Thrown tells us the story of four women Becky, Louise, Jameela and Sheila who all live on the Inventor’s Housing Estate. As manager of the local community centre, Becky is constantly looking for new ways to bring the community together and to also raise vital funds to keep the centre open. The new pottery class draws all four women together, and we get to peek behind the net curtains of their homes and their lives.

As they work the clay into vases and pots, we discover what made these women come to the classes…whether it be heartache, secrets or relationships that have lost their spark.

As a debut novel, I thought this was amazing and, on many occasions, I heard her voice in my head so it really felt like she put a lot of herself onto the pages. The characters were interesting, warm and friendly – although sometimes I thought Sheila was a little bitchy to Louise but I soon got over that the occasional barbed comment!

I’ve never done pottery, and so was concerned before I read the book that I wouldn’t understand some of the terminology but Sasha, the pottery teacher in the book, taught me alongside his literary class members and it’s now made me want to run down to Hobbycraft and grab some clay!!

I loved this so much, that I had to ration my reading of it, as I didn’t want it to end. Please don’t let this be the last we hear of Becky, Louise, Jameela and Sheila?!

I should add that I worked at Radio 2 and met Sara on occasions, however this review is a completely honest one.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book howeverI did really enjoy it.

It was a little slow at the start introducing the charaters but I really liked them and I thought it was a nice story.

A lovely summer read

This was an easy, light hearted read. Mostly predictable. Possibly more interesting to those interested in pottery, which admittedly, I’m not!

Not really my cup of tea!

My thanks go to the author, the publishers and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy.

Holiday read. Simply written and predictable, but okay.
Residents of Inventors Estate get together in community centre for a pottery course led by the charismatic Sasha. Everyone has their problems Jameela, a successful lawyer desperate for a baby, she befriends Sheila, local gossip married to Martin who has a secret life. Unfulfilled Louisa, mother of twins in a dead end job married to adoring Danny. Becky who runs the community centre, the victim of an abusive partner, whose son Elliot is her priority.
The characters interact with misunderstanding, warmth and eventual fulfilment.
Thanks to Sara and NetGalley.

An enjoyable read of unlikely friendships formed around a Tuesday evening pottery workshop.

Everyone has a backstory which is shared throughout.

I loved this book and couldn’t wait to get back to it. Characters were likeable and engaging and it held my interest. I really hope there’s another one planned as I’d love to know what happens next.

This was a slow burner of a story and was very cleverly crafted together all based around a pottery class at a local community centre. It was a gentle pace and somewhat predictable however I was keen to see it through.
Thank you to NetGalley & publisher for the opportunity to read this story in exchange for my thoughts.

I thought this book had a very honest and real feeling to it. The story line wasn’t too complex, but all the characters were interesting and well developed. Sarah Cox has done a smashing job of making you ‘feel’ all the way through this book. I laughed, I sighed, and I ended up sad that the story needed by the end of the book. I’d love to meet these characters in a sequel. What could they get up to next time?

This book is...well...fine. It's perfectly readable, it's just not particularly memorable. It reminded me mostly of the women's fiction (then dubbed chick lit) I read a lot of in the early 2000s - formulaic, fairly predictable, no real surprises. So if you like early Jane Green and that ilk, this'll probably float your boat. My tastes have moved on, but that's not the book's fault. The cast of characters is led by Becky, middle aged mum to a mid-twenties son, and Sasha, attractive pottery teacher. The story does it's best to weave the characters lives together organically, but in places it felt a bit forced, the plot device of weekly pottery classes as the catalyst for people coming together never quite rang true for me.

We meet Sheila, Becky, Louise and Jameela who live on the same estate where a new pottery class will be running in the local community center.

We find that each character has something going on in their lives and when they all start in the same class, they become friends and have each other to depend on to help them through their own struggles. There is also a little love story going on as well between Becky and Sasha the handsome Scottish pottery teacher.

If you are looking for a funny easy read this is for you. Vey likeable characters and lots of comic moments that are funnier as we tend to experience them in our own day to day life.

