A real gem! - Quirky, nostalgic & laugh-out-loud.

Evie is the perfect heroine intelligent, hilarious & vibrant! The rest of the cast are well-drawn out, strong women if not all likable (Christine & Vera). The larger than life Mrs. Swithenbank was a brilliant character.

The writing is spot on, the characters leap off the page, the plot is warm and witty. A fabulously joy-filled debut! - I hope there more Evie adventures in the pipeline. Regardless I certainly can't wait for Taylor's next novel.

A huge thanks to Anne Cater & Scribner for sending me a copy in return for an open & honest review.

A warm and gentle summer read with well rounded characters - a wonderful debut.
Thank you to netgalley and Simon and Schuster for an advance copy of this book

Evie is on the brink of womanhood. She loves Adam Faith and her Dad, Arthur.
Evie's mum died years ago and now her dad is in the clutches of Christine who Evie detests. Chistine wants Arthur to sell the farm and live in a modern house without Evie.
However, Evie has friends on her side and she just needs to show her Dad who Christine really is. She can then decide how she will live her life but will she succeed?

I really enjoyed this book and almost read it in one sitting. It's funny, sad, romantic and heartwarming and full of great Yorkshire characters. What more could you want.

Only three pages in and I knew that Evie was going to be one of my favourite literary characters. Favourite as in on my list next to Jo March, Cassandra Mortmain and Adrian Mole, characters I’ve also experienced growing up and setting out into the world. The book was off to a good start anyway, then as we followed Evie jumping into her father’s MG to do the milk round there was a scene so funny I laughed out loud at 2am waking both the dog and my other half. I devoured this book in 24 hours, knowing part of me would be sorry when it ended, but not able to slow down either.

We meet Evie when she’s at a crossroads in life. She’s in that limbo summer between GCSE and deciding what to do next. Evie’s plan, if she gets the right results, is to do her A Levels. Till then she plans to spend the summer delivering milk from the family farm, baking with Mrs Scott-Pym next door, and reading all the books she can get her hands on. There is only one thing in her way; her Dad Arthur’s girlfriend, Christine. Chrissie has moved into the farmhouse and is setting about making changes. This is the 1962 and she’s all for embracing the new. She wants to get rid of the old unhygienic wood in the kitchen, what they need is some nice modern Formica. She’s already replaced the Range with an electric cooker, because she couldn’t work it. As Evie says, it takes quite an intellect to be outwitted by a kitchen appliance. Worst of all she’s replaced Evie’s Adam Faith clock with a chicken! It has always just been Evie and her Dad, Arthur, as far back as she can remember. Her mum died when Evie was little and she has no memories of her. Chrissie needs to be dealt with, but how? Arthur is a disappointment. Mrs Scott-Pym says he’s like all men, weak and easily confused by a pair of boobs.

I have lived in villages and on farms for my whole life so I can honestly say that the author’s depiction of the characters and events of country life are not exaggerated - no, not even that cow scene. There are still characters like this in rural villages. The comedy comes from the brilliantly blunt Yorkshire dialogue, the gap between what we as adults understand and Evie doesn’t yet, but mainly the amazing characters created by the author. Mrs Swithenbank is a comedy gem, always at the mercy of her explosive bowels. The long suffering Vera, Chrissie’s mother, who is never far behind her daughter like a human ‘buy one-get one free’ offer. Then, Mrs Scott-Pym’s daughter Caroline, comes into the village like a whirlwind and along with Evie shows that constant dilemma young people in villages face - do they stay put or go out into the wider world, perhaps needing to try the anonymity of the city? It can be hard to develop into your true self in a village where everyone knows who you are and any attempt to change is the object of ridicule. I remember a perm I had at 15, thinking I looked like Baby from Dirty Dancing, only to hear ‘ugh what have you done to your hair’ at every house on the pools round. I loved the depiction of the petty rivalries around the village show and what a surprise it is that Chrissie, who struggles with making toast, wins the best fruit cake. On top of everything else she does, the fact that she possibly cheated at the village show is viewed as the worst crime and given the last reveal.

