All of This is True by Lygia Day Penaflor (Review & Discussion)

This Summer I finally read All of This is True by Lygia Day Peñaflor after it has been on my TBR for far too long. I borrowed it on Libby (you just gonna love that thing!). The plot seemed intriguing but it was quite far from my expectations. Not necessarily in a bad way. This book left me with so many questions which I have no one to ask. This review will therefore also contain a form of discussion where I get to ask and debate all the questions I have. If you have read this book I am dying to hear your thoughts!

All of This Is True
Lygia Day Peñaflor
Published: May 15th 2018
Pages: 423
My rating: ♥♥♥♥

My Synopsis

Through interviews, journal entries and book excerpts one follow Miri, Soleil and Penny and what events that follow their friendship with the bestselling author Fatima Ro. Through these statements one learn about the group of friends’ obsession with Fatima and her novel Undertoe. But not everyone are who they say they are and secrets will break the group apart forever. This is a book about friendships, toxic relationships, redemption and much more.

My Review

Form of narration
Before I began reading the book I read the Goodreads synopsis. I was quite surprised by the form of narration. I thought that the book would be told in present tense but it is told in retrospective. At the beginning it was quite confusing to be honest. The point of view changes very rapidly. First Miri then Soleil then Penny and last a book excerpt from the book Fatima wrote about the group of friends. And so it goes on for about 400 pages. But in the end I got used to it and I actually ended up liking the different take on this story. It was original, refreshing and very up to date. This type of narration was also very character revealing. More on this just below.

Characters
Overall one could say the characters are quite naive and spoiled. And they are! But that doesn’t make then bad characters. Not all charters in books can be smart because that wouldn’t reflect the real world. Miri is the first character that you get acquainted with and God(?!) from the moment I was introduced to her I couldn’t stand her! She was so selfish and narcissistic and it just got worse when Penny and Soleil told about her behaviour. She was definitely the worst. I also felt pretty bad for Penny she was really likeable but she was kind of left out by her friends.

Soleil was probably the closest to become my favourite character. But I hated how Fatima manipulated her. And speaking of Fatima she just didn’t seem that impressive to me. Fatima doesn’t get to tell her part of the story so one only gets to know her through the group of friends perception of her. And they ADORE her. They are officially obsessed if you ask me. But Fatima still didn’t rob off on me but I understand why she did on them though. Jonah is the only one in the group of friends who doesn’t get a space of expression for himself and because of that I find it difficult to make my own judgement. My feelings towards him reflects the characters feelings towards him.

Rating
For a large part of the book I felt like giving 2-3 stars. When I scroll through reviews on Goodreads I see that a lot of people DNFed it. In some way I understand why. There is a “plot twist” but I figured it out from the beginning. Anyway the book caught me enough to finish it and I am glad it did. Towards the end of the book it got more complicated not just plot wise but also ethical wise. It turned out to be a more complex story about friendship, human connection, truth and forgivenesses. On the surface it is shallow but it actually deals with difficult topics. Because of this I ended up rewarding it with 4 stars.

Potential spoiler incoming! Be aware!

I just have to say this; this book does not defend sexual assault! But it partly tackles the difficult dilemma how to move on when people have done something awful but also have taken their punishment. I am not defending sexual assault or anything related to it but I do believe when people have taken their punishment they should be allowed to move one. Forgive but never forget.

Now time for a little discussion.
If you haven’t read All of This is True you should not read any further!!!

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Discussion

What do you think of the theory of human connections? Is it just some manipulative sh*it or is there some authenticity in it?
In the book I believe the theory is abused. Fatima uses it to manipulat the group of friends. But I do think that it can be used for something good and authentic. Maybe not the precious truth thing…. haha

Is Fatima the bad guy? Is it all her fault?
This is such a hard one but to me she was the bad guy. She got in between the group of friends deliberately to create tension and in the end I think she was the reason for their “break up”.
Regarding the whole Jonah accident (which was terrible, both what he did and what happened do him) I found it ironic/bittersweet that it was Miri’s use of the hashtag #FatimaWasHere that revealed Jonah’s hiding place and resulted in him being beaten up. So I guess Miri carries some of the blame but so does Penny in a way. But they couldn’t know what it would lead to…

Do you believe Fatima really were a true friend of the group or was she just using them to write her novel?
Honestly I don’t think she was their friend. Her decisions to take in the group of friends just seems too considered and deliberated. However I liked how she wanted to rewrite Jonah’s story so he could be redeemed. She sometimes seemed to be a friend of Jonah but in the end I think she was just using him.

What do you think about Soleil and Jonah’s relationship? Was there any amount of real feelings or was it just a set up?
Again to be honest I think it was just a set up. However I do think the characters though it was real some part of it. But at other times it seemed like Jonah had a crush on Fatima which was just so …. weird and wrong especially when you as a reader knew Fatima’s motives.

Do you believe in redemption? Can Jonah be forgiven?
I think we need to forgive in order to move on completely. I think what Jonah did was horrible and awful but i do think he deserves a second chance. People are both good and bad. However as much as I want to be the bigger person, some things are just unforgivable…

Have you read All of This is True? What are your thoughts about it? Please feel free to answer any of my discussion questions I would love to hear someone else take on them!

Best,