All of This is True by Lygia Day Peñaflor

 

Title: All of This is True

Author: Lygia Day Peñaflor

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Published: May 15, 2018

ISBN13: 9780062673671

Miri Tan loved the book Undertow like it was a living being. So when she and her friends went to a book signing to meet the author, Fatima Ro, they concocted a plan to get close to her, even if her friends won’t admit it now. As for Jonah, well—Miri knows none of that was Fatima’s fault.

Soleil Johnston wanted to be a writer herself one day. When she and her friends started hanging out with her favorite author, Fatima Ro, she couldn’t believe their luck—especially when Jonah Nicholls started hanging out with them, too. Now, looking back, Soleil can’t believe she let Fatima manipulate her and Jonah like that. She can’t believe that she got used for a book.

Penny Panzarella was more than the materialistic party girl everyone at the Graham School thought she was. She desperately wanted Fatima Ro to see that, and she saw her chance when Fatima asked the girls to be transparent with her. If only she’d known what would happen when Fatima learned Jonah’s secret. If only she’d known that the line between fiction and truth was more complicated than any of them imagined. . . .

Source: Goodreads

Book Review

Lygia Day's latest book All of This is True embarks a dark side of friendship, love and literature. Every part of it chills me up, like it could almost be real to anyone. The books premise from the start is a bliss. Who wouldn't want to be the best friend of one your favorite author? Imagine your just one chat away to Leigh Bardugo, Tahereh Mafi or even Lygia Day herself?!?! Well, sign me up on that kind of life! 

It was all rainbows and butterflies for Miri, Soleil, Penny and maybe just a bit on Jonah as well. Lygia Day introduced the characters through a series of interviews on their perspective. Looking out on their insights and admiration to Fatima Ro, you can clearly see everyone of them wants the attention of their idolized author. But aside from that, that's where the tragedy arises.

This is when Fatima Ro comes along, she has this aura that slowly controls the teens. From the book club up to having party to Fatima Ro's home, the teenagers definitely lived up to their dreams. Fatima Ro became their obsession. She knows the weak and strong points of them and lure them to her literary work. What is amazing on this book is that the point of view of Fatima Ro herself was not part of the book, which definitely build a lot of tension and mystery to solve how Fatima Ro was able to made it all possible.  

The book that Fatima Ro written from the replicated stories of the teenagers are seamless. No details were missed. The emotions they had when they were telling it to Fatima Ro at that time mirrored so much in her book. And this is what amazes me on All of This is True, Lygia Day mirrored the wild and innocent emotions of her characters so beautiful and tragic. Once you reached the climax of the book, all the things you have felt on these teenagers will turn upside down. You see, no one is innocent on All of This is True, this is what I can tell you. So that's why this book is so freaking addicting!!!

I promise to you guys, All of This is True is a breath of fresh air to me when all I was reading were all romance, fantasy and contemporary genre. This book leaves you with such an awe. Every interview and even actual chapters of the book, The Absolution of Brady Stevenson will keep you with a lot of questions in your head. And when you face the truth behind these characters, your heart will literally beat so fast. Everything felt real, the scream, the anguish and bitterness they all felt to Fatima Ro reflects so much throughout of the book. All of This is True is definitely a book you should read if you want to dive in to this roller coaster tragedy of literature. You will love this book in every piece!