This book is a difficult one to review as it’s starts out as one thing and flips by the end to something else. We meet a very young Charlotte through her first person narration of her first encounters with boys/young men. The writing is vivid but Charlotte seems to be less than she should be - she is most revealing in the chapters concerning her sister. As Charlotte gets older she seems to define herself through the relationships and sex so the reader doesn’t get her full character. The writing in places is so good but in others is repetitive - actually just like the book overall. I really don’t know what to make of this one, but think it would make a good book club discussion.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

Thank you John Murray Press and NetGalley for an e-ARC of this upcoming debut novel!

Set in Dublin, Bodies is a unique and dark debut, which I would be inclined to label a thriller, or a hate manifesto against men who hurt women. This book has an interesting concept and important message, with the protagonist, Charlotte, recounting all of her past relationships with (often toxic and abusive) men. Starting at the beginning of the book as a teenager whose life is dictated by the attention of men, Charlotte gradually understands how to take control, sometimes in very destructive and cruel ways. I also have to agree with other reviews mentioning that the writing is much better in the second half, but I wondered whether this was part of the character development of Charlotte: as she takes control of her narrative, the writing becomes more refined and precise. Sadly, Bodies loses some stars because I wasn't really able to connect with Charlotte, potentially because she only existed as a character when her men were "in the room." I didn't feel like I truly knew her. Despite this, I recommend this book to anyone who is intrigued by the blurb and I am looking forward to reading more by the author.

You'll like this if you liked: Boy Parts by Eliza Clark; Exile by Aimeé Walsh.

I'm still in a slight state of confusion over this book. I was expecting a kind of memoir/thriller in a domestic noir vein, but it;s not that at all. I would definitely like to have it as a book group read as I feel that there is a lot to discuss and many different views that people could have that would be good to explore. I'm left feeling unsettled by it and I think I'll be mulling it over for some time to come.

Interesting and different. This was a quick read. The almost dreamlike quality of the writing pulled me through so it was hard to stop reading. It was pretty dark which I love and had covered some difficult topics in a clever way.

Thank you to the publishers for the ARC.

Bodies tells the story of Charlotte, a young Irish woman, and her relationships with men, which do not go well. It touches on things outside of the men in her life now and then, but 95% of the focus is on men and the sex she has with them.

I came very, very close to DNFing it at 40% of the way in because of this. I remember being young and totally focussed on boys who treated me badly, but it makes me feel queasy when I do, and I'm very glad I've grown beyond that stage. Reading about a young woman who doesn't seem to have anything else in her life was difficult. I didn't meld well with the writing style, which is very self-consciously poetic to the extent that it became distracting to me. I wanted story, and there was very little.

At the point I'd decided to give up, I scanned some reviews and read enough to convince me to keep going. The structure and point of the book started to become apparent, and while I didn't end up loving Bodies, I'm glad I went ahead and finished it. What I'd thought was a somewhat insipid story of a girl obsessed with boys with scatterings of tragedy thrown in to force some depth turned out to be a different sort of novel entirely. Very dark, very upsetting, but eventually engrossing (although I never warmed to the prose style).

It's a story about female rage at the horrific ways men treat women. And fair enough. It's quite nihilistic in its conclusions, which I don't think it needs to be. There's a whole world out there for women outside of men, sex and relationships. The traumatic experience at the centre, which is drip fed throughout until we learn the truth in the end, did work well to ground Charlotte's rage, but the novel ultimately felt narrow. It felt very much like an imitation of Boy Parts, which covered similar territory much more effectively, imo.

It was short, so I don't feel like I wasted my time. I think it might have worked better as a short story. The points made could have fit within one.

I read this book in two sittings and really enjoyed getting into the narrator charlottes head. Based in Ireland as she grows up and reaches adulthood. The book was raw and unashamed. It focused mainly on the men and sex she has with them whilst growing up from losing her virginity, to two brothers, to affairs and everything in between. There was lust, not much love and a lot of lust involved and the book was quite dark and unhinged in parts which I loved. The book focuses on women and sex and how they are manipulated as well as able to manipulate the opposite sex. Power and respect are often involved and there is also a twist I didn't see coming. I liked this book and will be recommending to others.

