I finished this in a couple of days and in the main enjoyed it though I think people should be aware that some of the themes might come with trigger warnings of rape, year-end sex, teenage grooming etc.

With thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book.

I'm really not sure how I feel about this one. On the one hand it's an important story to tell and it did through up lots of food for thought but on the other I found the whole thing a bit meh. For me I don't think it went deep enough into the issues and the main character seriously tested my patience. She was so naïve and I'm not sure that that was what Jessica Moor was aiming for.

I've read other books by this author that I have enjoyed so maybe this was just a blip.

Honestly, I read this a month or so ago and I've forgotten what the main plot of the story even was. It';s a pretty forgettable story (clearly) and nothing about it stands out. It would probably make for a good beach read as something to just read and then move straight on from. I understand what it was trying to get at with the whole #metoo movement, but for me personally, I feel like it missed the mark massively.

Young Women is set against the #MeToo era. It’s a fascinating read, and it was interesting to take a look into the lives of Emily and her friend Tamsin.

Emily meets Tamsin at a protest march and they become friends very quickly. Tamsin is an actress who seems to be living a very expensive life. She owns a flat in Soho, eats in expensive restaurants and drinks in even more expensive bars. In contrast, Emily shares a small flat, and works for a charity that deals with women’s advocacy. Her life is very different, and she’s excited by what Tamsin has to offer.

When an actress comes forward to accuse a film director of sexual assault, Emily realises that Tamsin is involved in some way.

This novel looks at how women can be coerced into keeping quiet about assault and in this case, with large sums of money. We see how men have all the power, how acts of sexual assault by males are all too frequent and commonplace, and how women can make themselves complicit whilst experiencing trauma.

There’s a lot to talk about in this novel, and I think it would make an outstanding book club book. It would certainly create a great deal of discussion around both sides of the equation. All of the men are written as complication inappropriate behaviours around women, and the women initially take the money in exchange for their silence, only to disclose what happened to them later.

This is a brilliant book, I hope people will read it and discuss the questions it raises about our society as a whole.

This book and its characters are messy, and complicated, and I absolutely loved it.

What starts as a wry, observational tale about a young woman’s obsession with a glamorous friend, turns into a much darker, much murkier story. To say this book is about the MeToo movement doesn’t quite feel accurate. Much of the plot is about the sexual harassment and abuse these women have faced, all seen through the lens of the main character Emily.

Emily was a painfully relatable character. I saw both past and current versions of myself in her morals and in her flaws, and I know that will ring true for many other women my age. The two other main characters were Tamsin, an enigmatic actress Emily meets at a protest, and Lucy, her best friend from secondary school. Both of these women have been through significant trauma, and Emily – no matter how much she thinks otherwise – is not equipped to really help either of them. Over the course of the book we watch her reevaluate the things she thought she knew, and begin to view the world in a less idealistic way.

Nothing is truly resolved at the end of this book, and I really appreciated that. The book felt so true to life that if the good guys won and the bad guys got punished it would have felt hollow. But there are small wins for the good guys, and small losses for the bad guys, and both the characters and the reader have to be content with that. It’s also an excellent depiction of the pitfalls of white feminism. Over the course of the book, Emily begins to see quite how blinkered her view of the world – and of feminism – is, and it sets her on the start of seeing the world a little more critically, with a little more humility. (But only a little! This is the start of Emily’s adulthood, so we just get to see her take her first steps, which I loved.)

This book explores some really interesting themes, such as victimhood, the exploitation of victims in the media, and the responsibilities held by perpetrators, victims, and witnesses. It’s an ideal book club book; I want to get a group together to read this book so we can discuss in-depth how these ideas present themselves in this book! (So if you have read it, do get in touch!)

And finally, a huge shout-out to the narrator. Tanya Reynolds is an excellent actress, and no small reason behind my choosing the audiobook over the ebook. She brought Emily and all the other characters to life so vividly, and really added to my overall enjoyment of the book. I highly recommend choosing the audiobook for this one!

I received a free copy for review. All opinions are my own.

Found this to be a very hard read. It was a great insight into friendship, control and sexual abuse but was slow going for me. I also struggled to engage with the characters.
It was a brilliant insight into examining the abuse of women in the world of showbiz and how they look at themselves and continue on with their lives but this was not a book for me. A thought provoking read by a very up and coming young author.

Very thought provoking and pertinent in the age of #metoo. I’m this book is very sensitively written about how rape culture is in our society today and I think this is a must read

Boy meets girl. No, scratch that. Directionless, newly single and politically aware Girl meets hot and rich Manic Pixie Girl who loves wine: drama ensues.

I was drawn in by the title and the cover of Young Women, but its intriguing premise ultimately fell flat. I thought I was reading one story until a sudden and confusing change of narrative—from an exploration of female friendship against the backdrop of modern London into a wade into the waters of the #metoo movement (and the dilemma of having your silence bought).

