I liked that the ending was ambiguously happy. A happy with a caveat that they still can't fully trust each other rather than the Hollywood ending of everything being perfect and rosy. There are questions at every turn in this book, and I liked that it seemed quite realistic, overall – the storyline, though dramatic at times, wasn’t overly ridiculous or unbelievable. It was crazy enough without making me think, “this is stupid” – something I unfortunately do feel a lot with books in this genre. It had just the right balance, and it makes you think about human nature and what you’d do in this situation. Holly's life has been on the low end of the financial scale until her mom's latest job. Dad bailed early on, they struggled and she knew what pinching pennies meant in a way that most other kids her age never understood. It took several years, but now Mom has a degree and is near the end of her probation at a dream job, managing a very high class retirement home on an island in Washington State. Holly, short for Holiday, likes art, creativity and helping out the nicer residents. She saves the tips they give her for college. One thing that was understandable about Holly though were her insecurities about her best friend, Alex and her relationship with Rena. It was relatable the way Holly was scared that Alex was replacing her with Rena but then again, I also had my suspicions that there was something more to it. AND I WAS RIGHT!!!I'm trying not give the details away so not to spoil anything.

Everything but the Truth by Gillian McAllister | Goodreads Everything but the Truth by Gillian McAllister | Goodreads

The story is quite slow and steady in its plot but straight away you feel you are encircled in a bubble of intrigue and secrets that you don't want to escape from until the book is finished. I read this over the period of a weekend and was perfect for lazy sunny reading in the garden.This was my first Mandy Hubbard book and my first read from the "If Only" YA Romance Series (which focuses on teenage girls who want what they can’t have and fall for someone they shouldn’t, according to this article). I had no idea what to expect and I don't typically read YA romance novels, so I was a bit nervous; however, Everything But the Truth ended up being a cute, light-hearted romance with fun characters and major ship feels! It's a small thing, but it hasn't been that long since the debate on whitewashing in YA, so I absolutely appreciate this step forward. Something about the way she writes, the way she explains things. Something about the details, just enough, nothing wasted. Her writing is also so... human. No character is 100% good or 100% bad.

Everything But the Truth - Goodreads Everything But the Truth - Goodreads

Everything but the Truth is Gillian McAllister's stunning breakthrough thriller about deceit, betrayal and one woman's compulsive need to uncover the truth It was nice to see how these two meet and grow to admire one another and push each other in the right directions. Sweet really the amount of encouragement that Holly gives Malik throughout the book to help find himself. The relationships with the parents, friends and family members are also very thoughtful. It’s hard being in a retirement home but it’s great when young people show involvement in their lives to help ease their transition from complete independence to having to live in a home. I bought this book "Everything But The Truth" for a couple of reasons - I'd heard so many good things about it on social media and the fact that I live in NE England and love the Highlands of Scotland - both places where the story is set. Everything but the Truth is a bit like a visit to a theme park. Lots of twists and turns, ups and downs, confusion where you think you are on level ground and have it sussed, only to have something come out of nowhere and for you to realise you've been blindsided.Holiday, aka Holly, has a unique name but when she is called by another name by a forgetful resident at the care center where her mom works, she falls into a mistaken identity, which leads to a whole web of lies with Malik, the ultra-rich grandson of another resident. The romance was really well-done. It happened nice and slowly—no insta-love. It felt like a realistic post-high school relationship without a ton of tears and drama. They were cute together and that’s all I was really looking for! If you’re looking for an easy-breezy type of romance, you could give Everything but the Truth a try. It may not blow you away, but I promise it’s not a chore to read either. It’s fun, it’s cutesy, it has its share of funny moments. I don’t regret getting to know these characters at all. I think all of the books in the If Only line are great for an afternoon of summer reading; I’m definitely looking forward to future books in the series! While Holly's inadvertent lies to Malik are definitely questionable, Hubbard does a great job of getting inside Holly's head, to show us just why Holly feels like she can't come clean with the truth yet. Life hasn't been solid for Holly up until this point, and at some level, Holly is still struggling - whether she realizes or not - with the idea that things may not last. Consequently, her decision to hide the truth about her identity makes perfect sense, and readers will understand this too.

Everything But the Truth - Vidéo Dailymotion Everything But the Truth - Vidéo Dailymotion

This was not to much a thriller as a meditation on consequences. Not that much even happens, but I was never bored. The characters were multi-dimensional and intriguing and I look forward to McAllister's next book! Everything But the Truth is a companion novel in an adorable series, entitled If Only. I’ve really been enjoying this series, and I was looking forward to reading this one after enjoying Mandy’s first book in the If Only Series, Fool Me Twice, which I read last year. There’s an interesting parallel here between the two main characters. They both have a thorny past – even though the author makes some sort of comparison between their previous deeds, I think it was a long bow to draw, as to me, they are very different scenarios. However, it does go to show – no two situations are the same.

