Publication Date: August 28, 2012
Publishing House: Simon Pulse
ISBN: 9781442454132
Source of Copy: Purchased from Fully Booked
Summary:
Quinn's done the unthinkable: she kissed a guy who is not Carey, her boyfriend. And she got caught. Being branded a cheater would be bad enough, but Quinn is deemed a traitor, and shunned by all of her friends. Because Carey's not just any guy - he's serving in Afghanistan and revered by everyone in their small, military town.
Quinn could clear her name, but that would mean revealing secrets that she's vowed to keep - secrets that aren't hers to share. And when Carey goes MIA, Quinn must decide how far she'll go to protect her boyfriend... and her promise.
(Image, information, book summary courtesy of Goodreads)
Review:
I could actually count on one hand the books that have made me cry. There was Mitch Albom's Tuesdays with Morrie, Morgan Matson's Second Chance Summer, and now this book. Mind you, these are not the kind of tears that just gently rolled down my face. These are the kind of tears that had me wanting to reach into my chest, rip out my heart, and throw it in the trash bin. I am generally not a weepy person, as I do have tear ducts made out of steel, but goodness, did this book have me wishing that I could stuff tissue in my eyes.
With Quinn's ex-boyfriend Carey away in the war, Quinn has to deal with the little military town bearing on her because of the scandal. Her scandal. Before anyone ever knew that they were over, Quinn was caught in a compromising photo with a guy who is obviously not Carey, but nobody knows the truth of that night. Nobody knows that Carey asked Quinn to keep a little secret that could change everything. After all, it's not lying if it's the omission of truth... Or is it?
If I Lie has got to be one of the best contemporary novels I have read - and I have read a lot of them. Quinn lives in a military town. Her father is a military guy himself, and even he can't tolerate her when the scandal erupted. Carey was kind, compassionate, and perfect - the town hero. Everyone in town knew that they were it, the serious couple who will eventually settle down one day. Quinn could walk away from it all, if they only knew the truth, but it's a secret that Quinn will take to her grave if she has to.
Goodness, did I feel Quinn. I felt that she was one of the saddest protagonists I have ever come to know, but did I ever love her. She was rejected by her so-called friends, the guy she was in love with, her father, and even by people who didn't really know her, and the only person who knew the truth was thousands of miles away. At least she had George, the wonderful, wonderful old guy Quinn visits in the Veterans' Center. George was Quinn's pillar of strength, and you could not imagine how pained I was when the realities of life caught up with him. It was one of the hardest scenes I have ever read, and I literally had to stop and bawl my eyes out. (Tear ducts of steel? What tear ducts of steel?!)
There were a lot of times in the book that all I wanted to do was scream at Carey and tell him to tell the whole town what he's been hiding all along, if only to get everyone off of Quinn's back. I thought that Carey was very selfish in allowing Quinn to take the brunt of the situation, but then, I guess I could imagine all the stigma that Carey was envisioning for himself, especially when a lot of people look up to him. However, it is also in these tough times that Quinn finally does away with her identity as only Carey's girlfriend, and establishes herself as someone who sticks to her guns and has her own principles. It is in this time that relationships have been tested - most have been severed, and only few have stayed true. At the same time, Quinn also reminds us that there is a time to heal, to lick wounds, and a time to finally get on with life. All I thought of in the entirety of the book was that there are people out there who are as misunderstood as Quinn, and that it is very much a human error to immediately judge someone without fully knowing the entire situation. But in the same manner that others have wronged us, Quinn reminds us to be the better man and learn to forgive, in our own time.
I simply could not recommend this book enough. I would strongly urge you to read this when you're sure that you could dedicate your entire time in soaking up all the emotions that this book evokes. Pick up Corinne Jackson's If I Lie with a box of Kleenex and a pint of ice cream, if only to soothe the emotional turmoil Jackson will ultimately put you through.
