Truth be told

Evie, Ardingly

Truth be Told is a great book. I loved how it showed Tara and Faith’s story. It is based in Northern Ireland and it shows you the lives of two very different people but end up being so alike. I will admit it was quite hard to get into but the more I read the better it became. I loved Truth Be Told and I would like to read more of Sue Divin’s books.

Grace, Ardingly

-CONTAINS SPOILERS!!!-

I really liked this book because I loved the initial shock of Tara and Faith looking at each other thinking they look so similar but actually turning out so different. Faith, due to her church’s religion, keeps her Pride secret to herself, whilst after the death of her boyfriend, Tara crumbles and starts to wonder about her family’s past. They help each other in times of need. I really recommend this book to anyone!!!

Livy S Yr9

Truth be told is a brilliant book all about Protestant and Catholic, Northen Ireland and the republic of Ireland. My favourite character was Faith because I am also northern Irish and I thought she was very brave. I think the LGBTQIA+ themes of the book added an interesting element to the book and is definitely engaging to a teen audience. I also think the historical features of it are particularly interesting as while the characters are fiction, the setting and context of the book is all based on historical events. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys history and romance as romance plays a large role in this book also. I also really like the duel narrative as it added fresh perspectives on the same events. After I had read this book I felt like I was much better informed about the events that happened. Overall this is a great read that was engaging historical and extremely enjoyable

Bertie, SRWA

I enjoyed this book.

Sienna

I really enjoyed this book as I liked how many twists there were and how it wasn’t too fast paced but also not too slow paced, my favourite part was probably either the school trip, or the part when Tara gets so angry that she punches Faith in the face. Over all this was a very good book, and I was very pleased with the outcome of this book

Grace

I love this book! When I was first reading Truth be Told all I wanted to know is whether Tara and Faith were related. I haven’t read a book in ages so this was a great book to get me back into reading. I definitely recommend this book to others.

Otto – Ardingly College

Truth be Told was a slow start but once you get into it, it is a riveting experience! It shows the complexities of life and relationships. It shows how hidden truths can affect someone’s life. It is enhanced by the time and place in which the book is written included with the family history about the Troubles.
I would recommend it to a friend or family member.

Molly Karcha

A really good read by Sue Divin and I really enjoyed it. I enjoyed how she related the book to her life growing up in Northern Ireland. I also really liked how Tara and Faith lived completely different lives until they met one day and realised, they looked the same, that was effective. In the end they found out everything and became who they felt. I would really recommend this book for any ages.

Cornelia , Year 8 Ardingly

Truth be told was a very powerful, exciting read I personally really liked the LGBTQ+ vibe to it and I thought this book really helped me understand differences in northern Ireland because I didn’t know much about what had happened and this book really educated me. Over all I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend to a friend.

Jauhara Ardingly

I was told by a lot of people how amazing Truth be told was, however when I read it I didn’t really feel the same. Yes, the book was a good read, but to me it wasn’t anything special and I probably wouldn’t have chosen it. Nevertheless, this book makes one think and put themself into someone else’s shoes. It’s a lot about mental health and touches on how people cope with their issues.

Ozzy year 8 Ardingly

Truth be told is an excellent read with plot twists around every corner. I love how it flips between Tara and Faith and the details into their emotions kept my mind whirring . The action there was kept me engaged however there wasn’t enough. I would have loved more action but that’s just my opinion.

Overall I liked the book and the plot was really interesting. 7 or 8/10

Thomas Welsh

Truth be told is a great book to read if you are interested in the troubles of Northern Ireland or if you just want a good story. You really get a good perspective of what life is like for Catholic and Protestant teenagers in Northern Ireland. This book also gives an insight into a LGBTQIA+++ lifestyle. Overall I enjoyed it and it was interesting to learn about the troubles of Northern Ireland.