Ultimately, this is the biggest issue with this novel. The author can write, but the novel is all wading and splashing around with no deep deep dive into the other topic. As a reader, I would like to see some seabed.

Thank you NetGalley, publisher and author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved KEEPER, and so had high hopes for YOUNG WOMEN, which it absolutely delivered on. Completely addictive, and perfectly paced - it got to the heart of modern female friendships deftly and through a compelling plot.

Beautifully written, compelling and thought provoking, I was drawn by the cover and blurb, not one I would normally read but I’m glad I did, im recommending this to my book club as I’d love to chat about this to others, thanks to net galley for the advanced copy

A well-constructed but (unsurprisingly) heavy novel, Young Women is set in London against the backdrop of the #MeToo movement, which has exposed and continues to expose perpetrators of sexual violence, assault and discrimination against women. Challenging and uncomfortable, yet believable and with an oddly cosy familiarity of the London setting which I really enjoyed, this is a novel that doesn't shy away from how much of a hold the patriarchy still has on our society and how far, despite the great strides of #MeToo, we have to go.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC.

I loved this book, it was so hard to put down once I started reading it and it's one that has really stayed with me. It follows two women and what happens when one is pulled way out of her comfort zone by the other. It also looks at sexual assault and so it isn't always an easy read but it's so compelling and honest. I love books about all the complexities of female friendships and this one was excellent! I highly recommend it.

Jessica Moor has written one of the most compelling books I have read in a long time. She writes about issues that are so important in todays society and and really makes the reader think about every word on the page. Emily and Tamsin are superb characters. This is a very important book and one that should not be missed.

Young Women is a twisty and explosive read that is impossible to put down. A read that keeps you on your toes as it delves in to the twisted friendship and explores all it's facets.

This was such a pleasure to read, rich, dimensional, morally grey (at times) characters navigating a world and situations, cherishing female friendship and how #MeToo affects us. Gorgeous, sharp novel, thank you for the ARC!

Young Women is a phenomenal novel on female friendship with well-developed characters, a gripping plot, and excellent writing. Highly recommended! Be sure to check out Young Women today.

Im nearly 50 so Im aware this book isnt really aimed at me- but Im glad I read it and think its a powerful story for all women, especially younger ones to read, and to notice what's happening all around, with objectifying women, sexual harassment and worse, as well as feminism, and activism. It is a strong well told story, and it will stay with me for a while to come.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. A good story and well told, though difficult material. This was an engrossing read and I’d recommend it.

This fictional novel covers a critical topic of sexual harassment, sexual abuse, and how women's bodies are sexualised during every aspect of their lives, including waiting for the train at a metro station.

Emily, the main character, is a lawyer working for a non-profit organisation helping abused women. One day, she meets Tamsin, a Canadian actress, after they both get arrested for participating in a global warming protest. The two women quickly become friends while the rest of the world tries to suppress their outrage over a famous movie director being accused of sexually harassing women throughout his career. The story hits even closer to home when it turns out that some people in Emily's life are also victims of sexual abuse.

While the novel is written very well, and all the characters are very likeable, I found Emily to be a little too foolish, too shallow and too carefree, for someone who supposedly is not only a lawyer but also works with abused women on an everyday basis. There are a few situations in which no respectable lawyer would put themselves in, whereas Emily just walks right into it out of her own free will. However, despite these few flaws, I found this novel an excellent read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Bonnier Books Publishing House for providing me with a free electronic version of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Young Women tells the story of Emily, a young woman who's fallen into a lull of Tinder swipes and her 9-5 job at a women's advocacy centre, and Tamsin, a mysterious and charismatic actress with a troubled past. Emily is quickly enchanted by Tamsin's independent and socially rich life, especially when she's trying to forget her own past experiences, but when allegations of rape and sexual assault come to light about a film director, Tamsin's secrets start to unravel and with them, Emily and Tamsin's friendship.

The main characters are fleshed out well, especially to the point of Emily's denial, performative feminism, and complete lack of self-awareness or foresight. I liked the exploration of power dynamics and what it's like to be a woman who dates men in a patriarchic society, and the discussion on rape and sexual abuse is at the forefront of this story so it definitely isn't a lighthearted read. The narrative paints neither Emily or Tamsin as 'right' or 'wrong' in the thematic discussions, which I especially appreciated in a topic that is incredibly traumatic and messy; there's never a correct way to process. With this in mind, I wanted to share this particular snippet:

"Actually, I think I'd better head off. Give you some time to process..." I waved my hand towards the door. "Whatever all that was about."
"I don't need time to process it."
I looked over to the hand that was holding her whisky and saw a row of four red curves carved into her flesh.
"I find that hard to believe."

While I liked this book as a whole, I kept thinking the story would go down a particular route to develop the two main characters' relationship with each other, but it never did. It felt like a book that exists to start a conversation or debate, but I found its narrative lacking.