What a gorgeous read. Likeable characters, lots of messages of hope and subtle humour all the way through. Really enjoyed this book, read in one hit. Recommend.

I wasn't fan of Turners other book but this is in a completely different league. I really enjoyed myself and read it in one evening ... and this is saying something these days!

Stepping Up by Sarah Turner was an engaging book with strong characters and a realistic setting. After a catastrophic road traffic accident it falls to Beth to look after her sister's children - a toddler nephew and teenage niece. With the whole family in a state of shock, Beth, who has never knowingly stuck at anything, has to negotiate her way through complicated emotions and relationships. Sarah Turner describes the action in an admirably low-key way and, best of all, resists the temptation to give us a happily ever after ending with all the loose ends neatly tied up.

Oh I loved this book. I pretty much eschewed everything else I had to do all Sunday so I could finish it.

I did expect to like this book as I am already a fan of Sarah Turner, but I didn’t expect to love it as much as I did.

Beth is so relatable, she is so like me, and she’s so likeable. The other characters are wonderful too - Jory is adorable, the kids are lovely, and Albert is delightful.
The story has everything, drama, intrigue, romance. It’s great.

I really hope there’s a sequel. I need to know what happens next for this family,

So I originally struggled with the start of this book, I found the beginning to be heart wrenching and I wasn't sure if I could continue, but as the book went on I began to become attached to Beth and rest of the characters. Beth starts the book as an underachieving character who lacks the will power to commit any role or hobby, much to the disappointment of her family. Following a tragedy, Beth becomes guardian to her niece and nephew and struggles with the responsibility of helping them overcome the grief and day to day life.

Within this book all of the characters came to life, I cried and I laughed with them as they overcame their own problems and began to heal. Albert steadily became my favourite character in the book, sort of like a lovable teddy bear, stumbling in his understanding of younger generations and quietly supporting Beth and helping her grow as a character. All of the characters surrounding Beth in this book provided support in bringing the story to life and making Beth become a better person and helped her work out her insecurities making us feel as if we could truly understand her.

I greatly enjoyed this book, and I feel it would suit most adults, especially those who feel like they are struggling to find their place in the world. This is another author who I look forward to seeing more from!

Although the characters were well developed, I found the writing a bit stilted and the pacing a bit too slow for me.

Absolutely cracking read. I thoroughly enjoyed this debut novel and feel honoured to have been chosen to read it early. Everyone is going to love the story of Beth and her upturned life. It brought me laughter and tears - what a gorgeous tale of family and love!

A really thoughtful book, not always the easiest of reads as the subject matter is heartbreaking. I found it be very well written with a good balance of humour to counteract the poignant moments, I found the mother to be very annoying but I think this was the writer's intention but she came good in the end. I would definitely read more by this author

I didn't really expect to enjoy this book and selected it out of curiosity to be honest. Slight negatives out of the way first the useless aunty / friend inherits children out of the blue story has been done before. But, big but, it is done really well here. Also how did they keep paying the rent / food on the table?? totally not mentioned (yes I know it's "chicklit" but still).

I was just desperate for Beth to catch a break most of the time. The out and out star of this book is toddler Ted, read it just for him and you will spit out your tea laughing at some of the more keenly observed observations of the other kids parents.

All in all a great story, well written maybe slightly predictable but so much fun it doesn't really matter. oh and yes be careful with cups of tea!

Stepping up is such a poignant, heartbreaking read but totally relateable and heartwarming, it grabs you from the first page till the last and leaves you wanting more!
Beth has been thrown in the deep end after her sister and brother in law were involved in a nasty accident leaving her sister in a coma and her brother in law dead, as designated guardian for her toddler nephew and teenager niece she has to overnight become a responsible adult whilst dealing with her grief and that of her parents and the children!
Beth struggles with routine, domesticity and order and is on a huge learning curve and experiences many cleaning and culinary disasters! not to mention work issues, relationship woes and offending her neighbour!
However as time goes by Beth impresses her parents, gets organised and starts to believe she can succeed and do her sisters wishes proud and finally admit to herself the feelings she has for a long term friend.
Moving emotional yet uplifting would love to see a sequel.
Thank you netgalley for this early read.

