Slags

This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I really wasn’t sure what to expect.
It’s a story of two sisters Sarah & Juliette who go off on a road trip for Juliette’s birthday.
It appealed to me as the marketing around this book focussed on 90s nostalgia. I grew up in the 90s and thought this book would really resonate with me.
It’s told from Sarah, the older sibling’s point of view. Back in the late 90s when she is 15 and now in her early 40s. I so desperately wanted to relate to Sarah age 15, but I couldn’t quite manage it. I don’t think this is necessarily down to the writing - but maybe down to the kind of 15 year old I was. Sarah age 15 seems both naive and far too old for her years. Which maybe is a reflection of how we all are at 15.
It’s a story of sibling rivalry and the relationship only sisters can understand, a story of longing for our youth, fixing past mistakes and understanding why we are who we are.
It’s an interesting read and I did enjoy it. I look forward to reading more of the author’s work and have already purchased Adults.

4.5 stars. This was an amazing book full of triggers back to my teenage years in the 90’s. The necking of booze and smoking of fags, the obsession with bands and trying on adulthood for the first time - thinking it fit like a glove but really it was three sizes too big. The assault course that was secondary school, and whether you were cool or were going to get your head kicked in on the way home. Late childhood really is a thing the be survived and this book captured that excellently.
The realisation that something bad was contained within the pages hit me early and kept gnawing away at me, making me feel as queasy as overdoing it on the Bacardi Breezers used to. It was the very epitome of not being able to look away at a car crash, I didn’t want to know but I had to find out because I was so hooked on Sarah and Juliette. That’s not to say that the book is a misery memoir, far from it, it’s just so bitingly raw and honest. That doesn’t also mean that it’s full of the type of dialogue and humour that you’ll engage in with your close friends and siblings. The exploration of the sisterly relationship is achingly realistic and so enjoyable to read.
Absolutely recommended to anyone who grew up in the 90’s or early 00’s, or just wishes they did. Top marks for the cover too!

Of course, the title and the cover of this book grabbed me immediately. It immediately gave me 90s vibes and threw me back to my teenage years and I was hoping to capture those memories and feelings whilst reading.

I would say that this book did achieve that, however I did wanted a little more 90s from it I think. The story was told via dual timelines, when Sarah was 15 and Sarah in her 40s. I preferred the teenage chapters but that's not to say that her adult years weren't interesting. I think I just went in with a pre-conception which I shouldn't have.

The teenage years were angsty, promiscuous (or fake promiscuous) and in so many ways held a mirror up to my own youth. Sarah (I mean, hello, first common thread!) had a younger sister and they had a very similar relationship that I had with mine. Sarah's relationship with her mother was where the biggest similarity lay, but I won't go into that too much. It was actually very comforting for me to read though.

The adult years were less angsty, but just as promiscuous. My favourite part of this though was the sisterly relationship and how they reverted back to being kids. The writing was so good at making me feel apart of their in jokes, I was laughing along with them.

In summary, I really liked this book. There were some pretty deep and dark issues covered but mostly under the cover of humour. I wish that I had gotten more of the 90s chapters but that was definitely a personal preference for me.

Slags by Emma Jane Unsworth is a story that follows two sisters, Sarah and Juliette. We go between present day while they travel up to Scotland to celebrate Juliette’s birthday, an event that Sarah her older sister has planned. We go backwards to their teenage lives, telling stories how they were, how they interacted. We found out about their separate obsessions and joint obsessions…
I loved the humour throughout the book, it made me laugh out loud!! Friends like Nessa who don’t give a stuff about anyone or anything and said so too!!! We all knew someone like Nessa!!
We get to know both ladies, but they get to re connect and really talk to each other. It was a real learning curve for them both.
This was a thoroughly enjoyable read that made me laugh so much I got stitch!!!
Many thanks to Harper Collins Uk for the opportunity to read this arc copy via Netgalley. My opinion is my own.
#Netgalley, #HarperCollinsUk, #EmJaneUnsworth.

Funny at times but not as humorous as Bridget Jones. Flashbacks to the 90's but not as good as the hype for the book would have you believe. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to ARC this book.