I definitely liked the idea of this more than I liked the execution. There's some really interesting passages on sex and desire, and you can literally see the development in Foley's writing as it goes on, the final third blowing the first third out of the water. But despite the interesting concepts, there is so much here that just comes across slightly cliched or hackneyed. I can see this doing really well, regardless, but I can't help bemoan what could have been with such a promising initial pitch.

Bodies follows Charlotte through her early twenties as she explores and experiences relationships with several men, transitions through friendships and changes as a result.
Told unflinchingly through first person, this is one of those strange books where I can’t decide if I liked it or not... It hadn’t been at all what I’d expected, but instead gave me a raw and honest character examination full of her flaws and pain.

Both easy yet difficult to read, I still found it gripping despite the apparent lack of plot.
There were aspects of Charlotte’s story that I found far more intriguing to me far more than others. My favourite parts were the memories she shared of her sister, rather than those of the men in her life.

Though this book wasn’t exactly what I wanted, and it wasn’t something I loved, it’s easy to see why others do and will. Despite my feelings about this story, it’ll be one I think about often,

I wasn't 100% sure of the narrative style for this when I started (no speech marks really does send my brain into a spin), but eventually I got used to it. For such a short book, this packs a lot in, and the ending really saved it for me. I could see where it was going but to get there made it more satisfying, and still had me a little bit shocked.

after all, men are trash.

cw// rape, sexual assault, death, sexual content, suicide

A chaotic story filled with feminine rage, shame and toxic relationships.
Hard to read at times as you suffer along with the main character, hurting while watching her being treated the way she is.

There isn’t much structure to the chapters, often feeling more like chaotic stream of thought.

Raw and uncomfortable, I think a lot of people will find it relatable, particularly women.
Would recommend checking out trigger warnings.

A solid debut.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher 3.5/5 ⭐️

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book.

This dark and turbulent read following Charlotte throughout her life and key relationships both in friends, family and mainly her toxic relationships with men had me gripped. It’s a book of extremes but I found it relatable and a breath of fresh air to read.

What a ride and what an ending!! No spoilers but do check for trigger warnings if you need to.

Well this was a really different and a very quick read that I enjoyed but found parts of this a bit difficult. The story flows well and the characters all felt real I just felt at times something was missing and I’m not sure what but maybe that was just me.
As I have said overall I did like it and it was well written I’m also pretty sure it’s going to be a big hit but for me it was just an ok read.
My thanks to NetGalley and John Murray Press for giving me the opportunity to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

3.5 stars.

This book intrigued me as it sounded so different to what I normally read. From the blurb, I had thought it sounded a bit like chick lit with a twist, but the reality is, it’s far from it… and I’m finding it rather hard to categorise. It’s a book about women, misogyny, power, adultery, sex and complex, but equally relatable modern relationships. It definitely needs some trigger warnings, even though it somehow isn’t particularly an ‘explicit’ novel; despite this book being very much about sex with a capital S, the sex scenes are relatively matter of fact. This is not 50 shades of Bodies!

It reads a lot like a stream of consciousness, breathless intimate outpourings of the main character Charlotte, laid bare. The endless sentences and lack of structure were at first hard to get used to, but they’re created an authentic tension, which was very much how the whole book reads. The reader is pulled along, pushed around by the narrative and it’s jumping timelines, in a way that wasn’t always pleasant and created that unnerving sense of a runaway train.

There were however some aspects of the writing that I struggled with. For example, the repetition of ‘and’ in some early chapters, was just so grating. I get that it was a device, but it felt too easy an option and overused to such a point that I lost faith in the writing. This improved thankfully, and the novel does get more complex than its seemingly straightforward initial outpourings. The twist - well, I did guess it pretty early on, but it’s helps give the whole novel that extra level. It’s a short read, and definitely one that will grab the attention of millennials - at 50, I think I’m a bit older than what will be its age demographic.

With thanks to NetGalley and John Murray Press for an ARC.

Foley's writing is smooth, it's dark, it's delicious. I devoured this in one single sitting.

