Cruel Truth

Disney Twisted Tales

by Jen Calonita

What if Anita and Cruella were best friends?

It’s 1953, and teenage Anita Weatherby and her family have just moved to a booming postwar London. While her older sister settles right in, to the delight of their parents, Anita finds their new school—and her academic rival, Roger Radcliffe—daunting. Nothing seems to be going Anita’s way until a glamorous, confident new student moves to town. Stella De Vil is haughty and aloof—but surprises everyone by taking an immediate liking to Anita. Swept into the luxurious world of Stella’s highend family fashion label, Anita soon finds herself the anticipated star of the House of De Vil’s next fashion show, where she’ll be modelling a family heirloom, the Weatherby diamond, and walking the catwalk with two adorable Dalmatian puppies to raise awareness for a local animal shelter. But when disaster strikes and the Weatherby diamond goes missing, Anita will have to decide whom she can trust before her life goes to the dogs.

Genres: Fantasy, Retellings, Young Adult, Fiction, Ebooks, Fairy Tale Retellings, Fairy Tales

372 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2025

About the author

Hi Goodreads!
I'm Jen Calonita, a MG and YA author who loves what I do because it lets me connect with all of you (and no, I wasn't intending for that to rhyme!).

I've been writing ever since I can remember, but it was fourth grade when I put my "three wishes" for a genie down on paper. They were:
#1. Buy all the Cabbage Patch Kids in the world and give them away for free (because apparently that was how I rolled).
#2. I wanted a mansion, limo, lake house, pool and speed boat (still sounds quite nice).
#3. I wanted to be an author for young readers, which I am!

I love writing novels for teens (and for savvy grown ups who know that YA rocks at any age). My first series was "Secrets of My Hollywood Life" and it followed a teen star named Kaitlin Burke who struggled with the fame game. I have also written the stand-alone novels Sleepaway Girls, it's companion book, Summer State of Mind and the Belles series.

I've been writing middle grade too and am having so much fun with my series Fairy Tale Reform School! The fourth book in this series about a school run by former villains is called Tricked and will be out March 2018. Ever wonder what it would be like if your parents got a job with someone like Taylpr Swift? My other middle grade series, VIP, follows super fan Mackenzie Lowell as she tours with her favorite band, Perfect Storm.

I promise to give book updates here, and on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or my website. I hope I hear from you!

xo
Jen

Reviews

[Laura]

can these all just release in every country :( i hate that htere are like 4 stuck outside america and i cannot find any info as to why or if they'll ever come here 😔

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was SO worth it!!! Definitely give it a try. Surely not a typical villain origin story which makes it even more enjoyable. How roger and Anita’s relationship formed and how they became close with their friend Stella. Another great one from my fav twisted tales author! Can’t wait for the next one by her!

[Annette · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm always really looking forward to new Twisted Tales stories and I was especially curious about this one. However, after reading it, I felt a little disappointed. The mystery appeared very late in the story, it was quite easy to understand what was going on, and it never felt like it added a twist to the original tale. I had also hoped that Stella would have been a little more likable, but it was hard to see her as a true friend. However, it was a quick, fast and easy read and I flew through it.

[Rita · Rating 4 out of 5]

NOT DULL ANYMORE

"You're only small if you make yourself small. And you should never make yourself smaller for anyone. Act important and you'll be important. It's that simple."

This book was well-written and engaging, with vividly shaped characters and a quite interesting mystery at its core (the theft of Anita's necklace at Richard de Vil's fashion show).
I loved how the author gave voice to two of the dullest protagonists of Disney movies - Roger and Anita from "101 Dalmatians" - and made them as much interesting as their antagonist, the infamous Cruella de Vil. Imagining a friendship between Anita and Cruella made it possible for the former to benefit from the latter's boldness and confidence while also showing all of Cruella's weaknesses and her human side.
That's why I'd preferred a better ending which reconnected with present events. This one, on the contrary, lacked a sense of closure and somehow neglected Cruella's figure, focusing solely on the happy ending reserved to Roger and Anita.

[Laura.has.too.many.books · Rating 4 out of 5]

* You can read this book as a standalone, no need to read the other books in this series.

Long before the events in the Disney movie, Anita Weatherby has just moved to London and is now trying the thrive on a new school. But making new friends in difficult, especially with her sister taking the limelight everywhere they go. So Anita is striving to be the best student in the school, competing with her nemesis Roger Radcliffe, but she stays lonely, until the glamorous Stella De Vil takes an unexpected liking to her. Swept up in Stella's luxurious world of fashion, Anita feels like she is finally settling in, until a precious heirloom goes missing and her new friend might be the one who has taken it.

Pro's:
+ The writing of this book is so engaging. It is not a high-action or dramatic story at all, but the dialogues are funny and the characters are interesting. This was a really solid story and I think the author did a great job with this story.
+ In comparison to the other books, this book felt more like an origin story and that was an angle we have not seen before yet. It made sense though and I feel like this book is a perfect tie-in to the original Disney movie.

