Although at about the 20% point I wasn't sure if I liked the book, I found I couldn't put it down and I read it in a couple of days. I did like it by the end. Often, with YA novels especially, I think about how I would have written the same book, and with this I just know I couldn't write a book like this. The energy within it and everything that happens is so different to my own style, but that's not to its detriment at all, it's just how I like to look at books.

Ella isn't altogether a likeable character, I found, but I still wanted her to succeed and was behind her all the way, and I thought Emily did an excellent job of portraying a difficult character. I'm sad it took me so long to read this, to be honest, even though all of Book Twitter kept saying how great it was!

I tried really hard to get into The Truth and Lies of Ella Black but I struggled and had to give up. Sorry this book was not for me.

I've found it really tricky to review this book. It started quite well, I loved the separation of Bella (Bad Ella) and Ella and the way that this was explained to the reader, but the linking of Ella's mental health difficulty with animal abuse did not sit well with me. I was very intrigued by the running mystery of the "number of days until she dies" which did not make sense until the end of the book. I enjoyed the story line of Ella discovering the secret her parents were hiding, but I found the story became a bit too ridiculous and unrealistic from that point on. The vivid descriptions of Rio were wonderful, it made me feel like I was really there, and it was this writing style as well as the need to know how it ended that kept me reading.

After having read another of Emily Barr's books I knew to expect a story that would make me uncomfortable, and that it was likely to address aspects of real life which are not often acknowledged in novels. The Truth and Lies of Ella Black definitely made me uncomfortable, definitely made me feel disappointed in her behaviour (despite the fact that she seems to be struggling with her mental health), and made me wonder at the wisdom of Emily Barr for choosing to risk bring Ella to life in her writing. At times Ella is distinctly unlikeable but I persevered with the story and was gratified to see that her behaviour is explained, and that she grows as character and is altered by her experiences in the story. Bravo Emily Barr, a risky story line but one which you have worked skilfully.
I felt that the almost epilogue-esque ending(s) from Ella and Fiona seemed rushed after the slow pace of the rest of the novel but this was my only disappointment.

Thank you, Netgalley, for an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review. I have to be honest; I did not finish this book. Ella is one of the worst characters I've read recently. I also didn't like the portrayal of psychological splitting. It felt like a mechanism used to not take responsibility for her actions as opposed to a true mental illness and a response to trauma. It felt like the author figured mental health in teen books sells, so go with it.
I was disappointed as I've enjoyed Emily Barr's work previously. This was not for me.

I really loved reading The Truth and Lies of Ella Black. Ella was complex and wasn´t always the easiest character to warm to however I felt committed to her story. The setting was evocative and the characters were believable. This was my first book that I read from Emily Barr, but I look forward to reading other books by her in teh future.

I think I requested this having read THE ONE MEMORY OF FLORA BANKS, and hoping it would be better. I was disappointed. Again, the story was good, and the writing let it down.

The premise of Ella being dragged half way across the world to escape her biological parents, then escaping herself from her adoptive parents while she struggles to come to terms with the truth, is brilliant. I've never read anything like it.

But honestly, the whole thing read like a huge teenage overreaction. I appreciate the reasons why Ella felt she had to do what she did, but I can't say I enjoyed the novel. It misses the point of the twisty psychological thriller it's supposed to be, and links up with a slightly silly romantic subplot and a whole lot of teenage drama.

There was a point where this could have been a great thriller dealing with a teenage girl's mental health, but alas it was not meant to be. A real shame as there was a lot of potential.

I kind of enjoyed the story, but not sure who would actually want to read it as such. The story was ok, though a little far fetched at times. It was an easy read and happy to have had a chance to review it, but not sure I would recommend it overall

I did not find this as compelling as I'd expected. A slow burn that peters out occasionally but is worth seeing through.

The truth and lie of Ella Black, is a strange novel that I found quite frustrating to read. The story is based on a teenage girl who clearly has some psychological issues and is suddenly whisked away from school by her parents to Rio de Janeiro with no clue to what is going on.

