July 1962 and Evie has completed her O-levels, the rest of her life before her. Should she go to 6th form or get a sensible job as a hairdresser? Her widowed father's new fiancee Christine obviously wants Evie out of the way but Evie is convinced that the blousy woman is just after her father's money. Evie is closer to her older neighbour who knew her mother. Really all Evie wants to do is to experience the bright lights and marry Adam Faith.
This book is a real joy! Obviously as I am a Yorkshire lass I have a soft spot for this tale but really it's just a lovely lightweight summer read. Every cliche about Yorkshire is in there but it doesn't matter, Evie is a gauche and loveable character and the setting in the early sixties is well-imagined. The reviews for this book are well-justified!

What a way to meet Evie Epworth as she drove her father’s MG with milk bottles clattering away on the passenger seat before disaster struck in the most bizarre and original manner. It was the start of a startlingly brilliant novel that had so many laugh out loud moments I lost count.

Evie, was just superb, the young Yorkshire teenager, stuck in the middle of her Father and new girlfriend, Christine, as she attempted to navigate between finding her own path in life and expunging money grabber Christine from their home.

I loved her naivety, her hankering for something more than the hairdressing job Christine acquired for her, and her unending loyalty to those around her. Her friendship with, neighbour Mrs Scott-Pym, was wonderfully tender and sweet, the Granny or mother figure she never had, their plotting and conspiring to rid Evie of Christine came with hilarious results, with just a tinge of seriousness underneath. The seriousness was a young girl with no direction, no role model to look upto, who took a determined stand to fight, with just a little help, to reclaim her father and the life she was destined to lead. I admired how Matson was able to delve into her mind, to write with such assurance from a female point of view,.

Christine, was the nightmare you never seemed to be rid of and Matson didn’t hold back on his descriptions of her myriad of fluffy pink and truly awful outfits that conjured up some fabulously wonderful images. Her unerring desire for money and material possessions were definitely not her most endearing features and I think you would have had to have dug pretty deep to find any. She was the real comedy turn of the novel, as you cringed with embarrassment at her and her mother’s hilarious antics.

What was so wonderful about Matson’s narrative was his ability to capture the essence of the 1960’s, of a world on the brink of change. He caught the fashion, the sounds, the Beatles, the evolving attitudes of society, as women emerged from their kitchens’s, took up careers and became more independent.

Matson didn’t forget about the past, the story of Evie’s dead mother interspersed within the body of the novel, that gave us the background we needed to understand her Father and made you hope all the more for a happy ending.

The ending when it came was gloriously fitting, and I have to admit to being very sad to leave Evie Epworth. I would love to see where her next chapter will take her and what mad hilarious situations and characters she would meet next. A sequel would be just fantastic please Mr Matson!

A brilliant, funny, debut.

"Oh, darling, this book is lovely!" That's what Evie could say, about the story of a teenage girl in the sixties. And like all teenagers, Evie wonders what to do with her future. She isn't sure what she'll become: a teacher? A secretary? Her dad expects her to become a farmer's wife and her evil step-mother forces her to take a job as a hairdresser. There aren't many opportunities for a woman at that time!

But perhaps Evie can create her own opportunities and become her own woman? A motherly neighbour and her estranged daughter will help her realize her full potential, and realize that there are much more to be expected from life.

A feel-good novel about family structure and social behavior, this is also the account of a period of great economical and psychological changes. First automatic washing machines and village fetes, with the traumas of World War II still in the air... and the coming of the Beatles! But the most important change is the women's liberation movement - and the liberation of Yorkshire.

It is 1962. Evie Epworth is sixteen, having just finished her O'levels is on the cusp of womanhood. Living on a farm in Yorkshire with her lovely widowed Dad & horrendous housekeeper, Christine she wonders what comes next as she lies in her room looking at her Adam Faith pictures. At least she has their kindly neighbour who adds a bit of sanity to the proceedings! As we follow Evie's eventful Summer holiday we are treated to a warm & funny account of Evie's life.

I loved this book! The characters were wonderful- especially the awful Christine & let's not forget the local farmer & his cow (you'll have to read it to find out what I mean!!) A book to re-read when feeling down & a definite five stars! Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me get to know Evie & co!

In the summer of 1962. Sixteen year old Evie Epworth is facing the biggest decision of her life - what sort of woman does she want to become? Before Evie can focus on such decisions she needs to deal with her future step mother, the money hungry, Evie hating Christine.

I've been in a bit of a reading slump lately, just feeling overwhelmed by the number of NetGalley books I had due at the same time (I know, I know, my own fault). This was exactly the sort of book I needed to pull me out of it though. Warm and funny, and very easy to read, it was a perfect tonic.

