Spoilers – Do Not Scroll On !!!
I just finished reading The Truth About Ruby Cooper by Liz Nugent, and I have a lot of feelings about it.
I absolutely loved her last book, Strange Sally Diamond, so I was really looking forward to this one. I actually spotted it in the shop and picked it up straight away — no thinking, just bought it (and it turned out to be a signed copy, which made it even better!).
The book moves fast, even though it spans a long period of time. But as I was reading, there was one thought that kept creeping in:
She better not be lying…
And then… it was confirmed. I was so pissed off.
Not just because of the story — but because of what it represents. Thinking about real-life victims who struggle to come forward, who fear not being believed… and then reading a character who lies about something so serious — it made me angry on a deeper level.
I felt for Milo, his sister and mother.
I felt for her sister and parents.
All of it, driven by jealousy and manipulation — it was hard to sit with.
And Ruby?
She’s just… a deeply deeply horrible character.
To carry a lie like that, to let it destroy lives, and still not care — that takes a level of darkness that’s hard to even process.
🌑 A Dark, Complex Read
This isn’t a light book. It’s layered, uncomfortable, and full of dark twists. The kind of story that pulls you in but also leaves you feeling unsettled.
And maybe that’s the point.
It made me feel something strongly — anger, frustration, disbelief — and not every book can do that.
The Truth About Ruby Cooper is a psychological thriller novel by Irish writer Liz Nugent. Early commentary describes it as an emotionally intense, character-driven story about two sisters whose lives are shattered by a single catastrophic incident in their youth.
Key facts
- Author: Liz Nugent
- Genre: Psychological thriller / domestic suspense
- Setting: Church community in Boston, United States
- Core relationship: Sisters Ruby Cooper and Erin Cooper
- Central themes: Beauty, blame, addiction, recovery, family fallout
Premise & plot setup
The novel follows Ruby Cooper and her older sister Erin, who grow up in a tight, devout church community in Boston. Their childhood appears safe and idyllic until sixteen-year-old Ruby is involved in a terrible incident, hinted to be both shocking and morally complicated, that causes their family’s world to implode.
From that moment, the book traces the long-term consequences for Ruby, Erin, their parents, and the wider community. The opening line, reported by an early reviewer—“If my sister hadn’t been beautiful, none of it would have happened”—signals a story preoccupied with appearance, envy, and how quickly blame attaches to a young woman’s body and choices.
