I feel like I should leave a positive review to accompany my five star rating - I loved this book! I loved the Australian setting and the plot had so many twists and turns and kept me guessing to the last page. It had plenty of tragic moments but the ultimate feeling was one of hope.The story follows seventeen-year-old Katherine, a girl who has moved to Sydney from Melbourne to escape her past. She is grieving the loss of her sister, Rachel, and the role she felt she played in her murder. She is befriended by the seductive, rich and beautiful Alice, and from there things escalate. It's a complex story - Alice is a mysterious and shifty character, but I found her utterly believable, and the love story which eventuated for Katherine was also really well drawn.But what really made this book stand out for me was the thread about grief. The death of Rachel has left a whole lot of people broken, and James explores this lightly and with the surety of someone who has been there before. I found Katherine's dilemma convincing and her guilt totally understandable - without condemning her or feeling that she was right to be guilty. I also found the grief of her parents heartbreaking, having been through the loss of a sibling myself, this really rang true.There are some implied sex scenes and drinking of alcohol by underage persons, but nothing too naughty. Suitable for young adults 12-18. This book made me feel horrible most of the times(which isn't a bad thing, I guess!)I loved the way the book was written, I loved the different time jumps. It was generally really thrilling and full of suspence!and even though Alice is SO FRICKIN' SCARY(she's the perfect character for a horror movie), she is a well-written character, I could so easily imagine her evil grin.Basically, this book was INTENSE! To me, it was like ROOMMATE(movie)+GOSSIP GIRL(TV-show)+THIRTEEN (movie). The story itself and everything Katherine has to go through is just horrible, I still can't quite process what I've been reading...
What do You think about Die Wahrheit über Alice (2010)?
kind of a sad book. glad i am not the main character katie/katherine.
—Maria
Teen girl lit. A bit of vacation thriller fluff.
—lee
