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Slags by Emma Jane Unsworth

This book is bold, funny, and completely unapologetic. I loved the sharp, witty dialogue and the way the story dives into friendship, identity, and modern womanhood. The characters are messy but relatable, and the humour had me laughing out loud more than once.

If you born in the 1980s, and spent part of the 1990s as a teenager than this novel will no doubt resonate in many, many ways.

From the (terrible) fashion choices, to questionable crushes on boys, and ridiculous obsessions with good looking teachers.

It's definitely nostalgic.

I have to admit though, that I did find it a bit of a difficult read at times. I found it a little bit disjointed.
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It was a good story nonetheless, but I did feel a little bit underwhelmed by it. Maybe because I was expecting a different outcome. Or maybe I just bought in to the hype too much!

I don’t think the marketing for this book has done it any favours. I was expecting a lol-filled strut back to my teenage days where I was obsessed with boy bands, make-up and my mates. Instead, this felt more grimy than gleeful and much darker than anticipated. It was well-written, but just a little too cool and edgy for what I’d hoped would be a lighter read.

Having read and enjoyed Animals and Adults, I had quite high expectations of Slags and unfortunately I felt that it never quite reached its potential. I don’t have a sister so perhaps I just didn’t relate to the central relationship, but I just didn’t care about either sister at any point. The chapters set in the 90s were very basic (I assume the author was trying to ape the voice of a 15 year old, but teenage Sarah just came across as even younger than her age, very childish and irritating to me!). I preferred the chapters where the sisters were older but despite some funny and poignant moments, I just don’t think this book delivered either belly laughs or an emotional punch, both of which I was hoping for, based on her previous novels. Therefore, I wouldn’t hand sell this but I would still recommend her first two books.

Although I was so excited to read this book, and felt like I'd be the perfect fit and it'd be full of nostalgia, it didn't somehow seem to hit the mark for me, and I felt it hard to get into. I think I may not have been the right fit for this one

Not my usual genre but once i got into it it was a great read and i likes the characters and the depth of the story and subject. Friendship, particularly female friendship in a book is one of the most joyful aspects and I love it.
Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Overall I enjoyed this book and wanted to see where the story went, but I just didn't connect with the story or the characters as much as I was hoping.

NET GALLEY ADVANCED REVIEW COPY 2.5*

Ok, cards on the table, I'm in my seventieth year, male and a step on from the lifestyle being described here...in short I'm totally not the right demographic for this novel, which is probs why I found it unfilling and ultimately unsatisfactory.

There were pockets of writing that I found fun but I also skim read great chunks because my interest was not being held.

I see that Margot Robbie is a fan of author Emma Jane Unsworth, but on this showing I'm not going to be...there appear to be a lot of readers giving the book high marks so, as in all the best break ups lets be clear, its not you, its me

I was provided with an advance copy of this novel on the grounds that I would provide an honest personal feedback

The story of two sisters and their escapdes on a Scottish campervan trip. For me it was an OK book.

This is a riotous and deeply resonant exploration of sisterhood, past trauma, and the messy realities of womanhood. Alternating between the boozy, campervan road trip of adult sisters Sarah and Juliette, and Sarah's turbulent 90s adolescence, the novel is packed with sharp wit and often painfully relatable observations. Unsworth masterfully blends laugh-out-loud humor with profound insights into identity, addiction, and the secrets we carry. It's a raw, funny, and ultimately moving read that fans of character-driven literary fiction will devour.

We follow Sarah and Juliette as adults off on a caravan holiday for Juliette’s birthday. As they travel they allow us small and gentle insights into their teenage hood and the ups and downs and traumas they went through.

This book is so wonderfully written. The dual timeline is really effective and engaging. You’re completely interested in both storylines and I felt that the reader is given just the right amount of insight into their past each time that you remain keen to engage in more but aren’t told too much that it’s predictable.

The potentially triggering aspects of the book are delicately handles and the sisters act as excellent foils to deeper discussions about womanhood, adolescence and intimacy.

Also the setting of Manchester was so lovely to read! The audiobook narrator did an excellent job and it was a beautiful depiction of a wonderful city.

I loved this book and have already recommended it to a friend!

Such a blast to read, plenty of twists and turns, laugh out loud moments and some deep thinking about feminism, family and tackling adulthood.

I gave this as much as I could, but I found it to be such a slog to get through. I put it aside at 50%.

I did not care for the chapters set in the 1990s, i know Sarah was a teenage and judge ye lest ye be judged but her and Nessa's actions were incredinly cringy. The looming grooming situation was also really off-putting.

I did enjoy some of the adult, present day action, but Sarah's actions here grated on me too. I could barely remember at times if Sarah was a recovering alcoholic, falling off the wagon, or a "functioning" alcoholic.

Overall, not my favourite read.

I did not connect with this book. Written about a woman who is just a bit younger than me, I cannot comprehend how someone has spent their entire life being so self-centred, both as a 15 year old girl and a grown woman. A woman who make stupid choices, doesn’t take responsibility, is actually quite unlikeable.

