No Filter and Other Lies

By: Jamie Steinberg

We all want our talents to go recognized and that’s sort of the trap that many of us fall into with our Instagram use. What hashtag will get our pictures noticed? What filter will make us look the best? Such is the case with our lovely lead Kat Sanchez in the book No Filter and Other Lies by Crystal Maldonado. Kat is a high school student that is also a talented photographer, but she doesn’t get as much attention on her photography as some of her friends. This jealousy leads her down a road that many have gone down before…taking a friend’s image and using it as our own. But don’t be too hard on Kat. Her tale is well worth the read.

Kat Sanchez has had a rough life. Her parents were young when they had her, so she was raised by her grandparents. But when they had her younger brother Leo he got to stay with parents. While she adores her grandparents, living with them is a source of embarrassment for her. However, she has three male best friends – Luis, Hari and Marcus – to lean on (sort of) for support. She also has a wonderful volunteer job at a local pet store helping to bring social media attention to the pups in need of adoption. That’s where she meets Becca, a college student and employee, whom she develops a crush on and then later steals her likeness to create “Max Monroe.” That’s where things begin to go awry. Max’s photos and captions on Instagram are thoughtful and standout, which leads to her falling for Elena – a girl around her age who reaches out based on the impressive images Max has been sharing. Kat struggles with her feelings for Elena as she has finally found someone who appreciates her photography and makes her heart race. Here Kat tries to fade out Max from Elena’s life and pump up her own presence. However, when you fudge the truth it’s hard to have a true and deep relationship.

Author Maldonado does a beautiful job of captivating the reader and capturing the life of a 2022 teenager. Social media is such a source of attention and that equates to happiness. When someone likes a post or reaches out about something that has been shared, we all feel seen and we all feel appreciated – something our leading lady Kat has been missing in her life, whether it is by her parents or her friends. Max makes all of her dreams come true, as skewed as they are.

No Filter and Other Lies is a layered tale of love, loss, the limelight and much more. Despite Kat’s bad behavior, readers will find themselves rooting for her. It is also a story that is a beautiful reminder that being our authentic selves matters more than the number of likes we receive on a filtered side of our lives.