The Ugly Truth by LC North – a review BLOG TOUR

Last year in Harrogate I was given a copy of The Ugly Truth by L.C North but for some reason it fell to the bottom of my pile of books. Therefore when I was invited onto the blog tour I gladly dug out my copy.

The Ugly Truth begins with the disappearance of Melanie Lange. The famous modal turned business woman has led a very public life with everything she does scrutinised by the media, including her struggles with her mental health. Now she is missing and her Dad, Peter Lange, is saying that he has had her admitted to a mental heath care facility for her own good. However her best friend and her ex-husband both believe that she has been kidnapped. When video’s appear of Melanie alleging that she is being held against her will, the world of social media goes wild. Will you be team Peter or team Melanie?

The Ugly Truth was a great read that I thoroughly enjoyed. The format is unusual in that everything is told through tweets, posts, interviews and newspaper articles, so it’s very easy to read once you get into the rhythm of the writing. It’s also quite dangerous though as it’s easy to just think ‘one more interview, or one more twitter thread’ and before you know it it’s 1 in the morning and you are still reading.

It was one of those stories where I had no idea which way it would go or who to believe. The interviews with Peter portray a man who has made mistakes in the past but is trying to change. His main priority is keeping his daughters safe. He is haunted by his past and is trying his best to provide for his daughters after the death of his wife. However friends of Melanie tell a different story of a man who wanted to control everything about his daughter and was jealous of her success.

I enjoyed this story and did not see the ending coming at all. It’s a great depiction of the dark side of social media and how it can turn on people minute by minute. The writing is superb as despite the unusual way of telling, and there being no overarching narrator or long descriptions of what is happening it all flows seamlessly. I would definitely recommend this clever and unique feeling story.

The Ugly Truth is out now (amazon)

Find out what others thought of The Ugly Truth by visiting the other stops on the blog tour.