Chrissie though is the best comic creation of the lot, but isn’t left to be one dimensional either. Though she is truly awful in a lot of ways, it’s clear that she’s from a poorer family in the village and her upbringing hasn’t been easy. There’s class war over the Range cooker for sure. She lets slip in an exchange with Evie that she’d done every job going, from waitressing to wiping arses. While that might excuse her yearning for an easier life, it doesn’t excuse her way of getting it. There are times when it’s all out war at the tea table and Arthur stays behind his paper hoping it will blow over. I loved her ever present ‘pinkness’ and a crimplene wardrobe that Evie observes doesn’t end in Narnia, but at a bingo hall in Scunthorpe (I love seeing my birthplace in print). Poor Vera is always struggling a few paces behind, usually sweating and doing all the fetching and carrying. Chrissie is always exhausted - I need to put my feet up, Mum put the kettle on - and always rushing towards getting another grasping finger on Arthur, preferably a finger with a ring on it. This should have been a mild flirtation or dalliance at most, everyone can see they are not suited.

There are interludes between Evie’s chapters where we see the meeting of her parents, Arthur and Diana. They are serene, even romantic chapters where we see them meet at a dance, get married in a rush during the war and settle at the farm. We see Diana form a friendship with Mrs Scott-Pym and rush round to tell her friend when Evie is on the way. There’s so much of this interesting woman left, hidden in plain sight such as a particular teaspoon in the drawer and the recipe book Mrs Scott-Pym has kept for Evie. It’s so sad that Evie and her Dad don’t talk about her more openly and honestly. If wishes and spells aren’t going to change this, there needs to be a catalyst. When Mrs Scott-Pyle falls down the stairs and her daughter Caroline arrives we see a force of nature equal to Chrissie. She wears elegant clothes, big black sunglasses and scarves tied round her neck like the French do. Evie is very impressed with her sophistication, but also her nerve. She cooks up a great scheme to get Evie out of working in the village salon, takes her to Leeds to shop in an Italian deli and has the means by which Chrissie’s true nature can be revealed. She is also the only lesbian Evie has ever met, leading to her asking visiting friends of Caroline’s whether they are a lesbian too as a conversation starter! Evie is trying on different futures, and may be adding Caroline as an extra role model alongside The Queen, Charlotte Bronte and Shirley MacLaine.

This novel is an absolute joy. A great read to cheer you up and honestly, make you laugh out loud. Every character is beautifully drawn and the comic timing is perfect. I couldn’t believe it was a debut, because it has all the confidence and timing of Sue Townsend and also made me think back further to the blunt Yorkshire characters of James Herriot. On a personal level I needed a lift, after being very strict with lockdown rules due to my MS, and this was just the lift I needed. Thank you Matson, for such a great set of characters and for providing exactly the book I needed at the right time.

This review will feature on the blog tour run by Random Things Tours on 2nd July.

I found this book utterly charming! I was enchacted by the era it was set in and delighted by the simplicity of village life in the 1960's. Of course, every good story has to have its Baddie and so in comes Christine and what a villain she is! I would love to catch up with Evie as she follows her dreams.

Caitlin Moran meet Sue Townsend in a wickedly funny, deliciously witty and gloriously addictive sixties set novel that is sure to make readers roar with laughter: The Miseducation of Evie Epworth.

In 1962, a bright future stretches out ahead of 16 year old Evie Epworth. Known as the fastest milk bottle delivery girl in East Yorkshire, Evie is not like most girls. Whilst her peers might yearn for marriage and children, she longs to be independent and the mistress of her own destiny. Evie plans to move to the big city – London or Leeds – and to live an exciting life. With wise counsel from her role models -the Queen, Shirley MacLaine and Charlotte Bronte – Evie is sure that she can handle whatever the metropolis throws her way. Not to mention that when you are as tall as a tree, looking after yourself is not a problem. But before Evie can take her first steps into womanhood, she finds herself squaring up to a wicked enemy who could destroy everything she cares about: her future stepmother, Christine.

Evie’s bereaved father Arthur is completely enthralled by Christine. He has fallen under spell and is totally enraptured by her – even if she has a penchant for cheap scent. Worse, Christine only wants to take Arthur for what she can get and Evie is not about to put up with this. She will fight tooth and nail for her family and she is prepared to go toe to toe with Christine to ensure her family’s safety – and maybe have the peace of mind to then start getting on with her exciting life.

Can Evie manage to rescue her father from being seduced by a tarty money grabber? Will she be able to save the family farmhouse from being sold from under them? And has she figured out what on earth she is going to do with her life?

Destined to be a Yorkshire classic, The Miseducation of Evie Epworth is an uproarious and riotous comedy that brilliantly captures the sixties and beautifully explores the dynamics of family life when an incomer comes into the fold.

