The Ugly Truth by L. C. North

Everyone’s telling a different story. Who do you believe?

Melanie Lange has disappeared. Her father, Sir Peter Lange, says she is a danger to herself and has been admitted to a private mental health clinic.

Her ex-husband, Finn, and best friend, Nell, say she has been kidnapped. The media will say whichever gets them the most views.

But whose side are you on?

#SaveMelanie

#HelpPeter

About the author

L.C. North studied psychology at university before pursuing a career in Public Relations. Her first book club thriller - The Ugly Truth - combines her love of psychology and her fascination with the celebrities in the public eye. L.C. North is currently working on her second novel, and when she's not writing, she co-hosts the crime thriller podcast, In Suspense. L.C. North lives on the Suffolk borders with her family. L.C. North is the pen name of Lauren North.
Readers can follow her on Twitter @Lauren_C_North and Facebook @LaurenNorthAuthor.

Review

‘The Ugly Truth’ is a compelling read that will keep you on your toes! Told via a variety of mixed media - documentary transcripts, emails, personal testimony, newspaper articles etc it’s delves deep into the dark side of social media and the crisis of mental health that it can cause.

Melanie Lange is an IT girl, the darling of social media, successful entrepreneur and married to Finn and mother to two little boys. When she takes a break from social media her fans are disappointed but when they haven’t heard from her in months they begin to wonder what’s happening. Her father Peter Lange says she has been admitted into a private mental health clinic and is a danger to herself. Her ex husband, Finn, and best friend, Nell, say she has been kidnapped. The media will say whatever gets the most views but what do you believe…

I really liked the epistolary aspect of the novel, a trend you are beginning to see more of in the past few years. It felt as if you were deep into the story. I tended to question everything and was asking myself who was an unreliable narrator etc. It wasn’t until we reached Melanie’s POV that I thought the story really ramped up. As a reader you could really feel her distress. The author has done a great job of making characters relatable and ones that we emphasise with no matter their actions. The issue of mental health was particularly well done, especially when looking at how social media can impact on it.

This was an interesting read! Let me know if you pick this up.