truth Project is a well-written, aptly pace exploration into what actually constitutes an identity.
Is it the truth you've always known? The secrets locked away in your DNA? Or is it neither of those things and only the facets you forge for yourself?
Combining fiction with a popular (and sometimes life-changing) fad of DNA/Ancestry tracing, Medema crafts a delicate coming of age tale for a new generation of readers.

Goodreads Summary:
Seventeen-year-old Cordelia Koenig was sure of many things going into her last year of high school. For one, she wasn’t going to stress over the senior project all her peers were dreading—she’d just use the same find-your-roots genealogy idea that her older sister used for hers. Secondly, she’d put all that time spent not worrying about the project toward getting reacquainted with former best friend and longtime crush Kodiak Jones who, conveniently, gets assigned as Cordelia’s partner.

All she has to do is mail in her DNA sample, write about her ancestry results, and breeze through the rest of senior year. Done, done, and done.

But when Cordelia’s GeneQuest results reveal that her father is not the man she thought he was but a stranger who lives thousands of miles away, Cordelia realizes she isn’t sure of anything anymore—not the mother who lied, the life she was born into or the girl staring back at her in the mirror.

If your life began with a lie, how can you ever be sure of what’s true?

3.5 stars rounded to 4

Every once in awhile I like to dip my toes into a novel channeled through poetry, and this one maintains a nice blend of traditional beauty and modern relevance. While I usually don't embrace stories where a majority of the conflict could have been solved by two characters just having a simple conversation, I do understand that mother/daughter relationships can be very strained and it can be difficult to overcome this bridge. Some heavy themes are discussed here, and there is a full range of emotion that comes with this territory, but I felt like it was handled with the respect that these topics deserve. If you're looking for a unique tale told in a unique format, keep The Truth Project on your radar this fall.

Content Warnings: Alcohol, smoking, teen pregnancy and abortion, cheating.

The Truth Project was a fast and very emotional read for me. This book has moved me in ways I haven’t felt in a long time. I love this book with all of my heart.

Thank you to NetGalley and Quill Tree Books (Harper Collins) for the ARC!

Oh man. This book was soooo good. I was in tears at the end, so I'm glad no one was around during my lunch break!

I love novels in verse, and this is another exceptional one. The Truth Project follows Cordelia Koenig, a high school senior who plans to do her senior project on her ancestry (just like her older sister did) and tie it together with her love of poetry. However, when Delia's DNA results come back and show that she is the product of an affair, her whole world turns upside down. Suddenly, this easy final project becomes the hardest thing Delia has ever had to do. Simultaneously, Delia is also trying to get a handle on her feelings for Kodiak, the boy she's known most of her life, but who she feels she doesn't really know anymore.

The Truth Project is told in poems, texts, and emails, which I think adds another layer to the story. Stories in verse sometimes lack context, but the texts and emails showed other characters' thoughts and points of view as well--Sana in particular was a favorite! She is what every best friend should be, and definitely keeps Cordelia accountable when she starts to neglect the rest of her life.

Anyway, I definitely recommend this book! It comes out October 13th and is a must-read for fans of contemporary YA and novels in verse.

I don't remember if this was categorized as young adult or not but I don't care. This book was great and so emotional. Cordelia Koenig just like her older sister Bea has a senior project to complete in order to graduate. They each do a DNA test for their ancestry, Cordelia's is different in that she ties in her results with her love of poetry writing. Things get very complicated after the results and her best friend Sana does not always see eye to eye with her decisions but supports her anyway as best as she can in the aftermath of the results. Throw in Cordelia's crush, who used to be her childhood friend Kodiak Jones who shares her love of poetry writing but has his own problems. Can they find their way back to each other and being friends? Cordelia is an emotional wreck about the results and secrets that were kept....

This book was just wow and I thought it was just going to be another teenage coming of age story. It was so much and very emotional. My heart felt every ache, pain, triumph and guilt Cordelia did. I cannot even express how much I loved this book. A must read for sure and it is not light-hearted and fluffy. Many tough realizations and more within these pages.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!