Evie is a fantastic heroine. She pole-vaults off the pages from the moment she appears and she is funny, intelligent, caring and somebody you cannot help but look up to and cheer for.

Wry, quirky, captivating and a joy from beginning to end, Matson Taylor is a comic genius who has written an assured, uplifting and irresistible debut novel featuring a character who is well on her way to becoming one of contemporary fiction’s funniest creations: Evie Epworth.

This is a coming of age novel based in 1962 East Riding of Yorkshire about Evie Epworth who lives on a farm with her father Arthur and housekeeper Christine its an easy going read and novel switches between 1962 and flashes of her mothers story until her death. enjoyed the overall plot of the story and most of the characters seem likeable people.

It's July, 1962, and Evie Epworth is looking forward to the summer holidays on the Yorkshire dairy farm that is home to her and her widowed father. Time to make some decisions about what sort of future she wants for herself, now she has finished her 'O' Level exams. What sort of woman should she become?

She dreams of becoming a smart, independent woman in the big city (London, or maybe Leeds?), but more than that she does not know - and her posters of "Brooding/Sophisticated" Adam Faith are not being much help.

But before Evie can start her new life, she has a problem to resolve - a big pink problem - in the shape of the buxom, gold-digging Christine, who has her sights on becoming Evie's step-mother and getting all she can out of Evie's mild-mannered father, including trying to persuade him to sell off their beloved farm.

How can Evie rescue her poor old dad from the clutches of the determined Christine and save her home - all while working out who she is meant to be? This is going to take some planning - and the help of some amazing friends....

****************************************************
The Miseducation Of Evie Epsworth is a coming of age story, set in 1960s East Yorkshire. Sixteen and a half and on the cusp of womanhood, Evie is trying to decide what to do with her future. If this wasn't difficult enough, her quiet life has been disrupted by the arrival of the manipulating scarlet woman, Christine, who is intent on getting between Evie and her father, and taking him for all he is worth - as well as gradually erasing all reminders of Evie's mother from their home.

Evie needs a plan to scupper the ambitions of the formidable Christine, and it seems she has a variety of friends and allies to help her along the way, some of whom she did not even know existed until recently - friends who will also teach her about the world and the mother she does not even remember. I adored each and every gorgeous one of them - except the grasping Christine and her mother obviously, who Matson Taylor draws deliciously as the despicable villains of the piece!

The story is told through the eyes of the clever, young Evie as she undergoes her campaign against the evil Christine, interspersed with romantic and heart-breaking episodes from the history of her mother and father's relationship. Evie's observations on life are both funny and poignant, and filled with all the moments of teenage drama you would expect (and more!), as she tries to fathom what this becoming an adult lark is all about.

There is so much humour - of the Yorkshire, London and even French variety - and lots of touching and emotional moments that will have your heart and eyes brimming over, especially to do with friendship and family reconciliations.

I was particularly impressed by how much our author was able to bring the 1960s alive too, especially with his references to popular culture, as he must surely be just a slip of a lad! There is a real feel that the times they are a-changing for everyone, especially women, and that Evie may be on the brink of a whole new life. Although I was not born until the end of the 60s, I found all this very nostalgic, which was absolutely blooming lovely!

I can't tell you how much I enjoyed this romp through the East Yorkshire countryside. It is an utterly fabulous read, and I found it such a tonic.

An enjoyable heart warming read. The characters are well drawn. There is amusing detail woven through the story.

As an adult, I loved this! The blurb is right - very Adrian Mole-esque but think Evie is slightly less naive than Adrian - only a bit, mind!

I loved the era this book was set and the flashbacks to Evie's mum and dad's story - they appear incongruous at first but as the book progresses, the reader realises their importance.

I want to know what happens next in Evie's story - more please!

I read this for a blog tour.

This was a funny, wry take on the wicked stepmother story. Evie is a determined person as she battles the loathsome Christine for her father and the family farm.

With her loyal friends and her belief in herself, despite Christine's many attempts to do her down, Evie can accomplish anything.

A funny, smart heroine and an enjoyable, clever plot.

Evie misses her mommy and guidance on becoming her own woman. On top of that she is dealing with loosing her father attention and the pink witch that's Christine. But after a crazy summer, full of adventures and with the help of an eclectic, quirky cast of characters she is finally on her way to become what she wanted: a woman!
A gorgeously tender coming of age set in Yorkshire. Looks like I love books set around where I live, it's nice to have an idea about the places featured in the book. Evie is such a character. Lovely for a teen. I loved her naivete, her inquisitiveness, her resilience and her resourcefulness and especially her humor. But Evie dear, your taste in music just sucks. I'll have you know opera is lovely and not just sounding as someone is dying :p). And Evie is not the only awesome character. Apart from Christine and Vera, each lady enriched the story with their contributions and their all round loveliness. Despite having a happy ending, it is a somewhat open one: hinting at many more adventures to come!

