When I got this book I was expecting a light hearted read. What I got instead was a book filled with heartbreak.

Beth is a 30 year old woman who has always been known to quit at everything. Then one day her sister and brother in law are in an accident and she suddenly has a teenager and toddler to take care of.

This book is a story of how your responsibilities change when your life is suddenly turned upside down. She is dealing with having 2 kids to look after as well as herself, a mum who appears to be waiting for her to make a mistake, a best friend who she distances herself from and her job

This was amazingly written and hit me right in the heart from the very beginning, by the end I was crying. I definitely hope that Sarah writes more novels as if she does I will definitely be picking them up!

A feel good read that kept me turning pages to find out how life would turn out for this family after the accident that changed all their lives in a flash....

A tragic accident leaves Beth responsible for the care of her teenage niece, Polly and her little nephew, Ted. She has always wanted to act responsibly and prove everyone wrong, especially her mother, now she has no choice. Will she be able to turn her life around? Brilliantly and realistically written, showing extreme sadness, but at times there are laugh out loud moments.

I received a gifted copy of ‘Stepping Up’ by Sarah Turner in return for my honest review.

This book follows Beth who has spent her life never really sticking at anything until suddenly a devastating accident leaves her in an unexpected situation.

Beth finds herself as the guardian for her teenage niece and toddler nephew. Not only must she learn how to be a parent overnight, but she must also help them deal with the grief and uncertainty that lies ahead.

An encounter with the elderly neighbour next door helps make Beth determined to change her ways and step up.

What follows is laughs and tears as Beth discovers the ups and downs of being a parent.

I really felt for Beth as she was thrown into a very difficult situation that would be hard for anyone, let alone someone without any parenting experience.

I loved following her journey and seeing her make the same mistakes that all of us parents do too, it made me smile as we are never perfect all the time.

There is an emotional side to this book too which made you feel for the characters.

I think another part I related to is the judgements we feel people make when everything isn’t perfect in the home, even if they are not meant the way they seem.

Overall, an emotional but also uplifting book showing the journey of a young woman through unexpected guardianship of her niece and nephew.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thought that Beth was very relatable and enjoyed reading her journey from being irresponsible to doing a great job raising her niece and nephew after a tragic accident leaves their dad dead and their mum in a coma. It was a very touching story and dealt with grief very well.

Thank you NetGalley for this advanced copy. I recommended this book based on someone else's recommendation, but unfortunately didn't find it quite as good as they did. The book consists of a couple getting into an accident on their way to a mortgage appointment. Big secret when the find a letter indicating this was NOT where they were headed, however the truth wasn't very interesting to me. I found the main character a little irritating as she can't seem to take care of herself when she's in her 30's. I tend to lean toward thrillers usually, but thought I would give this book a try. Just wasn't for me.

Beth has never stuck at anything, she quits jobs like they are going out of fashion and has no responsibilities whatsoever. However, one Friday that all changes when tragedy strikes...

A truly terrible tragedy results in Beth being the legal guardian to her niece and nephew. No responsibility Beth is thrown in the deep end and is struggling to keep above water. Will she float or sink?

There are not enough words to do this book justice! It was an incredible, amazing, fantastic, beautiful and emotive book. I loved every second being part of Beth's world and I could not put the book down once I had started. Sarah Turner has written a beautiful masterpiece about grief and hope, I lost count of the amount of times that I cried.

Beth is a great character and it is lovely to see her grow, she is so strong and kind. I adored her relationship with the 80-ish year old Albert and it was heartwarming to see her bring him out of his shell. Beth has had a very good friendship with Jory who was there for her in her hour of need.

I was sad to finish Stepping Up and didn't want it to end. I look forward to reading what Sarah Turner writes next as her first fiction book was beautiful.

I really loved this book! I completely related to the characters, although the subject matter was rather sad.
A definite recommendation from me!

Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for gifting me this arc in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

Beth is a 30 something woman still living with her parents and laxks both direction, organisation and any responsibilities whats so ever. She works in an office and her she spends her free time drinking with her best friend Jory and recovering from hangovers.
That all changes when her sister and brother in law have a car crash killing her brother in law and her sister in a coma.
Her mother expects to resume responsibility of Beth's teenage niece and toddler nephew. but as executor the his son i laws will, Beth's father informs Beth she she is to have guardianship. Beth moves into the family home and steps up to the job.
Beth steers her way around organising a home, dealing with a toddler and a teenager who is keeping something from her. To make matters worse, her ever critical mother is making her feel like a failure, her close relationship with her best friend is dwindling as he has a new girlfriend and she's forgotten to set the alarm at the office where she works. On the plus side she has made a lovely new friend with octogenarian neighbour Albert who is alone after his wife Mavis died and has no children until she lets him down too when she forgets to meet up with him as promised.
This is a story about grief, love, family friendship and individual growth. The characters are all likeable and will have you in an
emotional roller-coaster laughing one minute and feeling the pain of grief in the next.
I often talk about chapter sizes as this is important to me to be able to put down and pick up easily and these chapters were of the right size to do this.
The story develops well apart from the break in at the office, I felt like there could have been more behind this (almost a set up) and has a lovely warm conclusion at the end. Doesn't completely end well nut that's okay otherwise the ending would have been predictably perfect.A typically British sense of humour and a main character was believable.
Suitable for readers of General fiction or women's fiction.
#SteppingUp #NetGalley

Loved this book, a beautifully written story about grief, family, friendships and love. It’s definitely an emotional rollercoaster of a read, Beth, the main character had me laughing and crying, throughout and at the end. Didn’t want to put it down or for it to end. Definitely recommend this book.

I’ve been a big fan of Sarah Turner’s The Unmummsy Mum account on Instagram for a few years now and already own a few of her books. When I found out she had written her debut novel, well let’s just say I was so excited to have been approved to read it. I can’t praise Stepping Up highly enough, it was such a wonderful book. It’s absolutely heartbreaking and yet at the same time is still so full of love, humour, warmth and even hope.

Stepping Up centres on Beth who is, if we’re being honest, a bit of a mess. She’s never stuck at anything, and is still sleeping in her childhood home, working a job she actively tries to avoid. Then one morning Beth, and her family’s, life’s change irreversibly following a tragic accident. Beth now finds herself as the guardian to her teenage niece and toddler nephew. This throws Beth into a whole new and very unfamiliar world. But this time Beth is determined not to quit and run away, this time she’s stepping up.

I’ll admit I knew this book was going to be good when it had me weeping before the 10% mark, and then again several times throughout the book. Turner has the most wonderful way with words and has written characters that are so full of depth and feel so very real that you can’t help but really feel for them.

I loved all of the characters within this story. Beth particularly was such a brilliant lead. She’s totally chaotic and just hasn’t got anything together when we first meet her. Then when her world is turned upside down she struggles to cope, but my goodness she tries. The arc she goes through is just so wonderful to read. I especially loved the how her relationships with others grew and developed throughout the book. How she grew closer to, and helped her niece Polly. How her mum learnt to see her in a different way and of course her relationship with Albert. I just adored Albert, he was just the kindest soul and the most wonderful neighbour. I don’t think I’ve ever been moved so much when thinking about the significance of a peg bag. I also loved little Ted and everything that he represented in this story, the love, confusion, grief and the need to keep going and find the wonder and joy in small things.

This is such a beautiful story. Turner explores grief and loneliness with such delicacy, compassion and humanity. This is a story that will make you feel so much, you’ll cry, you’ll laugh, you’ll smile and you’ll hope for the best for this wonderful family and their friends. I cannot recommend this book highly enough and cannot wait to see what Sarah Turner writes next.

Well what can I say…..wow, wow, wow! I have been waiting with anticipation to read Sarah’s debut novel. As a fan of Unmummsy Mum right from the beginning I knew this would be a cracking read and boy I was not wrong. I was gripped from the start, the characters are all relatable and lovable. The story evokes all emotions and I felt everything that Beth particularly felt. She was portrayed amazingly. I felt like Beth was someone I was friends with and I loved following her journey in this book and the relationships she has from Jory, Polly, Ted, Emmy, her parents and Albert! What a joy this relationship was.
Well done Sarah, I adored Stepping Up and want to keep reading even though I have finished the book. Stepping up is not to be missed.