It was at this point that I wanted to understand why she had been pulled from school in deep secrecy however the author really strung the grand reveal out and by doing this it was nearly as dramatic or ground breaking as I had hoped for.

I found Ella’s behavior rather annoying, although she had a mental imbalance it was quite to read and bear with. Also the story was a little far fetched when you find out the real reason she was suddenly transported to the other side of the world. I don’t think this is would be a normal reaction by anybody in today’s society.

Overall, it was a bit of a disappointing read, considering the beginning started off quite well and held my attention. The middle and ending really didn’t work for me.

I chose to read this book as I absolutely loved Emily Barr's earlier novel, The One Memory of Flora Banks. This latest book is about a young girl who suddenly realises that everything about her life is nothing but a lie. While I wasn't so enamoured with this book as I was with 'Flora Banks', it is a fairly decent if rather far fetched story but it was certainly not as enjoyable as the author's earlier book. Hopefully her next book will be a great one.

Ella Black lives a privileged life but doesn't feel like she fits in her own life. In her head she is two people....Ella and Bad Ella who she calls Bella. One day her parents pull her unceremoniously from school and whisk her away to Rio De Janeiro. Ella is sure there is more going on than they are telling her, but soon regrets her efforts to discover the truth when she finds out she's adopted. Struggling to come to terms with the truth she runs away to the favelas. But soon she discovers an even more disturbing secret about her past.

It's said that everyone has one good book in them. If that's true this definitely was not this authors moment. It's not awful, it's just not that great either. It felt very much as if the author knew where it started and where it finished but wasn't so clear about the 300 pages in-between. Sadly after her Flora Banks success this was quite disappointing.

Ella Black, a talented, lonely teenager is taken out of school by her parents for a holiday in Rio. Not told the true reason for their rushed departure she discovers her parents have been hiding a secret all her life. Confused and angry she runs away into the back streets of Rio, the shanty town favelas in order to battle her demons. A fast paced mystery that will appeal to readers.

This book was a bit dull and boring. I struggled to finish this book. I would of given up but i felt bad stopping. Skimmed some pf it

Unfortunately I was unable to get into this book. At first I thought it was a sequel so I was putting it off until I'd read that. I tried three times to start the book but failed to get past the first 50 pages.

Lots of twists and turns in the book that kept me fascinated until the finish with some great wow’ moments. At the start I found the book a little slow to get into but suddenly I realized that I was captivated by it and couldn't put it down.

Not for me I'm afraid. Girl with a seemingly split personality - strangely called her ‘bad’ side or Bella. One day her parents pull her out of school and take her to Rio de Janeiro - as you do. This book is probably supposed to be about mental illness, but its not really. Ella 's condition is not really probed or discussed. She just an annoying 17 year old. I am to be fair probably not the target audience so I will just say that it didn't work for me and leave others to take a view.

I was given the chance to read this book by NetGalley - all views are my own

A readable and interesting story with some slightly unrealistic elements

Ella Black is seventeen years old and lives what is seemingly the perfect life with her loving parents in Kent. However, she has a secret – a dark side of herself that she desperately tries to keep hidden away from her friends and family. One day, her parents take her out of school and whisk her away to Rio de Janeiro with no explanation. When Ella finally finds out why she has been taken, she also discovers that her life as she knew it is a lie, and the dark side of herself that she has kept locked away for so long suddenly makes sense. With her world crumbling into chaos. she decides to run away from her parents and try to come to terms with who she is, but with many people looking for her, she may be in more danger than she realises.

This was quite a gripping novel that I finished in just a few days, due to being keen to figure out what was going on and to see what was going to happen next. The idea behind it is original and intriguing and it touches on some dark topics, mostly without becoming too extreme for a YA novel (there was one part of the story early on focussing on Ella’s dark side that might be a bit upsetting for some readers). I also really enjoyed the descriptions of some of the locations in Rio de Janeiro, which were excellently written and highly atmospheric and made it extremely easy to imagine the environment that the characters found themselves in.