May, Ardingly

“Truth Be Told” is one of my new favourite books because it is packed full of adventure while also being based on real life.
I love it even more because all the different problems which the characters face could and do happen in real life. My favourite part is probably at the end when everyone is sitting in Faith’s living room and they are all laughing and having a great time even though they have only known each other for the past couple of months- and for a few of them only that evening. This shows that even if you think the worst about your family, if you love them enough you can find the courage to forgive those who have done wrong and who want to make things better.
I am so glad that I was lucky enough to see Sue Divin give a speech about the book and to receive a signed copy of “Truth Be Told”.
All round a really good book.

Elliot Ardingly

I personally think that Truth be told is a great book for enjoyment and also learning about what happened during the troubles as it was a very brutal time but it’s not just a history book. It also shows about sadness and coming back and the struggles of it all as well as having lots of detective type mystery about who Tara’s dad is and whether Faith is related… of course it wouldn’t be a book about teenagers without love, kissing and sneaking into pubs but it feels like it grouped lots of themes together and turned it into a masterpiece and that is why I recommend it

Clara yr 8 – Ardingly

I really enjoyed reading Truth be told because I really liked how Tara and Faith were so different yet really alike. The speech used in the book was really showing where they were from in a way. I really enjoyed how it was a non stop roller coaster finding out different things about their family.

Lotta

Sue Divin’s “Truth be told” is a seriously amazing read. It’s all about family secrets and identity, and the characters are really well crafted. This book is totally worth having it read. You totally get lost in Tara’s and Faith’s world. I highly recommend it!

Ana year 8 Ardingly

Truth be told is a great book because of the mystery behind how Faith and Tara look identical. Along their journey of discovering who they are, as a reader we learn a lot about the two girls and how even though they look the same they act completely differently.
Faith who is a girl from a protestant family struggles with coming out as lesbian to her parents because being gay is frowned upon from her background.
Tara at the start of the book goes through a traumatizing experience where she witnesses her boyfriend’s death via her phone.
Overall I enjoyed the story unravelling and the character development.

Lyla

I really liked this book as it was very fast paced but had a few unexpected turns in it. I also loved how it had some heart warming moments and also how you can see Faith and Tara’s thoughts and perspectives and how it shows how they talk and their accents.

Matti y8 Ardingly

Truth be Told in my opinion started a bit slow then became much more interesting after Halloween .
I think the dialogue was very effective and how there were different perspectives. The family drama became quite interesting. The relationship with Tara and Jack and Faith dealing with keeping the truth about her being lesbian from her parents. The ending is very sweet and provides a good and satisfying ending. Overall I think the book was interesting perspective on the aftermath of the troubles in Ireland. I would gives this book a 7 out of 10 Interesting story just slow introduction and start .

Finlay, Ardingly, y8

I really enjoyed Truth be told. I enjoyed the fact that it switches from Tara to Faith and so you get 2 different views and perspectives. It is very fast paced and exciting, there are many twists and turns in the book. Sue Divin has done really well with the story line, it is a bit like a mystery and an adventure book combined. I also really liked how she has made Tara and Faith so different yet so similar.

Cornelia , Year 8 Ardingly

I really liked this book I liked the differences between Tara and Faith but the similarities also I did really like the LGBTQ+ aspect to it I thought this book educated me on the conflicts in Ireland and feel like I learnt a lot. I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend to a friend

Pippa, Ardingly

I think that truth be told was an amazing book, it was the perfect mix of sad, happy, funny and I love how in Tara’s dialogue you can see her mental health improving ever so subtly but the changes from start to finish are drastic, all in all I would really recommend this book!

Ayla, Ardingly

I think that Truth be Told was a really good book, it had an enthralling title and I thought that the writing was really captivating because you could easily tell if it was either Faith or Tara speaking in just the first few lines of each chapter. I loved the different point of view in every chapter because it shows us more about Faith and Tara and what they are feeling. I loved that it was set in Ireland and that it looks into it’s history and although the beginning may be a bit off-putting to some readers, I thought that the whole book had a good plot and the characters were detailed and really well written. I thought that it was the perfect mix of ‘Derry Girls’ and ‘Parent Trap’ and I enjoyed reading it. The book is about two very different girls with very different lives that find each other and realise they have one thing that links them, they share the same face. I recommend this book to anyone that likes a good page-turner with twists and a journey where the characters find themselves.