Being a Yorkshire girl myself I loved the setting for the book. It really nailed the Yorkshire village feel. I loved the competitiveness of the village fete, that reminded me of our village gala when I was growing up, a solid highlight of the year! I loved reading the Yorkshire accents too, and the words and phrases that my Nanna would come out with.

Evie was a marvellous protagonist. She's funny, smart, sarcastic and incredibly likeable. Having the book written in a diary style means we get to read Evie's thoughts and comments on people and events, which is where a lot of the humour for the book comes from. The other characters are all well defined. Christine is a textbook villain, with virtually no redeeming qualities, and Arthur decidly blind to her faults.

Although the book is mainly Evie's diary, there are also flashbacks to the past that show us how her parents met and what happened to her mum. These fit well, and help to add depth to the story. The plot is kind of predictable, I think you generally know what to expect with these sorts of books, and I'd have been disappointed if it had gone off track.

All in all this is a great feel good book. There's a clear heroine and even clearer villain, and plenty to chuckle at as they battle it out. For me some of the magic certainly came from the book being set in Yorkshire, but I'm sure readers from elsewhere will still get plenty of enjoyment from reading.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster UK for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

A delightful, engrossing and highly enjoyable story that made me laugh and think.
The author is talented storyteller and I loved the humour and the realistic historical background.
The characters are well thought and interesting, the setting is vivid.
I can't wait to read another story by this author.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

A lovely nostalgic trip for me just as I was expecting. I loved the total fan adoration of Adam Faith and could compare it with my own crazy love of John Lennon. On the negative side though I wasn’t taken up with lots of the more odd elements in the book and I thought even allowing for the way things were at the time I still found Evie was portrayed as younger than her years.

The year is 1962 and the world is on the cusp of the swinging sixties! Or, at least in London, or perhaps Leeds they are. In the East Riding of Yorkshire Evie Epworth is also on the cusp of something. Womanhood perhaps?
Evie lives on a farm with her father, Arthur and his awful "housekeeper" Christine who has big plans of her own for the future of the place that Arthur and Evie call home.
Evie's mum is dead. That much we know. But how? Through flashbacks and with the help of a delightfully dotty neighbour all will be revealed.
Can Evie prevent Christine from ruining everything? Will talking to the posters of her beloved Adam Faith help Evie?
I devoured this delightful novel in two days. It is sweet and poignant but incredibly uplifting. For me the mentions of my home city of York with its shops only added to my enjoyment.
If I read a more enjoyable novel this year I will be very surprised.

This is an absolute delight of a book. The characters are brilliantly drawn and the writing is sharp, witty, clever and, at times, moving. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and can’t wait for the next book by Matson Taylor. The further adventures of Evie would be good!

Yorkshire in 1962 and Evie has just finished her O’levels. She thinks she wants to do A’levels but other than that isn’t sure of her future. She is young and naïve but the one thing blighting her life is Christine. Christine has her eye on Arthur – Evie’s Father. As a farmer with land Christine views him as an eligible catch, although Evie has no idea and thinks Christine is there to help out a Motherless girl and Widower. But after an accident in which Evie breaks her leg, Christine moves into the farmhouse to help/interfere even more. Evie is bright and open minded. Christine is not. Evie often retreats to her elderly neighbour Rosamund Scott-Pym who loves to bake and drink sherry and owns a dog Evie walks. One day Rosamund mentions, in passing, a daughter Evie did not know existed and Caroline, who lives in London, sounds very sophisticated to Evie. Little does she know she is soon to meet her and Caroline turns out to be every bit exciting and exotic as Evie dreamed. Evie is soon exposed to new experiences she welcomes wholeheartedly as home life is made miserable by Christine’s constant moaning and need to replace many of Evie’s dead Mother’s memories.
Alongside Evie first hearing ‘four young lads from Liverpool’ starting out who replace Adam Faith in Evie’s musical taste, we get to hear the story of Evie’s Mother falling in love with her Father and their subsequent marriage and birth of baby Evie.
This is a wonderful novel of the awakening of one young girl in a world opening up to new possibilities. Evie is ahead of her time, as is Caroline, and with our hindsight, the possibilities in Evie’s life are a joy to think about. Evie is a younger Eleanor Oliphant without the baggage of many years of life lived to a plan. This is a book suitable for any reader 14+.

This was an enjoyable read to escape into another world. Evie was a sweet character to follow and there were touching moments, but overall a joyful read.

Thanks a lot to NG and the publisher for this copy.