This was a pleasant read. It’s almost like a coming of age story, but for a 30-year old rather than a young person. Beth goes from having no responsibilities and a care-free existence to becoming the guardian of her niece and nephew and we see her learn ‘on the job’ and grow. My favourite part was the relationship she develops with 83-old Albert, that was sweet and well depicted. Having said that, it all fell a bit flat for me. There is nothing wrong with the book per se, but there’s nothing extraordinary either. I am such a big fan of the Unmumsy Mum books that I expected something similar – not in terms of a story line as such, but in terms of style and frothiness. And this didn’t quite deliver for me.

Thank you to the editor and Netgalley for an advanced e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest and impartial review.

I really loved this book. It was lighthearted yet covering such a serious subject with a truly heartwarming message. The relationship developments over time were beautiful and I was totally invested in Aunty Beth, Polly, Ted and the extended family. It was the type of book that I loved reading but really didn’t want to end. The ending was positive but not necessarily ‘happy ever after’ which broke my heart whilst making me soo happy at the same time 💗

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an advance copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

I was very excited to hear that Sarah was writing her first novel after the very successful parenting books she has previously written. This book did not disappoint! I’m not going to go into too much detail as I don’t want to give away spoilers!

This is a beautiful story of love, loss, hope and friendship. The characters are so well developed and relatable, you feel you are following their journey as a friend of the family. I found myself engrossed in the story from the first few pages and almost had a cry in the hairdressers! The grief that the family share is handled in such a gentle, honest and delicate manner and the plot helps readers to realise that life doesn’t just stop even when loss occurs, particularly when children are involved. As we follow the family each members journey entwines beautifully to create an effortlessly heartwarming plot. The development of the main character, Beth, was both uplifting and wholesome.

As a debut novel, this is simply incredible and an absolute pleasure to read.

I LOVED this book. I was hooked from the first few pages and finished it within 24 hours. Everything about it was completely spot on and I cried and laughed.
Loved the ended, hoping for a ‘stepping back’? Soon?

Would also make a fabulous tv show.

Oh I did love this book, it caught my attention from the very start and I could not put it down. Even though the content of the book is sad, there is also an optimism for Beth that she will find herself and work her way through the tragedy that has hit her family.
Beth is a single woman who is finding it hard to find her way in life and cannot find anything in her life that makes her stick with things. When the going gets tough, Beth quits! That is until she is forced to re-evaluate her life due to a tragedy that hits her family. Now people are relying on her to be strong and stick with it.
Even though Beth is a quitter, you are willing her to find her way, you can see how much she can give to her family, if only people believed in her. This book has everything, tragedy, grief, romance, amazing friendships and a strong family at the centre. I loved seeing the way friendships and family ties evolved during the book and you see that her life has changed for the better in many ways
I simply cannot find the right words to do this book the justice that is deserves. It deals with such a heavy topic but with such lightness while giving the topic every respect it deserves. You must read this book. you won't regret it!

This was such a warm book. It captures all of the turmoil of being thrown into a parental role without being at all prepared, while also showing how that can be funny and confusing. It reminded me that family can be the most frustrating and important thing in the world.

I properly ended up caring about all of the characters, even all of the supporting cast. They were well written enough to make me feel like a fly on the wall. Perfectly balanced between emotion and lightness. Felt like it captured what it was trying to really well.

I loved The Unmumsy Mum so was keen to read this novel by the same author - and I wasn't disappointed! Beth is, by her own admission, a quitter. She doesn't stick long to a job, she is past 30 and still lives with her parents. However, a tragic event sees her in charge of her 14 year old niece Polly and toddler nephew Ted. Can Beth step up and take control of her new life?

With great characterisation (my particular favourite was octogenarian neighbour Albert), the story made me laugh and cry. A fabulous book!

Oh my goodness, I adored this book! It was warm and touching, funny and heart wrenching, the kind of book you can’t put down, but don’t want to read too fast and have it be over. Beth is a flawed and genuine character, stuck in an impossible situation, and her story is truly gripping. I was captivated by the twists and turns she and her family went through, I genuinely couldn’t put it down. I thought about it when I wasn’t reading it and looked forward to picking my kindle up at any opportunity!! Haven’t enjoyed a book so much for a very long time, please write another one soon Sarah!!