Great book. The writing is very clever, lots of different views on what the truth of the story is. I read it in one day on holiday. It won't disappoint.

A rather unusual writing style in the format of tweets, podcasts transcripts etc but well laid out and easy to read. A rather unsettling and sad parable of our social media obsessed culture but extremely well written and plotted.

Sympathies waiver amongst the various protagonists and although I thoroughly enjoyed the story I was a tad disappointed with the ending which I felt might he been tighter. Although this was perhaps the author’s intention.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

An entertaining style of storytelling using all the media streams we have become used to navigating now. A refreshing way of presenting unreliable narrators - Whose truth do you go along with?
The central section was a little overlong however the story provided a satisfying read.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book.

4 Stars from me

One moment I was thinking it might take me a while to get into the style of the chapters in this book and the next I couldn't put the damn thing down.

I was very happy to be stuck on a train for a couple of hours this week as it meant that I had uninterrupted reading time and could race through the pages.

For what it's worth, I was #SaveMelanie

The story - delivered via a mix of tweets, narration and ghost writing sessions - around the life of 'Mellie' felt reminiscent of the IT girls of the 1980s. Yet alongside the partying, lifestyle on the bank of daddy, and the pretty face was a sharp mind and determined business woman.

It all sounds fabulous, but Melanie Lange was persecuted both by the media and by her mental health. 

The question throughout this cleverly constructed novel was whether or not she needed saving from her father, or whether he needed saving from her. 

Overall, it was gripping and I thoroughly enjoyed this fresh take on the format.

I really liked the format of this book. I'm a big fan of unique ways of telling a story and this one is told through interviews, twitter and a netflix documentary.

I found the plot so gripping and the themes were very timely and interesting to read. Parts of the story were desperately sad and I believe that the story will stay with me for a long time.

I would absolutely recommend this book.

This premise sounded right up my street but it was certainly not what I was expecting. And not in a bad way either. Its written in a really unique fashion, much the same as if you were seeing it unfold in the real world and catching bits online and on YouTube and tiktok etc so it was really unusual to read something in that kind of narrative. The twists and turns were earth shattering but they were decent enough. If the format of the narrative isn't for you then I can see why that would make you dislike the entire story but if you quite enjoy a new take on storytelling then it's a really good book

This is a very entertaining read presented in a unique way through a mix of documentary and video transcripts, emails and interviews. The presentation is compelling in itself.

The premise of the book is that Melanie, a former model/business woman/social media influencer has not been seen for several months by her friends or family. Her father, a rich and famous business man, claims he has put her in rehab. for her own good but a series of YouTube videos show Melanie claiming to be held against her will.. In the wake of her disappearance, a documentary is commissioned exploring her life from childhood, through her disturbing teenage years, her friendships, family dynamics, marriage and then onto the present day.

The book is extremely thought provoking as it tackles the themes of celebrity, toxicity in the media, fame and family and yet there was just something missing for me in the ending that couldn't turn it into a 5 star read.
I am grateful to the publishers and NetGalley for an ARC of this book and am leaving my honest review voluntarily.

I really wanted to enjoy reading this book but sadly it just didn't hold my attention maybe I was having an off day but sadly I DNF

The Ugly Truth had a lot of potential but unfortunately never quite met my expectations.

Told in a mix of documentary and video transcripts, emails and interviews, the premise of the novel is that Melanie, a noughties ex-It Girl has not been seen in months by her friends or family - barring her father, who says she is in rehab for her own good, and a series of panicked YouTube videos in which Melanie claims to be held against her will. In the wake of her disappearance, a documentary has been commissioned exploring her life from childhood, through turbulent teenage fame, to the present day - this acts as the main framing device for the narrative.

I'm a sucker for an epistolary novel, so I really loved the unconventional way in which The Ugly Truth was written. It reminded me a bit of Daisy Jones and The Six, but with a very British twist. However, the plot fell short for me, especially the final twist. The Ugly Truth was obviously trying to explore themes of celebrity, media, fame and family but in the end it was just slightly too heavy-handed with the way these were injected into the story.

3.5 STARS - an enjoyable read but felt slightly rough around the edges.

At first this was a little slow for me. Melanie Lange has disappeared, she is the daughter of Peter Lange who is a hotel magnate. Melanie’s life has been in the public eye and she has been hounded by the media through every part of it.

