The beginning of this book feels more like "written for TV" than a novel, but it doesn't take long to turn into a hard-hitting story-line of outstanding originality. Set in right up to date times and against a brooding music background there are insights into the workings of broadsheet newspapers, searing descriptions of what it is like to be a female MP and the devastating effects of revenge porn. Totally impressive research leads to not only an unexpected ending to the book, but also twists and turns along the way, There are no pauses as each character takes the story along. An amazing, campaigning and fast moving story that yes, should be turned into a TV series. But don't miss the book!

A really solid addition to the genre; reliable, if a little predictable in places. Would recommend if you know what you want from this sort of book, as it definitely delivers that. A bit too similar to her last book, but if you enjoyed that you will probably enjoy this.

An utterly fascinating legal thriller describing the plight of a female MP whose entire life is thrown into turmoil due to the revelation of her past. With her reputation on the line. she literally has nothing to lose…

Emma is an up and coming Labour MP for Portsmouth whose ambition tempts her into Parliament and then into the pages of The Guardian supplement. Her 14 year old daughter is being bullied at school. Her husband has shacked up with the music teacher.

This is a compelling politics and courtroom drama with online abuse and misogyny running throughout. There’s plenty of tension and a satisfying twist or two that kept me hooked. There’s not a lot to celebrate about social media here and a first mention in a novel that I’m aware of of the Online Safety Bill!

Thanks to NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for a fair review

Having loved Sarah Vaughan’s previous two books (Anatomy of a Scandal and Little Disasters), I knew I would be in for a treat reading Reputation and it was absolutely fantastic!

Emma Webster is a well regarded MP and a devoted mother to her fourteen year old daughter Flora. But as Emma is about to learn, whilst a reputation can take a lifetime to build, it only takes one moment for it to be destroyed...

The opening had me hooked and intrigued as to who the man was lying at the bottom of the stairs, and I loved having this in the back of my mind during the first part of the book! We are then taken back in time to show the weeks leading up to this tragedy that Emma finds herself at the heart of. This build up provided real insight into Emma’s life and the impact of her career as an MP on her 14 year old daughter Flora. I really liked the alternating chapter perspectives in this regard as it meant we got to really learn and understand both characters’ lives and experiences. A spur of the moment act by Flora becomes such an integral part to the story too which I thought was particularly clever.

The trial at the Old Bailey in part three was my favourite part of the book as I just found it so compelling! I liked being able to wonder what I would think if I was on the jury hearing the witness testimony and the arguments put forward by both the prosecution and defence. I also loved the unexpectedness of the information revealed in the final part of the book. Even thinking about it now it was just so brilliant!

It’s hard to say anymore about the plot without giving things away but Reputation is such an eye-opening and thought provoking read! It is truly awful to think that real life MPs, just like Emma, can be subjected to such horrific abuse and threats (both in person and online) when they are just trying to do their job!

Reputation truly is an absolutely incredible book and I cannot recommend it highly enough!

I loved Anatomy of a Scandal and was hoping this one would be on par with it. Sadly this was not the case.. I found this novel dragged on and really laboured the points it was trying to make. So I didn’t care what happened to Emma and her daughter at the end. Just not for me. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

This is an excellent book if you enjoy a realistic story with characters you care about, insight into the challenges of life as an MP (which is sadly very topical after the death of David Amess), questions of morality and a courtroom drama. The books tells the story of a female MP whose life spirals out of control due to the actions of herself and others. Her character is well written, making her relatable and I found myself rooting for her throughout. This is a plausible, multi-dimensional and very enjoyable novel which held my interest until the very end and kept me thinking about it after I had finished it.

Really enjoyed this. Very topical subjects mainly seen through the eyes of the female MP who is accused of murder. Engaging, well written and interesting. Recommended.

Loved this book. Set in the political world this is the story of a female MP. Difficult to say too much without spoiling it but suffice to say there are a few of the twists we’ve come to expect from Sarah Vaughan., highly recommended.

I read this book in one day literally unable to put it down . to say I enjoyed it would not fully describe the experience of reading it as it left me feeling nauseous at times, sometimes excited , sometimes so appalled that if it had been a tv series I would have been watching from behind my sofa
the issue of the double standards applied to successful women in any sphere or work but perhaps particularly for those who choose politics is so carefully outlines in this book that it should. be required reading for all young ambitious women.
The level of stalking both in person and increasingly these days on social media can be at times stifling and often traumatic and Emma the politician in the story shows how this affects every aspect of her daily life .
I found one of the most chilling parts of the book the list of protective strategies she had to put in place to avoid personal danger , the thought of the 2 bottles of water on her desk in her consituaency surgery not to drink but for use incase someone decided to throw acid at her such a haunting image .Add to this the multiple other protective strategies it seemed inevitable that she was constantly in a state of fight or flight and something must go wrong . when it does it is tragic of course because this is a novel .
The author writes in a clear concise easily read fashion making the book a fast moving enjoyable read , I particularly liked her dialogue sections and the choice of language for the MP Emma really reads as true
Like many of the books I review I wouldn't necessarily have picked this up based on its blurb alone but am very glad I did and will be recommending it when it is published

Another great read from the excellent Sarah Vaughan, following in the fine tradition of Anatomy Of A Scandal. Emma is a respected and feisty MP who achieves things. She is also a loving mother. The story is cleverly told from the viewpoint of mother, daughter, ex-husband's new wife, and centres round whether Emma killed a political journalist. The trial is at the heart of the novel, and we must decide what the truth is. Fascinating.