Thanks to NEtgalley, Dante Medema, and Harper Collins Childrens Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available: 10/13/20

I was lucky enough to get an ARC of this to review. This book was and incredibly emotional story about identity and trying to figure out who you are. The plot of this story is so creative, and that is one of the major reasons I wanted to read it. I loved the exploration of trying to find who you, especially when you're a teenager. There is this feeling of pressure that you have to have everything figured out, but it is okay to not be sure and to keep searching. There is a strong theme of loneliness and not belonging anywhere, which I think is very realistic when you're this age. I feel like this will resonate with a lot of people, if maybe not in the same circumstances.

Another big aspect of the book that I really liked was the way this story was formatted. This story is told mostly in verse poetry, with emails and text messages thrown in-between. I am a HUGE fan of books told in verse poetry and mixed media, so this really worked for me. Because the main character is a poet herself, it makes sense that the writing throughout the book is very flowy and lyrical. If that is something you can't stand, I would stay away from this story, because that is a huge part of it. However, I loved it! I'm so curious about what the author chose to tell the story in this manner, but I think it really worked well.

With all of that being said, our main character is a teenage, so there is a lot of angst and attitude throughout the book, which I felt was annoying at times. I understand the situation she is in is crazy, and she has the right to be upset. But after a while, I found her kind of annoying. It was mostly through the middle section of this story.

Over all, this story is heart breaking and heart warming all at the same time. I was not sure what to expect from this story, but I loved almost every minute of it. I highly recommend this story for people looking for a clever plot and a story that will hit you in the feelings.

Cordelia Koening always felt like she didn't quite fit in her family. As part of her senior project, she decided to prove herself wrong (or maybe subliminally right?) but was not prepared for what the results would actually say. Turns out she had reason to believe that as the DNA results come back that the man she thought was her father is in fact not. But in this beautifully written novel the questions that beg to be answered are "Does DNA make a person?" "Does DNA a father make?" "What is the definition of family?" With so many different family make-ups, readers will connect Cordelia as she tries to figure out where and how she fits in, especially in light of this new information.

The character dialogue felt authentic, and I loved the different formats throughout the book. This will definitely be a book I recommend to my students.

Stunning work of art!

I started this right before bed thinking I would read a couple pages to shut down my brain. Wrong! It was impossible to stop reading. Medema has created a masterpiece in verse. This was actually my first experience reading this particular writing style. The the story itself and each character are imprinted on my heart.

There are some potential triggers within the story. Read with caution.

Thank you to the publisher through Netgalley for the experience of reading an advanced copy.

3.75 stars

The central focus of this verse novel is on Cordelia - the m.c.'s - senior project and the unexpected havoc it creates in her life.

Cordelia has a relatable (for teens) relationship to her immediate family: difficult. She's the middle child of three sisters and has two parents who seem to be quite close to her. Based on her name and her father's trade as a Shakespearean, she appears to have an especially close bond to him. Her feelings of being alienated from her family seem like the usual angsty business one expects in a YA novel, but there's much more to it.

While the concept and main character are nicely drawn, I kept wanting more from the ancillary characters: especially Kodiak. This guy has a fascinating arc, and I needed more of it. The flashbacks are so sparse, and more in that space would have been invaluable. Additionally, Cordelia's mom is...awful. I needed more development of that storyline and any character at all to say more about what she was and was not doing. I get that Cordelia is supposed to feel isolated - to some degree - on this journey, but the people in her life are too far in to be so far out. They know what is happening with her in many cases and express concern, but they are also somehow too selfish/deluded/busy/??? to really help her. Apparently, they will all have conversations with each other about her, but they can't seem to really have a timely, meaningful interaction with HER. This drove me slightly bananas.

I will absolutely read more from this author and look forward to it, and I'll recommend this to students because of its innovative concept and inarguable readability, but I hope I get more from the characters in Medema's next work.

Cordelia Koenig is a seventeen-year-old senior in Alaska. All of her life she has left like she didn't quite belong. A senior project has Cordelia learning things about her life that has her world spiraling out of control. Written in the form of poems, text messages, and emails, this story is a quick read, and one that I couldn't stop.