The narration has a confessional, stream of consciousness vibe to it which almost felt like listening to a friend ranting about the terrible men in her life. Every woman can tell a story of a man she or her friends have known who perfectly fits the profile of a Johnny, a Lar, a Kyle, a Con, an Adam. This shared acknowledgment between the reader and Charlotte solidifies our empathy with her in every male encounter.

I really ached for Charlotte as she stumbled her way through early relationships with boys and men who had little to no respect for her. Her own lack of self-worth, whether beaten down by these relationships or by the tragic loss of her sister, is heartbreaking. I wanted to jump into the pages and protect her. Even as glimmers of her secret start to reveal themselves I couldn't help rooting for Charlotte.

This is a raw, powerful read that I cannot wait to talk about with others once it's released.

Bodies by Christine Anne Foley felt like reading every early twenty-something girl's diary. The way the character centers their life around men and seek their validation was depicted with such raw honesty and familiarity that it was deeply relatable. Foley captures the internal struggles, the search for identity, and the emotional turbulence of young women navigating relationships and self-worth. Despite its brevity, the book resonated powerfully, offering a poignant reflection on how societal expectations shape our desires and actions. This short book truly packed a punch, leaving a lasting impression on me.

Imagine Sally Rooney's Normal People infused with the female rage and darkness of Eliza Clark's Boy Parts.

That's the essence of Bodies, a powerful debut novel that will resonate with every woman in their 20s.

The novel traces the trajectory of womanhood, exploring themes of grief, loss, abuse, trauma, and the shame surrounding female sexuality. It offers an astute commentary on rape culture and the social stigma linked to female promiscuity.

The anger and shame involved in the female experience burns right off the pages of this book, yet its moments of vulnerability and poetic prose perfectly convey the complexities of being a woman objectified in this patriarchal society.

I devoured this book in one sitting. The stream-of-consciousness narrative style provides honest, authentic insights that transports readers seamlessly into Charlotte's mind. We feel her emotions, experience her thoughts, and empathise with her desire for connection and love that competes with her desire for agency. While you will spend half the time sympathizing with her and the other half wanting to shake her, Charlotte is a complex, flawed and very real protagonist that readers can connect with.

Foley takes us on an unflinching, dark journey, presenting raw, uncomfortable moments that are unfortunately all too familiar to a female readership.

My expectations were far exceeded, and I look forward to reading Foley's future works.

With thanks to John Murray Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Wow. This book left me a little bit speechless in places - it is truly unlike any book I’ve ever read. It’s incredible dark and raw and weirdly I could relate to the main character in so many ways.

This book is a bit of a ‘f**k you’ to men and if you, like myself, have experienced cheaters, narcissists and all the arseholes in between then you will probably love this book. You’ll also find it unfortunately very relatable so definitely check the trigger warnings.

The short chapters had me gripped and the telling of each stage with different men was so well written I flew through it.

For a debut novel I am so impressed with Foley and can’t wait to see what she releases next!

I’m only new to the world of NetGalley but this has been my most highly rated read!!

Unlike anything else I have read before! A Dark and twisted journey of self-discovery through the eyes and thoughts of Charlotte. Following her many toxic relationships from teens through to her early thirties jumping back and forth in grief and anger trying to navigate the world around her. Often desperate to be wanted, yet alone. An inner turmoil. Charlotte's vulnerability and the impact of earlier trauma makes the reader question the way women's bodies are treated and mistreated. A raw, shocking and surprising dark read with an ending that was anticipated yet enjoyable.
Many thanks to Netgalley for my ARC.

I picked this book based on the synopsis and cover. The way it was written didn’t make for an easy flow of reading and causes some confusion. Its dark twist from around half way through was unexpected. This wasn’t one for me personally, but I can see it appealing widely. I wouldn’t let my opinion put someone off giving it a go.

Bodies reads almost like you are in someone's dream, and they are reflecting on their life and past relationships. It is a story that flows so naturally, you cannot help but get caught up

Slowly as the book progresses, you start to notice a few things and it is very satisfying to discover the end!