In a group of high school seniors on a long bus trip in April from their small town of Canterbury, Connecticut to Washington D.C., young Jeff Chaucer, with his awkwardness, creative mind, and inability to act in any situation, stands apart from the crowd. On this bus trip, his merry company includes an ex-girlfriend, the head cheerleader and campus sex expert, the youth camp Christian with a heart of gold, a tattletale who hides behind a clipboard, and his ex-best friend with whom he shares some overwhelming sexual tension. To bring some excitement to the multi-hour snoozefest, their teacher, Mr. Bailey, decides that they will all tell stories during the long trip, and the winner will get an automatic A for the semester in his Civics class. If anyone can win a storytelling contest, it should be the creative writer Jeff, but as the trip progresses and the contest gets serious, Jeff finds himself caught between his heart and his head and the chance at a perfect grade.

You can read my full review of SOMETIMES WE TELL THE TRUTH at the Current independent student newspaper website. ( )

4.5 Stars.

PLEASE READ THIS BOOK!

I stumbled upon it at the library, and it is a gem. Zarins is able to modernize the Canterbury Tales in a way that feels fresh and relevant, and she is able to create 24 completely unique character voices. The characterization is spot on, and the teenage humour is nailed perfectly. The references are very relevant, and the characters all seem so real. At times it can be a bit melodramatic, with the "everyone's got a story that could break your heart" theme, but the pros outweigh the cons. There's not one character I didn't end up falling in love with, or finding myself, in them. Jeff, I found to be unlikable at times, but it's only because I saw so much of myself in him, and his choices were frustrating (as in yell-at-your-book-Jeff-what-are-you-doing frustrating) but I think this is only because they are the choices that most of us would make, or have made, and then hate ourselves for. In the end, I did end up loving him, bad choices and all.

His character arc is beautiful, albeit rushed, but when the book happens over 6 hours, it's only to be expected that any development feels rushed. I loved the surprising romance arc, but it felt so natural and genuine that I couldn't picture anything else. It warmed this cold little heart of mine.

Pard. I could talk about him for days. I don't want to spoil anything, but if you don't fall in love with Pard, what are you doing wrong? (I might just love him so much because the Pardoner's story is one of the best -- this might be the same reason I love Alison, based upon The Wife of Bath, but I choose to believe I love them mainly because Zarins treats them so delicately, like true human beings who can feel and who hurt but who love, love, love).

This book surprised me in all the best ways. The characters are lovely, and it's honestly one of the best modernizations I have ever read. Did I mention that this book has fantastic representation, and we get to hear from a lot of voices normally silenced in fiction? It's not a perfect book, but it's near close, and I can't stop singing its praises. Give this book a shot, let it surprise you, and maybe you'll even fall in love like I did. ( )

A cute retelling of the Canterbury Tales with a modern day class on a road trip to Washington D.C. The stories are sort of random (with a bit of suspension of disbelief that the teacher would sit there and let the storytellers tell the types of stories they're telling) but what is sweet is the story behind the stories and the main character finally figuring himself out. ( )

When I read the first story about zombies vying for the love of a human scientist, I knew I would be in for a wild ride in this modern retelling of the Canterbury Tales, set on a senior class bus trip to DC. Kim Zarins has done a masterful job of weaving together stories that are funny, tragic, bawdy, romantic, and surprising--much like the characters who tell them. The narrator, Jeff Chaucer, is particularly compelling as he faces both the usual struggle of trying to fit into the high school social hierarchy and the more complex journey of mending and redefining his relationship with his ex best friend. Throw in secrets and confessions from his classmates, revelations about a senior prank gone wrong, and explorations of what it means to love and connect with others, and you've got an amazing book. Like the original work, Zarins uses entertaining stories (that include their fair share of sex and farts) to provide commentary on social and other issues of the day.

Sometimes We Tell the Truth is a great standalone novel for older teens (for the explicit content), as well as an accessible and relevant companion to anyone struggling to read the original Canterbury Tales in Middle English (all of us except for medieval historians like Zarins). ( )