What a great book, especially in the current times. Bit slow to start but then the pace picked up and was hard to put down. Would definitely recommend this.

Anatomy of A Scandal was a fab read, one of my top reads for a long time. Sarah has a habit of hitting the bookshelves with a book that it timed to perfection in terms of the topics she chooses to write about. Reputation is a book that gives you a little insight into the lifestyle of MPs, and the pressure of it all. It is addictive, exploring tough themes like social media which makes it all very current. Essentially your life can be destroyed by someone hiding behind a computer screen. The relationships between working mother and child are examined, and as it turns to the courtroom, the pressure is ramped up. Not sure Anatomy will ever be beaten, but this is suspenseful and twisty to the end.

This was a great book, you felt really deeply with the protagonist – I'm sure every woman or female-identifying person has experienced such behaviour and felt such fear. Being a Sarah Vaughan I knew there would be some twisty-turny elements and they did not disappoint.

Unfortunately this book didn't fully send to my Kindle, and when I tried to resend it, it had been archived. Apologies for being unable to review the book!

I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I have read and enjoyed other books by this author.

The narrative follows the trial of a female politician,in present day London, accused of murdering a journalist with whom she has had a complicated relationship. The whole is much more this simple synopsis might suggest. Emma, as well as being a politician is a mother, a divorcee trying to juggle family and political life. She has a firm belief in responding to injustice but is somewhat single minded. I felt sympathy for the situations she found herself in and yet found it hard to like her characterisation. In contrast I was a fan Of Caroline from the outset despite her place as the woman who broke up the "happy" family

The author has a very easy on the reader writing style. It is apparent that writing succintly and clearly has been part of her life for a long time. The way this book follows a police investigation and trial means there is some reiteration of events and as time went on this became a little tiresome. There were parts of the narrative which I didnt' like, made me feel uncomfortable, but at the same time that just shows how the author creates the tension behind the events. The conclusion of the trial is followed by a series of revelations, none of which I had predicted.

I would definitely continue to read books by this author and feel this storyline would translate well to film or TV

I am a huge fan of Sarah Vaughan. I love her writing and her characterisation and her plots are always interesting. The world she creates is very believable and her knowledge of politics such a gem for this convincing book about an MP. However I found the second part (the court case) full of repetition of information we had already seen before and therefore found myself skipping the bits that I’d read before. I also found the plot execution/denouement lacking in weight and it felt a bit weak and rushed. .in saying that though, this was a highly entertaining read. Thank you to NetGalley for the arc.

3.5 stars
I am struggling to review this book as although it was well-written, interesting and I enjoyed reading it (which is the point really!), at the same time it was repetitive, over-explained, with too much going on. The contrived and rushed ending, with several clumsy reveals and unnecessary twists, was also disappointing.

I really enjoyed the author’s previous two novels, so I was really looking forward to reading her latest one, but I was a bit disappointed. First of all, I didn’t like at all the protagonist, Emma, an MP who sacrificed her family for her career and is victim of stalking, trolling, and threats. The first part of the novel focuses on this part of Emma’s life and I found it slow and often repetitive so I found it really hard to get into the story and this character. The second part of the story becomes more interesting, focusing more on court drama and with a few surprises and twists, so I enjoyed this part a bit more and I was curious to see how the novel would end. I enjoyed the author’s incredible writing style and the themes she explores were well-presented and informative, although sometimes they were hard to read (especially the effects of online abuse on women). Even though this may not be my favorite novel by this author, it won’t stop me from reading her future works.

A proper belter of a thriller, I absolutely loved it! Very contemporary with use of social media pile-ons, 24 hour news, fake news, revenge porn and lots of he said, she said. Fast-paced, fantastic characters, so well written I just devoured it. Emma is the central charcter, an MP campaiging to change the laws in relation to so called 'revenge porn' and campaigning for women's rights. The abuse she suffers with online trolling, physical risk during MP's surgery with the public and generally with the media is both incredible but wholly plausible, given what is happening in the real world. Her lifestyle, family set up, working pattern etc are all spot on. Brilliant plot, thoroughly intriguing and completely absorbing. Highly recommend!

reputation by Sarah Vaughan

Sarah Vaughan has become one of those authors to me whose books I will not miss. This is an engrossing portrayal of the destruction of lives and reputations and the role of politics, the media, society and the establishment in that. Who'd be a female politician?

This was intense gritty and fantastic. Twisting, dark and absolutely beautifully written, this book was unsettling, and kept me on the edge of my seat.

More than anything, reading about a politician from my local area, with the date stamps in the timeline so close to now, and talking about very contemporary issues, it felt very close to home. Clever, and written very very well.

Will definitely be recommending this to people going forward!