This book is based on the life of Sarah reliving the past and living the present.

It highlights, underage sex, schoolgirl crushes and how things that happen in the past can set you down a road of uncertainty in the future.

The book is mainly lighthearted but there are parts were to can feel the pain Sarah suffered as a child even though she always tried to act like she was way more mature than her years

This novel is fine - just fine. It's a 21st century Bridget Jones - women, questioning where they want to be in life, men, a bit of messiness. Blah blah.

It's a comparison that Unsworth would probably hate but there we are. I'm 50 and have probably read too many of these books for them to ever strike me as interesting, revelatory or interesting ever again. This is better than most, it is well written and an easy read because of that but I felt little sympathy for either of the main characters, sisters Sarah and Juliette.

Where Unsworth does succeed are the sections of the novel that deal with the main character Sarah's teenage years. These are written in an authentic voice, that captures the unreliability of a fifteen/sixteen year old perfectly. The first-person POV reminds you that the interiority of a teenager is a truly unsettling place to be.

Yet, this jars against the other present-day section where the sisters are on a road trip to Scotland. Here, Unsworth switches to the third-person limited perspective - we still have access to what is happening in Sarah's mind and view what is happening through her eyes so the change seems curious. A more interesting move would have been to see Sarah through Juliette's eyes and we are offered a tantalising glimpse of a dispassionate view of Sarah through some notes from a sexual health clinic (which is by far the most affecting part of the novel).

All in all, I'm not sure what this novel wanted to achieve, but I think the author's ultimate aim is to sell the screen rights.

This book is full of nostalgia, I loved the dynamic between the sisters as they explore their past and their experiences of growing up.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Slags by Emma Jane Unsworth

Huge thanks to NetGalley, HarperCollins UK, and Emma Jane Unsworth for the ARC—what a ride!

Slags is a whip-smart, whisky-soaked road trip through the messy terrain of sisterhood, memory, and regret. I was obsessed with the razor-sharp banter between Sarah and Juliette—equal parts hilarious, savage, and painfully true. Think emotional unravelling in a campervan, with just the right dash of chaos.

Sarah’s voice is pure gold: sardonic, self-aware, and painfully honest. Unsworth captures that uniquely female blend of humour and heartbreak so well, I laughed and winced on the same page more than once.

Yes, it’s funny—but don’t be fooled. The emotional depth here hits hard. From teenage longing to midlife reckoning, this book holds up a mirror to who we were and who we are now. It’s raw, thought-provoking, and weirdly comforting.

Highly recommend if you like your books with brains, booze, and beautifully broken women.

the description of this book really pulled me in but it was hard to connect with it and i struggled to get through it. ultimately i did not finish it. i wish i enjoyed it more and had more to say but sadly i dont

A book that took me down memory lane in the 90's, but felt a bit more all over the place, going from being 15, to being in adulthood, with Sarah and her sister. I wanted to love this book, but sadly it fell flat. Not a bad one though, just not for me.

Thank you to the author, publisher and netgalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Told in duel timeline's Slags is a sharply funny, poignant and frank look at sisterhood, sex, friendships and family. It explores how our past experiences can shape who we become and how we deal with our traumas and disappointments in life.

Unsworths writing is fantastic. The flashbacks to Sarah’s teenage years perfectly capture the intensity of feelings you experience at that age, the cringeworthy behaviour and the terrible decisions you make. The portrayal of mid-life is spot on, just because you’re a grown up doesn’t mean you have everything figured out. I also loved the sisters relationship, the competitiveness, the in jokes, the love/hate of it was very real.

Overall Slags made me laugh, took me on a nostalgic trip back to my teens, bought a tear to my eye in places and I throughly enjoyed it.

Slags is the kind of novel that makes you laugh out loud one minute, then flinch with recognition the next. Set against the fading glitter of ‘90s girlhood and the hangover of midlife reckoning, it’s a sharp, unvarnished portrait of a woman trying to figure out who she is beneath the mascara smudges, the bad decisions and the layers of self-delusion.

