Thursday, June 13, 2013

Book Review: The Fine Art of Truth or Dare by Melissa Jensen

THE DETAILS:
Pages: 272
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporay
Release Date: 16/02/12
Publisher: Speak
Bought on Kindle Store
Discovered through This Review

THE BLURB:

Pretty in Pink meets Anna and the French Kiss in this charming romantic comedy

Ella is nearly invisible at the Willing School, and that's just fine by her. She's got her friends - the fabulous Frankie and their sweet cohort Sadie. She's got her art - and her idol, the unappreciated 19th-century painter Edward Willing. Still, it's hard being a nobody and having a crush on the biggest somebody in the school: Alex Bainbridge. Especially when he is your French tutor, and lessons have started becoming, well, certainly more interesting than French ever has been before. But can the invisible girl actually end up with a happily ever after with the golden boy, when no one even knows they're dating? And is Ella going to dare to be that girl?

THE REVIEW:
'The Fine Art Of Truth and Dare' is a book that I bought based on a review that I read. I had only seen one review, but I often agree with the opinions of that blogger and the story-line, cover, everything else seemed really sweet. As you know, lately I've been having a bit of a contemporary fad (I am worried that I will soon run out of contemporary books to read!) so this book fit right in with that genre.

I think that I was really just expecting a light romantic read (which I wouldn't have minded) though I was surprised to find that this book was a little deeper and that it had some good messages inside. The main character isn't your usual "I don't feel beautiful" type of character, because she has a burn  on her shoulder/neck/chest that she is really insecure about. This novel really made me think about people with these kinds of insecurities and the way that they live their lives because of it, as well as the way they are treated by other people. I thought that some of the people in this book treated Ella horribly because of it and that seeing how she felt really strongly pushed an anti-bullying message.

Ella is a character that comes from an Italian-American background and who is friends with two other very likable characters. I felt that I resonated a bit with Ella as we are both not the most social people and have a lot of fears. I do think that there will be readers out there that will find her scardiness to be a bit annoying though.

I really liked the subject matter in the story and the way that Ella's life revolved around hanging out at the Karaoke place and Ella's art project. I know that there were more important aspects of the book, but it's really nice to read a book where the character has similar interests and you can really "get into". I also thought that the way the art project progressed was a nice parallel to the way that the story progressed.

I thought that the "Truth or Dare" aspect was really cute and that it was clever in a book where the character is so concerned with telling the truth. I have never been one to play the "Truth or Dare" game, but these characters certainly do make it entertaining in an extremely harmless way. As unconventional as Ella's friends may be, they are the sort of friends every girl should want/have.

I thought that the love story in this story was adorable. Both characters don't just fall for each other, they teach each other to realise their dreams and accept their insecurities. I adore both characters and think it's a plausible romance.

Overall I gave this book 5/5 stars and a favourite. I think this book was great and that it's the first book I've read in a while that seemed absolutely flawless. I can't wait to read more by this author and hope to read more about these characters. I strongly recommend it to those who like the contemporary genre.



Your Favourite Blogger,
Natalie

1 comment:

Witchcrafted Life said...

Engaging, wonderful review. I don't read a lot of contemporary fiction myself either, but the premise and protagonist of this novel both sound like they make for the kind of story I'd certainly be happy to curl up with peaceful Sunday summer afternoon. Thank you very much for the introduction.

♥ Jessica