Mathilda is still reeling from the death of her father and her boyfriend walking out on her all within a matter of weeks. She has moved in with three of her girlfriends who all do their best to help her recover - but something about Mathilda isn't right. She's stuck and can't move on, replaying moments from her childhood or memories with her boyfriend over and over in her mind. Eventually, her friends start to push her towards more unorthodox methods of recovery in the search for closure and recovery - could Mathilda be cursed?

I really liked the character of Mathilda. She is a person who is in so many ways deeply aware of herself and yet in others she has no idea what is going on emotionally. I really felt with Mathilda the rage and heartbreak following her break up (as someone who has also been on the receiving end of a cowardly boyfriend it resonated!) and her deep desire to make sense of her troubled relationship with her father. This is a novel about grief and the different forms it can take and not always about grieving someone who has died - you can grieve the loss of a friendship or a lover who has moved on too. Despite this key theme, I never felt like the book was maudlin or sad - there are actually plenty of laugh out loud moments with some dark comedy thrown in too.

I recommend this book to readers who like Dolly Alderton (Ghosts), Daisy Buchanan (Insatiable) or for fans of Fleabag.

A super read, zeitgeist, witty and moving. It will appeal to fans of Fleabag, I May Destroy You and Promising Young Women. Delicately and deftly written.

I loved the cover and the people around me do too, to the extent that some of them have bought it purely on that basis. It is a lovely package! Unfortunately I had to DNF this one. In the first chapters, there were several weird misuses of 'ten-dollar' words (some of my favourite writers sometimes do this too, such as Lisa Jewell and Jennifer Weiner, but I don't mind that because their characters are lovable and their books have momentum) and spelling mistakes/typos. I couldn't connect with Tilda or her beautiful flatmates and it took too long to get going for me. Thanks to Hodder and Stoughton and Netgalley for providing an ARC for an honest review.

Such an unusual read, even though in many ways it's characters and subject matter are not new. There was something really honest and real about the characters and the simplicity of the narrative, whilst covering some really contemporary and deep issues. Would be really interested to see what's next from this author.

Mathilda is a loveable character, Her heartbreak is so raw and you feel that with her.
this book is emotional, self acceptance and humours.

I enjoyed the strange friendship between some of these characters but at times found the two losses difficult to distinguish so felt myself having to re read parts. It's cleverly written and I think quietly there are some good lessons to be learnt in here. I'd be interested to know what Abigail writes next.

Very odd book with lots of different threads that were difficult to keep track of. I didn't particularly like any of the characters & sadly did not finish at 50%

To be honest, I didn’t really enjoy this book. I found it very annoying when the main character was talking to “you” and since she was suffering from the loss of her father, and the break up from her boyfriend, the “you” that she talks about is interchangeable and I was reading the text without knowing who she was addressing. It really put me off and it took me longer than it should to get through the book. That was such a major flaw for me, and even though the book is well written apart from that, I just can’t recommend it. Thank you #netgalley

Oh my goodness, I loved this book. How heartbreaking and realistic it was, and also, in the end (spoiler!), no one comes to save her, she learns how to save herself. I thought the description of grief and heartbreak were totally true, and the desperation that comes with trying to avoid those feelings. Everyone should read it.

What a stunning book! It was so beautifully written and made me feel pretty emotional! Can't wait to read more from Abigail.

What a Shame is a really clever book, depicting a young woman trying to find her way in life after suffering life events that have left her traumatised and grieving. I loved the way her grief was explored through various attempts by those around her to help her work through it.

It is not as hard a read as it sounds though, there is a light hearted warmth to the book, I think coming through the love shining that radiates from the narrator's friends and family. Some of their ideas for tackling grief are whimsical, some spiritual, some more traditional...they all chip away at the haze of grief that surrounds her.

