What happens if you tell the truth? Magic-tinged friends and family tale.

This was wonderful. Asian families, Jewish ceremonies, it was lovely to see a mixed group of friends in a story that's relatable but placed in Priya's particular cultural context.

Priya is trying to keep everyone happy - she can't speak about her grandmother for fear the family will be upset following her recent death. She pretends she can't hear her parents' fights. Her sister wrecking her things? Not a problem. Gymnastics training getting in the way of events with her friends? She'll lie and hope for the best. And that boy she likes? No she doesn't! And that bully making her write homework for her? What bully?

Hiding everything becomes impossible when her grandmother's passed-down magical-origin bracelet just won't come off her wrist.. and appears to be stopping Priya from telling anything other than the bare, hard truth. To everyone. At all times.

I loved what the bangle made Priya do and say - there's a lot of lesson learning in this for her, and the story doesn't let her off easily, it takes the point all the way to a fair conclusion.

This was so nice to see - not just a strong lead in Priya, who readers will empathise with, but also some memorable friends, Priya's sister gets some good scenes, her parents are not cardboard cut-outs either, and the school bully and crush get high billing and better roles than often happens in the genre.

A fantastic 'thank goodness that isn't me!' wish-fulfilment story, that is highly entertaining and so easy to get lost in. Loved it and would definitely read more by the same author.

For ages 10-14.

With thanks to Netgalley for providing a sample reading copy.

Without realising this was a children’s book, I chose it as a NetGalley read. I often read YA books and although this felt it was aimed at slightly younger teenagers, it was ok

It was definitely a book with a few messages/lessons in it, the importance of friendship, truth, honesty and being yourself

If I am asked to recommend a book to a young teenager I will definitely recommend this one

I must admit that I did not read this book as I was ill but my teen grandaughter read it on her own anyway. She must have enjoyed it because she has been discussing the book and its themes all week. She has told all of her friends about it and they cannot wait until it comes out. Apparently it truly reflects modern life and the lives of teenagers.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book with no obligation to review.

I read YA books and books for children from time to time although it's usually the fantasy genre that I read and I assume it was the magic bangle that attracted me to this book. The bangle is irrelevant really and what we have is a story of contemporary issues.

At the start I thought the book was set in America. It is fully multi ethnic and the girls seem to be knowledgeable about and discuss freely a lot of quite mature domestic and health related things. This is not a bad thing and I assume it is an accurate picture of life for 13 year olds today.

The book includes all sorts of contemporary issues - a child with ADHD; a rich bully; a menopausal woman (although I thought that was handled poorly with the tired old trope of mood swings, unreasonable behaviour, unpleasantness); a father who leaves his family and has a new baby with another partner; warring parents whose culture disapproves of divorce and an LGBTQ+ character so even before you start to consider the central theme of honesty and communication, there is a great deal which could be discussed with a young person.

The writing style is natural and breezy but I just felt it was all a bit "pat" and virtuous.

There's something very Disney Channel Original Movie about this story, and I absolutely mean that as a compliment. The mix of something a bit magical and real life problems would suit that channel very well - and boy, do Priya and her friends have real life problems.

I felt so bad for Priya because I know exactly how she felt. Not about the magic truth telling bangle, of course, but about keeping things in to avoid hurting others. I think we've all done that in our time, and hopefully, like Priya, we've learned that it doesn't always help and that sometimes honesty actually is better. Used carefully, of course, because as Priya found, uncontrolled honesty can be just as bad. It's a fine line!

The characters here were great and I really enjoyed reading about them, and I'd happily spend more time with them. Perhaps Pinkie's box really is magic? I'm sure there's a story there!

This is a great read and I'm really looking forward to seeing it on shelves.

This is adorable! Priya is a flawed yet engaging and very relatable protagonist, and I was pulled into her story right away. This is a book with a strong message--as you can probably guess from the title--but it's so fun and dynamic that it doesn't come across as preachy. This is a great book for inspiring kids to be honest.

Priya Shah is coping with a lot, parents who argue all the time, a sister with ADHD, an intense gymnastics training regime and the secret that she can’t attend her best friend’s upcoming bat mitzvah due to a gymnastics competition. Priya wishes she had her grandmother, Ba, to talk to. To feel closer to Ba, Priya puts on the bangle Ba gave to her before she died. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately?) Priya can’t take the bangle off and she also finds that with the bangle on, she can’t lie!

We see Priya learning how to cope in a world where she can’t pretend that everything is ok (or that the eggs her dad makes her for breakfast taste good). With the support of her two best friends, Sami and Mei, Priya learns how to tell the truth without upsetting people or getting into trouble.


