Thanks to Netgalley the author and publishers for a copy of this book. I don’t normally read short stories, not enough to get my teeth into, however this book was so enjoyable, the lives of women told in imaginative ways. I found myself smiling as I read it and would definitely recommend to others.

I have read several of Cecelia Ahearn’s books so, I was intrigued to get a copy of Roar as I have not experienced her writing short stories.
Roar is a collection of 30 short stories, all about women in different situations. They are in the usual style what we all love by Cecelia Ahearn but, they more thought provoking than the norm that I have read from this author.
I really enjoyed most of these stories from Cecelia Ahern. Each made me stop and think about each story and the experiences of each woman and recognise some of them in my own life experiences. But, I thought towards the end of the book, some of the story were getting quite silly. Shame as I would have given it 5 stars but this is a 4 star read for me.
Thank you Harper Collins and Netgalley for a copy of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollinsUK, Harper Fiction, and Cecelia Ahern for the chance to read and review this book.

This book of 30 short stories starts with the Epigraph: “I am woman, hear me roar, in numbers too big to ignore” by Helen Reddy and Ray Burton. I expected that sentence to set the tone for this book but it got off to a slow, rather than a roaring, start.

Having never read a book of short stories I didn’t really know what to expect but I was excited to read this book as I’ve been a big fan of Cecelia Ahern’s work ever since reading P.S I Love You many years ago. I knew this book was not in her usual style and admittedly I found the way some of the stories were written a little difficult to get to grips with at first.

This is a book of metaphors; all the stories have a physical context to how each woman feels about herself or her life. They all have a title that begins with ‘The Woman Who..’ and finish with things such as ‘...Slowly Disappeared’, ‘..Forgot Her Name’ and ‘...Was A Feather Brain’. The stories were well written, if sometimes a bit odd. I wasn’t sure if I’d enjoy this book at first but as I went on I found myself glad I’d persevered.

The stories cover a wide range of subjects from reproductive rights, transgender rights and acceptance, obsession with self, racism, sexism, confidence, and unhappy marriages. I suppose you could call this a feminist book but I think that undermines the topics covered and that while it is a book about women, it’s not just about women’s rights, it’s a book about humans and their rights.

My personal favourite stories were ‘The Woman Who Wore Her Heart On Her Sleeve’, ‘The Woman Who Grew Wings’,‘The Woman Who Walked In Her Husband’s Shoes’, ‘The Woman Who Blew Away’ and ‘The Woman Who Wore Pink’. Some of the stories made me laugh, some were emotional, some perplexing and some heartbreaking. The subject matters were a good social commentary and I think that while I prefer the author’s usual style, she has written about important issues in an inventive and interesting way.

I would recommend this book and having short stories means it is one you can pick up at any time and enjoy as much or as little as you are able. I would say don’t stop reading if you find you aren’t sure what to make of it at first. This book is a grower and is worth taking the time to read from beginning to end.

This book of short stories from much loved author Cecilia Ahern are all on the theme of female empowerment and the collection as a whole kept me glued to it until I'd finished all of them. I felt stronger for reading them and definitely empathised with most of them, especially The Woman Who Slowly Disappeared. Perfect for dipping in to when you need a lift of confidence and solidarity.

Roar by Cecelia Ahearn a five-star read you will want to shout from the roof-tops. What a collection of stories, I hadn’t read the blurb before I started this story I was just like Cecelia Ahearn I need to read this now, so I was a little confused at first, but then I realised what it was, and I was blown away by the power of the words included in this compelling read. Each story tells a unique perspective I read this between several others so each story was new to me, and I enjoyed it that way, I do think if you sat and read it like I normally read in one sitting it would be a little heavy, but reading each story individually brings a freshness to it. You need this book in your life, this author has a way with words that will mystify and astound you, sucking you into the story so hard that you won’t ever want to leave.

This book of short stories deliberately sets out to empower the women within the narrative. A very noble gesture but one that doesn’t elevate the quality of story telling adequately to make this a classic. Some of the tales act on a too obvious storyline although the weird sense of humour does work well at times.

As a long-time fan of Celia Ahern I really looked forward to reading this and it did not disappoint. The stories range from bizarre to heart-warming and LOL.. I’m sure most women will relate to AT LEAST one of them. It’s been a while since I’ve read a short story collection and it was lovely to have a beginning, middle and end without having to invest in a whole novel. Gives a whole new meaning to girl power and would make a fab gift for your Mom, daughter, Sister, BF etc. Highly recommended and my thanks to HarperCollins and NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Really great read. It takes you on a really great journey of different emotions. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

Roar is a collection of thirty imaginitive short stories about women. Each story centres around an anonymous woman at a different stage of her life copying with an every day issue or facing a challenge. I found some stories very relatable while others felt too bizarre. I think that every female reader will find one or two stories she will identify with, or at least recognise someone she knows who is similar to the woman in the story. The stories are a deliberately absurd exaggeration of a different situation, cleverly written and highlighting the strength and resilience of women.

Each story is unique, however, it did feel a bit repetitive after a while. I would recommend reading this over a longer time period rather than in just one sitting.

I really enjoyed the story of 'The Woman Who Forgot Her Name' and particularly liked the story 'The Woman Who Slowly Disappeared'.

