This is an extraordinary book. It deals with complex issues such as grief, loss, sexual assault and self harm but without being sensationalist or depressing. It is overwhelmingly an uplifting story of female friendship, self-empowerment and self identity. Bergstrom's writing is so insightful and so moving yet authentic and not self-indulgent with a core of dark humour. Reminiscent of Fleabag and I may destroy you for it's contemporary woman -centred feel. I feel better for reading it.

A strange book which I did not really enjoy – possibly pushing me outside my comfort zone? I did not find any passages funny/comical either. Totally not my kind of book.

This novel is so realistic and true to life and addresses some stark societal issues such as male dominance, rape, domestic abuse, and sexual abuse. As the narrative unfolds, the reader soon comes to see that Tilda is hiding something big from herself, a thing she absolutely must deal with before she can truly heal. Darkly amusing!

This was ok….I just didn’t like any of the characters, I couldn’t warm to any of them.

However, despite the unlikeable characters the story was good, although a little chaotic at times. It’s ultimately a story about grief, not just from the death of someone but also the heartache from breaking up with someone.

Mathilda definitely goes through a range of emotions throughout the story which I think many would be able to relate to. It was wonderful that she had such a close group of friends to help her and the author captured this well, even if some of their suggestions for help were a little out there.

Overall this explores some very important subjects such as grief, self harm, abuse relationships and acceptance. Despite all this there were some light-hearted moments and powerful quotes but not one I would be rushing to read again.

What A Shame follows Mathilda who is grieving both the loss of her father and the end of her relationship. This loss brings Mathilda back to her tight knit group of friends and towards various, not always orthodox, coping mechanisms.

It was interesting to follow Mathilda’s emotional journey and Bergstrom creates a set of characters that feel real and familiar, a comfort against the heavy topics that the book addresses.

The book is a mix of humour, emotion and heart and is well written and engaging.

Bergstrom has created an engaging and captivating book in What A Shame. It is slightly confusing to follow however I feel everyone will understand and relate to the strong bonds that the book depicts.

Honestly, I found this incredible. Sharp, painful, heart-breaking but also sad, darkly funny and hopeful - it was a real rollercoaster of emotions and I felt every single word and sentence in this book, almost in a physical way. Abigail Bergstrom is a brilliant writer and this is just a wonderful debut that I hope to see praised everywhere.

What a Shame follow the life of Mathilda, who is grieving the loss of her father and the end of a relationship.

Lost and confused, Mathilda moves back in with her friends, who are convinced she is cursed and introduce her to a range of unorthodox methods to overcome her grief.

Themes in the book include grief, social media, self-acceptance, relationships; all of which are explored through the character of Mathilda.

Unfortunately, If I am completely honest, this book was not for me. I found it confusing and hard to follow and I found it difficult to warm to any of the characters. It nearly ended up as a DNF, however I am someone who must finish something once I start it, so I continued through.

Whilst I didn't enjoy the plot, it goes without saying that the author has a talent for writing. There were some powerful and raw quotes in the book which were truly compelling.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for an ARC in exchange

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.

This was a sharp and personal debut about Mathilda, who has in many ways lost herself due to grief and heartbreak. It is in a way difficult and easy read at the same time. The subject matter is hard, but it is written in a manner that one wants to laugh and cry along with Mathilda. I really liked how the story switches between the her point of view to her speaking directly to her dad and her previous partner. The plot kept moving while the writing was beautiful on a sentence level. A definite recommend!

A few fragments:

"I'm early, and wisely turn my attention to the lives of more women who look happier than I feel by scrolling through Instagram. The success, pleasure and vitality of these women refreshes more quickly than my feed."

"I have these memories of you now. I suppose upon reflection they have always been there, lurking in the background. A passing shadow in front of a doorway, or in the corner of my eye - back, back, back in black corners of my mind. So deeply buried and repressed that when I start to recall a memory of you, I remember it in the wrong order."

Trigger warnings: self harm, abuse.

Thank you NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the e-ARC.

Firstly, I have to say I absolutely love this cover. It's striking and playful and immediately made me want to read the book. I also think it does fit the book well, even if in the end I didn't really enjoy the book as much as I hoped.

In parts I can see that the prose is lovely but I couldn't help feeling like I didn't want to keep reading. There are clever little observations that in the end a less than the sum of their parts I thought.

