Believer - Nikki's Review of TRUE COLORS by Melissa Pearl

Caitlyn Davis always cruised through life, not being the type to ruffle feathers or involve herself in high school drama. That is, until a chance encounter with a strange, homeless man changes everything.
 
Suddenly, Caitlyn has the ability to see behind people's masks. She discovers that her life isn’t as simple as she imagined and high school is filled with secrets...some very sinister ones.
 
Unable to ignore her new gift, Caitlyn embarks on a mission to learn why one of her friends suddenly appears terrified, but masks her fear with a bright, smiling veneer. Will Caitlyn's new ability lead her into hot water? Or is her new found vision a blessing that will expose her friends' true colors?
 
Her quest will lead Caitlyn to lose friends, stand up for those in need, and even find love.
 
At Palisades High School every face tells a story...

Melissa Pearl was born in Auckland, New Zealand, but has spent much of her life abroad, living in countries such as Jordan, Cyprus and Pakistan... not to mention a nine month road trip around North America with her husband. "Best. Year. Ever!!" She now lives in China with her husband and two sons. She is a trained elementary teacher, but writing is her passion. Since becoming a full time mother she has had the opportunity to pursue this dream and her debut novel hit the internet in November 2011. Since then she has continued to produce a steady stream of books. Recently she signed with Evatopia Press and her first Evatopia book is coming out in February 2014 - True Colors, The Masks Series #1. She is very excited to be trying out new things this year while continuing to publish under her own name as well. She has six books planned for 2014 and is excited about writing each and every one of them.

"I am passionate about writing. It stirs a fire in my soul that I never knew I had. I want to be the best writer I can possibly be and transport my readers into another world where they can laugh, cry and fall in love."

http://www.melissapearlauthor.com

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True Colors by Melissa Pearl

I know I shouldn't judge, but the cover of True Colors is really pretty! The plot immediately intrigued me; a girl is gifted with the ability to see people’s true feelings as they play out on their faces; their masks, if you will. You can imagine how that might go down for a girl in high school. Major dramz ahead folks! 

I was totally wrapped up in this book; I only took a break to eat some soup while reading it. The pacing never lets up, there is plenty of drama to keep you enthralled and it’s a pretty believable plot line, even with the tiny element of fantasy involved. I liked indulging in a glimpse of rich kid high school life; it was intriguing. The characters were, for the most part, fickle teenagers; the mean girl in me was thrilled! I found Caitlyn, the protagonist, to be a bit of a sheep, but I enjoyed seeing her get stronger in her resolve to be a better person as a result of her gift. Eric…le sigh. I loved him; he was like all the dudes I crushed on every summer on beach vacations as a teenager. Shit, I still crush on them. The romance in True Colors was a bit quick and underdeveloped for my taste, but very swoon-y nonetheless.

I did have a problem with the predictability of this story. While True Colors was fun to read, there was zero mystery for me. The big bad secret was kind of tame and unsurprising. I may be a bit older than the target demographic, so maybe I’m being a harsh critic. In any case, these are comparatively minor gripes, I finished the book thinking it was cute; a fun escape. I would read the next book, if its planned as a series.

I am not ashamed to say I’m totally into fun high school drama and I liked True Colors quite a bit. This is a quick, fairly light read with a sweet romance and a fun story; with just the right amount of drama to keep you enthralled. True colors would be a great book to tote along on your next vacation. Read it on the beach and enjoy the beach boys as they walk by!

Fun Fact: I noticed pretty quickly that the author is a Kiwi (New Zealander) and uses some funny terms and slang that a lot of Americans might be a bit boggled by. I have a Kiwi cousin-in-law and a few friends, so I knew what was going on and I dug it. I like it when I can tell where an author is from by their writing.

3.5 Stars