Dante MedemaReseñas

My first ever actual review....but this one is worth it. So beautifully written. I started the book, and couldn’t stop until it was over. I think I’ll still be emotionally invested in these characters for a whole bit.

Again, beautifully written. I felt so connected to the characters. The writing style was so different, I was actually worried I might have a hard time getting into it. I was obviously wrong. What a beautiful story.

When desperation meets programming skills, beware of what happens. Bailey and Vanessa were best friends. After leaving Bailey's house one night, ostensibly to meet Mason, her boyfriend, Vanessa vanished, not answering any texts or calls. When her body is found in the wreckage of her car on a road that doesn't lead to Mason's home, Bailey's not only devastated, she's caught in a giant loop of why.
Her discovery of an abandoned AI chat program one of her mothers created years before, leads her down a rabbit hole after she perfects it and loads as many texts and messages from Vanessa into the software as she can recover. Watching what follows is a classic example of the adage 'what doesn't kill you (emotionally) makes you stronger.' Read the story to understand the how and why of this happening.

"Message Not Found" was a touching story dealing with loss, grief, secrets and moving forward. Bailey has just lost her best friend, Vanessa, in a horrible car accident and uses technology to help her cope. She creates a chatbot based on posts, messages and emails from Vanessa, in the hope that V will give her some insight into the events that led to her death.

I found this an interesting way for the protagonist to deal with her grief and it gave the reader the opportunity to know Vanessa. However, I was disappointed with the end.

"Message Not Found" is told through texts, DMs, emails and narratives. Many readers will be able to relate to the struggles Bailey is facing and I think it would be a popular addition to our school library.½

CW: teen pregnancy, drinking, abortion

Well it's hard to swallow when you have a big lump in your throat.

That was a moving verse novel about a girl coming to terms with information that has shattered her reality. Feeling hurt and betrayed Cordelia seeks to make sense of who she is and where she belongs. I enjoyed the format of this novel with it's mixture of emails, texts, and free verse. The verse was quite simple. The strength and beauty of this novel came from the story itself, and the complex and vulnerable characters wearing their hearts on their sleeves.

bailing at The Real Mason 29% [1:55:31 in]

A different type of novel inverse. One that I really enjoyed. A story of a girl who discovers that half of what she is isn’t what she thought. Through her path of discovery, she finds that it’s not ancestry but roots shape. Definitely a book I would recommend!

Really quick read since it’s written in verse. Beautifully written.

I had a brief moment to rest on my couch so I picked up The Truth Project sitting on my coffee table, and before I knew it, I was sucked into the story and didn't stop until I finished it. An achingly beautiful and heartfelt story about a young woman searching for herself after finding out through a DNA test that the father she thought was her father had not sired her.

DNA doesn’t lie. It doesn’t care if it hurts you or makes you question your identity either.

Cordelia has never quite felt like she fit into her family. She jokes that she’s the .5 kid in the average family of 2.5 kids. But when she chooses to get her DNA results as part of her senior project on identity, she finds a bit more truth than she was looking for. When she finds out that the man who raised her isn't her biological father, it sends her on a quest to find out where she belongs.

Meanwhile, she's working on her senior poetry project with Kodiak, the boy she grew up with, who's turned into "trouble." Despite him getting a girl pregnant last year and getting arrested, straight-A student Cordelia finds herself drawn to him and his poetry.

Together, they go on a quest to find the truth about Cordelia's biological father.

This book gave me all the feels! Every teen who’s ever questioned who they are or where the fit in the world will relate to Cordelia. I enjoyed the unique format. Cordelia’s story is told through hauntingly beautiful poetry, interspersed with casual texts and more formal emails to her teachers. You really felt like you saw all sides of her: the person she was to herself, the person she was to her family, the person she was with her best friends and the person she is with her teachers.

You'll cheer for Cordelia as she finds her way through the lies to her version of the truth.

Thank you to NetGalley and Quill Tree Books for the advance review copy provided in exchange for my honest opinion.