Thank you for my earc of this book
I love Divins writing and have to say my absolute favourite thing about her writing is her characters
They feel so 3-dimensional and real and I love reading them

This book is a beautiful masterpiece. I cannot put into words how much I loved this book.

As a young girl who grew up in Northern Ireland, with a Mum who has been adopted, I really really related to this book. It resonated with me in ways I didn't think possible.

It provides an unbiased view on the issues facing Northern Ireland today, and considers a variety of viewpoints in what is a controversial place to live.

I have recommended this book to anyone who will listen.

Last year, I read Sue Divin’s debut novel Guard Your Heart and it was extraordinary. It helped to open my eyes to what has happened and is happening in Northern Ireland and the writing was beautiful. So, when I found out she had another book on the way I knew immediately that I was going to read it.

Truth Be Told is set in 2019 and tells the story of Tara and Faith. Tara is from Derry and Faith is from Armagh. Both the girls have been living completely different lives until they met each other and discover that they both look like one another. As with Sue Divin’s previous novel this discusses The Troubles and what it is like to live in different parts of Northern Ireland and how that can affect your everyday life.

Sue Divin has once again written an extraordinary book with beautiful writing. I loved getting to know Tara and Faith and how they differed in the beginning of the book and then, as the story progressed, how they were also similar. I loved how much Irish slang is included in this book. I feel some authors would avoid using it in their books due to it possible readers to misunderstand part of the book. But, I loved it as it allowed me to learn some phrases I’ve never heard before and feel emotion in places I may not have done previously.

I adore the two main characters of this book Tara and Faith. Both of them are well-written and their personalities shine through the pages. Each of them are going through their own struggles and we get to see this throughout the book. As this book is told in dual POVs, we get to see one perspective on what’s going on and then how the other perspective may be looking at the same situation completely differently. This made reading the book gripping and always had me intrigued. There are a lot of wonderful side characters in this book who each bring something new to the story as well.

I went into this book thinking that it would have fast pacing throughout. This was not the case. Sometimes the pacing was quite slow and other times it was quite fast. This made me struggle to have the urge to pick up the book if I was in a slow patch but as soon as the pace picked up I couldn’t stop reading.

The pacing picks up rapidly towards the end of the book and I couldn’t help but power through reading it to find all the answers. I felt there are certain story arcs that missed out due to the sudden pace change. The story was moving too quickly for all the arcs to come to an end. Some did not feel fully completed for me but this may have been the author’s intention. These minor things did not change my enjoyment of the book though.

Just a side note to say, make sure you check the trigger warnings before going into this book as some of the topics discussed in the book are hard-hitting and can be triggering. These topics are discussed excellently and you can tell a lot of thought has gone into the discussion. They allow for some real insight into what the characters are going through and how it is affecting them. Although the mystery is the main element of the book the discussions of The Troubles, growing up in Northern Ireland, politics and religion are raw, honest and incredibly eye-opening. I certainly learned a lot whilst reading this book.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Truth Be Told. It is a gripping, insightful and beautifully written novel that I would highly recommend. Sue Divin is definitely an author who deserves a lot of love. So, if you haven’t read her books yet, go and pick one up!

This is the story of two sixteen year old girls growing up in Northern Ireland. One is Protestant, one catholic. One lives with both parents, one is from a single parent family. One is straight, one gay. However, as they get to know and understand each other they discover a lot more similarities than differences.

Both families have suffered loss and are hiding secrets. Both families have tried to spare their daughters from The Troubles by not talking about the past.

As the characters’ lives become more closely interwoven, we learn the Ireland’s past is more complicated than it would first appear. No black and white issues here, but a lot of grey.

Although I grew up hearing about The Troubles on the news I never really understood what was going on in Ireland and what each ‘side’ stood for. I hoped this book would explain it to me. After reading, I have some idea of what went on, but I realised that a simple, straightforward explanation is not possible as within each ‘side’ were a number of different groups, all with their own agendas.

The book was quite long and it took me a while to read. At times I felt the pace slowed but then it would reach an exciting part and have me hooked again. Overall a gripping story for YA.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

"Truth Be Told" is another tour de force by Sue Divin, after her exceptional début "Guard Your Heart". Also written in dual narrative, this time two sisters who find each other by chance, the format allows readers to delve into the complexities of conflict and reconciliation from both sides. Whichever side you think you are on, whoever you think is right, be prepared to have all your beliefs shaken and turned upside down, challenged and reassessed. Divin is so talented at making sure every side is seen, that everyone has a chance to show their human, and often most vulnerable, side. She excels at showing the intricacies of human emotion and what drives us, whether it is towards the wrong or right path. A phenomenal, timeless read

Brilliant contemporary novel, one to look out for.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me access an advance copy of this book in exchange for my feedback.

A really beautiful and poignant story - about Tara and Faith, two girls from opposite sides of the cultural/political divide in Northern Ireland finding each other and finding out they may be related. This is technically a YA novel, but it feels much more mature and emotionally resonant than much of the YA on the market. Divin tells a compelling story of growing up with generational trauma of war and conflict, and I found both narrators equally interesting and well-written--as opposed to some dual-POV novels where I want to rush through one POV to get to the other.