Con's:
- A big focus of the movie was the story about the dogs and they even spoke in the movie. That was not the angle of this book at all, way less focused on the animal part and more about the human relations that lead up to the story. I'm a dog lover and would have liked to see more dog-action in the book as well, but I guess that did not work out with the timelines.

For a book about dogs, I found the amount of dog-action in this book surprisingly low, especially since I'm a big doglover myself. However, the angle of this book was very fun and I don't think the Twisted Tales series has a book yet that was more of an origin story than an actual twist to the story itself. The writing was fun and even though there were multiple POV's, it all worked really well in this story. Since this is more like a prequel to the movie, I can see why our favorite animal characters are not here yet, but I guess I was hoping for more anyways. This is a very fun and easy read and I will recommend this to whoever is an fan of the original movie too, such a great tie-in.

[˗ˏˋ christie ♡ ˎˊ˗ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5
just when i think this series can’t feel any more like fanfiction i get a 101 dalmatians rivals-to-lovers high school au

[Leanne Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this story. The plot was solid and interesting and it was really good to get an insight on Anita, Cruella and Roger. The only reason I’ve knocked it down to 4 stars is that for me it wasn’t really a Twisted Tale, it just felt like a backstory. Apart from the fact that Roger and Anita meet in the movie, this could have easily happened in their pasts. Anita and Cruella have some kind of a history and Roger despises Cruella so that all felt the same as the film. The other twisted tales are proper twists that go in a totally different direction to the story we know. This definitely wasn’t that. But a great back story.

[Tiffany Spencer]

Cruel Truth
As the book opens, the puppies have been returned, Roger has a hit song “Cruella D’Vil (and Stella-Cruella- is ok with it) and she’s been cleared by Scotland Yard of any dog napping (tho Roger thinks otherwise). Anita thinks more of associates she’d crossed path with of Stella’s. Roger is now working on a new song that will be celebratory of the pups return. Anita has been stalling on taking any actions in getting her book published but decides in the upcoming year 1960s she’ll finish her book. It’s said that Roger and Ania will be looking for a hound compound in the country.

Meanwhile, Cruella has been holed up at the Saville Hotel after her failed attempt to kidnap the puppies. She sees that now Roger and Anita have *all* the dogs. Immediately she blames Roger who was always the source of her down fall of a friendship with Anita. Five years earlier, 16-year-old Anita Weatherby lives with her mother, father, corgi (Madeline) and sister and attends Highbrook School. Anita’s sister is musically gifted. Her mother also always felt she could make it in Hollywood but her dreams were cut short when her grandfather lost his job and had to cancel her classes. Unfortunately, Anita is tone-deaf. Lizzie is trying out for Judy Garland’s role in the school production of Meet Me in Saint Louis. Mrs. Weatherby is more concerned about her daughters being popular. Anita just wants one true friend and to keep up her marks so she can get into college.

We hear about Richard D’Vile (the father of Stella D’Vil) who owns the up and coming fashion label “House of DeVil (which was started by Stella). Her designer clothes and unusual hair are all anyone can talk about, Everyone wants to be her friend but she keeps to herself. There’s some excitement at the Weatherby’s because an article has been published showing them all standing around a large diamond necklace and declaring them the wealthiest family in London. It goes on to talk about a trunk they found during cleaning out their grandmother’s house contained a jewelry box that held a diamond and a note Property of Hamish Weatherby, signed by King George II.

The paper says the necklace will be on display at a museum, but their dad’s associate Clayton Stimpton says that’s not exactly true. Mr. Weatherby wants to rent the necklace to people on special occasions but keep it in the family. But Mr. Stimpton says he received an offer they might not can resist from a man named Percival that might entice them to just sell the necklace instead. Still, Mr. Weatherby says no. On her way out, Anita is warned by their old fussy neighbor (Mr. Murdoch) about her father’s announcement attracting thugs and points out a tall and skinny one (Horace and Jasper).

Anita is with her sister and some of Lizzie’s friends about to get on the bus and Lizzie is talking about asking Stella to sit with her because now they have something in common. When Roger Radcliffe approaches Anita and starts boosting about the grade he got on his math quiz. Anita can’t stand Roger and unfortunately their teacher has paired them together for a project (that she mouthed off about and gave her the nickname “Annoying Anita”) Anita tries to assert herself but just ends up telling him he has horrible hair and he walks away. Leaving her sister to scold her for crying (causing a scene). Roger’s father is a well-known pianist and Lizzie doesn’t want her chances in the theatre blown for getting them in the bad graces of the Radcliffe’s. Anita just pushes past them and finds a seat in the back.

