To Be Perfectly Honest by Sonya Sones

Simon & Schuster, 2013

Lies are a terrible thing, aren't they?  If you tell one, then you have to make sure that everything else you say about that lie stays a lie.  If you let the ball drop once, the game is over.  And Collette is very, very good at lying.

Collette doesn't lie to hurt people, she does it because it has that fantasy element....the possibilities.  Now, with summer approaching and her trip to Paris with her friends put off (and they don't believe a word she says about why that happened), Collette must deal with the fact that she is staying the entire summer with her mother and brother in San Luis Obispo, which to Collette, is the ultimate definition of boredom.

Her little brother Will doesn't seem to mind the trip, and he doesn't pass judgement on his big sister, even though he knows she's full of crap.  His seven year-old self loves her company and his favorite part is getting birthday cake every time they go to a new restaurant ("a cool twick that my thithter says is fun!").  And she loves his gummy worm self just as much as he loves her.  On the other hand, Collette's mother is just too busy with her own life to create a relationship with her daughter.  Of course Collette knows when you're Marissa Shawn, the hottest actress in Hollywood, there are things that get put on the backburner, including family.

Collette has no idea how much her life will change this summer.  And it all has to do with her chance encounter with Death Wish Dude on the drive up there.  But it's when she bumps into with Connor (aka Death Wish Dude) that ratchets up Collette's boring summer.  He's handsome, kind and they seem to always be on the same wavelength.  He doesn't mind her little brother; in fact he is Will's new hero.  Connor is everything Collette could imagine - handsome, carefree, great with kids, and most importantly, his attention is focused only on her. While Marrisa is "going over lines" with her co-star, Connor becomes Collette's epicenter.

Their romance builds up quickly, and Collette can't help but retreat back to her old habit of lying.  She lies about her who her mother is (because she knows the effect it has on people).  She lies about her age. And a relationship built on lies will crumble.  She just doesn't realize the depth of hurt that comes with lying....until the top to their summer romance blows off...

Sones once again writes an incredible novel-in-verse about the important aspects of a teen's life, from friends to family to relationships.  She builds Collette's character from previous novels, but this one is completely dedicated to her.  The reader will get pulled into Collette's story and if they're like me, will gasp in surprise at the talented writing Sones uses to add depth to her main character.  While her theme is about deception, her handling of characterization around this theme is what makes this novel pop because all of Sones's characters are brought to complete fruition where the reader intimately knows each one and the role they'll play in the plot.  It's a "can't put down" kind of book.   Recommended for high school and perfect summer reading!