I am delighted to share my review today for The Ugly Truth by L.C. North. This is a brutal story as it delves into how people can later someone’s life with their opinion.

My huge thanks to Random House publishers for accepting my request to read this title via NetGalley.

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

The Ugly Truth is a shocking and addictive thriller about celebrity culture, coercive control and the truth behind the headlines.

MY REVIEW

What an amazing book this was. I did not expect to pick this up and then read it in one sitting, but that is exactly what I did. The Ugly Truth is something that most people who have seen how things can escalate on social media. It isn’t just social media that causes problems, think back to how Princess Diana was hounded by the press. Social media and the press are an invasive part of our lives. For many of us we use social media for what interests us, but there are some who actively troll and make others’ lives a misery. The press is good at times for reporting events, but when it comes to celebrity gossip they are also relentless.

The Ugly Truth follows the life of the daughter of a billionaire. How a chance photo puts the spotlight on her and elevates her into stardom. The media follows her and they are all looking for the money shot. Others want to be like her and adore her, others just hate her for no other reason than she is a spoilt rich kid. Does anyone stop to think about the girl herself and how this affects her?

Seeing this story play out in the form of interviews, messages, transcripts and a documentary shows how the celebrity culture has lost any boundaries and how people are so easily swayed.

The story focuses on Melanie Lange. Has she been kidnapped or is she in a mental health facility? no one knows for sure but speculation and rumour are rife. The story gradually charts Melanie’s rise and her fall, and her rise again and more falls. People are obsessed and have their own opinions about a person they have never met, not even spoken to, and only know from gossip and hearsay of others.

This is so relevant and actually really scary to read as you can see how the mentality and the opinion of people are divided and how easily someone can go from supporting to ridiculing in a single tweet or blog post. This is quite an honest, open and somewhat vicious look at life and the really sad thing is that these things do actually happen.

As much as we love social media there is also the bad and evil side of it. This is a look at how a life can be altered by words. It also makes it a very heartbreaking read.

This is one for those readers who are looking for something a little different in their thriller and mystery reads. This is a look at life as it is now, at how the boundaries and personal spaces of people have been broken down and how the effects of having your life under a microscope can really be. It is one of those books that really touched a nerve with me and while it makes me very angry that this is the society we now live in, it also made for a brilliant thriller. It is one I would definitely recommend.

Many thanks for reading my post, a like or share would be amazing 🙂 xx