The book emphasises the importance of standing up for yourself but also taking other people’s feelings into account when you do. We would recommend this book for children age 10+ (we’d put it in the school library for our years 5 and 6 readers). It does deal with subjects such as bullying, death, divorce and learning about sexuality. Priya is a fantastic character and we enjoyed reading about her growing in confidence when she is forced into honesty (with many funny moments along the way).

Priya Shah is an aspiring Olympic gymnast but it means a lot of sacrifice.
Priya also lies a lot - not to get out of trouble, but to save the feelings of others.
When her beloved grandmother, Ba, passed away, she left Priya a special bangle which she said would help her at a time of need.
The bangle however, cannot be opened and remains unworn, until one evening, after a particularly trying day, it opens. After Priya puts the bangle on, everything changes. She cannot help speaking her mind - no more lies - and she cannot get the bangle off either.
There follows a saga of trials for Priya as she learns what it means to be honest with those she loves most, and how to be kind at the same time.
In this heart-warming story, there is much food for thought for us all who try to spare the feelings of others at the cost of our own.

Priya is me, I am priya… minus the athletic ability of course

I related to her family dynamic on a deep level which brought back a lot of memories, which I’m certain a lot of south asians can relate to. This book really gave an insight to an indian household dynamic and mentality, from always pretending everything is ok, keeping secrets and the ignorance of mental health.

Radhika touched on a lot of serious topics which should be discussed more in the south Asian community whilst also adding a sense of comedy

I really enjoyed this book!

I read an uncorrected proof copy of The Girl Who Couldn’t Lie via Net Galley. Thanks to Usborne Publishing for the opportunity.

The premise of this novel isn’t entirely fresh (magical intervention makes it impossible to lie) but this book does have a definite feel of being of our time. This is mainly through the cast of characters the author has assembled and their frames of reference- relatable content for children. The main players- young people from diverse backgrounds, are navigating a range of issues and discovering the strength of trust, communication and difference. I also though a particularly strong idea to float for kids was the need to break from unhealthy family traits that have been passed off as normal and could inflict years of damage on young people.
I think the text could be more succinct and the strength of the story and the positive messaging would be less diluted.

Priya loved her Ba, she was the only person she felt she could be totally honest with. So, when Ba passes away Priya feels totally alone, with no one to talk to about everything going on in her life. That is, until the day Priya manages to undo the clasp on the beautiful bangle Ba left her, placing it on her wrist, she couldn’t imagine that this beautiful reminder would completely change her life.

A beautiful, honest coming of age story, exploring family relationships and dynamics, as well as grief. That explores relationships developed within school and the importance of being able to trust and confide in those we feel comfortable with. It shows that being honest about feelings can bring a sense of comfort and control, ensuring things fall into place. It’s a refreshing read that is completely relatable for its target audience.

This story is a fantastic way to look at lying and morals. The main character is given a special bracelet by her grandma (who has since died) and the bracelet stops her from lying, Although it does cause her numerous problems (including falling out with friends and getting into trouble at school) in the end, the moral of the story is that it is best to always tell the truth.
A fun way to discuss this concept with children. It also has a focus on family life with the main character struggling with arguments at home between parents. The diversity within the book is also likely to support meaningful discussions.

I read this book to my son and he really enjoyed it. It has an important message about telling the truth and the consequences of lying.

I think this is a great children’s book :)

This would definitely be a great story for young people to read about the importance of telling the truth.

I think that this book was really inspiring because the at the end the girl gives a speech at her friends party for women hood and she tells everybody the truth and she only discovers afterwards that she wasn't even wearing the truth bangle! and her telling the truth inspires others to tell the truth.

Priya knows her life is full of lies. She feels she needs to try to please her parents so they don’t argue so pretends everything is fine. She holds back from her friends as she doesn’t want to be judged and certainly doesn’t want anyone to know about her crush on Dan, a fellow gymnast at her club. Neither does she want to tell anyone about Kelly bullying her into doing her maths homework for the previous few months.
Her beloved Grandmother has recently died and her parents won’t talk about her. To feel closer to her Priya puts on a bangle left to her by her Ba - the one person she was always honest with. But Priya can't get the bangle off, and she can't stop herself telling the truth.
She tells her dad she hates his cooking, she tells Dan about her crush on him, she opens up to her friends and admits details about her life she had always kept hidden until Priya's truth-telling spirals out of control, and more things go wrong. How can Priya stop hurting the people she loves and what in life is important to her?

This was such a sweet story that expresses the importance of telling the truth. I really enjoyed reading this one and I can’t wait to share it with our young readers,