The Fine Art of Truth or Dare

There are a few classic story lines that never really get old. A personal favorite of mine is when the (seemingly) invisible girl gets the golden boy.

The Fine Art of Truth or Dare is just such a story. It is a book about the South Philly girl and scholarship student, Ella Marino, and Society Hill boy, Alex Bainbridge, in what is a swoony and adorable romance. But it’s also the story of a girl coming to terms with her own imperfections and the imperfections of the world and relationships around her.

Ella has a lot of things going for her--a supportive family, amazing friends, incredible artistic ability, and a fantastic thesis project that is certain to get her into NYU. Luckily, though, there is one thing she can’t do well--French show more homework. And I say luckily, because in steps Alex Bainbridge, French tutor extraordinaire. But as Ella quickly discovers, it’s hard to expect someone--no matter how cute, sweet, and funny--to love you when you still haven’t really learned to love yourself. Thankfully, she has the support of a marvelous cast of family and friends--Frankie, whose wit is so sharp it nearly cuts the page, Sadie who is exactly the sort of girlfriend every girl needs, and Edward Willing who is part real, part imaginary, and entirely wonderful--to squeeze the truth out of her and dare her to stretch her horizons.

It can be hard to make this classic storyline feel fresh and new, but Melissa Jensen does just that. Although, you may want to beware: Ella’s family owns an Italian restaurant, so prepare to finish this book wanting your own great big Italian family and a huge plate of lasagna. show less

Why I read this book: It sounded like a good YA contemporary romance.

What I liked:
The characters! I really like Ella. She is smart, artsy, FUNNY, and has a great reason for a deeply ingrained insecurity about the large scar on her shoulder and part of her neck. She uses her hair and clothes to hide it, but none the less, it provides a barrier for her to really trust anyone in the love department.

He best friends are great. Frankie…oh my goodness I SO had a friend like him in high school! I just smiled every time I read about Frankie. Sadie is awesome in her own quiet way. I’m very interested to see this girl blossom if there will be more coming from Melissa Jensen in this world?

One of my LOL moments is Ella’s observation of Frankie show more and his brother Daniel. I enjoy Jensen’s descriptions and Ella’s voice so much:
Frankie looks like he might break your heart a little. Daniel looks like he might rip it from your chest, still beating, and bite it.

Of course we have Alex. The male leading character whose social status and good looks make him seem so unattainable.
However, Jensen does a great job of weaving through this. I enjoy that Alex isn’t stereotypical.

Edward Willing is a hoot! I will not spoil his involvement in this story. But, I really like this character too and the dynamics he presents.

The romance in this book is sweet, well paced, and not once was I annoyed but it. I felt uncomfortable for a character or two sometimes, but for the scenes, that was what the author wass going for I think.

What I didn’t like: I don’t like the Hannandas. You just have to read who this trio is for yourself. Ugh.

Overall: I really like this book! I laughed out loud at times. I really enjoyed the voice Jensen created in this book. I would love to be friends with these guys in real life. Not the Hannandas though…they can fly away on the brooms they flew in on. show less

Based on other reviews, it seems most people picked up this book because it was pitched as a cross between Anna and the French Kiss and Pretty in Pink, but I would caution against doing so. I personally picked the book up for the adorable cover without knowing much about the plot and I think that it was because I was because of this that I was able to really enjoy the story for what it was. I didn't have any preconceived ideas about anything so I didn't have a certain expectation I wanted to be met other than entertainment. I do believe there were small aspects of the story that are similar to Anna and the French Kiss and Pretty in Pink, but overall, I would strongly advise future readers to go into the story open minded so they are show more truly about to accept it for what it is. show less

Oh Melissa Jensen, will you make your stories come true?

Once again, this woman manages to write a wonderful story that makes me feel all light and happy while also making me have one of those moments where I wish I had my own adorable guy to cuddle with.

Ella was a really fun character. Her family is lively and active and her best friends were amazing. She herself has conversations with a long-dead artist and tries to be normal, but just...isn't. She's an artist herself and she's quirky and fun and she's a normal teenage girl. Ella's the kind of girl I would want to be friends with and I almost felt like I was in her little group of friends.

Alex? Oh Alex. Alex gave me all the feels. He made my stomach twist a little. He was sweet and show more kind and smart and maybe a bit spoiled, certainly not perfect, but again, he was real.

The story itself was fun and adorable and had more than just one or two things going on, but not so much that it got confusing or muddled. Melissa Jensen really manages to balance story lines and subplots and she just writes good romance.

