I have really enjoyed my last few reads from Liz Nugent, so was excited to read The Truth About Ruby Cooper. I think the first thing to say is that a few trigger warnings are needed as the book deals with a lot of serious issues, like sexual abuse, consent, addiction and generational trauma.
Opening sentence: For the second time in six weeks, I woke up with the wrong husband.
Who is Ruby Cooper?
While I know that Liz Nugent’s USP is taking unlikeable characters with dubious morals and giving us their POV, I did find Ruby Cooper a harder character to get on board with than others in previous books due to the way the story went and what was eventually revealed as her truth.
So, in said story we get POV chapters from Ruby, her older sister Erin and Ruby’s daughter, Lucy. Ruby and her sister grew up in Boston, America, with her pastor (and investment broker) father and Irish mother. However, after a traumatic incident when Ruby is a young teenager blows the family apart, Ruby and her mother move back to her grandmother’s house in Dublin, Ireland to help Ruby rebuild her life.
Ruby is estranged from her dad and sister, and develops struggles with alcohol through her late teens and into her twenties. As the story moves on, snippets of what really happened in the past are revealed and the seeds of doubt, for the reader, are sown so well throughout, so you are kept hooked and the drive to find out the truth keeps you reading. While you start to formulate ideas on the way the story will go, the ending still leaves you on edge.
‘It can’t stay a secret forever,’ she said as I drove her home. It was the most chilling thing she had ever said to me.
Ruby’s struggles are well developed but, as a character, I could not get on board with her and her actions, so while the overall book was engaging and well-written, I just personally didn’t enjoy this story. I was left with mixed feelings after finishing The Truth About Ruby Cooper.
As mentioned, I have read and like other Liz Nugent books including Strange Sally Diamond and Our Little Cruelties. I guess this is a classic case of not all books are for everyone.
- Thank you to NetGalley and the Publishers for this ARC;
- Get your copy of The Truth About Ruby Cooper here;
- Published by Sandycove 12th March 2026;
- 384 pages;
- My rating:
Books on the 7:47 