Tell Us Something True

Book excerpt: For fans of Sarah Dessen, Jennifer Smith, E.L. Lockhart, and John Green, this delightful, often comic coming-of-age novel stars the lovable, brokenhearted River, the streets of LA, and an irresistible cast of characters. Seventeen-year-old River doesn’t know what to do with himself when Penny, the girl he adores, breaks up with him. He lives in LA, where nobody walks anywhere, and Penny was his ride; he never bothered getting a license. He’s stuck. He’s desperate. Okay . . . he’s got to learn to drive. But first, he does the unthinkable—he starts walking. He stumbles upon a support group for teens with various addictions. He fakes his way into the meetings, and begins to connect with the other kids, especially an amazing girl. River wants to tell the truth, but he can’t stop lying, and his tangle of deception may unravel before he learns how to handle the most potent drug of all: true love. Praise for Tell Us Something True “I promise you’ll fall in love with River Dean, even though he's a faker, a stalker, a non-driver, a bad dancer, a bad friend and a codependent mess. He’s funny and he’s true. His heart is smashed six different ways and he’s trying to mend it with tacos and lies—but isn’t that true of all of us?” —E. Lockhart, New York Times bestselling author of We Were Liars “A heartfelt tale that elevates truth over passion and friends over lovers. Reinhardt keeps it real. Much respect.” —Matthew Quick, author of The Silver Linings Playbook and Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock “A sharp-witted, hilarious, and addicting novel about being lost and discovering your best self. Highly recommended!” —Adam Silvera, New York Times bestselling author of More Happy Than Not "Oh, how I love a novel where the hero ties himself up, Houdini style, and dives into his own predicament. Once again Dana Reinhardt has written a charming, compassionate, very clever comedy, and this one reminds us how a big lie can reveal the truth.” —Laura McNeal, author of Dark Water, National Book Award Finalist “Tell Us Something True is hope, it is humanity, it is original, funny, wrenching, real, and intelligently surprising.” —Beth Kephart, author of Small Damages, Going Over, and This Is the Story of You “When you start reading a Dana Reinhardt book, it’s like discovering a new friend. By the time you’ve turned the final page it’s like saying goodbye to your best friend, and I can think of nothing better to ask of a writer.” —Markus Zusak, author of The Book Thief