I enjoyed this immensely. It is cleverly written and really gets to the everyday issues women are struggling with. The scenarios within the short stories are sometimes quite funny and sometimes bizarre, but nevertheless the message of each individual story is clear. It made me laugh and it made me think. I read it from beginning to end but it certainly lends itself to lifting and laying it like most good short story compilations do.

This is the first book I’ve read by Cecelia Ahern and I expect it’s unlike any of her previous books.

I really enjoyed this book! 30 short stories about 30 women who are learning to roar in their own way. The stories are about various different women's lives, such as 'The Woman Who Grew Wings'. 'The Woman Who Lost Her Common Sense' and 'The Woman Who Smiled'.

A lot of these stories contain magical realism, satirising ideals of what it is to be a woman and turning these ideas on their head, such as the way we feel about how we look, the guilt of not being able to be amazing at everything, and thinking everyone else has it better. These stories are like modern-day feminist fairy tales and it reminded me a lot of the Virago Fairy Tales edited by Angela Carter.

I've never read anything by Cecelia Ahern before but I think now I will definitely try more of her work. .

As a woman who has seen the ups and downs of the me too phenomenon and as a woman who can relate this book really touched a spot. Not all the stories were to my liking but they all resonated with me and opened my eyes to the small injustices to the large. Definitely a must read

I read a few of the short stories but soon felt the vibe of this book wasn't for me so I did not finish reading. I found the vibe of the stories to be a little angry / unhappy (which perhaps I should have anticipated considering the title of the book is Roar). It's as if it was written to point out how women put themselves into unhappy situations: being invisible or being the neglected trophy wife.
I'd much rather read feel-good stories about inspiring women who put themselves in inspirational positions than stories that make my heart tighten in angst when reading about those who make themselves in positions where they do not want to be.

Well-written, and it may well be up someone else's street, but not for me I'm afraid.

This is a collection of short stories each about a different type of woman. Each one is a short read easily enjoyed over a coffee. The first one is about a disappearing woman due to a genetic issue. Or is it? Cecelia as ever is a wonderful wordsmith and story teller and each one has its message which may hit a note with different people. A woman suffering bite marks (think being eaten by something), another sprouting wings. Most of these are life lessons in a short story (about 5-10 mins each one). All have meaning some more lighthearted than others. “The woman who was swallowed up by the floor and who met lots of other women down there too” made me smile. There are 30 in the book culminating with “The woman who roared” hence the title and also from “I am woman, hear me roar, in numbers too big to ignore” (Helen Reddy and Ray Burton). In some way strange, in some ways simplistic. In all ways something to think about and maybe remember.
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Amazon Top 1000 reviewer.
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This is the first set of short stories I've read, it is 30 stories about 30 women...and wasn't quite what I was expecting. It is thought provoking though, definitely.

Each story centres around a common struggle of women (and in some cases, also relevant to men in my opinion). I thought these would be true stories or the usual fiction stories of triumph over adversity, however they are cleverly written metaphoric tales.

For example, in one story a lady is presenting to her colleagues and says something wrong. The story is about what happens when the ground actually does swallow you up...exactly as you feel And that common phrase we take for granted.

My favourite story was about a woman who went to the park every day, where feeding ducks was her way of getting aggression out about work life. I found it amusing and thought provoking to hear the interaction between her and the ducks she had been feeling and venting too!

Sounds strange but it works, each of the areas discussed are important and reading stories in this different style gives perspective.

To be honest, I'm not sure all 30 stories are required as some of the stories lose their shine as they are similar to others...particularly those which relate to physical medical ailments to illustrate a message  (I won't give anything away just in case!)

Thank you to @netgalley for the opportunity to review.

#libraryatsevern #read #readers #readersofinstagram #bookworm #bookstagrammer #bookshelf #roar #netgalley

I'm not a huge fan of the short story format, but sometimes, a quick and easy fix over a coffee hits the spot. This anthology of tales from Ahern is great for competing in short bites. The stories examine the plight of women; choices, conflict, loss etc. It's not easy to write a compelling short story; the narrative has to be tight and the point made quickly, but with conviction.
By and large, Ahern pulls it off with a variety of takes, mostly undemanding but leaving food for thought. A convincing collection.

My thanks to the publisher for a review copy via Netgalley.

I haven't read a Cecelia Ahern book for a while but this was just what I needed! Short stories about women! What more could us women want?! This book will make you stop and think about your own life and what we should be grateful for and really inspiring. Highly recommended and you don't have to sit and read the whole book. You can dip in and out when you have that spare 5 minutes.

Thank you NetGalley for letting me read and review this great book.

A collection of 30 stories about women and highlighting issues of expectation, restrictions and realism.

A good collection written with feeling, I would recommend reading these over a a period of time as I read together and they started to blend together after a while which took away from the impact of some of the stories.

Fantastic, imaginative, thought provoking, the short stories are like fables..... parables, with meanings often hidden to start start with, then becoming clear as we go on.
A very unusual book. I loved it.

I’m not sure what I was expecting from this book of short stories. I found it very thought provoking with some interesting twists. Brilliant!

Roar is a beautiful written, thought provoking book about many controversial topics in society today. Each of the 30 different stories contains a deeper meaning to them and Cecelia has a way of writing that leaves you thinking of the hidden messages long after you’ve finished reading.

30 short stories, based on women and how they can change their lives,sometimes funny and sometimes too close to home, an interesting collection of stories.

Excellent and so unusual. A must for any stressed woman to read as it's very thought provoking and makes you think about your own life and what really matters.

Very interesting, lot's of short stories., just right for squeezing in a story or two between housework etc etc

A great selection of short stories from the master storyteller that is Cecilia Ahern. Each story different from the other, some to make you laugh, cry and simile in recognition.

A lovely collection of impressions, interpretations and idealism with a feminist theme. Short stories that focus on women. Society's constraints, their role in the family and the workplace. The stories have a distinctly magical, mythical makeup but the problems they showcase are real, relevant and faced by every woman today whatever her age.

Although some of the experiences are disturbing, they are told in a readable way that engages the reader and makes a point without being overpowering.  This is a book you can dip in and out of without losing the thread. For the most part, all the stories are enthralling and this book is novel quality, with an overriding storyline. Each story can be regarded as a chapter and the theme of women's in the 21st century is highlighted and reinforced.
Definitely, something I 'd like in my Christmas stocking because it shows how far women have come in my lifetime and how far we still have to go.

I received a copy of this book from Harper Collins via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I am a huge Cecelia Ahern fan and was overjoyed to review this new set of thirty short stories all about the lives of women.

Each short story is incredibly different and I liked the concept of picking this book up whenever I had just a few minutes to spare. Before long I found myself rereading stories because they were so enjoyable and each time I discovered meanings that I had not realised before.

The book tackles some sensitive subjects in a witty, yet extremely profound way.

The stories are moving, witty and incredibly clever. The word empowering has been associated with this book, I wouldn't go that far but there are certainly some extremely uplifting and highly relatable issues covered. I think it would be great to give as a gift to a teenage girl, to explain Feminism in a very unique way.

The great thing about the short stories is that they can be taken at face value as lighthearted, slightly bizarre tales or you can dive to the greatest depths imaginable and explore all the different meanings and layers.

A creative masterpiece, this would be fabulous as a book club discussion.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for a copy of the book which I have reviewed honestly.

What a great book, thirty different stories, by thirty different women. Loved it. Well done Cecelia.
Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity.

What a beautiful collection of stories :) I don’t usually like ‘complation’ Short stories but this one was fab ! 10/10
P.s I had already purchased and read the book before I got the download on netgalley :)