Evie Epworth is sixteen and on the verge of womanhood. But what sort of woman will she become? Will she stay on at school and go on to better things or will she (as her soon to be stepmother wants) work in a hairdresser's? This is the story of how Evie finds herself and how she gets rid of the awful Christine who has her father in her clutches. Amusing, light hearted and warm, this is a novel you'll race through.

This is very enjoyable with a most sympathetic protagonist in Evie and wonderful characters such as Caroline, Evie's next door neighbour's daughter. It also has two very unlikeable villains in the grasping, greedy Christine and her mother Vera. These two latter characters are perhaps a bit too stereotyped for my liking but overall I enjoyed this book very much. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Imagine if Adrian Mole had been a teenager in the '60s. And lived on a farm. And delivered milk. And was female.

Meet Evie Epworth.

Evie has problems. Taking her O levels with no idea what she wants to do with herself. But the worst problems are caused by her dad's fiancee, the grasping Christine. And her mother.

Evie's ray of light is her neighbour. And when her neighbour's daughter returns, life changes.....

Fantastic!

Such a wonderful book; I loved it! It has all the joy of a 16 year old girl finding her way in East Yorkshire in 1962., She lives with her widowed father and Christine, a much younger woman, who appears to have muscled her way in, in the hope of some money to come!
Evie has such enthusiasm for life that it is a joy to read as she tries to save her father from Christine's clutches!
We find out more about Evie's mother who died when she was 4 and about Arthur, her father, and his time in France.
The whole setting throughout the book is absolutely delightful. Evie has the help of nearby wealthy elderly neighbour, Mrs Scott-Pym and her daughter Caroline, who appears from London and is, in Evie's eyes, the epitome of fashion and how she would like to be.
The various mentions of Bettys, the wonderful Yorkshire tearooms, had me dreaming of another visit there once the current lockdown is over!
If you want an easy to read, unputdownable, joyous book then this is it!

Netgalley ARC

This book lived up to it's blurb and exceeded my expectations.

Evie was a joy to read about, her prospective step mum Christine was enjoyably evil and the other characters had loveable quirks.. There were genuine laugh out loud situations and a good slathering of Yorkshireness.

I was pleasantly shocked to find this was written by a man because everything in the plot was driven by female characters and the male characters were either unpleasant or ineffectual.

This read left me feeling happy and relaxed. Good work!

When we first meet Evie Epworth she has just finished her O levels and is idly contemplating her plans for the long hot summer of 1962. It soon becomes apparent that the avaricious family housekeeper, Christine, has her own plans for Evie as she is on a mission to get her claws into Evie's Dad Arthur. Her plotting has begun with the installation of a new electric cooker to replace the range in the farmhouse kitchen but she has grander designs as Evie discovers.
With the support of an affectionately portrayed of cast of strong female characters Evie is helped to find her own way, and has some hilarious adventures along the way. I enjoyed the wonderful evocation of summer in a Yorkshire village and it made me yearn for a traditional village fair or garden party.
A funny, charming vintage read with musical interludes from Adam Faith, opera, Mantovani and The Beatles, 'The Miseducation of Evie Epworth' is about casting off an old way of life whilst holding onto the past.

This was a funny book, I laughed all the way through. It was quirky and nostalgic, set in the 1960’s the main character has a big crush on Adam Faith (a sixties singer) and has two posters of her bedroom wall which she talks to them hoping to sort out her problems. We’ve all done that in our time and that was what warmed me to the book. It was very well written and such a completely different subject to my usual reads.
My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review. I shall be looking out for more from this author in the future.

I devoured this book - beautifully rounded characters, a likeable heroine in Evie, a slightly comedic villain in the grasping and dislikeable Christine and the entertaining and vibrant Caroline all helped to create a balance of strong and interesting women. I thought Arthur was a little disappointing though; definitely a chick lit novel with the women being dominant and the men either weak or unpleasant. I won’t spoil the ending, but it was certainly- in the terms of literary convention - a satisfying resolution. Recommend this novel and I’d certainly be keen to read more by this author.