Book Review: Tell Us Something True by Dana Reinhardt

Title: Tell Us Something True
Author: Dana Reinhardt
Publisher: Rock the Boat
Publishing Date: July 20th 2016
Length: 208 pages
Keywords: YA, romance, friendship, heartbreak, LA, support group
Source: Publisher

Seventeen-year-old River doesn’t know what to do with himself when Penny, the girl he adores, breaks up with him. He lives in LA, where nobody walks anywhere, and Penny was his ride; he never bothered getting a license. He’s stuck. He’s desperate. Okay . . . he’s got to learn to drive.

But first, he does the unthinkable—he starts walking. He stumbles upon a support group for teens with various addictions. He fakes his way into the meetings, and begins to connect with the other kids, especially an amazing girl. River wants to tell the truth, but he can’t stop lying, and his tangle of deception may unravel before he learns how to handle the most potent drug of all: true love.

Summary by Goodreads 

This is the story of a boy named River. Yes, his real name. And he`s just the right guy to tell this story. He doesn`t drive and instead walks everywhere. To deal with his heartbreak he walks right into a support group for teens with addications and develops a bad habit of his own: lying. The better he gets to know the kids in the group, the harder it gets to keep up the facade. And it becomes even trickier when River gets to know Daphne. She`s tough and smart and just the girl who could help River mend his broken heart. Wanting to know how their relationship unfolds was the incentive that made me turn the pages of this book in no time at all. And they have many moments together that just bring a smile to your face. It`s also River`s unique humour that made this read worthwhile.

Set in L.A. TELL US SOMETHING TRUE could be all about city life and being one of many people with the same problem. But River`s story has a very genuine and individual feeling from the very first page. Readers go through all the stages of a bad breakup with him. Then we follow him to support group and learn to appreciate the differences that make people their own kind of beautiful. It`s the combination of very private moments of heartbreak and the feeling of being connected to a group of people who might not have the exact same problem, but understand you in a way no other person can, that make TELL US SOMETHING TRUE such a special read.

4/5 stars **** TELL US SOMETHING TRUE - A poignant funny and delightfully different story about heartbreak, trust and new love.

This is the perfect book for a nice, sunny afternoon out at the lake. With about 200 pages TELL US SOMETHING TRUE is rather short, but that`s all the story needs. Dana Reinhardt wrote a well-rounded novel with winsome characters and a heartfelt love story. The story of River is also a story about being different, learing to accept help and most important, regaining trust in yourself. 

* Click here to read an excerpt of TELL US SOMETHING TRUE.
* For more information about Dana and her books visit www.danareinhardt.net
* Rock the Boat: www.rocktheboat.london | Twitter: @Rocktheboatnews