Graham, Ardingly

This book was a high paced book with some touching moments. Most of these were very personal and made me think how lucky I am. It has made me think about how other people in the world are doing. Overall i have enjoyed this book.

Yashika, Ardingly

Truth be told was a great book and it just got better and better closer to the end. The twists in the plot started from the beginning and I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. At the start of the book, there was a lot I was trying to understand, but, I understood it much more as it went on! It was even better because Sue Divin came to my school!

Sophia, Ardingly

I think Truth be told is a brilliant book which is exiting with a great plotline, but it also covers really serious topics and taught a lot of things about Ireland and Northern Ireland, especially about the old conflict between Protestants and Catholics. I really enjoyed the part where Tara gave her speech with her art behind her, it was a really important moment, not just for her but for everyone listening as well, and I really liked the character growth that it showed she’d been through. The only part of the book i would change is the slow pace in the beginning, but once you got past that point it was perfect.

Zain, Ardingly

SPOILER ALERT⚠️
In my opinion I think this book was quite good. I liked reading it and learning about Derry and the two sides of Faith being Protestant and Tara being Catholic. My favourite part of the book is when they were doing the DNA tests to see if they were related and it made me want to read on and find out if they are related or not and when they firstly met. It also contained signs of LGBTQ because of Faith not sure if she was or not. I would recommend this to someone who hasn’t read it because it was quite interesting.

Ash, Ardingly

SPOILERS AHEAD!

I thought Truth be told was an amazing book, Sue Divin’s ability to create such real and tangible characters is extraordinary. There were a few bits where I didn’t know what was going on, but other than that I very much enjoyed it. I loved Faith’s story of finding herself and accepting herself for who she is and I loved that everyone got a happy ending sitting around the fire at Christmastime. The dual storytelling helped bring the story along and give us insight into the lives of both Faith and Tara. I would rate this book a 10/10 and would definitely recommend to friends.

Jess, Ardingly

Truth be told was a good read. I liked the fact that Tara and Faith were so different, which made a nice contrast throughout the book. The book had lots of twists which kept me reading. I don’t read a lot but this book was good, so I read it. My favourite character is probably Tara because I like the way she is confident and passionate about what she believes in. I also like the fact that the book tells me about the history of Ireland and what it went through in the 80’s and 90’s, I never knew before the book that anything happened in Ireland.

Harry, Ardingly

In my opinion, Truth Be Told is a good book, although it can at sometimes be a bit complicated to understand, it is filled with an interesting, complex context. I enjoyed reading this book as it got me gripped and wanting to know what happened next. I found the characters Tara and Faith very great characters, who are both very different in many ways. Overall, I enjoyed reading the book and would read another one by the same author.

Ryan, Ardingly

I finished reading Truth be told by Sue Divin. Before reading this book, I had no idea about the ‘troubles’ and didn’t know much about Northern Ireland. After reading this book and searching for information online, I understand more about what happened in the ‘troubles’. The book Truth Be Told is also based on Northern Ireland. As someone who lives near Hong Kong, I know that similar things have happened. Therefore, I understand the situation, but I was still shocked by her story in Northern Ireland when I read this book. I would recommend this book because it is not very long and also let us understand the history and conflicts of Northern Ireland in a story of two girl’s family.

Sophia, Ardingly

I think Truth Be Told is a very good book, once you start reading it you cant stop, as it is a very good page turner. I love how the book also talks about life in Derry as well which helps you get a better understanding of where the book is set. The book structure is also very cleverly set out how each chapter switches between Tara and Faith. I think this book is really well made an has a great storyline and i would definitely recommend it.

Jess

I think this book is a very good book which has a twist on every page which keeps you as the reader engaged. I loved how each chapter narrated the chapter as Tara or Faith, I thought that was a very fun aspect of the book. I also liked how it told the story of what it was like in Ireland at that time because it was very interesting to find out how people were living and the many struggle’s they had to face. I also loved how she made to characters so different, so every chapter was completely different. I would recommend this book to others.