The year is 1962, the setting is Yorkshire and young Evie Epworth, living the rural life with dad Arthur is daydreaming her days away. She can only imagine the glamour and sophistication a life in London could offer, enthralled by thoughts of the fashion, the parties and even the celebrities she could rub shoulders with. Adam Faith is her choice of poster boy adorning her bedroom walls whilst best friend Margaret goes weak at the knees for Cliff Richard. This young lass is one smart cookie and she longs to experience the world beyond Yorkshire and her favoured cows.

Life for Evie would be bearable were it not for the blossoming romance between Arthur and scarlet woman Christine. Although Evie’s memories of her mother Diana are scant, there’s absolutely no way she wants this vixen getting her claws into her father. With the help of next door neighbour, the refined, posh but possibly barmy Mrs Scott-Pym and her book of magic spells, Evie has a few tricks up her sleeve to oust the pink babydoll nightie wearing Christine from gaining a firm foothold in Arthur’s life. The battle lines have been drawn but who will be the victor? The lovable,irrepressible Evie or the money grabbing Christine who is ably assisted by mother Vera and her friend Doris Swithenbank.

Evie needs to act quickly if she’s to keep her little family of two intact for Christine has an important announcement to make. Arthur has proposed and with wedding arrangements afoot, Evie doesn’t feature in Christine’s long term plans.The potential wicked stepmother is using her womanly charm to persuade Arthur to sell the farm to a property developer thereby enabling her to live a life of luxury in a brand new home, with all mod cons and more handbags than there are days of the year!

This is a brilliantly comic novel that reads almost like a game of one upmanship. The ways in which both Evie and Christine endeavour to outsmart each other are hilarious and I knew immediately whose side I was on. The witty style of writing never falters and I loved that Evie had a great friend and ally in the form of Mrs Scott-Pym whose love of baking cakes delights the always hungry Evie. I could feel my waistband expanding just reading about this woman’s culinary skills although there are a few kitchen disasters that will provide the reader with much amusement. Slobbering with drool Sadie, Mrs Scott-Pym’s faithful companion will delight dog lovers too so it’s hard to find something not to love about this lighthearted novel.

With plenty of valiantly but misjudged attempts on Evie’s part to kick Christine into touch thank heavens for the introduction of Caroline, Mrs Scott-Pym’s daughter. Like a breath of fresh air she breezes into Evie’s life, with her devil may care attitude and alternative lifestyle and is responsible for some very humorous and dirty tricks. She opens Evie’s eyes to a world of possibilities further igniting her zest for life outside of the Yorkshire countryside. In fact every character, whether you love or hate them is well drawn, their individual characteristics deliberately exaggerated for the roles they are playing. In terms of characterisation there were definitely goodies and baddies and only time would tell who would reign triumphant.

In an era where Cliff Richard was being overshadowed by the Fab Four, Val Doonican strumming his guitar was Saturday night’s tv entertainment and the nation were still using Izal toilet paper, this novel is pure gold. Anyone born in the sixties will appreciate all these references that punctuate the narrative and obviously enhance their overall enjoyment of the book but I don’t think this excludes other readers from deriving equal pleasure from the storyline. As a child of the seventies some of these references still carried over to my formative years so I was prompted to start reminiscing and daydream a bit like Evie! Perhaps because it’s mainly set in 1962, with occasional forays into the decade earlier and the end of WW2 , I thought there was an old fashioned innocent charm to the narrative which I found refreshing. I would liken the adventures of Evie and company to a glorious comic romp through this tiny part of Yorkshire where no one is above playing dirty to get what they want.

The Miseducation of Evie Epworth is uplifting, funny and just the tonic to banish away the blues. Highly readable and the kind of novel that will appeal to those who love quirky characters in addition to a healthy dose of humour. A 5 star debut for sure.
My thanks as always to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read.

I started this book not knowing what was it about, I haven't read many books in the uplifting category so I didn't know what to expect.

There's a lot of talking and chatting and some parts reminded me of the chats inside of an Austen novel.

The main character is 16 but loves reading and her reading preferences seem by some to be advance for her age, also in many ocassions it's remarked that her intelligence comes from the books. Being that said she is as innocent as it gets and you can see glimpses of her learning more of the world and it's complicated dynamics.

This book was lighter read than I expected. Very easy to read and great I suppose if that's what you are looking for a quiet and relaxing afternoon.

We all have that 'what next' feeling when we start out in our adult life.
With Evie, Christine and Arthur we experience many funny episodes throughout Evies' time of working out her future holds. Of course there are the touching poignant moments too.
An enjoyable escapist read.

