Charming and heartbreaking with first class characterisation. The story revolves around two people attending anger management classes for different reasons. They are drawn to each other through the man's young son who has PDA. I found this to be an extremely interesting story and love the way it unfolded, I wasn't too sure about the third voice of the son, I personally didn't feel it a necessary inclusion and tended to skim read those bits, all except the very last one, of course!

It's rare for a book of this genre to grip me like it did, the character development from page one is outstanding. I have goosebumps typing this review.
Emily, Jake and Alfie have my heart in my mouth as I read, beautifully written with an underestimated progression. The story telling by Rachel Marks is the best I have read in a long time. This story is so real and unspoken about its a breathe of fresh air to read about real life and the daily impacts on these characters. Three lives change, yes in unimaginable and beautiful ways, how Rachel Marks describes how the connections are built between the characters and how it doesn't always work out great makes this a must read book, and my no 1 Best Book of 2019
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I cannot stress enough how much I loved this book. I cared so intensely for each of the three main characters that I had a rollercoaster of emotions going on throughout! The description of Alfie and his problems in coping with aspects of life was spot on. I loved how Rachel wrote so sympathetically about Alfie but was also so real with the frustration and guilt of the people close to Alfie. The style of writing was just perfect, it really drew me into the story, I could not put it down. I absolutely can’t wait for Rachel’s next book.

Jake and Emily meet at anger management, neither of them feel they belong there. Jake is there because his wife wants him to be, in what seems to be a last ditch attempt to save their marriage. For Emily, these sessions are mandatory. Alfie is Jake's 6 year old son, Jake cannot fathom why his child, who never likes strangers has taken such a shine to Emily, as he finds her completely exasperating.

I enjoyed this book so much, such a wonderful combination of genuine hilarity and heartbreak. I wanted to hug Emily, Jake and Alfie in equal measures, I really found myself caring about these misunderstood characters. It's unusual for me to read a book narrarated by both adults and a child, but Alfie is a little superhero, wise beyond his years and the triple narrative really works. More than anything, Saturday's At Noon is uplifting and a wonderful lesson in compassion and empathy. I think it will resonate with anybody who has a child like Alfie, any parent who has endured those judgemental looks and comments from passers by when their child has gone into a full public meltdown beyond their control. I hope this book helps them to know that they're not bad parents, that their child isn't bad and that help is available, even if you have to insist on it.

Such a gorgeous book. Love, love loved Alfie, Emily and Jake and just wanted to reach in and hug them all. The alternating chapters for each character were great and the writing was excellent. A lot of heavy subjects came up and although there were moments where you didn’t always like Jake and Emily the author did a great job of making you feel for them.

It was very enjoyable watching the change and development in Jake and Emily’s relationship, with a little help from Alfie. I liked how it evolved from that prickly first meeting and the subsequent awkward encounters to something quite lovely and right. A really good read from start to finish.

This was a surprisingly compelling read with three extremely strong characters in Emily, Jake and Alfie. Jake is a very frustrated dad who struggles to cope with his son Alfie and is only attending anger management to placate his wife, Alfie just doesn’t understand why people don’t do what they say and follow his rules, Emily seems to want to keep the world away yet she forms an unlikely friendship with Alfie. To the world Emily and Alfie probably seem like misfits yet together they both bring out the best of each other. Although the book is based around anger management sessions the focus is very much on Emily, Jake and Alfie and the development and understanding between the three characters is what makes this such a solid read, it’s full of heart and empathy and Alfie is phenomenal. This is a fantastic debut and I wholeheartedly recommend it.

Loved this book!

Emily and Jake meet when they are at anger management classes. They don't make a good first impression on each other, but it is Alfie who brings them together.

I liked how this book was told from each of their points of views, and also from the perspective of Jake's son Alfie. They all have their own issues, but are helping each other more than they realise.

This book took me by surprise, I was expecting some light fluff but got a lot more out of it. Jake is going to anger management classes because of his short temper with his child. He meets Emily, an angry young woman with a skinhead. Jake's son has some behavioural problems but autism has been ruled out and he suspects he just has a bad child. I really enjoyed the representation of Alfie's behaviour and the frustrations shared by his parents. Emily is the only person who knows how to deal with Alfie and the relationship between them is heartwarming. I powered through this in a day and would thoroughly recommend. Well written and quite unique, I loved it!

I was intrigued by the premise of this book; a feel-good book where the two main characters meet at an anger management course - it sounds so wrong - but on reading the book it is 100% right!
Emily’s first impression of Jake is not a good one - and not just because the venue is an anger management course. Jake is short-tempered with his wife, Gemma, and son, Alfie. Emily has already met Alfie moments before when they bond under a table over a Bourbon biscuit. Jake finds Emily harsh, judgemental and in denial.
However, Alfie likes Emily. Alfie doesn’t like many people. Alfie doesn’t like much at all.. Can Jake and Emily tolerate each other for the sake of Alfie?
Such a superb debut novel. Could not put it down. Had to continue reading to see what happened, especially to dear little Alfie.
Thanks to NetGalley for a Kindle copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.