Eva, Ardingly

I really enjoyed Truth be told. I enjoyed learning about the troubles in Northern Ireland. It was a very interesting read because both Tara and Faith live very different lives to me. I liked the way that more and more of the story unfolds the more you read and often it was hard to piece the pieces of the puzzle together. Overall, my favourite character was Tara because her character is very deep. I really like Faith’s character development as she became more comfortable with her identity. In conclusion, it was a brilliant book and I found it very educational.

Billy, Ardingly

Truth be told is a really interesting book which made me think of northern Ireland in such a different way. I would probably not pick this book to read all the time because it is really sad and really deep but as I said before it was really interesting. I would recommend this book to people who like mystery and A LOT of plot twists.

Overall I liked this book but at times it got a bit confusing and deep.

Hugo, Ardingly

SPOILERS AHEAD!

Two girls… Different lives, religions and friends but what do they share in common? The same look. How and why?
Teenagers from different backgrounds – Tara, the daughter of a two single parents, and Faith, the daughter of Protestants from Armagh. When they meet each other they know something’s off. But what?
The DNA test shows them that they are related and that everything isn’t what they expect it to be like. They are going to uncover things that they don’t want to.
Between them, they set out to unravel the mystery of their shared parentage. But their personal problems make it harder to unravel the mystery. Tara’s boyfriend is suddenly dead. Whilst Faith has to hide her sexuality from her strict parents.
This book is good but can get a bit boring in parts. In general it gets 4 stars.

Hattie, Ardingly

SPOILERS AHEAD!

Truth be Told is a very good book written by Sue Divin. This book is based in Northern Ireland and is about two girls that meet each other on a school trip. Tara and Faith. The characters within the book were faced with lots of personal problems such as Faith came out as part of LBTQ+ and lots of other parts such as them finding each other and knowing that lots of plots were happening. All of the character’s lives were hard and cruel. At the beginning of the book Tara’s boyfriend Oran committed suicide which left tara is a deep depression. Overall this book was a good read and filled with packed events which were thrilling.

Hannah, Ardingly

Truth be Told was most certainly a book that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. Following Faith and Tara’s journey and seeing how they developed themselves and helped others around them develop too gave me as the reader an incredible experience. This book focuses on many social issues based on real life events of which some are still taking place. However, the part that drew me in more and made me think was our main characters’ problems they had with their own identity and how they dealt with things. I saw myself in one of the characters many times and it was something I could relate to. I was able figure out some of the things that were happening, but many things came as a surprise. When I started reading the book, I did not enjoy it much, but after getting through a few chapters I couldn’t put the book as with each sentence I was wondering what would happen next. The plot had me hooked and made me see how the two characters were so similar yet so different. Overall, Truth be Told was a wonderful book that I definitely had a good time with and I would do anything to read it for the first time again.

Barney, Ardingly

This book is splendid though I did not enjoy the end. I enjoyed the rest of the book and how there are so many secrets between the families. This book also shows the difficulties of teenage life

Tristan, Ardingly

I really enjoyed truth be told because I thought that the author did well to combine the two worlds that had so much contrast. The plot was good too, every page I turned I was learning more and more and uncovering more secrets as the book went on. I also liked how the author blended genres into this book to make it really enjoyable for the reader.

Felix, Ardingly

SPOILERS AHEAD!

I think Truth Be Told is an engaging book which constantly has the reader on the edge of their seat. Throughout the book secrets unfold endlessly. For example, when we find out that Tara and Faith are half-sisters.

During the book Tara and Faith help each other through tough mental stages and assist each other with solutions for their problems.

Tara has suffered from the loss of her boyfriend and is living a dull life. As for Faith, she finds her sexuality during the book and realises she is lesbian. However, her parents are extremely religious and wouldn’t approve of this so she hides her sexuality for most of the book.

Later on in the book Tara and Faith find out secrets that have been hidden in her family and let out secrets of their own.

I think this book is great for people who like books that have constant drama and I would definitely recommend this book to others.

William, Ardingly

I think that the Truth be told book is about being who you are and that it is okay to be proud of who you are
and that she and her family had loneliness that she went and saved. I think that Truth be told is a great book for 13+ year olds!!

