Book Review - The Ugly Truth by L. C. North

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Title: The Ugly Truth

Author: L. C. North

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Transworld Digital

Publication Date: 2nd March 2023

Rating: 5 Stars

Melanie Lange has disappeared.

Her father, Sir Peter Lange, says she is a danger to herself and has been admitted to a private mental health clinic.

Her ex-husband, Finn, and best friend, Nell, say she has been kidnapped.

The media will say whichever gets them the most views.

But whose side are you on?

#SaveMelanie

#HelpPeter

Told via interviews, transcripts and diary entries, The Ugly Truth is a shocking and addictive thriller about fame, power and the truth behind the headlines.

I couldn't put this down, I was totally and completely hooked. 

I had absolutely no idea who I needed to believe, and I certainly didn't see the ending coming. 

Just wow, what a well written completely gripping book that I can't really say much about for fear of spoiling things. 

It it largely told in the form of interviews, social media opinions, recorded conversations with friends, emails between Zara and Peter, and some youtube videos. So not the typical narrative of a novel but this made it a much more compelling read. 

As we are getting a timeline of Melanie Lange from the first time she was ever featured in the press, to her life up to and including her "disappearance".   It's a commentary on the perils of social media and the press on the life of a celebrity and how it can affect their mental health and everything they do. 

It was completely and utterly fascinating and I was very concerned for Melanie at all times. She seemed like such a lovely person, and you get to know her from a whole variety of perspectives, far more than directly. Yet you get a very good idea of what she was like. 

This is brilliant, I was already a fan of the author under her other pen names, and this is another slight shift of direction showing once again she can turn her pen to a lot of different styles with equal amounts of success. 

Thank you to Transworld Digital and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.