The Masked Truth by Kelley Armstrong
Publisher: Atom: Hachette Australia
Goodreads Summary: 
Riley Vasquez is haunted by the brutal murder of the couple she was babysitting for.

Max Cross is suffering under the shadow of a life-altering diagnosis he doesn’t dare reveal.

The last thing either of them wants is to spend a weekend away at a therapy camp alongside five other teens with “issues.” But that’s exactly where they are when three masked men burst in to take the group hostage.

The building has no windows. The exits are sealed shut. Their phones are gone. And their captors are on a killing spree.

Riley and Max know that if they can’t get out, they’ll be next—but they’re about to discover that even escape doesn’t equal freedom.
Rating: 2 Stars
Review: 
I'll admit that I struggled to read The Masked Truth. With every Max chapter, it was as if my vision blurred, and I had to resist the powerful urge to skip a sentence, paragraph, all of it. I don't know why, but I just really disliked Max's POV. I didn't hate him too much, but I disliked him.

The main thing that kept me going is my love for Kelley Armstrong and the positive reviews I read on Goodreads. Unfortunately, the alluring synopsis doesn't tell the true tale behind The Masked Truth. The above is also why I didn't DNF it. I was also hesitant to miss the possible great ending. Well, I was right. While I may have strong negative feelings about most of the book, I was genuinely surprised and happy about the ending.

Riley and Max as a relationship really didn't appeal to me. I suppose I'm just cynical, but even Kelley Armstrong had a hard time convincing me that their relationship was real and would last. I liked but didn't love Riley, same to say for Brienne.

My only real like about The Masked Truth is the villains. It was so twisted, brilliant even. Passing it off as hallucinating teenagers, their situation "real" but nonexistent. The title suited the book well, separation of truth and lies, so the truth was indeed hidden beneath a mask of lies.

I read a plethora of reviews whilst reading The Masked Truth, and based on that I think The Masked Truth is the kind of book that'll appeal to some, but not the cynical, doubting minds of people like me.
Purchase Location: Borrowed From Library
Edition:
Paperback
Buy the book:
Book Depository
Recommended for: Fans of a sarcastic, witty guy.