I share a name, a complicated version of grief and a proclivity towards paranoia with the narrator, so the book really affected me at times. There is a line about 'your perfect thing forever being stained' which made me want to cry, I’m sure it’s a feeling we can all identify with. I enjoyed this book quite a lot, even if the first thirds extremely captivating atmosphere did let up and that the story took off in a different direction than I expected. The likewise unexpected ending I kind of liked though - it worked well with the established protagonist and their quite complex personas. What did not work for me was that the main character was supposed to be a (quite experienced) MD. I found the character not convincing - rather in the same way as Denise Richards wasn’t as Dr. Christmas Jones, Nuclear Physicist in The World is Not Enough. Oddly enough, I managed to overlook this integral part and wasn’t too distracted. Everything But The Truth was a really fun book to read. It was easy and flowing and I found Holly and Malik’s romance endearing. This is the first novel I’ve ever read that centres on a retirement home in any way, but I really liked the atmosphere that Hubbard conveyed. I found that the couple of Sunset Towers residents we met were cute and I really enjoyed the way Holly appreciated them and helped out. The If Only books are YA contemporary (clean) romance stories that remind me a lot of some of the books I used to read when I was a teenager. So I always love receiving a new one--Thanks Bloomsbury!--and giving them a go. I take each one as it comes because some haven't worked for me. But when they do, I adore them. Everything But The Truth enters my long list of Top Books of 2017 - worthy of its place there and a contender for one of my top 17 books of 2017. I'm hungry for more from Gillian. A favourite author now, insta-love.

Everything But the Truth (1956) - IMDb

The main conflict is that Malik thinks Holly is the granddaughter of one of the rich residents of the retirement home. She perpetuates this lie because she's worried at first that Malik is shallow and won't like her if she isn't rich. Then, when she realizes that isn't true, she's afraid to tell him because he doesn't like it when people use him for his wealth and fame - which she isn't at all. But she knows he'll break up with her for telling a lie. Their relationship isn't really built on a lie; he knows a lot about Holly's true self. I think this plot resolved pretty nicely. One of the things I like most about the If Only line of books - and in particular Everything But the Truth - is how they deal with growing up. Holly is only months away from college and becoming an adult. This book manages to show how mature she is becoming at the same time as showing how she is still a teenager. I loved the romance and appreciated how this love story was developed.Everything But The Truth by Mandy Hubbard is mainly centered around Holiday (Holly) Mathews and Malik Buchannan. Their story is mainly set at a fancy and expensive retirement home, known as Sunrise House, where Holly's mom works and where they live and where Malik visits his extremely wealthy grandfather. Holly is known for voluntarily helping the staff and keeping the residents company. Malik is Hollywood-famous and well-known on the internet, but secretly he wishes that people would like him for who he is, not for who they think he is. The main conflict is introduced soon after Holly and Malik first meet. When Holly is about to introduce herself to Malik, one of the residents walks by and calls out to Holly. But, instead of using Holly's real name, the resident calls her "Lucy." Holly then lets Malik believe that that is her real name, brushing away the thought that soon it would matter what her name was. Based on Holly's illogical thinking about her growing lie and Malik's inner thoughts, a main theme of the story is many can know who a person is, but few actually know who that person is. An initial action that hooked me was when Holly texts her best friend, Alex, that she found her "new boyfriend." Holly Matthew’s mother is the new manager at a glitzy retirement home called Sunset Towers that caters to the super-rich with decadent taste and lots of money. Holly herself doesn’t mind the sweet retirees she sees every day—a perk that comes from having the nice little apartment she shares with her mum nestled in the middle of the estate—and enjoys interacting with them. Yet when Malik Buchannan, the impossibly gorgeous grandson of Sunset Towers latest resident mistakes her for the granddaughter of one of the residents and not the staff, Holly finds herself struggling to tell Malik the truth—especially as they spend more time together and Holly begins to realise that Malik isn’t the notorious party boy portrayed in the media….. Holiday Mathews and her mother have recently moved into a very posh retirement home in Seattle called Sunrise House. This is where the wealthy go to retire, and she just happens to live there too. Her mother is the new leasing manager and while she goes about doing her business and proving her worth, Holly visits with some of the residents and does odd jobs for them. It's a great gig because not only does she actually enjoy talking to them, but at the same time she's making tips on the side to put away for college.