I started this book months ago and finally got around to finishing it. A collection of feminist short stories sounds great, and there were some real gems in there, which is what pushed me to finish.

The good ones were relatable and kept me thinking, for example the woman who was covered in bites from the build up of guilt and apologising too much. Also the women with the oyster was a lovely one.

Unfortunately too many of the stories just weren’t interesting or hung too much on fitting the title e.g. the woman who jumped on the bandwagon.

Overall a good idea, maybe could have benefited from fleshing out some of the better ideas and going for quality over quantity.

Being a collection of short stories makes it an easy book to pick up and put down occasionally. Some thought provoking stories and easy to read. Enjoyable, though not one of her books I'd say I've loved

Telling 30 stories of 30 women, though in reality, it is of many more, Roar by Cecila Ahern is a fiercely feminist short story collection which digs into the everyday tropes, culture and language that impact women. The stories employ the fantastical in order to make these ideas literal and expose the ridiculousness and folly of these concepts which underpin patriarchal society.

Standout stories include The Woman Who Slowly Disappeared which is a witty commentary on how society treats older women, and The Woman Who Had Bite Marks On Her Skin which captures the way women internalise the pressures of society. The best stories, like these two use elements of the fantastic to make metaphors real, simultaneously providing a sharp social commentary on how ridiculous these issues are, but also highlighting the very real damage they can cause.

Some stories like The Woman Who Wore Pink may seem a little on the nose if you read dystopian literature, however as a more mainstream contemporary writer Ahern brings different genres, from the fantastical to magical realist and dystopian to her readers. Some of these stories are even dark, with aspects of horror lingering behind the wit and uplifting messages. The premise is fairly similar across the 30 stories which could begin to wear on a reader but Ahern manages to keep enough originality in the different stories to ensure that they are fresh.

Overall this is a fun, surprisingly dark and witty and empowering collection of tales which will make you reflect on the language we use, certain situations, and culture and tropes specifically in relation to women.

This was an interesting and varied collection of short stories, some of them excellent and others less appealing or interesting. It's quirky and unusual and could make a good gift for fans of short stories. As with many short story collections, because I found the content so mixed I didn't hurry to complete and found it easy to put down for long periods.

Really enjoyed this collection of short stories by one of my favourite authors. Some of the stories are better than others. But the best ones really had depth, which can sometimes be lacking in short stories. It was easy to connect with the characters.

Excellent story, gratefully received and huge enjoyment in reading this novel.
A relevant, current tale with - as per usual from Ahern - a message that is so all important.
Entertaining, thought-provoking, clever and mesmerising. Great job well done!

Great collection of stories, extremely well written and covering a variety of different emotions. All written around women and very easy to relate to. Well worth a read.

Unfortunately, I have not been able to read and review this book.

After losing and replacing my broken Kindle and getting a new phone I was unable to download the title again for review as it was no longer available on Netgalley.

I’m really sorry about this and hope that it won’t affect you allowing me to read and review your titles in the future.

Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.
Natalie.

This wasn't for me. I liked the idea of it - 30 fiction stories of 30 women sounded interesting. I found the points made in the stories far too obvious and literal e.g. a woman with an actual feather brain, a woman wearing a ticking clock. I see the points she's trying to make though.

As always cecilia ahearne does not fail to make you love a book! I adore anything she’s writes and this doesn’t disappoint !

I started reading on a Sunday morning armed with a cup of coffee and my reading glasses and read for 5 hours loved every bit of it

I received the ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I picked up the book as the blurb said it was a fiercely feminist story collection, outlandish and hilarious with her astute blend of magical realism and social insight, but is not particular well written or feminist as the author slut shames and fat shames her own characters, not only to make the point of how cruel is the world towards women in general but she does it judging people who are having casual sex or being overweight as a part of a negative aspect of a women. In one of her “feminist” stories she even says (in a non joking way) “I’m a feminist a man hater and a slut” her character laughs implying that it’s true.
How can this be a feminist book when her characters have a very wrong idea of what a feminist is ?
Took me a bout two years to finish it as I hated it and had to stop but I’m not a quitter (but I’m probably a masochist) so I left it to the side packed it up few times and still couldn’t see any positives on her writing or story telling)
The style is describe as magic realism, I saw bits of fantasy but the magic realism isn’t properly executed.
This book didn’t make me “Roar” it made me yawn
Please don’t read this book

I have come to find the Cecelia Ahern has a knack for taking a story and giving it a strange twist. Roar is no exception. This book is complied of thirty stories about thirty different women that could easily be any one of us on more than one occasion.

What I loved about the book was the short stories/chapters. You could easily read a story a night and have a little giggle, smile or cry about some of the mishaps these women found themselves in. Each story was different to the previous and there were no cross overs of characters.

The majority of the stories were witty, funny, clever and sad. Cecelia Ahern has taken some good old fashioned sayings/concepts of what it is like to be a woman in the modern world and blown them up in a literal way! I could identify with a lot of these women and some of my favourite stories were:

The Woman Who Was Swallowed Up By The Floor and Met Lots Of Other Women Down There Too.
The Woman Who Ordered the Seabass Special
The Woman Who Forgot Her Name
The Woman Who Returned and Exchanged Her Husband
The Woman Who Wore Pink
The Woman Who Was Pigeonholed
The Woman Who Unravelled
The Woman Who Roared

The only downside for me was that I didn’t find myself as engaged as I had been with some of Cecelia Ahern’s previous reads. Some of the stories were a little boring for me and so I found myself skimming the page rather than diving in head first, fully invested.

A really interesting collection of short stories bars around women’s experiences through life, some magical and enchanting, some uplifting, some thought-provoking and relatable. I’m not normally a fan of short stories so I was surprised to find myself drawn to ‘just one more’, Many thanks to Netgalley and publisher for the opportunity to review a digital copy.

A great book of inspirational stories. Every woman in these stories leaves a lasting imprint. There is a wide variety of subject themes but I just love how they all encompass the ‘I am woman, hear me roar’ message!

I would like to thank netgalley and HarperCollins for a free copy of the book in exchange for an review.

This is a really clever collection of short stories that comment on problems most women face. The magical elements and putting men in scenarios that women face were enlightening. I loved the inclusion of transgender characters.

A delightful collection of short stories all about women, some very thought provoking. Would definitely recommend it.

This book is made up of 30 short stories, that should inspire you.
The stories were bad, thankfully they were short and I hoped they would improve but they didnt.
I didnt feel inspired at all. I felt happy when I got to the end.
There was probably two mildly amusing moments in the whole book.

Rated 2/5

A collection of short stories. which will reaffirm you and make you think of the way you live and view your life.

The author's voice and usual style of writing is there and very much welcomed.

A clever, entertaining mix of stories with a feminist edge. I particularly enjoyed 'The Woman who was Swallowed up by the Floor.'

I am not normally a fan of short stories but Cecilia Ahern manages to capture the reader in just a few words on every story. The stories themselves are uplifting & empowering, you connect with each Woman and their story.
A great read.
I was given a copy by NetGalley and the publishers in return for an unbiased review.