The story is told via transcripts from a Netflix documentary, videos sent by Melanie while being held captive and interviews with her father. This format is really new to me and I really liked it.

The story has a strong plot but I feel at times it misses out on some of the elements that would make you more invested in the characters.

A good read for those who like the new world of technology and whodunnits.

My first time reading from this author.

What I loved about the story was just it delves into the Dark side of the media and makes you question what you see. It’s reminiscent of a few Bollywood movies that do the same and show what really goes on behind closed doors.

I am not sure what to think about The Ugly Truth.

The book is marketed as "'#FreeBritney meets The Appeal" and that's exactly what it is.

There's absolutely no doubt in my mind that L.C. North is an incredibly talented writer but this really reads like a fictionalisation of Britney Spears's case, mixed with a UK celebrity (if I tell you who, I will spoil the end). I can't really say this is an original story or claim I was shocked by the "twists" or the ending.

The format was interesting as it used a mix of Interviews and Tweets and the writing was outstanding but anyone with decent writing skills could've written this book. That being said, I knew I wasn't going to be reading War and Peace when I requested this novel. I enjoyed the book for what it was once I adjusted my expectations,

I'm giving it 4 stars because the writing is really good and there's a lid for every pot. I think this book will be very successul on TikTok and among people who read gossip magazines or follow Deux Moi. If you enjoy celebrity gossip, I believe you will definitely enjoy this book!!!

I enjoyed this book, and it made me think about the destructive power of social media, and the online world. The story is a clever one, and the characters are very believable (if not always likeable). I found the writing style slightly off-putting but that didn't detract from a gripping and very readable book. I would definitely recommend it.

I found this a little slow to get going and the style not quite my thing. That's a personal thing. I'm not sure I would call it a mystery/psychological thriller as we knew what was going on throughout. However, I did keep reading as I was still interested in what was going to happen so it did maintain my interest.

I finished this book in 3-4 hours. I thought it was an incredibly relevant book in the day and age we live in. I hope that everyone will read this and think about what they are actually saying and the effects their words have on other people. It was a poignant book and really thought-provoking. It's similar to what I imagine Caroline Flack must have gone through, I though the different ways the story was told was really clever. Highly recommend.

I'd heard many good things about The Ugly Truth and so was thrilled to have the opportunity to read an advance copy.
It's the story of Melanie Lange who due to her father's position and her modelling career becomes a celebrity at age 15. Two decades later and Melanie disappears. Her story is told via a Netflix documentary, interviews with her father, ex husband and friends. through newspaper reports and social media accounts and importantly by Melanie herself.
The author provides a powerful and gripping commentary on the price of fame, the toxic celebrity culture and the way young women are treated by men, the media and the public.
As a reader I felt that I confronted my own judgements about celebrities and about whose story I believed.
This is an extremely powerful piece of fiction, an emotional, gripping and compelling read that I raced through and would highly recommend.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.
4.5 stars

I wasn't 100% sure about this. It felt a little unrealistic. It felt as though the author had taken the story of Brittney Spears and then adapted it to a UK setting. However, having said that, it was still an entertaining read, and was well written. So I think if you can ignore some of the more implausible aspects of it, it's very enjoyable.

This book!! Yes! Yes! I’ve seen so many good reviews on Instagram and I can why. I read this rather quickly and absolutely adored. It zips through rather quickly and I loved the unusual style. I highly recommend. Pre-order this now.

A brilliant book that uses an unusual presentation.

This is a very well written of a beautiful, smart but troubled girl with an equally troubled father., her friends and how her life was ruined by the gutter press. It covers her life from a fifteen year old until het 36th birthday. It follows her life as it moves through teenage model, party girl, successful business woman, and mother to a surprising conclusion that kept me guessing right to the end.
The story is told through social media posts, blogs and interviews for a Netflix documentary and a book which is a very modern mechanism that I had not come across berfore and is possibly unique to this book.
Some might find bits of the content disturbing..

I really loved the format of this book with a mix of interviews, transcripts and social media comments telling Melanie’s story from her rise to fame as a model to her disappearance which appears to be not the innocent taking time away from the public eye that it appeared to be. Everyone what their own take on things so whilst you could never be certain whose perspective was the truth you certainly got a feel for Melanie’s life and it really depicted how damaging both the media and social media can be. 9/10