Source of Copy: Purchased from Fully Booked
Summary:
Quinn's done the unthinkable: she kissed a guy who is not Carey, her boyfriend. And she got caught. Being branded a cheater would be bad enough, but Quinn is deemed a traitor, and shunned by all of her friends. Because Carey's not just any guy - he's serving in Afghanistan and revered by everyone in their small, military town.
Quinn could clear her name, but that would mean revealing secrets that she's vowed to keep - secrets that aren't hers to share. And when Carey goes MIA, Quinn must decide how far she'll go to protect her boyfriend... and her promise.
(Image, information, book summary courtesy of Goodreads)
Review:
I could actually count on one hand the books that have made me cry. There was Mitch Albom's Tuesdays with Morrie, Morgan Matson's Second Chance Summer, and now this book. Mind you, these are not the kind of tears that just gently rolled down my face. These are the kind of tears that had me wanting to reach into my chest, rip out my heart, and throw it in the trash bin. I am generally not a weepy person, as I do have tear ducts made out of steel, but goodness, did this book have me wishing that I could stuff tissue in my eyes.
With Quinn's ex-boyfriend Carey away in the war, Quinn has to deal with the little military town bearing on her because of the scandal. Her scandal. Before anyone ever knew that they were over, Quinn was caught in a compromising photo with a guy who is obviously not Carey, but nobody knows the truth of that night. Nobody knows that Carey asked Quinn to keep a little secret that could change everything. After all, it's not lying if it's the omission of truth... Or is it?
If I Lie has got to be one of the best contemporary novels I have read - and I have read a lot of them. Quinn lives in a military town. Her father is a military guy himself, and even he can't tolerate her when the scandal erupted. Carey was kind, compassionate, and perfect - the town hero. Everyone in town knew that they were it, the serious couple who will eventually settle down one day. Quinn could walk away from it all, if they only knew the truth, but it's a secret that Quinn will take to her grave if she has to.
Goodness, did I feel Quinn. I felt that she was one of the saddest protagonists I have ever come to know, but did I ever love her. She was rejected by her so-called friends, the guy she was in love with, her father, and even by people who didn't really know her, and the only person who knew the truth was thousands of miles away. At least she had George, the wonderful, wonderful old guy Quinn visits in the Veterans' Center. George was Quinn's pillar of strength, and you could not imagine how pained I was when the realities of life caught up with him. It was one of the hardest scenes I have ever read, and I literally had to stop and bawl my eyes out. (Tear ducts of steel? What tear ducts of steel?!)
There were a lot of times in the book that all I wanted to do was scream at Carey and tell him to tell the whole town what he's been hiding all along, if only to get everyone off of Quinn's back. I thought that Carey was very selfish in allowing Quinn to take the brunt of the situation, but then, I guess I could imagine all the stigma that Carey was envisioning for himself, especially when a lot of people look up to him. However, it is also in these tough times that Quinn finally does away with her identity as only Carey's girlfriend, and establishes herself as someone who sticks to her guns and has her own principles. It is in this time that relationships have been tested - most have been severed, and only few have stayed true. At the same time, Quinn also reminds us that there is a time to heal, to lick wounds, and a time to finally get on with life. All I thought of in the entirety of the book was that there are people out there who are as misunderstood as Quinn, and that it is very much a human error to immediately judge someone without fully knowing the entire situation. But in the same manner that others have wronged us, Quinn reminds us to be the better man and learn to forgive, in our own time.
I simply could not recommend this book enough. I would strongly urge you to read this when you're sure that you could dedicate your entire time in soaking up all the emotions that this book evokes. Pick up Corinne Jackson's If I Lie with a box of Kleenex and a pint of ice cream, if only to soothe the emotional turmoil Jackson will ultimately put you through.
Rating:
This is a must read for anyone and everyone. If you like well written characters and a strong, layered protagonist you must pick this up. I promise you won't want to put it down until you reach the last page, and even then you'll be looking for more.
ReplyDeleteMarlene
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