Julia Kroon Recommends ‘Gripped Part 1: The Truth We Never Told’ to High School Students

Julia is a senior at North Andover High School in Massachusetts. She is captain of the Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field program, along with the Cross Country team. She is a part of the National Honor Society and plans to major in finance. Julia enjoys reading, hiking, and spending time with her two cats.

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Q&A with Julia

1. Who would you recommend Gripped Part 1 to and why? Gripped book 1 is a great fit for teens going into high school and college. The book deals with the nitty gritty details of life as a teen, showing the pressure that society puts on young kids, especially those who are talented. Gripped allows its readers to understand that they are not alone in their struggles and that what they might be dealing with is a problem that many kids face. 
2. How do you, as a young adult, relate to the story? Personally I am able to connect to the book as a current senior in high school. I see many kids that go through similar situations as the characters in Gripped. I know kids who have turned to drugs and alcohol and lost scholarships to schools or have been kicked off their team as a result. 
3. What did you like best about the story? What I like best about Gripped is the way the characters are developed. Each and every character has a unique backstory that makes the reader feel connected. They’re complex and messy, you are able to understand why they’re doing something even knowing that what they’re doing might not be the best idea. 
4. What message does this book send to readers? The book lets its readers know that people are not always what you see at the surface. A talented athlete with a seemingly perfect life might secretly be falling apart. Not everything and everyone is how they appear.
5. There are a few different storylines running through Gripped Part 1 because it is setting up the rest of the series. What storyline do you find the most interesting and why? Gripped follows many different characters and their stories. For me, the relationship between Cathy and her twin sister Chantal was among the most interesting. The dynamic between the two was very appealing to me. The two sisters have conflicting views on life. Cathy would much rather stay away from parting and drugs but also wants to keep her sister safe and save their bond. Chantal however doesn’t see the danger in what she is doing. This is a fascinating dynamic to me personally as I am very close to my sister; it is sad to see that the two are going through such conflicts. 
6. Gripped Part 1 sets up the rest of the series but leaves a lot of things “hanging.” What are you most curious to uncover by reading Gripped Part 2? As the book comes to a close it perfectly sets up the characters for the next book and leads the reader to want to learn more. I am excited to know whether or not Taylor breaks free of his addiction to drugs or if he will continue down the path he is on. 
7. About the characters… Like any good book all the characters make the reader feel strong emotions. I’m sad for Cathy as she is pushed into a world she doesn’t want to be in and frustrated with Jon, who seems to not care for what he’s doing to Chantal. I relate to Marc and his determination and compassion for his brother and despite doing things that he definitely shouldn’t be doing I found that I really enjoyed reading about Chris. 

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Book Review

Gripped Part 1: The Truth We Never Told is a complex look into the world of highschoolers and the struggles that they deal with both mentally and physically. It allows the reader to live life through the eyes of another. Characters like Taylor Dunkin and Jason Davids show that people who are set up for success, have things going on behind the scenes that nobody sees. The end of the book will leave the reader wanting more to see if the characters will overcome their struggles or fall victim to them. 

I enjoyed watching the characters develop over time and seeing each of the different perspectives of the characters. Every character has a unique story and a different struggle, but while every story is different, it still connects many people together. This can be helpful for teen readers, knowing that the struggles that they or people they know are going through, they are not going through alone and there are other people out there like them.