Stella finally makes her appearance but finds today the back seat isn’t empty. Some other girls try to approach her, but she shoos them away. (Also Roger whose given her the nickname “Cruella”). She tells Anita to move so snaps back if she wants to sit down then do that but she’s not moving. This intrigues Stella because no one talks back to her. She and her father have moved into the Seville from the country (after the war and after her mom died. They haven’t found a house yet. Then Anita goes on to tell her off for making them all late for school. Stella thinks who is this girl. She feels rage but she likes her moxie. So Stella sits down, introduces herself, and asks the girl for her name. Stella and Anita talk about the diamond (which Lizzie mentioned-being one of the girls that stopped her) and compare thoughts on what is and isn’t in a name and Reynolds News.
Stella isn’t much impressed with Anita’s sketches of dogs (horrid things) but the sketches of her outfits gets her approval. When Lizzie finds out that they talked about her drawings, she calls Anita a bore.

Anita finds herself #1 on the leaderboard, second to Roger (to her delight) and she wishes she could tell her parents. Stella also transfers into her English class and takes her seat right next to Anita. Anita and Roger offer to volunteer in Mrs. Norberts class to have their lowest grade dropped and get an automatic A plus to their grade. Stella volunteers too to Anita’s surprise. But the assignment is to join her at the Hampton House for dogs and cats that shelter them and find them homes. Their looking for a sponsor. Stella says she’s changed her mind but the teacher promises her it’ll be fun and says she’ll meet them at the shelter at nine.

Anita arrives at the shelter and finds Roger already there. He makes a point of letting her know they’re now tied on the leadership board but he’ll soon be in the number 1 spot because of perfect marks in math and English. Stella shows up and Anita learns that Stella and Roger have a history and they’re fathers might not be as well off as they seem. Alo, that Roger’s real name is Cornelius. Stella gets Roger to clean out the dog pans by threating to tell Anita about his father’s thing for dog racing. Two of the Dalmatians get lose and this frightens Stella who confesses to Anita the reason she’s so scared of dogs is that she was attacked by a dog while Roger ran off and left her there. Anita shows Stella how not to have fear but getting her to be calm while she holds one of the puppies in front of her. Anita admits that she also had a fear of being in London. Stella then invites her to dinner with her and her father. Mrs. Norbert mentions the idea of having a puppy fashion show.

At dinner, Mr. De Vile proposes that Anita feature the animals in a fashion show for the House of Devil. She’ll wear the black, classic, dress Stella choose for her to wear to dinner and he’ll get ordinary people to be in the show. He says she’ll walk with the dalmatians. She’ll also wear the Weatherby diamond. On the way out, the man what want’s to buy the diamond (Percival) comes by to speak with Mr. D’Vil. Of course, Anita’s mother is thrilled that she’s coming out, but Lizzie thinks she should wear the diamond first and that it’ll be at risk of being stolen. She makes sure to make Anita agree to boost her ego when she wins the part. Now she doesn’t think because of the attention Anita’s getting her chances are ruined.

Stella starts to study with Anita and her grades come up on the leadership board. Roger tho tells her Stella is just using her. He says she seems different (mouthy but confident) and he blames Stella for being a bad influence. Lizzie does get the role she went out for. As the night of the fashion show approaches, they find it’s not so easy to organize a show with dogs and cats. Anita also takes notice of how handsome Roger looks in his D’Vil custom suit. Anita finds out that Percival is at the practice and has been trying to get Mr. D’Vil to invest in his jewelry collection. Mr. D’Vil has named the Dalmatians in the show Norman and Belinda.

Stella agrees to open the show when a lead model is being difficult about the outfit choice and not being paid for the past two shows. There’s a moment when Anita upsets Roger after he points out Stella’s trying to use her again (when she asks for help with homework). Then she overhears a personal conversation between him and his father. His father isn’t happy that they aren’t getting paid for the event. Roger isn’t happy that his father is still gambling and mentions having to stall because his tuition is past due. Anita is caught listening. Not only does Roger’s dad take interest in the diamond, two one men (one tall one short) do as well but say they’re “security”. Anita notices them walk over and talk to Benett (Mr. D’Vil’s associate) and as they do the dogs start back up barking. Stella’s father starts to take more of an interest in the dogs. Not only does he name them, Mrs. Norbert gives him a whistle to train them and he keeps brining up hints that he might just want them. He even brings them home for the night.

Stella invites Anita over the day of the show to get their hair and makeup done privately in the suite, but she finds out the hotel’s bill hasn’t been paid-so no more additional services-. She first thinks Bennet hasn’t been paying the bills because he’s been stealing the money. Instead he tells her how her father has been struggling financially for a long time.

He hasn’t paid a bill in years and that’s why they came to London so he could start over. That’s also why he’s on the board. Stella gets free tuition if she keeps a B average. The clothing line is doing good but it takes a fortune to make the clothes. He says he made an arrangement with the hotel that we’d pay a monthly rate instead of a nightly one for the longer residence. He also agreed that in exchange for the lower rate, House of De Vil would shoot some fashion photos here, and now, of course, we have the gala bringing in people, but now the hotel bill is out of control with all the room service, the private car fees, the stylist bookings. They’re also losing Hell Hall. He makes Stella promise not to stay anything because he wants the show to go well.

