I was looking forward to reading this book, particularly after the recent Free Britney campaign and it felt very reminiscent of that.
I found it to be a terrifying look at the modern world of celebrity, social media and the price of fame.
I liked how the book was written as alternating accounts by the various characters, but it did sometimes feel a bit drawn out and sometimes like there were too many characters.
It irritated me that they kept referring to Melanie as "Mellie"
I didn't expect the ending.
An entertaining read that made me think
My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for my eARC in return for my honest review.

I was looking forward to reading this book, particularly after the recent Free Britney campaign and it felt very reminiscent of that.
I found it to be a terrifying look at the modern world of celebrity, social media and the price of fame.
I liked how the book was written as alternating accounts by the various characters, but it did sometimes feel a bit drawn out and sometimes like there were too many characters.
It irritated me that they kept referring to Melanie as "Mellie"
I didn't expect the ending.
An entertaining read that made me think
My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for my eARC in return for my honest review.

LOVED it! Really clever way of presenting, very modern thriller and I love the different ways of presenting facts/storylines. Reminded me of a more grown up 'good girls guide to murder'. Really enjoyed this and I have a feeling a lot of other books with follow this format in the future.

This book was described as The Appeal (by Janice Hallett) meets #freebritney and that is an excellent description.

The story is Britney-esque - Melanie was a model at 15 and thrust into the media spotlight however her life in the spotlight became difficult. For every fan she had, there were many more looking to bring her down via social media.

Due to the pressures of being in the media spotlight, Melanie becomes involved in alcohol, drugs, low level criminality etc which forces her Dad to intervene to try and save her. Melanie goes missing, her ex-husband and best friend say she has been kidnapped - her Dad, Peter, says she is recovering in a mental health facility. Who is the telling the truth? #savemelanie #helppeter

The story is told via documentary snippets, youtube videos, tweets etc. which really give the book a sense of reality, a sense of the story unfolding over social media where Melanie basically lived her life. It touches upon mental health, child stardom, pressure, the toxicity of social media and intense family relationships.

It is a fantastic novel which I would highly recommend.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers, Bantam Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

This book followed the imprisonment of a famous model by her father, the entire book was written via interviews, twitter streams, videos, e-mails and press articles. I would it to be a really interesting way to write a book and found I really did enjoy it. It was an intriguing look into fame, social media, the press and mental health. It was hugely thought provoking and may just encourage people be be a bit kinder!

This book is an absolutely spot on portrayal of the harsh landscape that is modern-day fame and celebrity. As disturbing as it is thought-provoking, it illustrates perfectly the fickle nature of the media and the devastating impact it can have on a person’s mental health.

I absolutely adored the way this was written; the entire thing was a mixture of biography transcripts, interviews from a Netflix documentary, social media posts and comments, journal entries and tabloid headlines. The set up was superb and despite the constantly changing format it was so easy to follow along with the story. It also highlighted with crystal clarity how unreliable various sources are, how many variations of the truth exist at any one time.

I’m not sure I’d call this a thriller, but I was completely hooked from start to finish. The question of #SaveMelanie or #HelpPeter was a no-brainer for me, I was team #SaveMelanie all the way!

All in all, if you want a brilliantly insightful look at the devastation our words can cause even to those we’ve never met, read this. It enraged me, it saddened me, it made me question how I interact with friends and strangers alike…and it reinforced my belief that when it comes to the media - all forms of media - don’t believe everything you read…

Available for pre-order on Amazon now, so get your orders in peeps, I reckon this is going to be HUGE in 2023 💕

Thank you @netgalley and @randomhouse for my copy of The Ugly Truth 🙏🏻

The Ugly Truth is certainly an interesting idea for a story – particularly after the Free Britney movement – but it just fell a little flat for me.

Told through interviews, transcripts and tweets, the format of the story was unexpected and difficult to build an attention-grabbing narrative in a reader’s mind. Jumping from interview to interview felt disjointed and like you never really got to know any of the cast of characters in much detail.

The main character, Melanie (gratingly called Mellie throughout), was a bit of a combination of Britney Spears (the mental health and family financial control element) and Paris Hilton (hotel heiress) but transplanted to the UK.

The author balances both sides of the story, the father ‘looking to protect his daughter’ with the daughter ‘held captive by her controlling father’, and highlights the fakeness of celebrity and the dangers of social media.

I just didn’t enjoy it though – it felt a lot like poorly written fan fiction and was almost a DNF.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

Melanie Lange is thrust into the spotlight at a young age. Her father, Sir Peter, owns a large chain of hotels. The media love Melanie, and go as far as they can to get pictures and stories. Even if those stories aren’t completely true. Melanie goes through life’s ups and downs, with the media always in the background ready for the next story from her. Then, one day, she disappears. She then releases videos telling the world that she is being held against her will, by her father. Hashtags start trending depending whose side of the story you believe.

This was a great read, and written uniquely using scripts from a Netflix documentary, emails, Twitter threads, and unpublished interviews from Sir Peter’s upcoming book. Through these we get the whole story and how Melanie disappeared. The whole story is so well written, engaging, and thought provoking. It really shines a light on the media and how invasive they can be, and especially how detrimental their stories can have a negative effect on people. The characters were all perfectly written, and gave the right tension and personality to the story. I really feel this is a must read, especially to show how simple words can really hurt people. An excellent read and highly recommended.

