Review: The Truth About Faking by Leigh Talbert Moore

The Truth About Faking by Leigh Talbert Moore
Release Date: September 1, 2012
Publisher: Self-Published
Source: Gifted by Author
Links: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Goodreads

My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Synopsis:Jason just wants a date with Harley.
Harley just wants a date with Trent.
Trent's still getting over Stephanie.

When Harley and Jason decide to fake date, they uncover a school of deceptions. Trent's got a secret, but so does Jason. And the more time Harley spends secretly kissing her fake boyfriend, the further she gets from her dreams with Trent.

Worst of all, Harley's mom is getting cozy with her hot massage therapy student, and even Harley's Reverend Dad can't fake not being bothered by it. But when the masks finally come off, can everyone handle the truth?

         This book is the epitome of Young Adult with some teenage love, angst, and some drama thrown in for good measure. It was a really nice and fluffy read. Harley is a girly-girl who is really innocent and naive but sometimes her naivete really exasperated me. From the synopsis, we know that Harley and Jason, the new guy in town, start fake dating and after awhile the way Harley treated Jason really bothered me. She would let him him kiss her and then turn around and tell him it didn't mean anything. She wouldn't care that she was sending him mixed messages.

There were also so many times when I wanted Harley to stand up for herself. To stand her ground against Shelly (the best friend), Trent, and her mom. She should have told Shelly how she felt about her dating Trent and Jason right from the beginning. She should have made Trent listen to her and she should have spoken to her mother early on about how she was feeling.

I found Jason to be a cute, fun, flirty, and typical teenage boy. I thought he was a good influence for Harley. He made her realize what she actually wanted and needed. He goes after what he wants and he did it in a really good, convincing way. I was totally rooting for Jason the whole time. I actually like him more than I did with Harley.

What I love about this story is that Harley's parents are involve, active parents. They may be caught up in their own lives' and drama but they're not absentee parents that is normally typical of Young Adults book.

For it being Ms. Moore's debut novel, I found this to be an entertaining read and I'm really looking forward to reading more of her work.