When you're looking for a sweet, innocent, romantic read, Melissa Jensen's books are definitely the ones to pick up. I'll be eagerly waiting to see what she puts out next! show less

I wanted to love this book so much. I had been desperately pining for it for months and when I finally got my hands on it, I was so excited. And I liked it, it was adorable and had some really excellent characters, but in the end I was left a little disappointed.

I loved the time we spent with Ella and her family. That dynamic was fantastic and one of my favorite parts of the book. Her relationships with her dad and her grandma were so wonderful and you could really feel the love between them. I also really liked spending time with Ella's friends. Frankie and Sadie were such an awesome pair. None of the trio was perfect and that's what made them work so perfectly as friends. Their constant playing of truth or dare was fun. I think it's show more an awesome way to keep learning about your friends. And my absolute favorite thing about this book was Ella's "relationship" with Edward Willing, swoony artist from the 1800's. Sure it could be considered weird that a teenage girl has conversations with a dead man, but I loved these parts of the story. Since she was obviously not talking to Edward, and was really only having conversations with herself, I thought it was a great way to show her personal growth.

The thing that didn't wow me in this one, was the romance between Ella and Alex. It's not that I didn't like Alex. He was okay for the most part, though I felt like he could have been more of a man from time to time, but I just didn't believe his and Ella's relationship. Even though he denied it, I didn't really feel like he wanted people to see them together, and I felt like Ella deserved more than that.

I am such a fan of the contemporary genre in general and it always sucks when one of them isn't a home run for me, but even though it wasn't everything I hoped it would be, it was still a cute, fun read! And just because I wasn't completely sold on the romance angle of the book, I was still rooting for Ella all they way and adored all of the time I got to spend with her and the people in her life. show less

I loved this book. Engaging writing, quirky yet believable characters, and a sharp sense of humor - what more could you want? I particularly liked the treatment of the love story line. Jensen's characters are appropriately awkward - but endearingly so. This feels like it almost could have happened.

If you've run out of Meg Cabot to read, I would recommend this.

Ella is nearly invisible at the Willing School, and that’s just fine by her. Still, it’s hard being a nobody and having a crush on the biggest somebody in the school: Alex Bainbridge. Especially when he is her French tutor, and lessons have started becoming, well, certainly more interesting than French ever has been before.
I certainly want to like this book. The summary and the cover left me feeling like I was dying until I finally read it. It is not exactly what I was expect. It was like Christmas day, and opening a present, and expecting it to be a Nook Color, but instead finding a Kindle Fire. The both are great, and but it’s just not what you thought it was going to be.
Before The Fine Art of Truth of Dare (TFATD), I heard show more that it was a cross between Anna and the French Kiss, and Pretty in Pink. I can see why people would’ve called it that, but to me, it’s not really similar enough to call it that. I’m currently on my second reading of it, so maybe my feelings will change.
Review:
Ella is not one of the cool kids, mostly because of a childhood incident that has left her with a scar, but it’s okay because she has two amazing friends and a crush on Edward Willing. After an awkward encounter with Alex Bainbridge, she finds her feelings for Edward dwindling, and her feelings for Alex growing. Then Alex is made her French Tutor, because she can’t cut it in French. His unconventional tutoring method, has them spending more and more time hanging out. They begin a secret relationship, which has them both lying to their friends, and Ella lying to herself? Is Alex really ashamed of her? Is he willing to make their relationship public?
What I liked about TFATD was this relationship between Ella and Alex. It was more complex than you’d actually think from reading summary, both are not simple characters. Their relationship isn’t easy, and you can tell this by their interactions. They are from different social scenes, not only just in school, and neither of them is really what they appear to be. Alex appears to be the typical popular boy, but he likes other things than is expected of him. Ella is afraid…pretty much of life and is boring, because she’s self-conscience of her scar, and lets it dictates her life more than she’s aware of.
While the book is about the relationship of Alex and Ella, I think it’s more about Ella’s relationship with Ella. It’s about self-acceptance. Being okay with yourself, flaws and all. Ella learns to stop being afraid, and take chances, even if it’s baby steps. I think there reason that Ella isn’t really popular because she’s ashamed of her scars, and I also think that Ella cares more about it then anyone else. I think Jensen does an amazing job, and that TFATD should be a guide for young girls. Whether you have that popular guy in your life or not, to help you, you have to learn to be okay with yourself, and take some risk in life.
Heartbreaking moment in the novel that almost had me tearing up are the scenes between Chase and Ella. I think Chase might actually be my favorite character in the novel, I know he’s a minor character, but in my opinion he’s a scene stealer. He’s so honest. Your feelings aren’t a concern, at least when Ella is concerned. He may seem like a jerk, but honestly, how many people in life are bluntly honest? He needs his own fan club. show less