While Tilda's sadness is often mentioned I always felt it at a remove. I didn't like the use of you to talk to two different characters, I found it off-putting. I don't want to be wondering if she's talking to her ex of her dad.

Loads of people will like this. It just wasn't for me sadly. My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

A brilliant and exciting debut exploring grief and relationships (romantic and family). The author has wonderfully crafted a sad but eventually hopeful narrative which is compelling and wonderfully written. The protagonist's dark humour and chaotic sadness is very relatable and makes for a read which is difficult to put down. An exciting talent in contemporary fiction.

I wasn't sure what to make of this book. I was confused at first as Mathilda is talking to someone she addresses as "you". Then I began to realise that the "you" was two different people, which would be correct if this was in your own head, but to read it is a different matter.

Intrigued by what the remedies her friends would go to I pressed on. I wasn't overly convinced of their methods. The last method was a little too out there for me and too many pages were taken up describing it all in detail.

My favourite part of the book is where she befriends Constance an elderly lady who still has opinions on lots of things and I thought worth listening to.

There are a couple of what I deem to be comical episodes, but I didn't find them that funny. Overall I found the book a little depressing and even more so when what I had suspected from the beginning is revealed. There could be some trigger points for some readers.

A quirky and heartfelt novel about female friendship and self-acceptance. If you're a fan of novels like Queenie and Ghosts, this is a great read! Admittedly, I found the narrator a little hard to follow at times and so it requires a bit of concentration, however a good comfort read in the end.

Warning for self harm and abuse.

‘What a Shame’ is a perfect balance of genuine heart and awkward humour. If you enjoyed ‘Fleabag’ and writers like Caitlin Moran and Dawn O’ Porter I think you’ll love this debut.
Mathilda’s world is in turmoil after her father’s death and a split from her boyfriend, she tries to find solace by moving in with friends. The truth is that she is stuck and her friends try, each in their own ways, to help her move on with her life and start believing she can be happy again.
I obviously connected with this book, like any young woman in a world where you’re told you do anything and have everything it is so easy to get lost and overwhelmed. I loved Mathilda as a MC because her solid plans and hard work are her constant and when things go wrong she has friends who try and pick her up, despite some unconventional methods.
Don’t get me wrong a book like this can feel a bit self indulgent at times but I enjoyed those passages because by then I had become invested in the characters and could appreciate being part of the inner circle of friends and their journeys.
On the surface of this book is a group of millennials trying to cope with lives that should be as perfect and poised as an Instagram post. But as soon as you scratch the surface you see genuine bonds of a modern sisterhood who just want to support each other in all aspects of their lives. Brilliantly funny and heart wrenching in equal measure.

Following a nasty break up and a bereavement Mathilda is not in a good place. Things have to get worse before she can move forward. A story of friendship and self acceptance. A great debut.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

Shame is something that most women feel often, but a lot of the time the things we feel shame about are not our fault or out of our control. Bergstrom explores this concept widely and sensitively with the character of Mathilda, who feels very real and true to life as a millennial woman struggling with bereavement and a break-up. Strong female friendships are also the foundation of this book, and the support these can offer when things go wrong. It's funny, moving and completely identifiable. Trigger warnings for domestic and sexual abuse and drug use.

“Don’t forget to let yourself be sad. You are allowed. Grief is a good thing. It means that you loved someone. It means that they mattered.”

WOW. What a book.

What a Shame follows Mathilda who after losing her father and breaking up with her boyfriend in short succession of eachother has become somewhat stuck in a rut. Her friends are convinced she’s cursed and to help her move on they introduce her to a world of unorthodox methods to overcome her grief.

This book is one of the most honest depictions of grief i’ve ever read - it took me quite a while to get through as I had to keep stopping to absorb what i’d just read.

It also explores the notion of social media and how nothing you see online is ‘real’ and everybody has something going on, everybody has their own “stuff” whether they share it or not.

Abigail Bergstrom is a brilliant writer, i’ve never highlighted so many extracts from a book before, her words will stick with me for a long time - and so will Mathilda.

Just a warning this book covers some seriously triggering topics including grief, self harm, sexual assault and abuse. So please read with caution.

Mathilda has been stuck in Limbo - since her Father suddenly died and her partner left her without warning she's been frozen in place, living in a world of confusion, despair and shame.

