By Lygia Day Penaflor (author)
"In a Nutshell: Heroine-worship | Manipulation | Betrayal"
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June 2018 Debut of the Month | This cool concept, genre-subverting page-turner sees a group of affluent teenagers enmesh themselves in the life and art of a hit new YA writer with shocking consequences, as their lives become her art. Mira is obsessed with Fatima Ro’s novel and jumps at the chance to meet the author in real life.
Both she and her privileged peer group are totally smitten by her style and her ‘theory of human connection’ so they conspire to get closer to her. After a couple of contrived not-so-chance encounters (like their heroine, the friends are no strangers to the art of manipulation), Fatima announces, “I want you to be my people”, which sends them reeling with joy, but becoming “her people” has grave consequences…As we discover through the retrospectively-told narratives, stricken by writer’s block, Fatima turns to the lives of her new companions as a source of material.
Looking back over the past months, Penny is adamant that she and her friends were cruelly used by Fatima. “She set us all up like pawns for a fall”, Penny accuses. “She wasn’t talented enough to think of her own story.” Penny’s view is given weight when she reveals the jaw-dropping source of Fatima’s famed theory of human connection.
But, as the saying goes, there are two sides to every story and, in this case, Mira’s story sees her defend her heroine to the end.
Razor-sharp on the cult of celebrity, this cuttingly compelling novel is also thought-provoking on manipulation, artistic responsibility and forgiveness. The smart, unconventional narrative devices and structure (multiple points of view, novel excerpts, interview snippets) make for an addictive read, and the twists uncoil with stabs of deadly venom.
When four Long Island teens plot to meet Fatima Ro, the elusive author of their favourite novel, they’re stunned to find she befriends them and invites them into her eccentric life. Suddenly their lives seem charmed, and as they grow closer to their idol, they find themselves revealing their darkest secrets to her.But a year later, Miri, Soleil, Jonah and Penny are shocked to discover that Fatima’s newly released YA novel is based on those same secrets.
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When four Long Island teens plot to meet Fatima Ro, the elusive author of their favourite novel, they’re stunned to find she befriends them and invites them into her eccentric life. Suddenly their lives seem charmed, and as they grow closer to their idol, they find themselves revealing their darkest secrets to her. But a year later, Miri, Soleil, Jonah and Penny are shocked to discover that Fatima’s newly released YA novel is based on those same secrets.
The revelations are devastating, and they can’t escape the spotlight. The friends’ interview transcripts, emails and journal entries reveal how willing they were to sacrifice everything to win Fatima’s approval – and how those sacrifices led to a tragedy from which one of them will never recover.
A thrilling story of manipulation, deceit and consequences, All of This is True is a contemporary cross between We Were Liars and The Breakfast Club.
A delicious, addictive puzzle that readers will gobble up. I had to read it twice, once because it had me by the throat, then again to really savor the wit, sarcasm and absolute humanity of these characters. An unbelievably creative undertaking, beautifully executed Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock, author of the Carnegie Medal-shortlisted The Smell of Other People's Houses
Prepare to be sucked into a world of privilege, obsession and manipulation. All of This is True is an addictive mix of funny and horrifying Sue Wallman, author of Lying About Last Summer
Lygia Day Penaflor is a graduate of Boston University and Columbia Teachers College and a private academic teacher for young Hollywood stars. Her students have included the young casts of Gossip Girl and Boardwalk Empire as well as Jay-Z's reboot of Annie. This is her second novel for young adults. She lives on Long Island, New York.
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The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed All of This Is True and determined it is suitable for children aged 13-18 years old
All of This Is True features in the following genres: Featured Books for 13+ readers, Recommendations, Debuts of the Month, Recommended Children's eBooks, Featured Books for Young Adults
Paperback. £7.19, down from the £7.99 cover price. Temporarily Out Of Stock.
All of This Is True was written by Lygia Day Penaflor and published by Bloomsbury YA an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
All of This Is True has 423 pages
£7.19, reduced from £7.99. Temporarily Out Of Stock.
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