Charlotte, Ardingly

I really liked Truth Be Told. In the beginning I found it quite confusing how the chapters switched between Tara and Faith’s point of view but once I got my head around it it was a very good book. It kept me engaged the whole time and just made me want to read more. It has twists and unexpected turns to keep you on your toes the whole book. I would definitely recommend it.

Woody

I think that Truth be told was a really great book and I especially liked how the characters were shown as the chances of Tara and Faith meeting are very slim, but they did. Also I like how the book showed the other side of LGBTQ and also showing the Irish republic which really filled the book with more information about what was happening in their lives at this time. Overall I quite liked this book and the excitement it had during the middle and end of the book and I would also recommend this to anyone looking for an exciting and eye opening book.

Shota – Ardingly College

Truth be Told is an amazing book and is full of mysteries. It is about having your own opinion and also about solving mysteries about your family and history of yourself.

My favourite character is Tara, as she is a bit of strange character and her boyfriend died so she is going through a lot of things. She also knows nothing about her family so I would always try to guess what would happen next.

I personally feel that I also learnt a lot about Northern Ireland because it isn’t spoken about much in other places I didn’t know anything about the conflict and war and the different perspectives of the Irish people. I always thought that Northern Ireland was independent and that it was on its own, I think that I learnt many things from reading this book.

Overall, I think that this book is an interesting book and I would always recommend it to people who haven’t read the book yet. It gradually gets more and more interesting and I think that this is a great book to read.

Oliver B

I quite liked this book as it demonstrates two sisters working together to discover their identities, yet they are also coping different issues in their lives. Whilst he is portrayed as a terrible person (which he can be at points), I actually think that the Uncle to Faith is a great character as he shows the impact upon the young, impressionable people of Northern Ireland during the Troubles, and the guilt he had to live with afterwards. However, despite his alcoholism, toward the end, he begins to reunite with the family again, and gets a second chance. In my opinion, despite being quite minor to begin with, I think he is great.

However, despite the many different plot twists, themes it covers, and messages it describes, I’m afraid it wasn’t my absolute favourite. This was probably due to it not being my usual genre, which leads me to giving it 4 out of 5. I also think that at parts it could drag on, or the characters could go on unnecessary adventures which lead to the book being longer than I felt it needed to be to convey the message it wanted to say.

In conclusion, Truth be told is a great book for anyone who likes plot twists and romance, mixed with a bit of pride as well. It is also a great book about the conflict in Northern Ireland, and taught me about the human impact of the conflict. Great book, but not perfect. 4/5

Harry

In my opinion, Truth Be Told is a good book, although it can at sometimes be a bit complicated to understand, it is filled with an interesting, complex context. I enjoyed reading this book as it got me gripped and wanting to know what happened next. I found the characters Tara and Faith very great characters, who are both very different in many ways. Overall, I enjoyed reading the book and would read another one by the same author.

Corin, Yr 9

Truth be told was a thrilling book with action packed moments and areas where I just couldn’t put the book down. My favourite part was where all the family connections were revealed to the reader and I couldn’t believe what just happened, it was so good!
Overall this book is a must read to everyone in their teen years.

Rocco y9

Truth be told is a book about discovering your past and showing you that when you lie it will always come back to you. I think that it is a great read and once you start you can’t stop, its a very good page turner. I think I would recommend this to anyone who hasn’t read the book.

Lilly

Spoiler alert!!

In Truth be Told I really liked how the book went into the history of Ireland and Derry. I had no idea about all of that and I liked how it went into detail about the Catholics and protestants and how divided the two sides of the island are. I also liked how Tara and Faith had their own journey; Faith being gay and Tara dealing with trauma, over all this was a really good book and I would recommend.

Aaron

Spoiler alert!

Truth Be Told is a fascinating read. I liked the fact that Faith and Tara meet during the book and they work out they had the same dad. I also liked the fact how Tara met her dad at the end of the book as well.

