A promising situation undermined by an unlikeable protagonist. 3/5 stars.
Thank you to Penguin and NetGalley for providing me with an e-copy of this book.
The blurb: Ella Black seems to live the life most other seventeen-year-olds would kill for…
Until one day, telling her nothing, her parents whisk her off to Rio de Janeiro. Determined to find out why, Ella takes her chance and searches through their things.
And realises her life has been a lie.
Her mother and father aren’t hers at all. Unable to comprehend the truth, Ella runs away, to the one place they’ll never think to look – the favelas.
But there she learns a terrible secret – the truth about her real parents and their past. And the truth about a mother, desperate for a daughter taken from her seventeen years ago…
My take:
Last year, Emily Barr’s previous book – The One Memory of Flora Banks – was the only book I gave 5 stars to. I loved Flora, I loved her story, and so I was excited to get my hands on a copy of The Truth and Lies of Ella Black. I had high hopes.
I’m sad to say I didn’t love this book. And this even though there are many similarities between Ella Black and Flora Banks: both give us a female teenage protagonist with mental health issues, struggling with seemingly rubbish parents who are keeping secrets from them. However, while I found Flora instantly likeable, Ella came across as whiny and, until quite late in the book, tremendously ungrateful, immature and annoying.
As the entire book is narrated from Ella’s point of view, it was a long time to be stuck in the headspace of someone I didn’t particularly care for. Not even the colourful travelogue aspects of the book – as we get a tour of the main sights of Rio – could offset her more irritating personality traits.
The other characters, who might have acted as a buffer for Ella’s less attractive qualities, lacked depth. Weirdly this makes sense: the story is told from Ella’s point of view and she’s so egocentric no-one else is given enough consideration to become fully-fleshed. Just another reason I can’t get on with her!
The romance thread of the plot should have come over as sweet, but instead struck me as an example of Ella’s reckless and ill-judged behaviour. Meanwhile neither the big secret or twist surprised me at all as I thought they were telegraphed fairly clearly from early on in the book. And sadly the countdown to “her” death (not a spoiler, it’s there right from the front cover!) failed to fill me with suspense because you have to care for a character to worry about whether they’re going to die or not.
On balance, Ella’s rougher experiences do lead to some personal growth by the end of the book (but she takes her time about it!) and in her affection for her two best friends we do see something of her softer side, but these glimpses are sadly rare.
Overall: skip this and read The One Memory of Flora Banks. And if you’re thinking of picking up Ella Black because you enjoyed Flora Banks, I’d suggest you re-read Flora.
Claire Huston / Art and Soul
Art and Soul 
Great review. 🙂 I recently finished The One Memory of Flora Banks. I might check this one out later in the year.
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Thank you!
I hope you enjoy it. Perhaps nothing could compare after I loved Flora Banks so much! 🙂
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This does seem to be a marmite book doesn’t it? I quite liked it because we were stuck in the head of an unpredictable, frosty teenager, who was struggling to understand herself and life around her.
We all know everyone gets something different from a book, I felt that perhaps her descriptions of friends were shallow because some teenagers are like that? Some can be quite self-contained and as yet unable to see and appreciate the wider world around them.
Good to read your perspective.
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Absolutely!
I was surprised by how many people didn’t like Flora Banks when I loved it so much.
I did wonder if I went into this one with very high expectations, which is one of the reasons I found it a bit disappointing.
I still look forward to reading whatever Emily Barr writes next.
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Someone once asked me to consider the difference between not liking an MC and not connecting with them. Not every MC is written for people to like, often writing a horrible character is harder than writing a likable one. So if I now read a book with an unlikable character, I first ask myself if they fit the storyline, or is my lack of connection because the author missed opportunities to empathise with the reader? Finally, if the book was perhaps well written, was it just not a ‘fit’ with me and my personal tastes?
It does make you think about a first reaction to a book.
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This is one of those books where I might have to read it, just to see……….
You know I adored Flora Banks!! 🙂
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I worry that I went in with my expectations too high after Flora. But then Flora was quite sweet, even with all the daft things she did. Ella needs a good talking to, she’s such a brat most of the time!
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Ah I’ve heard from more than one person already that Ella just wasn’t very likeable. I also really liked the one memory, but this doesn’t sound as good as that. Great review!
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Thank you! 🙂
I’m glad it’s not just me! I kept reminding myself that she’s a teenager and so likely to do some silly things and be a little selfish… but then it got to the point when I felt I was being unfair to teenagers – I don’t believe they’re usually as bad as Ella!
If you do read it, I’ll really want to know what you think 🙂
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You’re welcome!!
haha I do get what you mean- I’ve read books like that before 😉
Thanks!
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Sorry to hear that this one didn’t meet your expectations. My last read was similar with an interesting, promising premise but two MCs who I just didn’t get so I totally get what you mean. I hope that your next read will be better.
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Thank you 🙂
I don’t always mind if a MC is unlikeable if they have other interesting qualities. But she was so annoying! She did mature towards the end, but it all happened a little too late for me.
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