Anita slips into the kitchen for a moment alone and Roger follows her. He explains a little more about their situation and tries to clarify that he didn’t leave Stella to be attacked by the dogs. He went to get help. He also says the dogs at the shelter got out by accident and he didn’t let them out like Stella also thought. He admits to Anita that his dad didn’t make a fortune and always saw Mr. D’Vil as a “meal ticket”. They both admit they’ve been competitive but they’ve each motivated the other to make the highest marks in school.

When Anita and her family look for somewhere to put the neckace on, they’re introduced to Percival by Mr. De’Vil. Anita finds out that Mr. De’Vil has adopted Norman and Belinda and feels sorry for Stella. Percival asks to see the diamonds and then offers to put the necklace on Anita. Dad mentions to be careful because the clasp needs to be replaced but he hasn’t had time to do it. Anita flinched. Mr Fauncewater’s hands looked sticky. As he approached, Anita noticed something gooey on his fingertips, and the odour wasn’t pleasant. It smells like dog food and makes her sneeze. He says its his cologne. When Percival leaves he tells them if they change their mind or want to loan the necklace out give him a call. The rest of the family notices the scent, but because of the clasp don’t have time to take it off and clean it again.

Before she walks out to take the stage, Anita calls Lizzie out for being jealous and tells her to get over it. Her parents hear and her mother reprimands her but she calls her out too on her messed up priorities and favoritism. Then she feels like a weight has been lifted off her shoulders and remembers Stella’s words about her worth. Anita is told by Bennet after she walks to come straight backstage and Percival will help her remove the diamond. Stella’s changed her gown to one of her own creations. A crimson red and strapless, the calf-length gown glittered from top to bottom, adorned with a handful of feathers along the hemline and a few around the bustline. For Stella, the dress was almost understated, at least before she’d accessorised it with an oversized saucer-shaped black hat adorned on the underside with black and white feathers arranged like a large bloom.

When Anita is on stage, she hears someone blowing a whistle and sees that it’s affecting Norman and Belinda. It’s the tall and short men. Then there’s a stampede of dogs unto the stage. Anita is knocked down and licked. Then she realizes the necklace is gone! Anita tells Mr. De Vil about the tall man and the short man she saw in the audience with the whistle and that she also saw them backstage and they claimed they were security but wore waiters uniforms. Mr. De Vil doesn’t want Anita to mention the men to Scotland Yard until he speaks to Bennet. Stella pleads with Anita not to either because it would ruin their reputation. Anita says if she doesn’t her family will lose their legacy but she agrees not to tell about the men.

Days go by and the necklace isn’t found. Some suspects are thrown into the mix. Stella says Bennet doesn’t know who the men were. She still doesn’t want Anita to go to Scotland Yard with what she knows. Stella says it could be Roger’s dad. Anita says it could be Percival. Stella doesn’t admit it to Anita but she’s wondering could it have been her dad. He’s acting more cheerful that he’s in the clear and he’s been spending time with the dogs. Could he have used the whistle to train the dogs to steal the necklace? She even knows Percival because he’s been to the hotel and just recently had a meeting with her father behind closed door, but she decides not to tell Anita this because it would just throw suspicion back at her father. Anita goes to the newspaper and with the help of a reporter named Hannah is given some interviews from one of the staff of the hotel and Benett himself that shows the De’Vils are having money problems and make them look like they had cause to steal the diamond.

Anita and Roger talk at lunch and discuss the suspects. He said he did some digging and Percival was suspected of theft last year but claimed it was a “misunderstanding”. And there were four other jewelry thefts. Anita says she told Stella about her suspicion of him but she didn’t believe her. She even wonders if he put the scent on the necklace to attract the dogs and one of them might have swallowed the necklace. Then they discuss the odd things going on around Benett and suspect that the two men were either working for him or Percival. So what if Benett and Percival stole the necklace to get the De Vil’s out of throuble. Then Roger gets the news that his father has been arrested for stealing the diamond. Stella finds her father about to leave to go to Hell Hall until things die down. Stella offers to go but he tells her to stay behind to “keep up appearances”. Instead, he takes the dogs.

Anita goes to Stella with her suspicion and even tho deep-down Stella knows it might be true just laughs it off. Anita says she’s giving her a chance to go to her father and Benett to get them to return the diamond so she won’t have to go to Scotland Yard. Stella finds out her father was in on the plan with Benett. So, she makes him return the diamond to be “found” in one of the dog’s pens. She makes her father agree to “downsize” and run the factory out of Hell Hall-where he’ll live with the dogs-. She meets Horace and Jasper (who work for her father) who’ll “return” the diamonds. The next day the Weatherby’s are told the dogs “extracted” the diamond and they verify that it’s the real diamond. After this Stella decides not to let a dog or a human get close enough to her to make her soft again and she cuts off Anita’s friendship. But Anita and Roger bump into each other at the park and walk together. Roger tells her since his dad was cleared he and his dad will be moving out of London to get a fresh start.