Very pertinent to our lives now, where everything we say or do online or in public somehow can be picked apart. Emma is a Labour MP whose star is rising; her face is getting more well known and she is keen to make a difference, She campaigns for new revenge porn laws, following the tragic suicide of one of her teenage constituents. The backlash that Emma gets on Twitter and elsewhere is phenomenal but she carries on, trying to make a positive change.
Emma's 14 year old daughter Flora lives with her father; she's having a tough time at school and makes a silly decision that might have huge implications for her and her family.
Mike is a journalist who has been working with Emma to support her campaign but finds out about Flora's actions and tries to investigate more

The three stories converge in a detailed indepth courtroom drama where we have to decide who is telling the truth and what are their reasons?
I really enjoyed the first half of the story where the action was building towards the crescendo, the relentless nature of the attacks on Emma felt brutal and violent and Flora's actions were almost understandable when you read the build up to what had happened. Im not such a fan of courtroom dramas and the constant to-ing and fro-ing, so that was a slower read for me, though I understand that it is a courtroom book, so what was I expecting! Well plotted and nuanced, and the book would make an excellent TV drama.

This novel was so good! It follows Emma who is an MP and a mother but she’s also a liar who is accused of killing a tabloid journalist. On the surface all is good in Emma’s life – she’s making a name for herself as an MP with her campaign against revenge porn but then her home life starts to unravel when her daughter is accused of the unthinkable. This leads Emma to want to protect her family no matter the cost and things begin to spiral. I found this novel to be so gripping, I didn’t want to put it down once I started it and I resented real life when it got in the way of my reading time! It’s a very ‘now’ novel with the revenge porn storyline but also the online abuse that Emma suffers purely because she’s a female MP. I wasn’t sure how things were going to turn out in this novel and loved that it kept me guessing until the end. I definitely recommend this one!

Loved this book- I thoroughly enjoyed Anatomy of a Scandal and this one was just as good. Beautifully twisty with a potentially unreliable narrator in Emma - fantastic read and highly recommended.

Absolutely loved this one.
Such a fast paced intense story, I couldn’t put it down.
Will absolutely be recommending to friends,

I devoured this compelling read. I loved that it's told from multiple perspectives. Hopefully it's a huge hit.

Didn't realize this was just the first chapter, but it is very intriguing! Looking forward to reading the full novel.

MP Emma Webster is the subject of trolling and online abuse. However, when her daughter, Flora, starts to be bullied at school and then a man is found dead
at the bottom of Emma’s stairs, things take a turn for the worse and Emma finds herself on trial for murder. It’s a did she/didn’t she scenario. She is determined to protect her family and her reputation at all costs.

I very much enjoyed this story. It’s quite a tense and suspenseful read. It really had me on the edge of my seat at times. It made think about how precarious life is, especially if a person is in the public eye - there’s nowhere to hide! It’s well written with some realistic and strong characters, not always very likeable I have to say. I found it engrossing, absorbing and thought provoking. And quite the page turner. If you enjoy courtroom style thrillers, you’ll love this one!

2,5 ⭐️

There comes a time in the story when the main character says “We will get through this. This is a mistake which you’ll learn from and then we’ll move on”, and that could be my inner self talking to me about the experience of reading this novel. It was quite the struggle! I have not read Anatomy Of A Scandal (maybe I’ll watch the Netflix show), but I read Little Disasters and, although it wasn’t for me, I decided to give the author another chance. Now I’ve come to the conclusion her books are definitely not for me. It’s not a question of the quality of the writing, which is excellent, but the delivery.

Reputation tells the story of Emma, a MP who’s drawing increased attention from the press and public after a paper feature and her try to push for some legislation to protect women from revenge porn. A silly mistake from her daughter Flora will unleash a situation which will end up with Emma on trial for murder.

The author doesn’t let you forget about the driving theme in the story, as the word reputation is repeated countless times. It seemed to be everyone’s main concern. I’m facing prison? Who cares as long as my reputation is intact!

During the first half of the story we witness the vitriol, hate and misogyny directed towards Emma just because she’s a woman in the spotlight. Although it was pretty accurate and disheartening, it was also quite repetitive so I didn’t feel the need to pick up my book to keep on reading as it looked like the story wasn’t moving forward. The second half is a typical courtroom drama so I enjoyed it more, although it also felt quite too long.

Emma is a pretty unreliable narrator so it’s not easy to determine if she’s telling the truth or not about what happened the night the guy died, and it won’t be after a verdict is reached that the whole truth will emerge with a couple of last minute twists (one more predictable than the other) that I’m still not sure how convincing they were.

Although sadly it wasn’t for me, don’t let my opinion put you off reading it as it was very well written and it has tons of glowing reviews.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster UK for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

MP and single mother Emma Webster works hard for her constituents and tries to be a good mother to her daughter. However when she raises her profile by taking on victim's rights she becomes the target of the trollers, abused and threatened to the point where she is terrified. Then her daughter reacts to her bullies in an extreme way and Emma must protect her at all costs.
This is the sort of book that I should hate and yet it is really hard to do so. The plot is manipulative and there are huge holes in it. Emma isn't exactly a sympathetic character at times and no-one comes out of the story well. The writing is adequate enough and there are too many twists. However it is also a terrific read in its genre and for a hit of this style it's great.