"Women need to see women too. If we don't see each other, if we don't see ourselves, how can we expect anybody else to?"
"Society told you that you weren't important, that you didn't exist, and you listened. You let the message seep into your pores, eat you from the inside out. You told yourself you weren't important, and you believed yourself."

This was hit and miss, which is normal for me with this type of book. Some of them felt relatable and have a powerful message while others I couldn't figure out the message.
Some of my favourites were;
The Woman Who slowly disappeared
The Woman Who found bite marks on her skin
The Woman Who ordered the seabass special
The Woman Who spoke woman.

Cecelia Ahern has written a feminist collection of short stories which tells of women in all their glorious diversity.

Each tale starts with a title which begins - The Woman Who......

It is set in the present alongside the movement of #MeToo, and covers what it feels like to be a woman nowadays, a wife, mother or struggling as a refugee too. It touches on the real issues of equality and justice.

The basic things Women have to endure, such as birth control, the pressure of feelings of guilt, humiliation by others, the battle with aging and how we cope with the pressure to conform to the ‘norm’.

It’s an easy book to read as each tale is short enough to be able to dip into in a busy day, with plenty of humour. A good, thought provoking read.

I would like to thank the Author/the Publishers/NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a fair and honest review

Cecelia Ahern has taken a different direction in her writing with this feminist collection of short stories that celebrate women in all their glorious diversity with every story title beginning with The Woman Who. The book begins with the following epigraph:

I am woman, hear me roar, in numbers too big to ignore (Helen Reddy and Ray Burton)

Set amidst our contemporary movement of #MeToo, we have an exploration of what it is to be a woman in today's world, whether it is being married, being a refugee, being a mother and the fundamental issues of equality and justice. It covers issues such as birth control, the burden of guilt, humiliation, the folly of comparing ourselves to others, ageing and so much more. It is about shifting perceptions and overcoming obstacles and challenges. The stories are modern offbeat, humorous and witty fables delivered in small bite size pieces that can be fit into busy lives. I particularly enjoyed reading The Woman Who Ate Photographs, The Woman Who Sowed Seeds of Doubt and The Woman Who Was a Featherbrain. Not all of the stories will hit their mark, but a number are bound to do so. Many thanks to HarperCollins for an ARC.

This is such a fun book! I have taken time to read it as instead of hurrying to finish, I have enjoyed a story every few days when I have a few minutes to spare. This is the kind of book I wouldn't hesitate to give a female friend as a present and also have on a bookshelf or bedside to dip into again and again. Over time one would have favourite stories to reread and tell to others but for now I am still enjoying the fun and surprise of each one.

3*

This is a good read, particularly for young women and it has some excellent stories. Overall though, I found it to be repetitive in it's theme and so just didn't grab me as the author's previous books have done.

Thanks to the author, publishers and net galley for the opportunity to preview.

Disappointed.

It's probably me, but I expected more of Cecelia Ahern. The opening story is neither one thing or another, it's neither allegory or account. It tells a tale we can grasp the 'hidden' meaning of in 10 sentences, if that. Frustrating!

I read on and some were better than others, but only mildly. It's disappointing that there's not more intellect, more cleverness behind each one. I can't finish the collection, which is very, very rare for me. It's just a series of stereotypical situations women are living in with happy endings, but done in a bit of a twee manner.

It is because Ahern thinks that stories that celebrate women need to be somehow 'deep and meaningful' or literary in a way that most would see as above and beyond the normal? If so, that's a shame, she's a better writer than this.

Cecilia Ahern is the woman's voice in us all. These collected short stories are just pure escapism, each one a complete journey in a short space of time. Long enough to enjoy in one sitting and so complete and welcome. How enjoyable to open the book, read and reach a conclusion - and there it is laid out for you, the whole of the tale. Wonderful writing and stories so memorable. Highly recommended and would make a great gift even for someone who isn't an avid reader.

I admit, I knew i was stepping out of my comfort zone and trying something "different" to my usual genre with this book... Unfortunately, this didn't work out for me...

The book is made from short stories, each one about an unidentifiable woman and different stories. These are quite whimsical and although the message was understood I can't say i enjoyed the delivery.

For example, one story is about a woman who thinks her mirror is broken so she asks someone to fix it. She has recently gone through a divorce and the mirror now shows her as older and "unattractive". When the mirror repair man shows her favourable attention and places a red sticker on her arm and gives her a speech about how we perceive things, she then becomes happy with her reflection...

Not for me, sorry.

As I have previously enjoyed books by Cecelia Ahern, I was delighted to be offered this book by NetGalley and Harper Collins to review. However, it has confirmed my view that short stories are not for me. Some of the stories are bizarre to say the least and I do not believe that women generally need to read them to get their lives on track.

Like with many collections of short stories not everyone in this book was for me but I certainly enjoyed well over half of them immensely. Occaisionally the points/messages were a bit laboured but in a year where I've come to appreciate the short story and short novels this was a pleasure.

Cecilia Ahern’s Roar is a satirical collection of short stories centring around universally identifiable characters. Through her protagonists, Ahern explores and scrutinises the prejudices women experience in a patriarchal society. Feel the shame, the insecurities, the invisibility, the injustices these women feel - it will make you want to ‘roar’ with frustration, anger, but also for strength of character.