My Thoughts:
Even tho this wasn’t much of a “twist” I think I could buy this a little more a reason why Cruella hated dogs (because of feeling abandoned by her father and replaced by them) than in Evil Thing were she loses his husband and just seems to lose her mind and just becomes obsessive about making her mother a fur coat. Still a lil bit of a stretch tho to go from resenting them to wanting to kill them and skin them but… As stories go it wasn’t a bad story of how Anita and Cruella came to know each other and what could have happened between them. Yet, it’s kind of doesn’t fit how Anita and Roger obviously didn’t know each other at the beginning of the movie. But the was the only thing that didn’t quite work with this. I do think that these twisted tales are improving tho (with every new one I read).

Rating: 7

[onceuponamon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cruel Truth

🦴🦴🦴🦴🦴🦴🦴🦴🦴🦴
Rating: 🍄🍄🍄
180 in TBR List
47/25 in 2025

Format: 📱
Pages: 400
Days to read: 5
Song to go with: “I'm Cruella” by Nicholas Britell

Vibes: Young adult, fairytale vibes, movie to book, self discovery, Disney, legacy, happily ever after (HEA), duel POV, friends to lovers, new take on a classic, twisted plot, mystery, villains time to rise, fashion, family is everything

Review: I wasn’t overly excited for this one. I had just finished an insane romantasy and wanted something light. But I should never doubt Jen Calonita. Cause even though the content was light, Jen’s characters and dialogue are always so good. This was a cute prequel. I did enjoy it. Could have been expanded more.

[Cecilia Rodriguez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set in 1953 London, twenty-one year old Anita Weatherby reflects on her friendship with Stella De Ville.

This is a Twisted Tale of One-hundred and one Dalmatians.
There is a slight similarity to the recent live action movie starring Emma Stone

[James Wheeler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have always loved 101 Dalmatians, and particularly the character of Cruella De Vil. There are so many different origins out there for the iconic character, but this novel has a really fresh and fun version. But, the lead character, Anita, becomes just as interesting. She is so relatable, and her romance with Roger is so fun! But, the actual storyline is what really thrives. The combination of the original animated film with 2021's "Cruella" (I think that is the vision here), really works a lot! I only have some minor problems. But, overall, Cruel Truth is a fun novel with interesting characters, a great storyline that fits with the original film, and a great writing flow. The novel only suffers when trying to set the world in the 1950s, and some of the ideas/clothing described takes me out of it.

The characters of 101 Dalmatians are iconic, and everyone knows their history. As stated in the original story, Cruella went to school with Anita. We get to see that here! Anita, a smart girl feeling overlooked by her family, is picked by Cruella as a friend. And, because of this connection, Anita gets to close the House of De Vil fashion show. Through this, Cruella helps make Anita more sure of herself. This is the main arc, and I love it! It fits with Cruella, and also makes Anita more interesting. Anita, in the original film, is somewhat one-note. This novel makes her so interesting and relatable. She is still the most basic character, but as the audience POV, that makes sense. There is some interesting lore with Roger as well that I really enjoyed! Without spoilers, Cruella and Roger aren't as different as you would originally think, and their dislike of each other is explained. I also liked the other supporting characters like Bennett, Richard De Vil, and Anita's family. They were all flawed characters, which made them so interesting. These characters specifically felt the most likely they were from the "Cruella" film.

The storyline fits so well in the world of 101 Dalmatians, while adding a hint of Cruella. Like the 2021 film, a necklace is stolen and it is the main character's mission to get it back. However, this necklace is a priceless heirloom that Anita desperately needs. That felt so much like Cruella. Cruella (or Stella) herself was very much like the Baroness from that film. It almost felt like "What if the Baroness still raised Cruella", if you've seen that film. That is a great twist! I loved how Cruella was a bratty heir to a fashion empire. But, there is still some kindness that forms within her, which continued to make her interesting. There was also, within this, a sprawling mystery. There were so many red herrings, and I liked the reveal of who did it, and how that is revealed. I also love the idea of Anita being thrust into this world of corrupt elitists. It was very interesting. I also liked the secondary storyline of Roger vs. Anita at their school. That was very fun and it made sense. They are both very intelligent in the original film, and we see how that originally made them butt heads.

The only thing that doesn't feel right within this novel is that the setting doesn't seem as fleshed out. It was supposed to be post-World War II, but the effects of which are only slightly hinted at. I think it would've been interesting if we see how that affects characters like Cruella, who was forced to move to London. We see that they move because they want to be part of the rebuilding of London, but we don't see how the recent war affected our characters. Also, this story isn't really a Twisted Tale. This could've been the real history of our characters, but that's not really a big deal. The same thing was done with "When You Wish Upon A Star", and I didn't mind there. Both these stories were well-written, and both these films don't really lend well to a twist.