Written as an ongoing dialogue between the various characters in the story it is an original storyline, although I felt it was drawn out in places. Melanie, once a model before her so called downfall, is constantly followed by paparazzi and social media. The comments and photographs posted were a mixture of positive and negative which ultimately affect Melanie’s mental health. Her father tries to help her by making her keep a low profile, but it actually makes things worse for her.

Written in the style of a Netflix Documentary, you will binge-read this outrageous tale of greed, fame and media frenzy. Echoing the "free britney" movement, this novel delves into our own preconception and makes us reassess how we feed off celebrity gossip. A real page turner which might keep you up all night and stay with you long after the last page has been read.

At the age of fifteen Melanie Lange comes to the attention of the media when she accompanies her businessman father to an event. A career as a model is launched and every moment of Melanie's life is under public scrutiny for the next fifteen years. However, not everything published about Melanie is accurate and the constant pressure begins to take its toll on her mental health.

This is a shocking story. It's not often a book makes you take a step back and consider if you are part of the problem. We live in a society obsessed by social media and celebrity culture. Reality TV seems to dominate our TV screens and young people look at these types of programs as a way of accessing instant fame and riches. The Ugly Truth shines a light on how the media can twist what we see.

Told through a variety of formats (transcripts for a book, twitter comments, the script from a Netflix documentary, video clips) we learn how Melanie Lange was thrust into the limelight at the age of fifteen. Under constant media scrutiny she is portrayed as a wild child. The press seem to delight in anything negative they can get their hands on, manipulating every story to sell more issues.

Elements of the story make you think of real life instances where individuals have had to cope with constant press intrusion, Britney Spears and Meghan Markle being the most obvious ones.

Social media is also a huge part of this story. Fans constantly wanting to know more about the lives of their idols, acting as if they own them. Fans who find it easy to pick fault and criticise without thinking about the effect their words may have. Fans who don't realise the toll their words will have on the mental health of the person they worship.

The Ugly Truth is a disturbing read but one you simply cannot put down. I desperately needed to know how the story was going to end. Part of me also wondered throughout if everything was part of some massive media campaign and everyone was being manipulated.

Melanie, a social media celebrity, sends out some videos, saying she is being held captive in a house. She says she has no idea where she is. The Save Melanie public campaign begins. The public are divided between her and Sir Peter, who says she is safe in rehab. With lies and cover ups, the truth is slowly uncovered.
A brilliant book, delving into the effects of social media on celebrities lives, through different viewpoints as we discover what really happened. I loved it and was hooked! Amazing author, a great story teller!

I loved this book. It was written so differently, and I was hooked. Melanie, what a sweetheart, such a great character, I was rooting for her all the way through, so the ending was a massive shock but totally understandable. This is exactly how I feel for those in the public eye, and the press have a lot to answer for. It made me think of Car.oline Flack in fact. Absolutely devastating, yet true. Leave them alone.
Anyway, Peter, great villain I must say, and the sister, is she, isn't she?
Absolutely brilliant book.
Thank you to netgalley, the author and publishers for an arc in exchange for an honest review

In the world of social media and everything online this book takes place across media interviews and social media posts as we delve into the story of a missing influencer and business woman who has not been seen for months but her father claims she is in a treatment centre for her mental health issues. When videos appear from her claiming her father is holding her prisoner the story spirals out of control as the truth of what’s happened comes out.

Melange Of Media..
A melange of media is effectively used in the telling of this immersive and compelling tale. Melanie Lange has disappeared- or has she? The stories surrounding her disappearance are at odds, the people claiming to support her may not be truthful and the actual media simply want sales and who is to know if there is any truth behind their headlines. Who, in fact, is the reader to be believe? Dark and tense, this will have the reader questioning everything- every twist and every turn - from start to finish.

I absolutely loved this book. I loved the narration , the storyline and all the characters. It is so cleverly written it is addictive and brilliant. One of my favourite books of 2022 and Melanie is a brilliant character This could be a tv series and i loved it.

A well written story about Melanie told through twitter feeds, a Netflix transcript and various other social media platforms. It kept me hooked and I couldn't guess where the story was going to end up.

Melanie Lange socialite daughter of Sir Peter of the Lange dynasty. Famous for modelling and a successful business woman has been missing for 6mths.

Self filmed videos appear online of Mel, asking for help and claiming to have been kidnapped and locked in a house by her father.

Her father Peter claims Melanie is unwell, and is being treated and cared for in a specialist facility.

Who do you believe? #savemelanie or #helppeter

The narrative of this book is written in a series of interviews, which are for Sir Peter’s autobiography and a Netflix drama about Melanie’s disappearance.

We follow Melanie through the eyes of others, through her rise and fall of fame.
Her success as a business woman and the media interest which follows her.

I loved this book, the idea of the narrative is brilliant, compelling and leaves you guessing and page turning throughout.

I’d definitely recommend this book! It was brilliant.

Thanks Netgalley for my free copy of this book in return for a honest review!

•The Ugly Truth
•LC North

Thanks to @netgalley for this ARC

Melanie Lange is a Teen Sensation & the media follow her every move. Her mental health seemingly hits rock bottom but what happens when her influential Father takes control....

Sadly this wasn't for me. I always feel bad giving a low star rating as I appreciate the hard work that goes into writing & I for one could never do it.

I'm glad to see some great reviews for this book & if we all liked the same things the world would be a boring place!

2🌟

#books #bookstagram #netgalleyuk

The Ugly Truth was a really good but difficult read. It was difficult as you feel what Melanie had to go through and the ending was quite honestly heartbreaking.

I liked the way it was written, layering the story so you were wondering what the truth was throughout the first half. It was well written and thought provoking.