Unfortunately I have not been able to connect with this book and after multiple attempts have had to mark as dnf.

This story will keep you guessing. It was a great story told from many viewpoints which although was sometimes hard to follow but necessary to the plot. This is my first book by this author and I will certainly be looking for more

This book didn’t feel like a thriller to me. It doesn’t read like a mystery. It’s more like a contemporary fiction book. It lacks twists and turns. I found this boring and everything was so predictable

This book honestly gave me chills! It’s a fantastic mystery and will have you gripped from the first page until the last !
If you’re looking to completely get lost in a story then look no further!
Would highly recommend

This book isn't quite the thriller or suspense fiction it's billed as; rather, it feels like a Netflix documentary in transcript form. While it initially captivates with its narrative, it loses steam towards the end, as expected. It chronicles Melaine's life from fame to scrutiny, with commentary from friends and another perspective from Peter. Though some twists may surprise, the predictable outcome and swift pace make it a quick, albeit genre-misplaced, read.

Didnt grip me as much as I hoped after reading previous reviews although I did enjoy the narrative style and the multiple points of view of the story

Really enjoyed the multiple viewpoints in this book and it makes for a very addictive, compulsive read. So many narrators means you don't know who to trust.

This was the first book that I have read by this author and I can't wait to read more, all I can say in wow what a book!!!

This is a fabulous way of writing. Lots of different ways of getting the story told. Very addictive and I read it in one sitting and felt that disappointment when you’ve just read a great book. 4 stars.

Absolutely loved this book!

I loved how it switches from past to present but also diary entries, videos and interviews. Keeps the story interesting. Also all the narrators are unreliable so you don’t know who to trust and what the truth actually is. I was shocked at the ending which is very hard to do in thrillers. I would highly recommend!

5*

The ugly Truth

A book about the toxic celebrity/social media culture. It begins with Mollie claiming to be being held prisoner by her controlling father it's clear Britany Spears conservatorship has inspired the author. The story backtracks through the years leading up to the incident . The story is told through tweets and interviews with key characters. It's interesting at the start but found there was no real plot as such. This book did make me stop and think about those involved in the public eye, celebrity culture and coercive control.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House UK Transworld Publishers and the author for the chance to review.

Clever and unsettling thriller about fame, power, and the perils of the media spotlight, told through interviews, transcripts and diary entries.

Mel is beautiful and the younger daughter of a wealthy businessman. She's a successful entrepreneur in her own right but she's regularly shown in the press drunk and with different men. How much of this is true and how much is made up or twisted to sell newspapers?

When Mel disappears, at first people believe she has decided to take some time away from the relentless media scrutiny. But when she still hasn't emerged months later, her best friend becomes increasingly worried.

I went into this thinking that I would be blown away, based on some of the reviews I've seen. The blurb intrigued me and I was ready to be shocked and enthralled.

Unfortunately I didn't find it very dark or mysterious and I ended up DNFing at 45%.

Perhaps it was a case of timing and I wasn't in the right mood for this one.

Melanie Lange is the famous daughter of hotelier, Sir Peter Lange. House ded by the pess and social media comments on every move, dissecting her life.
When she announces on her YouTube channel that she's stepping back for a while, fans seem to accept it but best friend, Neil, knows that she would never leave her children
Told as a TV documentary script, the story plays out as various contributors speak.
Às young people dream of being in the social media spotlight, its how's light on the ugly side as well. Thought provoking.

📸The Ugly Truth by LC North📸

Lies, lies, and yet more lies are spun in various guises through this intricate web of a story. Somewhere along the way, the ugly truth battles for exposure. But who is telling the truth? Who is hiding behind a shield of falsehoods? What are they working to hide?

Melanie Lange appears to have it all, at surface level anyway. She's a former model, now a YouTube star and CEO of her own cosmetics company. Her father, Sir Peter Lange is a billionaire business tycoon, and she is one of the most recognised celebrities in the country.

But then Melanie posted to say she needed to ‘take some time out’ and disappeared off the radar. Now, she is posting emotional videos claiming her father is imprisoning her and needs help to escape. Sir Peter Lange says she is a danger to herself and is admitted to a private mental health clinic.

Through a mixed multimedia approach, which gave me Penance by Eliza Clark vibes, North explores the dark side of fame and family dynamics - but who is telling the honest truth and who is only out for themself? This interesting blend of blog exerts, interviews with key (none particularly likeable, it must be said) characters and transcripts of Melanie's videos make for a darkly entertaining, easy to binge read (I finished in a little over a day), but at times, it also felt a little drawn out; my attention waned.

Having recently read The Woman in Me by Britney Spears, it was impossible not to draw on a host of direct parallels - the intrusive paparazzi and media actions, overbearing, controlling friends and family and more, to the point of utter discomfort.

With themes of guilt, self identity, loyalty, trust and digging into why people behave as they do, The Ugly Truth has a layer of added depth. Overall, it is a solid, thought-provoking psychological thriller. 3.5⭐

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an eARC; this, as always, is an honest review.

This was a brilliant book, so well written and full of suspense and mystery. It kept you very intrigued right to end while the story unfolded throughout the book. I loved all the characters of the book and you felt you were in their lives with them . I love a psychological thriller book that has a great ending and the story has a great ending. I have read other of this authors books and they all have been fantastic so far.

The story showing what can happend behind the close doors and what we, as a followers, fan, see is just a piece of their narration, not even a hince of real life events...

Save Melanie? Help Peter? What is going on with them? What is the truth? Who is responsible? What is thr truth? The truth can be ugly, and we're here for it.

Honestly, I was bored. Ok, I understand the assigment, the plot, the idea, but still I'm not buying it.

A narrative that hooks you from the very first sentence, this suspenseful thriller will have you racing towards its explosive finale. A roller-coaster of suspense that delivers.

I really wanted to love this one but sadly it missed the mark for me... I loved the multi media format but the plot didn't grip me & I wasn't rooting for any of the characters.

A novel about the cult of celebrity written in the form of documentary script blog posts, emails and memoir interviews. I did not finish as it was neither mystery not thriller more a drama about a woman's life written from the viewpoint of others.