Mai

Truth be told was an exciting book filled with interesting twists and turns. I loved the book so much it showed different sides of life, in Truth be told, we learn about two different characters, from different backgrounds in Northern Ireland while it represented LGBTQIA+++… society really well.
All the relationships between the families was really interesting.

Dhani

In my opinion I think that this book is amazing and it is brilliant for anyone who is looking to find more about the Irish and Northern Irish history. My favourite character is Jack as he was dealing with a lot such as knowing his dad is suicidal and he did not make a big deal about it. The book shows 2 different people with very different lives even though they are in the same region of the world. Although this book is amazing and I would heavily recommend it to many people but I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone under 10 years old as in the book it talks about serious topics and they could be immature.

Zach (Y8 Ardingly)

Truth Be Told is a great book about a girl called Tara who lives in Derry but has no man in the family and Faith who lives in Armagh but her family is very catholic. They meet on a trip and find they look identical. Are they relatives? Who’s Tara’s dad and where did he go?
This book includes LGBTQIA+, suicide, brilliant plot twists and romance all in one.
Personally I would rate this a 4.5/5

Toby year 9

Truth be told was an exciting book filled with interesting twists and turns. Two girls, Tara and Faith, are brought together. Besides Tara being a catholic from Derry and Faith being from a protestant family from Armagh, I really liked the character Jack because he fits into the story very well and brought Faith and Tara together. It also gives you a bit of Irish history and all the conflict between protestant northern Ireland and catholic northern Ireland. Overall the book is very engaging and interesting learning about the Irish conflict.

Mia, YR9, Ardingly

Truth be told is a very enjoyable read. Although the book is a slow burner the story has layers of family, religion, class and gender. It is so much more than a book about a protestant teenager and a catholic teenager. This book also contains the troubles of Northern Ireland, which would be enough to fill a book, but this book always has the reader guessing. It’s full of hope and humour, and with strong regional voices. The characters change and grow as secrets are exposed, with minor ones also being present .

Kate

I really liked the book Truth be told; it wasn’t boring, and it was very fast paced once you got into it. Even though the beginning was quite slow I did find it hard to read but around the middle of the book it was much better and I really enjoyed it.
This book was definitely very well thought out, everything that happened had a reason that later on linked into a different part of the book.

Madeleine

The book Truth be Told was interesting to me as I had mixed feelings,
I liked the plot of the book and how the two girls from different regions help each other to figure out the truth.
I like how Sue Divin used a LGBTQ+ in her book and also a suicide to add to the plot, this book also added in the reality which Ireland and Northern Ireland were going though. I did find the start a bit hard to get into but it was good overall.

Arina

I enjoyed reading the book “Truth be told”. I loved how Sue described two completely different people at the start and the only thing that makes them linked is their face. Later on in the story, Sue is making the two stories intertwined. I love the stories of the both characters- they both have their own problems and they both are trying to deal with them in their own way. Also, Divins is including a third character which isn’t a main one, but he takes a quite important role in this story. I haven’t read books for a long time, but this book took me into its own world.

Ivan, Ardingly College

I have mixed feelings on Truth be told. I and quite a lot of people find the 1st part boring. lots of people say the most interesting part is the suicide. I found the 1st part boring but in the middle, it started getting exciting. It’s interesting to see how Tara and Faith are forced to work together to uncover the truth and my favourite part is that the book finishes with the whole family at Christmas (although it isn’t Christmas but the 22nd but it’s the thought that counts). 4 stars from me. Great book but the beginning puts some readers off.

Eddie

In Truth be told, we learn about two different characters, from different backgrounds in Northern Ireland. We later realise that they’re not so different, as they embark on a plot twisting gripping adventure about how deep their family goes.

Faith is involved in LGBTQIA and we find out how strict some religions can be against it, and finally in this book the IRA is involved and it shows how the residents of Northern Ireland constantly live in fear.

In my opinion this book is very thrilling and it shows how two very different people can be very much the same, I thoroughly recommend this book and I had a great time reading it.

Charlie, Year 9. Ardingly College.

