The Ugly Truth by L. C. North

 

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.

The Ugly Truth by L. C. North will be published on 16th March 2023 in hardback and audio format. The ebook will be available on 2nd March 2023. My thanks to NetGalley and Transworld Books for a review copy.