Review: To Be Perfectly Honest

To Be Perfectly Honest
By Sonya Sones
Published 2013 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Colette likes to lie. Loves it, actually. So, when she meets a hot new guy, it's just natural for her to lie to him. After all, if he finds out who her mother is, he'll probably forget all about her. And Colette doesn't want that to happen; she's in the mood for something even more fun than lying. But when Colette discovers a secret about Connor, everything changes.

I'm a sucker for a novel in verse, so I requested this one when I spotted it on Edelweiss. However, I often have a hard time with unreliable narrators; quite often, they just bother me. So, I was pretty well prepared to feel ambivalent about this one.

Instead, I'm just unimpressed. I realize that with unreliable narrators, you're not necessarily supposed to like them. So, it's not particularly surprising that I don't like Colette. But, she really just grates me. Additionally, I find her reasons for lying to be pretty ridiculous. Okay, so I don't know what it's like to be the daughter of a celebrity, but I don't think lying about everything is the best coping mechanism. Admittedly, her mother does not necessarily seem to be 100% there all the time, but she also doesn't seem like a terrible mother.

Additionally, I thought the relationship with Connor developed ridiculously fast. I mean, they lock eyes and she's instantly in love? She doesn't even know his name until after she's decided that she wants to date him. It just felt creepy and weird to me. And, I don't want to spoil anything, but it only got more creepy and weird as the book went on.

I feel like the entire point of this story was a Message. It all just felt phony and obnoxious to me. And the little bit at the end, where we're reminded that Colette is an unreliable narrator? I just rolled my eyes at it.

Thanks to the publisher for a digital advance reader's copy, provided via Edelweiss. I'm sure it will have its fans.