I assume the main storyline was supposed to explore the impact of childhood trauma, however, this felt more like a shallow dive. And the title, rather than feel empowering, felt misogynistic.

Not for me.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

EJU can't write books fast enough for me. Spending time in her pages is like spending time with your closest, cleverest, funniest and most annoying friend. Or in this case, sister. She writes about living in a female body in all its marvellous unpredictable grotesquery which makes the beautiful of desire in these pages all the more potent.

Emma Jane Unsworth’s novel poses the question what happens to women who haven’t followed society’s script? Sarah’s in her early forties, used to viewing the world through an alcohol-fuelled haze, she’s struggling with her decision not to drink so she’s burying herself in work. Her friends all seem to be married off, babied up or just tired. For them staying in is the new going out but Sarah misses their frenzied nights on the town. A road trip through the Scottish Highlands with younger sister Juliette offers a rare opportunity for Sarah to reflect on her life so far, the relationships that mattered, the ones that left stinging scars.

The account of the sisters’ journey’s intermingled with flashbacks to Sarah’s teens. The Gulf War’s raging, Britney Spears has just released her debut single, and Sarah’s obsessed with her English teacher Mr Keaveney. He’s a welcome distraction from a troubled home life. The teenage Sarah was firmly invested in the fantasy of romance and the right man as the solution for everything and anything. In her present men only offer opportunities for sex, and even that's rarely worth her time. Juliette took a different path, apparently content with predictable husband Johnnie and their two young children in a stereotypically cosy, middle-class home. But then Juliette reveals she too has doubts about her life and what comes next.

Unsworth’s story features some glorious instances of acid humour and wry observation. And it’s often convincing as an examination of the possible consequences for women of following, or refusing to follow, the rules. It can also be a touching portrait of sibling bonds, the shared cultural references, the shared yet divergent histories. The plot’s slightly meandering but that doesn’t really matter, this is more about secrets revealed, about disappointments and unexpected pleasures. Unsworth’s later attempt to instil a sense of tension that builds to an unexpected crescendo - when the sisters unexpectedly confront someone from their past – felt unnecessary to me. But otherwise, this was a surprisingly entertaining, often insightful read.

Come for the title, stay for the exploration of the complex sister relationship. Set over 2 timelines - the sisters as adults in the present day, taking a trip together, and back in the 90s, when they were teenagers and when reputations were born.

The love/hate /annoy balance is captured really well here, especially as the sister's life paths ended up taking very different turns. Highly enjoyed!

Spending time with an Emma Jane Unsworth book is a bit like a “great” night out in my youth, judged great because I usually can’t remember a thing about it the next day, so it must have been great, right? Now I'm older I'm not so sure I want to be spending my time on these one-and-done book ups, where I can’t remember the plot.

I’m thirsty for something I can deep it with, the ones that will change me in some profound way. Slags, wasn’t it for me.

We follow two sisters in a campervan on a fortieth birthday in Scotland. The book toggles between timelines following the sisters from teenagers to tragic-in-a-campervan.

The book suggests an examination of 90s slag culture, and the current opposing adult lifestyles of childless-by-choice versus married-with-kids. It’s just not that deep. So, is it funny and full of gorgeous nostalgia? No.

In summary: two sad women with a needlessly horrific animal death scene.

I feel like this book showed up late to the party, the cool people were already leaving as they were arriving. Had this come out six months earlier, maybe I would have been more excited, but as it stands its giving chicken and mushroom pot noodle.

Thank you for the arc of this book.

Slags follows Sarah and her sister Juliette as they go on a camper van trip for Juliettes 40th birthday. We also follow them at 15 in the 90’s when they were obsessed with boybands, getting drunk and their fit teacher.

I wanted to love this but I really just felt a bit meh! I don’t really get what the point of the book was? Parts of it I found quite funny but overall I just don’t really have many thoughts. It was fine.

3.5 stars rounded up

Slags is a bold, funny and emotionally honest exploration of sisterhood, sex - and the messy threads that tie women together. The dynamics between the sisters felt incredibly real, it was sharp, loving, complicated, and I was deeply invested in their relationship from the start.

The humour is spot-on: dry, quick and full of those perfectly observed in-jokes that make you feel like part of the group. There’s also a nostalgia here, especially for anyone who grew up in the '90s - it really captures that particular cultural moment in a way that felt vivid and familiar.

I was especially impressed by how the writing subtly shifted across timelines, those tonal changes felt effortless. The way it explores sexual relationships is often confronting, but also honest and grounded in reality. It doesn’t flinch, and because of that, it lands with weight.

That said, the pacing didn’t always work for me. I found myself waiting for a turning point, for the penny to drop… but it never really did. As much as I enjoyed the characters, the story itself felt like it didn’t quite go anywhere. By the end, I was left wanting something more - some deeper resolution or emotional hit that never arrived.

Still, it’s a sharp and engaging read with a lot to say and the content itself is brilliantly observed. One I’d recommend to anyone looking for something smart, raw and fiercely female.