Ella Black is 17, about to turn 18, her life is pretty ordinary but she has a dark side which she is struggling to keep hidden. When her parents pull her out of school without any reason and take a trip to Rio she is suspicious. Ella thinks her parents are hiding something and she is determined to find out what it is.

After searching through her parents things, Ella makes a discovery which sends her into a tailspin, everything she thought about her life is a lie and this enables her dark side to take over. Ella feels she cannot cope with the discovery and runs. The story follows Ella as she takes to the streets of Rio, trying to discover what about her life is real.

This is a good book, the subject matter is dark and it has several twists, it covers the period of 40 days in the life of Ella, I think the revelations that Ella has to absorb would send anyone spiralling out of control let alone a teenager. A compelling read with an ending you don’t see coming.

I received a free ecopy of this book in return for an honest review. Many thanks to Netgalley and and the publisher for the opportunity.

Having previously read ‘The One Memory of Flora Banks’ and found it uplifting I was excited to be able to read and review Emily Barr’s new book, ‘The Truth and Lies of Ella Black’. The premise was intriguing, teenage girl whisked away mysteriously by parents, finding out the truth of her origins. However, the pattern of repetition and introspection which worked so well in a story about an amnesiac, did not sit nearly so well with what turns out to be a rather disturbed adoptee. What could have been a journey of insight degenerated into the pursuit of a rather whiney self-involved main character, from which there is no respite. By the time the book was half through I was left shaking my head and wondering whether to continue. I continued to the end but found little to redeem the ultimately thankless character. If you are looking for high adventure and travel, this may not be the book for you. If, however, you are a fan of Emily Barr and enjoy her style of deeply emotional internal quest, mirrored by a physical journey, then you will probably enjoy this book.

Ella Black has a darkness inside of her that she's struggled to control for her 17 years of her life. With nothing eventful ever happening in her life, her perfect parents turn up one day to her school and whisk her off with no mention of where or why they are leaving. They arrive in Rio de Janeiro and Ella still has no idea why she is there, but embraces the city she has dreamed about for so long.

This book tackles mental health, familial relationships, travel, independence, romantic relationships, friendship and finding yourself. With all those themes, plus an adventure in Rio, the book is sure to be a winner, right? Meh. I had high hopes for this book and there are aspects that I absolutely loved (the travel part all the way through the book), but I was left feeling disappointed.

Pitched as a thriller, I was hoping this book would have twists and turns that would make me gasp. However, I just felt like "Oh, this is happening now." I didn't particularly like the main character, she was selfish and we spent a lot of time in her head following her relentless questioning of the world around her. I also HATED the romance in the book, insta-love in its finest form and it was one aspect of the book that made me really lose interest. All the events regarding the romantic interest (no spoilers) could have still happened without it being 'the love of my life.'

Emily Barr clearly has a talent for writing and the writing style itself kept me intrigued and I flew through this book pretty quickly. I loved her previous YA book, The One Memory of Flora Banks, but this one just wasn't top of the list for me.

The Truth and Lies of Ella Black is a thriller about a girl with a dark, secret side. As it turns out her parents also have a dark secret and she is whisked away to Rio, Brazil early on in the story. I found that the story stretched my credulity a lot but it may be enjoyable for users who like fast paced stories and can suspend disbelief.

Wow - this was a really amazing read. I've always enjoyed Emily Barr's novels, and she has recently branched out into YA, with this being her second in that genre after The One Memory of Flora Banks. You definitely don't have to be a Young Adult to enjoy these, though, as there is plenty for a *cough* slightly-older adult to enjoy too.

Seventeen-year-old Ella Black is a bit of an outsider - she has two good friends, Lily and Jack, but life at her private girls' school is not that great. Ella is an only child and her parents are a bit over-protective. Ella struggles with a "dark side" to her personality, which she perceives as a kind of alter ego who she calls Bella ("Bad Ella"). Bella likes to hurt and destroy and is always trying to get the upper hand. Ella feels her daily life is one long battle to hide and suppress this dangerous other side.

Life takes a dramatic turn though when with no warning at all, Ella is whisked away from school one day by her parents and flown to Rio. To say this is out of character for them would be an understatement, and explanations are not exactly forthcoming. From then on Ella's life becomes a rollercoaster as she learns a shocking truth about her origins, makes some desperate decisions with frightening consequences... oh, and meets a boy. Following Ella's experiences in the favelas of Rio makes for compelling reading. Clearly she is both rasher and more resourceful than anyone has imagined. But as she cycles through identities, who is the real Ella - or indeed Bella?

Some of the subject matter here is really quite dark and you do feel for Ella, who learns never-suspected things about herself which would devastate anybody. Its hard to imagine where it will end for her as she makes some reckless choices, finding danger - but also kindness.

Emily Barr's books generally have a strong travel theme and that is certainly the case here, with Rio - both its tourist side and its poorer underbelly - coming vividly to life.

A brilliant read which is highly recommended.

I am not a fan of instant love and while i'm willing to go with the flow to some degree, this book required you suspend reality completely. It spoiled what could have been a good story.

40 days until she dies. The start of the book sounds clear enough, but as you continue to see these mysterious numbers counting down you realise it's not as simple as you expect. Ella Black leads a privileged life with parents who will do anything for her. But they don't know she is hiding a secret and is not really the simple, nice girl she tries so hard to seem. When they pull her out of school for an unexpected trip to Rio, she finds out that everyone has secrets of their own and nothing about her life is as she thought. Everything Ella goes through made me feel extremely grateful for all the simple things in life. My only slight criticism is that the explanation of Ella's secret at the end isn't very satisfying, I feel like it needed a bit more information and was almost brushed aside with a quick comment.

Settled at a home and happy with two best friends, Lily and Jack in her life, but Ella has her dark side, Bella or Bad Ella to contend with where she imagines committing murders.

When her parents whisk her away to Rio de Janeiro, she unexpectedly finds her seventeen year old life is built on lies and terrible secrets upon discovering an envelop containing documents securing the knowledge that she is adopted.

Her parents aren't her parents or family at all, to her anyway, it soon makes sense to her why they ran away to Rio so swiftly and why her so called parents were acting shiftily.

Still, she has Christian and his friends in Rio that she meets and help her as she uncovers the truth about her adoption and her true birth mother and just who she was.

This was a really great book and keeps you thinking about what could be coming next in suspense! I was rapt from the beginning and loved the way their supposed family unit was in the beginning compared to when Ella finds out the truth. There's a great mystery to uncover about her birth and we stay with her as she finds it all out.

Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!

What a ride. This author really knows how to take her reader on a journey. Although this book was advertised as Young Adult I felt this was a bit of a misnomer. It could be read and enjoyed by any age as in my case it was. The writing is so good conveying the wildness, music and excitement of Rio but at the same time the emotional pull that is the mind of Ella.

There were a couple of bits that didn't ring true but it didn't detract from my enjoyment.

A girl with a repressed bad side is whisked to Rio without explanation by her parents. This book is not what I was expecting when I picked it up, however, I found the story compelling. The characters are explored well and the plots twists and turns keep you turning the page. I enjoyed this , though I wouldnyafe liked to see "Bella" come out a bit more

As enticing as 'The One Memory of Flora Banks' but with a much darker tone! Ella Black is a character whose head you don't exactly want to get inside of, but her story is twisted and intriguing nonetheless.