In this her debut novel, Sara Cox ticks all the ‚Mature chick lit’ boxes. Quirky likeable fourty-plus aged characters, English village life, After the Inventors’ Estate community center reopens its doors with a pottery class, its participants start to forge new friendships, lots of happy ends all around. A lovely feel-good book that you‘ll probably read in one go!

I was really looking forward to reading this book as I love Sara Cox and was hoping for a warm hearted tale to be like a hug in book form. I nearly gave up during the first few chapters as I found the character introductions so clunky and laboured. However this may just be because I was expecting so much from the author. I’m really pleased I persevered though, as the characters developed into the warm hearted folks I’d been hoping for and the twists in the plot weren’t easy to spot. I loved all the pottery information that was woven into the story. It’s definitely made me want to give it a try!

“Becky: a single mum who prides herself on her independence. She knows from painful experience that men are trouble.
Louise: a loving husband, gorgeous kids. She ought to feel more grateful.
Jameela: all she's ever done is work hard, and try her best. Why won't life give her the one thing she really wants?
Sheila: the nest is empty, she dreams of escaping to the sun, but her husband seems so distracted.

The inhabitants of the Inventor's Housing Estate keep themselves to themselves. There are the friendly 'Hellos' when commutes coincide and the odd cheeky eye roll when the wine bottles clank in number 7's wheelie bin, but it's not exactly Ramsay Street.

The dilapidated community centre is no longer the beating heart of the estate that Becky remembers from her childhood. So the new pottery class she's helped set up feels like a fresh start. And not just for her.

The assorted neighbours come together to try out a new skill, under the watchful eye of their charismatic teacher, Sasha. And as the soft unremarkable lumps of clay are hesitantly, lovingly moulded into delicate vases and majestic pots, so too are the lives of four women. Concealed passions and heartaches are uncovered, relationships shattered and formed, and the possibility for transformation is revealed.”

Thanks Netgalley and Sara Cox for the opportunity of reading this lovely book - I looked forward to my daily read before work each morning. I loved the characters and enjoyed the friendships that developed between the women and the support they gave each other. A really warm, easy read.

I so loved this story of community, friendships, love and laughter - I laughed out loud at several points but it was also touching and emotional. Really well written, with warm, likeable characters that you can imagine living on estates near you. The inter-weaving of their stories as they all come together to learn a new skill was just fab! Highly recommend!!

Highly readable and enjoyable, I'm so pleased I picked this one up. It follows Becky, Jameela, Louise and Sheila who all live in the Inventor's Housing Estate in a fictional suburb of Manchester. The well-constructed tale has a complexity to it and subjects of friendship, life discontentment and misunderstandings are highlighted among others. A funny, poignant but relaxing story, great for whiling away a few hours in the sun.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Hodder & Stoughton, Coronet via NetGalley and this review is my unbiased opinion.

I found this to be an easy, interesting, enjoyable read.

The storyline revolves around a group of women who join a pottery class in their local community centre. As in life, each has their own story to tell and this is told in different chapters and each character is well written. Yes, it’s a tad cosy and twee, but, as an escapist read, it’s a good one.

There are surprises and emotional elements and it’s all nicely tied up in the end.

The perfect, light, holiday / escape read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the opportunity to preview this debut novel.

Not much to review with this book. It was all samey from other books i have read. Nothing in it stands out. Its a mediocre read. An easy read.

Decidedly mediocre. I ended up skimming through most of it. Tired, predictable and boring. Not worth giving up time to read.

Thrown is a lovely, easy read and debut novel by broadcaster Sara Cox. We meet Becky, long-time resident of the Inventor's Housing Estate who has raised funds to run a pottery class in the now-dilapidated community centre. She engages pottery teacher Sasha to run the classes for her, and her classes soon fill up. I enjoyed the rich back-story to all the characters but I especially loved the supporting characters - Becky's son Elliot, Sheila's husband Martin and the community centre care-taker Jack all really bring the story to life.
With thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this novel based on a group of people thrown together at a pottery class. Their stories were all fascinating with twists and turns. My favourite thing was that the characters were all relatable - you felt you knew them or had met them before.
Thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend