Slags is one of the best examples of a female-led complex-lead coming-of-age books I’ve read - and there are many around at the moment.
The story isn’t predictable and I was caught off guard towards the end with some of the revelations. It’s very funny and relatable while still giving space for pain, trauma and reflection.
I would highly recommend it.

Slags by Emma Jane Unsworth – Short Review

Slags is a raw, riotous exploration of sisterhood, obsession, and the messy truths we carry. The story follows Sarah and Juliette, estranged sisters on a whisky-fuelled campervan road trip across Scotland, digging into their shared past and personal demons. Unsworth’s signature wit and emotional candour shine through as she navigates generational divides, sexual politics, and the chaos of growing up. Bold, funny, and unflinchingly honest, this is a coming-of-age tale wrapped in adult reckoning. A fierce celebration of flawed women and the bonds that both bind and break.

Slags is a humorous and touching novel about sisters, friendship and past traumas. It is set in the 1990s when Sarah is 15 and about to sit her GCSE’s and in the present day when she’s in her early 40s. While on a tour of Scotland in a motorhome Sarah and her sister Juliette share secrets, and reveal hidden parts of their past that still impact on them today.
I love the references to pop culture in the 1990s and I found the Book to be brutally honest while maintaining some hilarious moments. It felt almost autobiographical in its style and content while being completely relatable. Highly recommended

🎧Audio Book Review🎧

Slags
Emma Jane Unsworth

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟


I was obviously attracted to this read by the title. Who wouldn't be!?
I had no clue what to expect from this having never read this author before nor read the blurb.
However, I was completely rivetted from the first page to the last.

We take a trip (present day) with sisters Sarah and Juliette as they head off in a camper van for a road trip round Scotland.
As they drive and catch up on life for them both now - Sarah slips into reminiscing about their childhood, family and school life back when she was 15.

I'm pretty sure that there is going to be something for everyone in this read, it's a bit out there for some maybe, but even if you've not had the same experiences yourself, the feelings and aspirations of a school leaver explored here have got to ring true for most.

The thing that really hooked me was the setting.
Manchester in the early 90's - ok a teensy bit too late for me (I was late 80's) - but this took me right back to my own youth and no, I wasn't the Sarah of the group - but I definitely hung around with the Sarah and Nessa of my own school.

I haven't been "back home" for many years but still have such an affinity with Manchester and this whole book was like time travelling back to all the good times of my own teenage years.
I loved the mention of Town, Deansgate, the clubs and pubs the girls went in and even my own little part of Manchester (Blackley) formed a major setting here - and that has never happened in a book before!!

This was a totally wild ride that explored family relationships and expectations, as well as how the scars from the past can direct attitudes and decisions made throughout life.
We also see how that need to appear a certain way that all teenagers succumb to, can often be misleading and create barriers in friendships and future relationships.

I loved the writing style which transported me back to Manc with the girls and just felt as though I was back chatting with my best friends in the park.
I also enjoyed touring the camping spots of Scotland with the pair - definitely not the way I'd be holidaying there.

This crazy and fun read has sparked an interest in checking out the other books this author has written - so watch out for more reviews to come in the near future.




💕Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my ARC copy - this is my honest review 💕

Emma Jane Unsworth's "Slags" is a darkly funny and resonant novel, and its audiobook rendition is very good
. For listeners who appreciate a narrator who truly embodies a story, this is a standout. The performer navigates the complexities of the main character, Sarah, bringing her to life with an intensity that makes her journey feel incredibly personal and immediate.
The novel traverses the challenging concepts of being a woman doing ‘unconventional' things and society's reluctance to accept ageing women. It also explored the bizarre relationships that developed between sisters who end up thrown together by birth often meaning you have a lot in common, but not put together by choice.
What truly elevates this audiobook is the narrator's remarkable ability to differentiate and inhabit various characters.

The story is fearless in its tackling of challenging issues and as a consequence it wasn't always an easy listen but it was nonetheless overall and enjoyable and important book

Every Woman Aged 30–50 Needs to Read This Book!

This book got me. I laughed, I cried, and I found myself deeply reflecting on moments I'd long forgotten. It’s one of those rare reads that sneaks up on you, subtle in its storytelling, yet powerful in its emotional punch.

Whether you were the party girl, the geek, the big sister, the overlooked one, or even the so-called "mean girl," you will see yourself in these pages. The characters feel so familiar it’s almost uncanny, like catching glimpses of your younger self in a mirror you didn’t realise was still hanging. The way the author unpacks how teenage experiences shape who we become in adulthood is profound, relatable, and honestly, important.

This is a must-read for any woman navigating life in her 30s, 40s, or beyond. It's emotional without being too heavy, funny without losing depth, and completely unputdownable. It was also the perfect palette cleanser from all the fairy smut I’ve been binging lately 😂😂

Highly recommend! Add it to your TBR immediately

The writing is really good and fun and the narrator is amazing. I just don’t think it’s a book for me unfortunately. I might give it another try in the future but right now it’s not really for me. I got 34% in. But it’s not a bad book at all so please don’t take it the wrong way. I really hope I one day will be enjoy this book.

I’ll give it a 5 star review because it doesn’t deserve me giving it a bad rating just because it wasn’t for me.

Emma Jane Unsworth captures the voice of a generation brilliantly. It's truly like having a friend telling you a long story. Chloe Massey narrates well, her intonation and emphases really bring the character of Sarah to life.

I sometimes find it hard to follow audiobooks with multiple timelines but Unsworth has written the starts of each chapter in a way that it was immediately obvious which point in time we were now in. Having the same narrator for Sarah at both ages worked really well. Despite Sarah not seeming to have become much more responsible by the age of 41 she did clearly have a different tone from her teenage self.

I would definitely recommend Slags to friends and the audiobook specifically to those who already listen to audiobooks and wouldn't be confused by the dual timeline.

4.5 stars

Slags is a story of two sisters on a trip in a campervan travelling across Scotland. Sarah and Juliette's relationship is so raw and real, and I think a lot of readers will relate to one or both of their experiences as women. Both sisters are problematic and a bit grating, but the connection between them and the reader makes it all worth it. As a younger sister, I related to Sarah a lot, especially as she harkens back to her teen years and the relationships (or lack thereof) that shaped her as an adult.

The sisters whiskey-fuelled holiday will bring you laughs and tears, as they realise they don't know each other quite as well as they thought they did, but you're never too old to be girls together. I love how the author positions the reader between the sisters during tense altercations, and again, encourages the reader to side with the sister they resonate with the most. This book does handle some heavy topics as Sarah is pulled into the past, but I think the author does this mindfully.

I received a free ALC and the audiobook was really captivating! I liked the narrator, I think she had a great a dry delivery that suited the book and characters.

If your teenage years occurred in the eighties/nineties, this is a must-read, especially if you’re UK based, or curious about the British teenage experience at the end of the last century. This transported me back to the first few years of senior school.
It’s a deep character study, and Sarah’s teenage experiences deeply affect her.
From a flasher on a bus to a crush on her teacher, sexual explorations and encounters with drink and drugs, we experience the peer pressure, the desire to fit in but stand out, and ALL the teenage angst.
Now at the start of her forties and single, Sarah’s demons have caught up with her and they appear to be co-existing, if not living comfortably together. She’s been in therapy for much of her adult life, and decides a week away from it all with her sister will hit the spot. Once close, they’ve grown apart, and both sisters have secrets they’ve kept from the other.
It’s a nostalgic piece for those of us who grew up in this era, sharply observed, keenly felt and beautifully written.
The narration by Chloe Massey is bang on.
Slags published on 8 May.
Five stars from me, with thanks to @NetGalley and @HarperCollins UK audio for the ARC.

As a Mancunian I found so much of this book funny and relateable. Unsworth has a real talent for characters and humour, and I particularly enjoyed the relationship between Sarah and her sister which was funny, realistic and warm, without being sickly sweet in any way. The book is also incredibly well written. Highly recommended.

I loved this book so much!! I loved the back and forth between the past the present and how we could piece other the lives of both sisters. I loved the coming of age feel to the chapters from the past and looooved the way those chapters flowed. It felt like such a real book and definitely tackled a few things that a lot of teenagers would have dealt with. I felt like I couldn’t put this down and wanted to keep saying “just one more chapter”!

I was so gutted when I didn’t get the netgalley proof for this but then I was lucky enough to get the audiobook recently! I did my usual reading the book with the audiobook alongside and it was such a good idea. The audiobook was so fab and definitely added to the feel of the book and the “northern” aspect.

I’d definitely recommend this book if you like a bit of coming of age mixed with aging and trying to figure out life.

Slags covers two pivotal period's in Sarah's life. The Summer she is Studying for G.C.S.E's and a camping trip she takes with her sister in current times.
The cover hooked me from the beginning so was delighted to be given an advanced listening copy and it did not disappoint.
This book resonated with me for so many reasons. I am an Xennial! I have a Sister! I live in Scotland and have ties to Greater Manchester! I loved a Boy Band in the 90's one from Greater Manchester (hee! Hee!)
Unsworth casts a humoursly critical eye over what it is like to be a single, childless perimenopausal woman in 2025 ; looking back on her teenage self and thinking how did we get here?
I didn't take to the narrator straight away but I also didn't take to Sarah straight away . Once The story opened up a bit more she really breathed life into the characters.
This story will stay with me a while and I know for sure when I am at the Robbie Williams concert on Saturday with my own wee sister, I'll look around just for a moment to see if I can spot Sarah and Juliet.

I loved this book. Loved the narrator. Loved the characters. Loved the story. It’s a dark tale disguised as a comedy. A tale of two sisters and their relationship but also of how one single event can cause problems throughout your life.
Now I am off to look up the author and see if she has written any other gems

Splendid, so good, I binged it !
Finally a realistic teenage girl's pov, it is raw and unapologetic.
One of the best book I read this year, so far.

Thanks to netgalley for the copy !

The numerous throw away lines make this audiobook and had me laughing. A Birthday trip through Northern Scotland in a motorhome sees two sisters reminiscing about their current lives, and past fun and mistakes. The past has carved deep scars, from crushes and conquests as teenagers, through growing up into adult lives. Both still searching for something. Thank you to Harper Collins UK Audio and NetGalley for the audio ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

Beautiful read, really enjoyed this over the Christmas holidays.
Loved it.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me access an advance copy of this book in exchange for my review.