“The Miseducation of Evie Epworth” is a delightfully charming book that had me smiling and laughing from the first page until the very last full stop. I didn’t know that I needed Evie in my life, but I did, and you do too. She’s enchanting and also a bit befuddled (a hard combination to pull off, to be sure) as she navigates her way through her awkward teen years. She is helped by the guidance of an attentive neighbour and her affection for Adam Faith, not to mention the good sense that comes from being from Yorkshire. This truly is the perfect book for right now, as it made me forget the the dumpster fire that is 2020 and instead immersed me into the Evie's life in Yorkshire in 1962. (PS: I predict great things for the four lads from Liverpool who are just hitting the airwaves.)

There aren't enough superlatives I can apply to this book without it sounding cliche or ridiculous, so I'll just say this: a wonderful coming of age novel set in the 1960s (one of the things that is, to me, the literary equivalent of catnip), which barrels in like an out of control MG in chapter 1 and doesn't stop; giggle-inducingly hilarious (courtesy of Evie's very distinctive voice) but with some poignant moments of pathos amongst all the humour, I can totally see why it's been compared to Adrian Mole, but I would also compare it to Nina Stibbe's Lizzie Vogel novels, especially sicne I believe the author has said that the plan is to revisit Evie in future books set in different decades. If so, I'm so excited to read more!
Also, a warning: this book will make you very, very hungry.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exhange for review.

Evie Epworth, in this (no ordinary) coming of age tale, is faced with the trials and tribulations of being a young woman in the summer after her exams, in a small Yorkshire village, whilst adjusting to life with her dad’s new fiancée.

Although this isn’t a book of twists, turns and unpredictability, it is very much a heartwarming tale and a worthy read. However it is Matson Taylor’s written word that really brings Evie and the story to life. The detailed, punchy and comical first-person narration made me feel as if I was in the depth of Yorkshire with Evie herself hearing all of her gossip, hopes and fears.

The Miseducation of Evie Epworth is, quite simply, a delightful read. I wholly enjoyed getting to know Evie and her wonderfully eccentric friends. I found myself rooting for the heroine at every opportunity.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and would highly recommend it - thank you for the ARC.

"I am Evie, sixteen and a half, as wise as a tree, as tall as time, the fastest milk bottle in East Yorkshire, hurtling towards Womanhood. This is all really strange."

This was one of those have-to-read-in-one-sitting kind of book for me; a gorgeous, uplifting coming-of-age novel that stays with you long after the end of the final page.

Evie Epsworth is the fastest milk bottle-delivery girl in East Yorkshire - but she dreams of of an independent life lived under the bright lights of London (or Leeds).

However, before she can fully settle on the kind ,of career that she wants, she has to deal with the presence of her stepmother-to-be, the manipulative and money-grubbing Christine.

To move on with her own life, her to-do list is simple: save her father, Arthur, from Christine and keep the farmhouse from being sold.

If she can get those done, then maybe she can move on with her own life.

Carefully crafted and packed with comedic genius (as well as plenty of lovable characters), I can't recommend it enough.

Evie Epworth is at the stage in life when she needs to decide what kind of woman she will become. She fancies going to college but her dad's new girlfriend thinks it's about time she stopped lazing around and started earning a real wage. Evie hates Christine and needs to find a way to prove to her dad that she's a pink-wearing, gold-digging, unloving wretch of a woman. With Evie's excellent ideas combined with her neighbour's black magic, Evie hatches a plan to expose Christine for who she really is.

I absolutely love British books that are set in this era. They have a real nostalgic feel about them and this one gave me the same warm fuzzy feelings that other up-lit British books have done in the past. I have family hailing from Yorkshire and felt an instant connection to the place through the writing style and witty one-liners. The story was nice and the book was light and easy to breeze through but it did lack depth for me. I wanted there to be more focus rather than just a mish-mash of events and characters.

There were a couple of things that niggled me:
Firstly, Evie felt younger than 16 to me in a few instances, such as using magic and complaining about Christine being an evil stepmother. I often thought of her as a young teenager rather than a girl approaching womanhood. Secondly, I'm confused as to why she always called her dad Arthur. Written in the first person, I'd expect her to call him dad. I kept waiting for some huge revelation that didn't arrive which was slightly disappointing. Thirdly, although there were some great one-liners, I felt that the overall plot was a little sparse and needed more substance to keep the reader engaged. Finally, the cow thing just felt bizarre.

A very British book that I still enjoyed but just wanted something more from.

Evie Epworth is 16 years old. She has just taken her O Levels and is deciding what to do with her life. She lives with her Dad plus Christine his fiancée who has made to clear that Evie is not welcome once they are married! Evie is pretty sure Christine isn’t all she makes herself out to be but how she prove it to her Dad?
Set in the 60’s... I loved Evie’s love of Adam Faith and her reaction to discovering a band from Liverpool!!! Some funny bits too which I enjoyed.
Overall a nice feel good read.