Review: 10 Truths and a Dare by Ashley Elston

10 Truths and a Dare

by Ashley Elston

May 4, 2021

304 pages

Goodreads Summary:

It's Senior Week, that magical in-between time after classes have ended but before graduation, chock-full of gimmicky theme parties, last-minute bonding, and family traditions. Olivia couldn't be more ready. Class salutatorian and confident in her future at LSU, she's poised to sail through to the next phase of her life.

But when the tiny hiccup of an unsigned off-campus P.E. form puts Olivia in danger of not graduating at all, she has one week to set things straight without tipping off her very big and very nosy extended family. Volunteering to help at a local golf tournament should do it, but since Olivia's mom equipped her phone with a tracking app, there'll be no hiding the fact that she's at the golf course instead of all the graduation parties happening at the same time. Unless, that is, she can convince the Fab Four--her ride-or-die cousins and best friends Sophie, Charlie, and Wes--to trade phones with her as they go through the motions of playing Olivia for the week.

Sure, certain members of the golf team are none too pleased with Olivia's sudden "passion" for the game. And sure, a very cute, very off-limits boy keeps popping up in Olivia's orbit. But she is focused! She has a schedule and a plan! Nothing can possibly go wrong . . . right?

Review

In 10 Blind Dates I fell in love with its big and chaotic but super lovable Italian family. I was thrilled to hear we'd be getting more of them with 10 Truths and a Dare. The story was fun if not a little dramatic at times.

I liked hardworking Olivia. She royally screws up but instead of accepting her fate, she finds a way to put things right. "No matter what's going on, it's only temporary. Work through the problem, find the solution, and fix it." (eARC, Loc 2130) It wasn't very nice of her to rope others into her mess but I agree that she deserves the future she worked hard for.

I loved seeing the Fab Four again! More of Sophie and Wes as a couple was everything and Charlie was his usual charming self. They stood solidly by Olivia and went to hilarious lengths to cover for her. It was most priceless watching them dodge perceptive Nonna. I wish we saw more of the extended family though. The aunts, uncles and other cousins weren't as much in 10 Truths and a Dare as they were in 10 Blind Dates which is just too bad.

So Olivia and Leo had sweet moments but their romance was missing the spark for me. I didn't really feel it in the handful of interactions they had. Granted, they got to know each other better at every encounter so the buildup was there. Their chemistry, however, was not. Sophie and Wes cuteness made up for a little of it.

While the romance in 10 Truths and a Dare didn't work for me, I loved the characters and their innocent dramatic flair. Funny, adorable and helpful, they made the story!

*I received a digital Advance Reading Copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and not affected in any way. Any quotes included in my review were taken from the eARC I received.