This Twisted Tale is my favorite of Jen Calonita's series offerings! She did such a good job of making this an interesting story that fits in the world of the original film. I wasn't a big fan of Mirror, Mirror and Conceal, Don't Fell (which may be because I'm not a big fan of those original films), but ever since "Go the Distance", I've loved her offerings! Her Disney offerings overall are so solid! I can't wait for her next in the series!

[Donovan · Rating 4 out of 5]

giving it 4 stars to be generous because i feel 3 is too harsh

This book is everything that Serena Valentino's Evil Thing should have been (I'm sorry Serena, I still love your mind and your writing I swear). It's a story that makes sense and is serves as a worthy WORTHYYYYY backstory/start of darkness for Cruella. Anita's character development thanks to Cruella and Cruella's development (even if slightly rejected) thanks to Anita was wonderful and heartwarming to see. It made the surrounding characters even more enjoyable as well. Like character development is contagious. It was AMAZING

I took off a star (almost two) though because..... how does this author live in a world where yes, a little girl CAN somehow be born with half white and half black hair and that's just that and that's just fine but somehow her having the name Cruella since birth is out of the bounds of reality??

I had to force myself to read it as Cruella instead of Stella the whole time because... like.... why change one of the coolest birth names in all of literature history? At some point I just started skimming/fast-forwarding to get the to point of the show then heist then resolution just to be able to avoid the Stella of it all.

Also the 'gimmick' bothers me a little. What if Cruella and Anita were friends.... they were. Like that's totally canon. It's even mentioned in this book that Roger says the very canonical line mentioning they were friends.
A better one would've been 'what if Roger and Anita went to school with Cruella' because in an ACTUAL twist, it turns out Roger and Anita didn't meet for the first time when Pongo orchestrated it at the park.

Another review said that this isn't TRULY a 'twisted tale' and more of a backstory like the Blue Fairy and Geppetto book was and while it's cool to see that sometimes this series will do that, and I DOOO agree there's not much twisting you can do with 101D and Pinocchio, it still would/could have been cool to see something more in line with the majority of the series' idea.

I did indeed love the story. I loooovvvvve a good heist, I LOOOOVE Cruella (CRUELLA) de Vil and I'll take anything I can get with her. If you can pretend that them being friends wasn't canon somehow and you're also not a huge Cruella-as-her-birth-name truther you will probably give this book all 5 stars.

[Roci_PlzP · Rating 5 out of 5]

Es 1953, Anita Weatherby y su familia acaban de mudarse a Londres.
Ella se siente intimidada por su instituto y por su rival académico, Roger Radcliffe.

No parece que nada le vaya bien, hasta que una estudiante nueva llega a la ciudad. Estella De Vil es glamurosa, segura de sí misma, pero altiva y distante, aún así, enseguida se harán amigas.

Anita acabará siendo la estrella del desfile de House De Vil, donde llevará una reliquia familiar (el diamante Weatherby), y caminará por la pasarela con dos cachorros dálmatas, para crear conciencia sobre un refugio de animales local.

El diamante se perderá y ella tendrá que decidir en quién puede confiar de verdad.


Es una buena lectura dentro de la saga "un giro inesperado", la vuelta del relato clásico le aporta más sentido y realismo a la historia, emocionando por saber, ¿qué pasaría sí...?

Este cuento retorcido nos muestra acontecimientos que se sienten a priori de la película animada de 1961, algo que no existía y que necesitaba ser puesto en palabras, pero con una retrospectiva diferente siendo fiel a esta serie Disney.

Me mantuvo muy interesada, resulta ameno y fácil de leer. La trama es fantástica y contiene suspenso tras cada capítulo, mezclado con algunas partes divertidas.

La escritura es fluida y los personajes están bien construidos, en esta ocasión, Cruella me enamoró.
Nos deja conocerla en profundidad, en su mente y corazón, presentando cómo fue su vida antes de su obsesión con los dálmatas. Ella tiene algo de carácter, pero aún no es muy malvada, y la historia del collar perdido recuerda al live action.

A través de la pluma de la autora, accesible, misteriosa y grácil, vemos a Estella, Anita y Roger, cada uno con sus propias dificultades a resolver, y cuando el diamante Weatherby desaparece, cualquiera podría ser el culpable, por lo que, se iniciará una investigación que resultará entretenida al lector.

¡Genial e increíble hasta el final! Me encantó el giro en la narración, mereció la pena leerlo y se lo recomiendo ampliamente a todos los que les guste Cruella y quieran descubrir una nueva y renovada perspectiva.

[Kryssy · Rating 4 out of 5]

What if Cruella and Anita were Best Friends?