I just loved this. It was a hard story for me to read as it brought up memories of losing my own father at 4, however it was a great read. I loved Beth and her family and the romance.

I hoped Emmy would be awake by the end, but perhaps that means a sequal!

I was prepared for this to be a light fluff piece played heavily for laughs. Which now I think about it does Sarah Turner and her writing (Her non-fiction is brilliant) a massive disservice.
Stepping Up is so much more than I expected. Turner's writing creates a coming of age tale via unexpected parenting with heartfelt honesty. Tackling grief, strained family dynamics and a little bit of Wilf (If you follow her on Instagram you'll know!) thrown in for good measure,
Beth, the main character is a fully rounded kind human being who I enjoyed spending a couple of hours with. (Only a couple because I gorged on this book, devouring it in one night and staying up way past my bedtime to do so), and the relationships and previously undiscovered strength that the family found to get themselves through a horrific tragedy were utterly compelling.
My one (very minor) quibble, was that Polly had so much on her plate, both before and after the tragedy, that I feel that a bit of that was skimmed over and not addressed as completely as I would have liked given the seriousness of it all
I will definitely be buying a copy of this book for my shelves on release.

Beth is a bit of a chaotic character. She's thirty but still lives at hime with her parents. She never sticks at anything and still hasn't settled on a career. She gets drunk and has stinking hangovers so it's hardly a surprise when everything goes wrong when she is asked to step up. Her sister and brother in law are in a crash and Beth has to look after their two children to her own mother's horror.

This is a book about grief as well as a romance. I thought the grief aspect was well handled but enjoyed the romance part less. It seemed to intrude on the grief process she was going through. I think this part could have been safely left out as she had so much else going on to worry about. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Stepping Up by Sarah Turner

First time foray for Sarah into fiction and the woman done good !
Beth is suddenly thrown into looking after her sister's children due to a tragic accident.
She experiences highs and lows in dealing with the grief on both sides and the moving toward to bring up happy ,well adjusted kids . This book will hand you out laughter and tears in heaps.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for this ARC.

This book was an absolute pleasure to read. It is the author’s debut novel, and I was really surprised when I found that out, I felt like I was reading a book from an author with several books under her belt. I thought this was such a well written and engaging book I read it in two sittings. I loved the characters in it, and had such empathy for them and enjoyed seeing Beth and Alberts friendship develop. I think the author has wrote of her characters feelings, thoughts and emotions whilst grieving very accurately, realistically and so eloquently. Beth is thrown into an unexpected role well out of her comfort zone and has to adapt fast. This book is about family, family relationships, grieving, love, friendships and hope with a lovely little touch of romance. I have absolutely loved reading this book, it has made me laugh, smile and cry and definitely was an emotional read at times. .

Amazing debut novel! I knew it would be well written, having followed Sarah on Instagram for several years. The plot was well paced and engaging. The characters were realistic and well developed. I’d highly recommend this novel, and can’t wait to read Sarah’s future work.

An absolutely fabulous debut novel by Sarah Turner. I couldn’t help but love Beth and her adorable family of Polly, Ted, Emmy and her Mum and Dad, as well as Jory and the wonderful Albert. This book made me laugh, cry and appreciate my own family. You know you’re reading a good book when you start casting the characters in the film version! A wonderfully warm and adorable book. Highly recommended!

Not quite half way through yet, but I am not sure if I will be carrying on, I just can not warm to Beth at all - I think too soon she showed her "poor me" character before she had even received the news about her sister and brother-on-law. However, it is well written and this may be what persuades me to continue.

I really loved reading this book. Sad premise but the characters are all so wonderful that the sadness doesnt bring the tone of the book down. Some genuinely funny observations and such lovely friendships made from a tragic back story. I highly recommend this, I will certainly be reading it again!
Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this in advance.

A good book. An enjoyable read which makes you want to carry on to see what happens next. Well done on a well written book.