But even after burying her beloved father, destroying everything she could find that belonged to her ex, moving back in with her friend and trying her best to move on - she's still stuck. She's running out of ideas and her friends have some unorthodox, bordering ridiculous suggestions about how to get her life moving again that she's desperate enough to try. She never used to believe in superstition, but now it seems like she really is cursed - now the question is if she's breaking the curse, or her own heart.

"At first there was drama and morbid excitement-all the morose trimmings that come with the early stages of mourning and grief."
An unflinching, unapologetic journey of a young woman trying to navigate the many faces of grief and shame, and the absurdity that is being human. What a Shame is a harsh, raw look at loss and life full of millennial weirdness, darkly morbid humour and unbelievably relatable rage resonating through the pages. Tilda isn't an easy character to connect with - she doesn't want to let us in; she's angry, she's overworked, underappreciated, underestimated and she is just done. She is the an embodiment of modern female rage and the desperation we can feel to try and stay afloat.

This is such a statement on the complexity of grief and sadness - no two people grieve the same. Her friends begin to suggest the outlandish - like can she really banish her sadness with blessed bath salts? Can a tarot reading really predict her future? Or maybe if she just drinks a bit more she'll be fine.

The prose was beautiful, strangely poetic in places but not overly so. We hear through Mathildas point of view, and she often speaks directly to her Father and her Ex, leaving the reader trying to figure out who she is speaking to. There is a lot left to the reader, at the beginning it feels like there was key information missing, but as progress through the story we find it really doesn't matter. Sometimes, all that matters is that something happened, not how or why.

A sharp, wickedly funny story about acceptance and recovery with a haunting voice that will resonate with any other lost soul.

Thanks the NetGalley for the advanced copy.

Her boyfriend has broken up with her. Her dad has recently died. Mathilda is starting to believe a curse has been put on her. In her debut novel, Bergstrom explores how to move on when it seems impossible.

What a Shame is full of ideas and poses a lot of interesting questions but I found that these often were not looked at thoroughly enough, leaving me with a sense of incompleteness. Bergstrom uses the second person throughout to address the dead father and the ex-boyfriend interchangeably which was one of the reasons I picked this up but I felt it was underutilised. I had imagined the novel would have the reader flicking back and forth between the two, keeping us guessing who Mathilda was talking about. And considering the ending, I think this was the general idea but ultimately it just felt a little awkward without really adding much to the narrative.. Again, in the middle of the book there's a circle, where the friends all share intimate details about their life. I think this in in itself, would have been a great device to base the story around, to look at the lives of all friends and how their lives intertwine.. But in reality, it is just another way Mathilda is persuaded to be drawn into a more spiritual side, whilst enabling us to easily learn more about the friends.

At the heart of the novel, is the exploration of mental health and trauma in connection with the psyche, looking at alternative methods to reconnect with the self. Considering I feel like this is a book which a lot of people might read in order to find something relatable to their situation, it's concerning that all of her friends promote taking drugs, reading tarot card and taking healing baths than actually seeking professional help. Of course, not all books have to portray what should be done given a certain situation, it just seems odd that it is never mentioned.

That being said, there were definitely some funny moments and some wonderful female friendships (especially with Constance). So if you were a fan of Queenie, this might be one for you (just make sure to look up the trigger warnings)!

*THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAINS SPOILERS*
*CONTENT WARNING: MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES, SELF-HARM, ABUSE, DRUG USE*

Actual score, 3.5
A book on trauma, grief and loss. Bergstrom writes about being an adult, a woman, dealing with relationships and breakups, being a millennial.
Mathilda could be any of us, struggling with life, love and friendship, finding her way around her career; lots of times underestimated, not always aware of the love she receives from her friends, too focused on what she’s lost along the way.
She lost her father, and suddenly her boyfriend decides to leave her with no real explanation – so she finds herself unmoored, confused and deeply hurt.
It will be thanks to the strong women in her life that she’ll find a way out of the darkness, back on track for a life full of things to look forward to.
Ekua, Ivy, Georgia, Eden – her housemates and oldest friend; Constance, the old lady Mathilda keeps company to as a volunteer; Olivia Wood, her antagonist as a perfect instagram female role model, friends with Mathilda’s ex. All these women play a role in Mathilda’s recovery, although sometimes unintentionally.
At times it might seem that Mathilda gets pretty desperate, touching the bottom, but help can be found in the most unexpected places, so bring on banishing baths, tarot readings and hallucinogenic journeys.
Mathilda will truly understand the meaning of “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”.