We meet Sarah at 15: drunk on Malibu, obsessed with boybands, and dangerously fixated on her teacher, Mr Keaveney. Unsworth captures that breathless teenage intensity with such accuracy that it’s almost uncomfortable: every cringe, thrill, and terrible decision. Fast forward 26 years, and Sarah is still clinging to the idea of herself as a party girl, though the glow has well and truly gone. The nightclubs seem louder, the hangovers heavier, and the questions about what’s next harder to ignore.

When Sarah heads off on a road trip with her sister Juliette, a no-nonsense, seen-it-all-before type whose dry wit and quiet sadness are a perfect counterweight to Sarah’s chaos, what unfolds is part travelogue, part therapy session, and part exorcism. The campervan journey across Scotland is filled with whisky, dodgy weather, sibling showdowns, and moments of tenderness and hard earned insight.

Unsworth’s writing is razor sharp but full of heart. There’s a rhythm to the prose that feels effortlessly real, like sitting in a kitchen at 2am, mid-confession. She doesn’t shy away from the darker stuff - shame, trauma, the mess we inherit and the mess we make but she threads it all with a good dose of humour, albeit distinctly gallows-tinged.

If there’s a fault, it’s that the flashbacks sometimes arrive a beat too often, slowing the present-day story just as it’s gathering pace. But overall, Slags is a powerful reminder that the past can shape us without defining us and that reckoning with who we were is sometimes the only way to become who we’re meant to be.

Many thanks to the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy via NetGalley; as always, this is an honest review.

This didn't gel with me at all. I found the narration a bit too punchy and frantic. I didn't like the narrator and it just didn't click with me.

Incrediblly vivid and strong narrative voice - I feel like I’ve spent an evening with the narrator and she’s gotten h see my skin

This was ok I didn’t connect to it as much as I hoped i would and i found the nostalgic pop culture recs a bit repetitive at times but it was well written. Not a bad book just not my favorite

This was a duel timeline of teenage Sarah and adult Sarah. Teenage Sarah loved getting drunk with best mate Nessa and had a massive crush on her teacher. Adult Sarah is wanting an adventure so takes off in a camper van with younger sister Juliette to Scotland. This trip could bring the sisters closer but also could tear them apart. This is a story of growing up but also facing demons. It was a slow start for me personally but when I got into it I thoroughly enjoyed it

There's a huge marketing campaign behind this book that grabbed my attention as I am the target audience, and I expected a real trip down memory lane. Pages full of nostalgia.

I was 15 in the 90's, I was obsessed with boy bands, sex and getting drunk on Malibu. I had a crush on one of my teachers.

I'm now in my forties, and the mad nights out have lost their shine. Teenage dreams are distant.

Everything this book claims to be is for my particular generation.

Yet I barely connected with any of this.

We follow Sarah through two timelines. One where she is 15, the other in her forties. Both versions of this character felt silly, naive, and sometimes damn right stupid.

The supporting characters aren't much better, and the plot doesn't go anywhere.

The title feels like click bait to me, I thought I was in for a real deep dive into Slag culture of the 90's but this wasn't it.

I'm just not sure what this book is meant to be or what its message is.

Two stars.

I really loved this book. It's told in a dual timeline - one being when Sarah was 15, in school and hopelessly in love with one of her teachers, the other when she is an adult in her 40s going on a road trip around Scotland for her sisters birthday. I really loved the relationship between Sarah & Juliette, I think anyone that has sisters will relate to parts of their dynamic. There was some parts that were genuinely laugh out loud funny.

Parts of the past timeline were difficult to read, however I really think the author absolutely nailed the chaos of a teenage brain. There were parts where I really felt like I'd gone back in time to when I was that age and it was both brilliant and exhausting.

This was a hard to put down book, it deals with some hard topics and sensitive issues but for the most part it was an easy read. This was my first book by this author and I've already picked up another :)

Wasn’t really for me as didn’t connect to the characters and found parts of the book not easy to follow……or read but then am not sure I would be the target audience
There was of course humour throughout the story and it did show the bond between Sisters but as say on the whole was not really for me