The Truth About Ruby Cooper by Liz Nugent

“If my sister hadn’t been beautiful, none of it would have happened.”

Well… THAT got my attention.

Ruby Cooper is 16 when something horrible happens — something that ultimately tears her family apart. And the further Ruby and her sister Erin travel down their own paths, the more impossible it seems that their family will ever be put back together.

And let me tell you… the things some of these characters DO.

My jaw literally dropped several times while reading this. The sheer audacity of some of these people had me absolutely GAGGED. And the shocks just kept coming.

What I found most interesting is that, despite being billed as a thriller, The Truth About Ruby Cooper didn't feel like any other thriller I've read so far in 2026. The shocks were… different. Unexpected in a way I really appreciated.

And some of these characters are genuinely despicable. I am STILL mad at some of them. 😂 But that's also a testament to how well Liz Nugent wrote them.

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

My thoughts on The Truth About Ruby Cooper:

If you're looking for a dark, messy story about sisters, family secrets and the fucked-up things that can happen in regular life, add this one to your list.

Huge thank you to Liz Nugent, Simon & Schuster Canada, Scout Press and NetGalley for letting me read this one early in exchange for my honest review. 

The Truth About Ruby Cooper comes out August 25!

Question of the day:

If something horrible happened to you during childhood, would you move away and NEVER EVER go back to that city? Or would you eventually want to return?