Unfortunately, whilst the idea was excellent, some elements of the story just didn’t work for me. I found Ella to be quite an annoying and selfish character and thought that some of her reactions to the things that happened to her where a bit illogical and random – she barely questions why her parents have suddenly taken her to Brazil, yet, when she finds out the secret they are keeping from her, she reacts in a very extreme way. Her ‘dark side’ was also not explored as much as I thought it would be and, compared to some other books I have read that have tackled difficult mental health issues, seemed a bit poorly hashed out and weakly portrayed.

Additionally, the romance subplot was highly unrealistic and fantastical – so much so that I thought it was being deliberately written that way to set up for another twist, but, in the end, it just turned out to be a romance. The characters virtually fall in love ‘at first sight’ but unfortunately, I didn’t really engage with their relationship and found it far-fetched. Some later aspects of the plot were also a bit unbelievable (particularly the ending, which seemed highly dubious) but they did make for a good story and, whilst unlikely to happen in real life, did keep me turning the pages to see what was going to take place next.

In conclusion, whilst the author clearly has talent and a vivid imagination, some elements of this story just didn’t work for me, resulting in it receiving a three-star rating. I did, however, still enjoy the book and would read more by this author as she clearly has a talent for story-telling.

Daenerys

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review

I loved Emily Barr’s first foray into Young Adult fiction, The One Memory of Flora Banks, with its quirky unreliable narrator. So I quickly snapped up the author’s next novel in the same genre when I saw it was available to review. This time our narrator is more honest with herself than she is with those around her, although it soon becomes apparent that the adults in her life are keeping secrets from her as well: secrets that will cause Ella’s parents to spirit her away from school and out of the UK, and will eventually lead to Ella herself leaving all that is familiar from both her old life and the new one they are trying to make and hiding as far from the adults in her life as she is able to get.

Ella is an only child, who lives a privileged life in Kent with her doting parents; she’s studying for her A’ Levels at a private girls school and spends all her free time with her two best friends. Underneath her calm exterior, however, Ella has anger management issues, from which she separates herself by referring to her moments of rage as ‘Bella’ – short for ‘Bad Ella’ – and concealing her actions as ‘Bella’ from all of those around her. Ella’s mother is somewhat overprotective, giving up her career after Ella’s birth in order to ensure that her daughter never lacks attention. It soon becomes apparent that there’s something odd going on in the family, but the reality only reveals itself slowly to both Ella and the reader.

The first unusual event, although it seems innocuous at the time, is the disappearance and later reappearance of Ella’s mobile phone, and possibly also that of her mother’s; although we never learn if what Ella’s told of this mystery is entirely accurate. Soon after, Ella finds herself in trouble at school and is summoned to the head’s office; not for punishment, as she assumes, but to be told that her parents are taking her out of the country due to circumstances beyond their control. Ella is suspicious but has no choice other than to follow along with the events that are unfolding. The family travels to Rio de Janeiro – a place Ella has always wanted to visit – and once there the truth of Ella’s background is revealed, as well as the reason they had to flee.

Ella is unable to cope with this sudden onslaught of information, much of it seeming to confirm her belief that she’s not a good person, and makes several attempts to get away from her parents – accompanied at times by the various older teens and gap-year students she meets along the way – until she finally ends up lost on the streets in one of the favelas she was warned not to venture into alone. Fortunately Ella is helped this time by the locals as well as by travellers, eventually finding sanctuary, as well as a new sense of purpose, in a charity project funded by donations from volunteer ‘workers.’

I loved this book. Ella wasn’t always likable, but she was constantly fascinating. The chapter headings were intriguing, counting down to some unknowable tragedy, which served, when it happened, to bring closure for some of those involved in Ella’s life and helped to form the continuing development of others. I shall continue to read anything new the author creates in this genre and try to find time to explore her books for an older audience while waiting for her next Young Adult release.

A bit slow to begin with, but then the twists and turns started! Plenty of twists in the plot to keep you guessing.