Most of this book takes place before the main story. It surrounds anita and stella in school

So… why is cruella mean?? She was always mean to roger, hates dogs, and anita accused her family/company of stealing her family’s property. Which ended up being true. So why is cruella mean to anita?? We didn’t really get a huge change in character. Seems like this didn’t add anything to the story but still enjoyable

- cruella’s real name is stella but everyone has nicknamed her cruella
- Anita grew up poor but needed to impress. Stella is from a fashion family. Dad is icon
- Anita’s family has a sought after diamond that they rent out. Think cruella’s family would help them
- Stella liked how anita stood up to her so sits with her on the bus
- Roger is anita’s academic rival
- Volunteer with teacher at shelter for extra credit
- Anita is invited to stella’s place. She’s a permanent resident at a hotel. Questioned at the front about an outstanding bill
- Idea to bring more people to devil show and to adopt dogs… have models walk with a pet
- Roger tells anita that stella is using her for grades
- Stella learns of family money problems
- Anita gets ready to walk. Gets a reaction from one guy’s cologne
- Necklace goes missing after dogs trampled the stage
- Full on investigation. Questions training of dogs, possible dog whistle… what about the smell that was on the necklace??
- Rogers father was arrested for stealing the diamond. Has a gambling problem but was on stage the whole time
- Stella’s dad was the mastermind. He spent too much in his company. Stella doesn’t want to lose her father and wants a lavish life, but also cares for anita. Can’t screw her family either
- Father is moving to country to keep costs down. Stella is kind of mean to anita. Roger is not returning to school next year

REMAINDER OF VIDEOS TO COME

[Tanya · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh Dear, oh dear, oh dear! It is very rare, in fate, I think only one other time, that I have had to give up on a twisted tale book. This is not a twisted tale, it is a new novel featuring well.loved disney characters. Anita and Rogar have kniwn each other since both and hate each other. Cruella is at school with them. She makes friends with Anita and hate Rogar too. The first chapter does set the scene for after the dogs return but then it goes back in time and never reappears. So it seems a prequal with a dofferent beginning to what we know and love. Even Cruella's upbringing is different. It is over written, like seriously way to much unnecessary information and conversation.

#twistedtale #jencalonita #disney #autumnpublishing #crueltruth

[Jennifer Balash · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a let down for me. The writing felt clunky, and it was a lot of pages for very little plot (in fact, the entire plot was given away by the back blurb and the outcome was painfully predictable). I think there was a good opportunity here to flesh out a real friendship between Anita and Cruella but including Roger in the back story felt forced.
It also bothered me that the writing felt very 1950's, and not because that was the time period of the story. The author really harped on some '50s stereotypes to the detriment of the story and Anita's family as a whole was extremely unlikeable.
Definitely one of the bottom twisted tales for me.

[Katelyn Peel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great setup story wise. It showed where Rodger and Anita were at in life with Pongo and alllllll the doggies, while also showing Stella when she heard the “Cruella De Vil” song for the first time. Going back in time to show how they ended up becoming friends to not and then Rodger and Anita getting together. I also loved the subtle hints as to why Stella HATED Dalmatians due to her father showing them more attention than her. Overall I enjoyed that this story was more of a Flashback story versus a as it’s happening, it was a nice difference between the other 20 books!!

[Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd rate this book 3.5 stars.
I really liked how the book started in the "present" and then went back in time to explain their history.
I also really liked how the book showed that not everything is as perfect on the inside as it seems from the outside. Stella, Roger, and Anita all had money problems and/or family problems that no one else knew about.
I loved the mystery and crime solving that happened towards the end of the book.
I also LOVED Roger and Anita's love story. The banter between them was perfect.

[Hannah Hormell · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to love this book. Serena Valentino’s Evil Thing is one of my favorites and I was so hoping this would follow in the same vein. However, this was too much like the 2021 Cruella film and it just left a bad taste in my mouth. A tragic backstory revolving around dogs isn’t needed to make the character the one we all know. I also had an issue with the ending because it left such a gap with where the book began. I know this isn’t exactly meant to be a prequel, but if it isn’t why start the book where the movie ends and never catch us up to it?

[tortured.readers.department · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was good! I do feel like it could’ve been better though, but I really liked the plot. Also, DONT READ THE BLURB!!! It is such a spoiler, I picked the book up without reading it because I’ve read almost every book in the series. Then, I read the blurb out for my mom while I was in the middle of the book so I could tell her what it was about, and I feel like it gives WAY too much information! I would recommend to just read the “What if Cruella and Anita were best friends?” part, that’s all you really need to read to know what it’s about!