Truth be told by Sue Divin was a very exciting book to read. The book brought the reader into the book with thrilling plot twists. I found it to be very exciting following Tara and Faith’s story seeing where their discoveries might lead them. I also liked this book as it showed the religious aspects of the LGBTQIA+ society, the more extreme side and the more calmly approaching side. I really liked the character Jack and I thought he really fit into the story, bringing them together. I would recommend this book to everyone and anyone.

Amelia

This novel takes readers on a thought-provoking journey through the difficulties of truth, identity and the power of storytelling. Divin’s writing style is very engaging, drawing readers attention and keeping them hooked from start to finish.

The story explores different themes, making readers question their own perceptions and beliefs. The complex plot twists are keeping you on the edge of your seat!

Divin’s ability to create special characters is worthy. Each character’s lives are complicated, with their, strengths, and personal journeys. You can’t help but become attached to the book and the characters stories.

George

I enjoyed reading Truth be told by Sue Divin; I liked how Sue told us about faith and Tara’s story and how they met by being in the same cabin at a camp which was a 1 in a million chance. I like how the book was based in Northern Ireland which there are not that many books like that. I think that it is also good that there are more books that have the LGBTQ element in it.
I preferred Faith as a character as I read the book but I did enjoy Jack as he was quite empathetic . I thought that the book to me was quite slow starting but then when you read it a bit more it got interesting

Kuvertas Ardingly year 9

In my opinion Truth be told by Sue Divin is a decent quite advising and truthful book. I like this book as it does teach quite a lot about northern Ireland, how there’s two sides of religion, a extremely religious side and a LGBTQ+++ side and how they’re constantly protesting against each other. It also teaches me about the average life of a LGBTQ+++ 16 year old in northern Ireland and also the average life of an average 16 year old religious teenager.

Lizzie, Year 9 Ardingly College

I loved this book! I thought it was the perfect mix of joyful, emotional, and tense. The characters were perfectly thought out, and everything they did was perfect and really helped the plot. I think this book will help many people understand the history of Ireland, which is not talked about nearly enough. Personally, my favourite character was Faith because I thought she was funny, sweet and kind, but still a really interesting character. The plot of this book was incredible, and I really want to read more books by Sue Divin. I would 100% recommend to a friend!

Heather, Year 9, Ardingly

Truth Be Told was a really good read. It was exciting following Tara and Faith, seeing where their discoveries lead them. As I read, I tried to figure out what their future held. Some of my guesses were correct but some of the twists were unexpected, but wonderful. The dual narrative helped to show the two sides of the story and how they both reacted to the same events. It showed the differences and similarities between the ways they had been raised. I didn’t know much about the conflicts in Ireland but Truth Be Told was good at educating people in what happened while they read a really good book.

Luca, Year 9 Ardingly

Truth be Told was a great book, filled with twists and plots giving me a drive to read on through the book.
Personally before I read Truth be Told I haven’t read for a year so this book has really got me back into reading.
My favourite character is Jack because despite what happens he stands up for what is right.
He’s also a key part in the story -he brings Tara and Faith together because of his love for Tara.
A really great read , give it a go.

Lucy, Ardingly

-WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILER ALERTS –

Truth be told is a book about independence, being yourself in a world of restrictions and discovering truth about your past. It follows two girls on their journey of self-discovery and how they react and cope with tragedy. Their one link – the same face – takes them on a journey of how expressing yourself should not be discouraged and how it is better if the truth is told.

Tara, a born and bred Catholic Derry girl, loves art and running but struggles with commitment to her passions, while living in a family where the past is never spoken about. When her boyfriend commits suicide, she shatters.

Faith, from a rural protestant family in Armagh, is no stranger to difficulty. Her grandparents got killed in a terrorist attack when her Mum was only 14 and her mother has been living with depression ever since. Meanwhile, she faces her own secret of her PRIDE, which her family and church strongly forbid.

Together, they help each other in times of need and save their families from a life of loneliness under the secrets of a past never forgotten. This book shows how love, trust and honesty are key to not only surviving but happiness. It demonstrates how being open is a salvation in the darkest of times and how, no matter where in the world you are, division and differences will never tear you apart.