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

Ruby Cooper and her sister, Erin, live an idyllic life in their close-knit church community in Boston. But when Ruby is sixteen, she is involved in an incident that causes her family’s world to implode.

Across decades, the fallout leaves a wake of destruction behind Ruby in Dublin and Erin in Boston.

Not that Ruby wants to think about the past.

But it can’t stay a secret forever.”

Hello and welcome to damppebbles. Today I am delighted to share my review of The Truth About Ruby Cooper by Liz Nugent. The Truth About Ruby Cooper was published by Sandycove on 12th March 2026 and is available in hardcover, audio and digital formats. I chose to read a free ARC of The Truth About Ruby Cooper but that has in no way influenced my review. My grateful thanks to the team at Penguin Books for sending me a proof copy.

Over the years I have read a number of Liz Nugent’s books. They’re always excellent, feature heavily flawed characters and unfurl at a compelling pace. The Truth About Ruby Cooper is no different. Although with Ruby, I do feel Nugent has taken a step beyond her normally highly unpleasant characters into something a whole lot more twisted. There’s something about Ruby that feels horribly off from the outset, and I buckled myself in for the ride.

The Cooper family are well-to-do, influential and respected. They’re also deeply religious, with Doug, the head of the family, the leader of his own church sect. Ruby’s older sister, Erin, is beautiful, successful, intelligent and has an adoring boyfriend in Milo. Ruby lives very much in her shadow, unable to hide her jealousy. When sixteen-year-old Ruby decides to take matters into her own hands, she makes a terrible decision with far-reaching consequences that will echo for decades. The deeply religious family is immediately split, with Ruby and her mother moving to Dublin. Erin and her father, with his church connections and business commitments, stay in Boston. What was initially meant as a temporary measure soon becomes a permanent arrangement as Ruby’s behaviour spirals out of control. Life for those unfortunate enough to cross Ruby’s path becomes more fractured, often beyond repair. And all the while, the damage Ruby causes only deepens…

The Truth About Ruby Cooper is a dark, unsettling novel that will put your emotions through the wringer and have you shaking your head in utter disbelief (but in a good way!). How can a character be this manipulative? This vindictive? How can it be that easy to destroy lives? Ruby is a deeply troubled main character. She’s highly unlikeable without a redeemable bone in her body. She makes a stupid decision at a young age that changes everything. The entire Cooper family is put on a different trajectory thanks to her brazen lies. But this goes so much further than just the Cooper family. Irreparable damage done without a moment’s hesitation, without a second thought. It’s powerful, deeply unsettling stuff.

A sudden move to Dublin takes Ruby away from the trouble she’s caused in Boston. But Erin remains. There to pick up the pieces and somehow work out what direction her life is now heading in. The psychological and emotional scars of Ruby’s actions run deep and across multiple years. This is particularly so for Erin. Although their sisterly bond was never particularly strong, it fractures beyond repair over the years. I found Erin’s accounts, and watching how her life had changed for the worse, particularly hard going. Ruby’s complete lack of concern for her sister, her refusal to return to Boston, even for the most important of things, was heartbreaking.

Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. The Truth About Ruby Cooper is a compulsive psychological drama featuring a deeply flawed, fascinating, morally complex character. If you’ve read any of Nugent’s books before, you’ll know that she is highly skilled at creating horrible people. She has surpassed herself with Ruby Cooper. The plot is well-paced throughout, with chapters mainly told from Ruby and Erin’s POVs and spanning several decades. This approach means the reader gets to see the echoing repercussions of Ruby’s actions from beginning to end. How the past can shape your present. How the truth always has a way of coming to light. Nugent does not shy from telling a tricky story. This is a shocking, uncomfortable novel which I can see fans of psychological suspense absolutely gobbling up with glee. You won’t regret it. All in all, a devilishly dark tale full of beautifully written but hard-to-like characters. Emotional, highly readable and utterly intriguing. The truth about Ruby Cooper? She’s really not a nice person at all. But I’m sure you already knew that….😉 Recommended.

I chose to read and review a free ARC of The Truth About Ruby Cooper. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

The Truth About Ruby Cooper by Liz Nugent was published in the UK by Penguin Books on 12th March 2026 and is available in hardcover, audio and digital formats (please note, the following links are affiliate links which means I receive a small percentage of the purchase price at no extra cost to you): | amazon.co.uk | Waterstones | bookshop.org | Goodreads | damppebbles bookshop.org shop | damppebbles amazon.co.uk shop | damppebbles amazon.com shop |

Before becoming a full-time writer, Liz Nugent worked in film, theatre and television. Her five novels – Unravelling Oliver, Lying in Wait, Skin Deep, Our Little Cruelties and Strange Sally Diamond – have each been Number One bestsellers and she has won five Irish Book Awards, as well as the James Joyce Medal for Literature. She lives in Dublin.