"The Truth and Lies of Ella Black" darts between darkness and light in a way that echoes the facets of the main character's personality, as it transports the reader to the intimidating and inspiring setting of Rio de Janeiro. Ella is a compelling character that has traits any teenager will recognise, and these traits are viewed through a series of tense and exotic lenses that hurtle the reader from sleepy England to dynamic Brazil.
"Ella" doesn't let up. You will be on the edge of your seat as you bite your fingernails. But there are some brief moments of calm beauty as Rio is described with a sense of clarity that makes you feel like you've visited its streets, beaches and bars. The characters that Ella meets are varied in the same way - relaxed, scary, helpful or frustrating. There's a richness to the writing that gives the whole book a sense of reality, which in turn makes the narrative all the more compelling.
There are a few particularly shocking scenes in the book; from the wildlife incident in Ella's bedroom towards the beginning to the jaw-dropping sequence of events making up the conclusion, and these lift the book to another level. With Ella's constant internal struggle, it can be a nerve-wracking read at times, but the near-cathartic way the book ends will make the reader release a breath they didn't know they were holding.
"The Truth and Lies of Ella Black" has a great main character, a brilliant depiction of its setting, and a plot that hurtles along. A fantastic read.
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From the Publisher
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| This Summer's Secrets | The One Memory of Flora Banks | Ghosted | The Girl Who Came Out of the Woods | Things to do Before the End of the World | The Truth and Lies of Ella Black | |
| Customer Reviews | 52
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| Price | £8.27 | £6.05 | £8.27 | £6.29 | £7.35 | £7.35 |
| Family secrets | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Twisty plot | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Romance vibes | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Past meets present | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
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Reviews with images
“Life is fragile, and to be safe and fed and busy is an incredible piece of luck.”
I simply adored The One Memory of Flora Banks, so squealed with delight at being able to get hold of The Truth and Lies of Ella Black early! One thing I commented on loving in particular with Flora Banks was Emily Barr's writing style and I'm glad to say that her next YA offering is another well written story with a fascinating character.The book starts with us meeting Ella Black and quickly introduces us to her darker side Bella. Having not read much about this book, I did think that there would be more focus on Bella and the mental health side as it started off that way, but quickly we are taken on a journey literally far away from that idea! There is a bad case of instalove which I know lots of people won't like, but personally and luckily for my rating of this book I don't mind as it just added that little bit of fluffiness to a pretty heavy topic that this book covers.Overall I did enjoy The Truth and Lies of Ella Black once I'd got into it - there are twists and turns that you won't see coming. I do think that I expected slightly more from it because of Flora Banks being a 5* book for me, which probably isn't fair, but it did let me down a bit with it being so slow to get into. Nevertheless, it's definitely worth a read as something a bit different and one that does keep you hooked once you're stuck in.
Top reviews from other countries
Christine Black
A Story of Adoption??
Reviewed in the United States on 13 September 2021