[Luke Henderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this twisted tale while I was at my grandparents house and I wished I’d picked up a different book. This one just didn’t fell like a twisted tale and instead felt more of a backstory to Anita and cruella. The writing was just stereotypical in most ways. And all and all I wouldn’t say it’s my least favorite book in the twisted tales series but it’s definitely not my favorite, I’d recommend checking out the other ones

[Ruthie S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

It wasn’t bad, although I wish it tied in more to the movie itself than simply being a flashback. Also, the crime happened near the end of the book, which made the ending as a whole feel a bit rushed and unrealistic. Some of the conflicts were resolved a bit too easily, but maybe that’s because it read more middle-grade than YA.

[Silke · Rating 4 out of 5]

When i saw this book was coming out i was afraid that maybe it would be a lot like Evil Thing by Serena Valentino. But luckily it was a lovely story on it’s own. It was a nice ‘break’ from some other genres. The Twisted Tales series is always fun to read. Makes me feel like a little girl caught up in a Disney story again!

[Patricia Sigmond · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did like the book, but to be honest this doesn’t feel like it fits in the category what if or twisted tale. It just felt like a backstory of two characters but there are more twisted books what if this happened instead of this in series, this doesn’t fall in that. Overall I definitely enjoyed reading it but lost stars because of part of series it doesn’t need to be.

[Worm of the Book · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love this one! I would have no idea that Anita and Roger were nemesis in the beginning. And for some reason I never realise that her name was Stella and that Roger made her nickname Cruella.

[Nuria · Rating 3 out of 5]

3'5⭐

No es el mejor, ni de lejos, pero me ha resultado interesante ver a los protagonistas en el instituto y entender el porqué del mote de Cruella, por qué Anita la defiende siempre y cuáles eran sus aspiraciones.

[Linsey May · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a prequel rather than a retelling, which I liked because there are so many variations out there lately of classic Disney and fairytales.

Nothing like the Cruella movie with Emma Stone, incase you’re wondering. A unique story

[serena 🎞️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

the cruelest truth hidden amongst the pages of this book is that stella and anita never kissed, not even once, not even a peck

[Nicholas Abdelnour · Rating 5 out of 5]

⸻
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ — A Stylish, Suspenseful, and Surprisingly Emotional Origin Story
Jen Calonita’s Cruel Truth is a masterclass in character reimagining, giving us a fresh, emotionally complex take on the origins of Cruella de Vil and her unexpected friendship with Anita Weatherby. Set in 1953 postwar London, this YA historical fantasy blends fashion, betrayal, and the seeds of villainy into a compelling coming-of-age mystery.
⚠️ Spoilers Below! ⚠️
The novel opens with teenage Anita Weatherby struggling to adjust to her new life in London. Her older sister fits in effortlessly, but Anita feels like an outsider—until she meets the enigmatic and glamorous Stella De Vil. Stella is everything Anita isn’t: confident, wealthy, and unapologetically bold. Their friendship blossoms quickly, and Anita is swept into the opulent world of the House of De Vil, a high-end fashion label run by Stella’s eccentric family.
Anita becomes the face of their upcoming fashion show, set to model the priceless Weatherby diamond—a family heirloom—and walk the runway with two adorable Dalmatian puppies to promote a local animal shelter. But beneath the glitz and glamour, something darker simmers.
The turning point comes when the diamond goes missing just before the show. Suspicion falls on everyone, but especially on Stella, whose behavior becomes increasingly erratic. Anita begins to uncover disturbing truths: Stella’s obsession with control, her manipulative streak, and her growing fixation on the Dalmatians’ unique coats.
In a chilling twist, it’s revealed that Stella orchestrated the entire fashion show as a cover to steal the diamond and frame Anita, hoping to ruin her reputation and claim the spotlight for herself. The betrayal is devastating, especially as Anita had come to see Stella as her first real friend.
The climax is a tense confrontation backstage at the fashion show, where Anita, with help from her academic rival-turned-ally Roger Radcliffe, exposes Stella’s scheme. The fallout is swift—Stella is disgraced, and Anita reclaims her voice and confidence.
But the final pages hint at Stella’s transformation into the infamous Cruella de Vil. Her final line—“You’ll regret crossing me, darling”—is a bone-chilling promise of the villain she’s destined to become.
🌟 Why 5 Stars?
Character Depth: Stella/Cruella is portrayed not as a caricature, but as a deeply wounded girl whose ambition and insecurity twist her into something monstrous.
Atmosphere: The 1950s London setting is richly detailed, from smoky jazz clubs to couture ateliers.
Themes: Friendship, betrayal, identity, and the seductive nature of power are explored with nuance.
Pacing: The mystery unfolds at a perfect tempo, with just enough red herrings and emotional beats to keep readers hooked.
⸻
Final Verdict: Cruel Truth is a dazzling and darkly elegant origin story that redefines what it means to be a villain. Jen Calonita delivers a tale that’s as stylish as it is sinister—and one that lingers long after the final page.

[Amy Maunders · Rating 4 out of 5]

I highly recommend everyone reads again twisted tales series. This book was really good. Gave four stars review. Enjoy!.