The only small thing that confused me slightly was that the narrator addresses both her father and her ex-partner directly - which is an effective narrative feature, but it isn't always clear who she is talking to at different point. I wonder if that is intentional though, as the narrator tries to pick apart everything going on in her head. I really look forward to more from this author!

I saw someone (Dolly Alderton?) post about this book a while ago & completely ignored it because I hated the title and I hated the cover (breaking the first cardinal rule of life, to not judge a book… I know, I know). Then it popped up again and again across social media, and when Bella Mackie (i<3u) posted about it, I finally listened and requested a review copy on Netgalley. Boyyyyyyy am I glad that it was rammed so far down my throat that I eventually stopped ignoring it. I wouldn’t go so far as to describe it as phenomenal, in the same way I wouldn’t describe a cup of tea as phenomenal, but you need to know that I drink about five cups of tea a day and I would read this book five times a day if I could. It was warming, life-affirming and exactly what I needed at this point in my life. I don’t know if that weird-ass analogy makes sense to you, but this book made sense to me and I will be buying it for all of my friends’ birthday and Christmas presents henceforth. Congrats, everyone.

What a brilliant book, had me hooked quite quickly and I finished it over the weekend. Its darkly funny and equally sad. Excellent debut novel.

What a Shame was a deliciously open and acerbic glimpse into life as a woman trying to navigate a way through shame, past trauma, love, friendship and grief.

Floored by a sudden and unforeseen break-up, Mathilda moves in with friends. These awesome group of women long to see Tilda smile again, and whilst they may be slightly exasperated with her prolonged melancholy, they are also present and loving.

Tilda's grief and shame is about more than her break-up, and she goes on a deep dive soul search to release the darkness that has overshadowed her whole life.

So many witty and on the money observations about life that made me smile, this is a book I know I'll read more than once.

Brilliantly observed and written, I loved everything about What A Shame.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a free ARC of this book. I have chosen to write this honest review voluntarily.
The blurb said this book would be a mix of comical and sad moments as Mathilda was supported by her friends after the death of her father and the departure of her boyfriend. I read 17% of boring dialogue, through the weird discovery that she and her friend Eden call each other Sharon and Kath, and decided I could not read any more of this unfunny novel about a bizarre group of people who behave as though they are teenagers.

This story wasn't really what I expected and I struggled to get through it and nearly ended up as a dnf, as I didn't connect or even care about any of the characters.

Plus I was confused at first as Mathilda was talking about someone she addresses as "you". Then I realised that "you" was two different people! Talk about confusing.

I received this book from netgalley in return for a honest review.

This is a very odd book - the themes are very serious - Mathilde has just lost her father, her boyfriend broke up with her, her 'rebound' is a toxic and abusive man... But the tone and the writing are alternatively poetic and dark and sad, or funny and bubbly, like a rom-com or a fun beach novel. Her friends think she is the victim of a curse, so this is a recurring theme - they suggest a bath to cleanse the bad energy. There is a long, long Tarot reading. The story is narrated sometimes to the ex-boyfriend, sometimes to the deceased father. It was interesting and mostly well-written but I found the format very confusing - it did not quite always match the content (which is fine) but it was very inconsistent.

This novel had me pretty much confused from the beginning to the end! It was difficult to tell if Mathilda (the main character) was talking about her grief from the loss of her dad or from her boyfriend walking out. I feel this was intentional as it seems to happen a lot throughout the book. The redeeming quality is the friendship she has with her housemates but I never really connected with any of them on a level that made me really engage with the book. I feel there should also be warnings that the book deals with sexual abuse and self harm.

Fantastically written - the voice is sharp and heart-wrenching. Also amazingly relatable in places; get ready to weep and also laugh!!

Sharp Edged Tale…
A sharp edged tale of grief and of loss and of everything in between. Flailing between the deep loss of a loved one and of a break up, perhaps different forms of grief, Mathilda turns towards more and more unorthodox methods of coping. Written with appropriate nuance and emotion and yet running with a dry vein of wry humour. A powerful, well written piece.