{Review} 16 Things I Thought Were True - Janet Gurtler

16 Things I Thought Were True by Janet Gurtler
Genre: YA Contemporary
Release Date: Mar 4 / 2014
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Heart attacks happen to other people #thingsIthoughtweretrue

When Morgan's mom gets sick, it's hard not to panic. Without her mother, she would have no one—until she finds out the dad who walked out on her as a baby isn't as far away as she thought...

Adam is a stuck-up, uptight jerk #thingsIthoughtweretrue

Now that they have a summer job together, Morgan's getting to know the real Adam, and he's actually pretty sweet...in a nerdy-hot kind of way. He even offers to go with her to find her dad. Road trip, anyone?
5000 Twitter followers are all the friends I need #thingsIthoughtweretrue

With Adam in the back seat, a hyper chatterbox named Amy behind the wheel, and plenty of Cheetos to fuel their trip, Morgan feels ready for anything. She's not expecting a flat tire, a missed ferry, a fake girlfriend...and that these two people she barely knew before the summer started will become the people she can't imagine living without.

*A copy was provided by the publisher for review*

Thank you to Raincoast Books, Sourcebooks Fire, and Netgalley!

This is my first Janet Gurtler novel and I have to say that I'm pleasantly surprised. Right from the beginning, we knew that something bad happened to Morgan and that she's bullied by everyone at work. Some video of hers went viral and it had embarrassing content on it. 

This novel is truly about Morgan searching for who she really is. She had to deal with her mom who got a heart attack. She also went on a road trip to meet her birth father who her mother has never mentioned for 18 years of her life. There was also the guy Adam who she found out was a pretty sweet guy. Amy, my favourite character, became Morgan's best friend and was the most energetic character I've ever read about. This book is mostly focused on Morgan looking for who she is. It wasn't really focused on the romantic part with Adam, thank goodness. If that had been the main plot, I don't think the story would have been as enjoyable as it was. 

Something devastating happened in the last few chapters and I thought it was a sad but necessary way to end it. She had really thought about what she had learned during her journey with her new friends and what it means to be Morgan McLean. She had learned the value of friendship and I think that makes this such a heartwarming novel.

16 Things I Thought Were True is an emotional novel about a girl dealing with her losses and moving on to find something better. It's a self-discovery story with a romantic sub-plot. It's greatly written and I must say I really need to read more of Gurtler's novels!

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