When I wasn't reading this novel, I was planning time to get back to it. When I was reading, it was hard to put it down. The narrative is fast-moving, and I found myself caring very much about the main characters and wanting to know where the story was going next.

The subject matter is so timely, vividly depicting the trolling, threats and abuse directed at MPs, particularly women, bullying and teenage suicide, and the power of the internet to destroy anybody who speaks out for what they believe in or who commits an indiscretion, adults and children alike, which in the pre-social media age would have been far more effectively contained.

Emma's fear is palpable, and the confusion of her daughter Flora is heartbreaking. Throughout there is the sense that nobody can be trusted. The modern world can be an alarming and very frightening place and between the covers of this book I learned a lot about the precautions female MPs must take to protect themselves.

I won't say anything about the story, other than its twists and turns were totally convincing, and I loved the way the author tied up all the loose ends in the final few chapters.

100% recommendable.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for this ARC.

This is my second read by this author and I really enjoyed it. I thought it was quite slow going at first although I quite liked the main character Emma, who is a politician and very much in the spotlight championing women’s issues. Being a well known figure though brings threats, harassment and online abuse making Emma very nervous and fearful. When her daughter does something and the media find out the fall out from this lead to Emma being charged with murder and fighting to protect her reputation. I liked that the story was told through Emma, Flora and Caroline. I really felt for Flora who was struggling and facing her own issues and having to live with what she’d done.. I thought this was a very well written and engaging book with a good plot which had my attention from start to finish. I loved the court scenes which, for me, made this a very thrilling read. The story moved from past to present times so easily and raced to a final conclusion with all loose ends tied up. Overall a great read which I found very hard to put down.

4 stars

As a female MP, Emma does what it takes to protect herself from the trolls, vicious messages, rape threats, and potential stalkers. But when a man is found dead in Emma's house, a man who Emma had every reason to want gone, Emma's story just doesn't seem to stack up. As her personal life is picked to shreds, Emma's life is dissected for all to see, and everyone has an opinion. But is it her reputation Emma is trying to salvage? Or something even more precious?

I loved Sarah Vaughan's "Anatomy of a Scandal", and "Reputation" is along the same lines, a smartly paced, well written, and genuinely gripping novel. Courtroom dramas are not generally my thing - too much legalese and clever wordplay and not enough actual action. What I love about Sarah Vaughan is that she takes you into that world and drops you in the middle of it, so that you can almost smell the polished wooden floors and hear the whispers of the barrister's robes, and then lights it on fire - there are twists and turns and unexpected revelations, and you are never, ever sure which way the verdict is going to go.

This is yet another fantastic book from this author, and the only negative thing I can say about it is that it had to come to an end. Brilliantly written, thrilling, and disturbingly topical ,this is one I'll be thinking about for a long time. An easy five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher, who granted me a free ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

Sarah Vaughan writes spectacular court based dramas and her latest book Reputation is no exception.
Full of suspense, an intriguing well paced plot and likeable characters, it's a brilliant 5-star read.

Reputation by Sarah Vaughan
A wonderful, thought provoking read.
This book will stay with me for a long time . A must read for any parent.

Wow this was a new one for me as I’ve not read anything previous to this one, it was amaaaaaaaazing….!!!! Had me hook, line and sinker and I was awake most the night finishing it, I’m off to find more from the author as if it’s anything like this I’m in for a treat!

I found this to be suspenseful and a slow burn. It is told in lots of different peoples points of views, however, it is easy to follow even when it goes back and forth with timelines. In each chapter we are given a little bit more information which left me wanting to read on to find out what happened. It all led very nicely to the ending, which was very satisfying.

This was very well written and gets you thinking about what you might do if you were found to be in the same situation.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I reviewed Reputation for LoveReading.co.uk and the review can be found on the website. The book has been chosen as a Liz Robinson Pick of the Month.

Many like me really enjoyed Anatomy of a Scandal which is being developed as a series for Netflix, but now Sarah Vaughan with another political thriller Reputation (Simon & Schuster) which is due out in hardback on 3rd March and this I can highly recommend.

Now here is a book a really struggled to leave alone for very long, the story of Emma Webster who is an MP, she is dedicated to her role since becoming elected and also away from her position she is a devoted mother, but what happens when you life is turned upside down when you are a serving Member of Parliament and you feature in a major weekend newspaper with a photograph that seems to incite some on social media let alone some in her own party. There are threats made to her life, and there is even a bottle of water kept on her desk when she holds meetings back in her constituency in case of acid attacks. Some think Emma is fair game, and some take it to the extreme.

There is a real sense of claustrophobia when you are reading the story of Emma’s life, she is in constant fear of being followed even when she is cycling home. But then the story really reaches even new hights when a man dies, and Emma is implicated in the death of the man. What follows is a real tense courtroom drama, but just who is telling the truth?

Sarah Vaughan writes superbly and sets the scene as the drama plays out in court like you are part of the jury. Innocent or guilty you decide when you read for yourself. This is gripping and compelling drama and at times disturbing and makes for uncomfortable reading. There are many themes being discussed within Reputation that include harassment and bullying it is very much a timely novel for the days in which we are living in.

I cannot recommend highly enough how Sarah Vaughan not only creates the settings and scenes in the novels she writes but also how she creates her characters, and this makes for powerful reading. And I for one am pleased I have.