Rebecca known as Becky gets a nannying job with the Crawley's and their two small children Violet and baby Lulu.
She catches and loves the attention from Pitt - Mr Crawley even though his wife Rosa is on to them.
The book tells the story by flicking between past and present and how the characters interlink through out.
Becky seems troubled and damaged from her childhood and when a big missing child case comes up at her newspaper job she goes back to her hometown to see if she can help. But will it be her help she gives or her life as she knows now?

I want to state that I really wanted to like this book. REALLY. However, neither the story nor the writing managed to captivate me. The feeling it left me with was of a very neutral experience. I can’t really put my finger on what it is exactly. It just didn’t deliver in general for me.

The story wasn’t a unique one and jumping forward in the timeline didn’t leave me with a coherent narrative.

The characters, including the main one, didn’t feel special to me and I couldn’t relate or feel close to them.

Basically, I just failed to find the importance of this story. The main reason for it. The great lesson behind it. Sorry…

DNF 52%

It's such a shame when a book with such a great premise is let down like this! I was hoping for something I couldn't put down, something almost Taylor Jenkins Reid-esque, but this is such a dull book. Not much happens before 50%, so I can't force myself to read the rest of it, because that either means everything I hoped will be crammed into the last half and the pacing will be weird, or it will continue dragging with not much going on.

I haven't read Vanity Fair, but I expect that staying faithful to the retelling has stunted this book plot-wise. There are a lot of characters I couldn't always follow, none of which are explored in much depth, and the whole thing just feels very rigid, robotic, and bland.

I found the mid-chapter flashbacks to Becky's childhood very confusing. They'd often happen right when something interesting was going on, disrupting the pace of the story. It was really hard to orientate yourself as to what time period of her life we were in.

I can't believe this book is about some of the most scandalous moments in UK tabloid history and somehow manages to be dull.

Content warnings: drug/alcohol abuse, child abuse/neglect, sexism, fatphobia/eating disorders, death of a parent - probably more after the 50% mark.

Loosely inspired by Thackeray's 'Vanity Fair', meet a modern take on Becky Sharp. The novel's protagonist is reinvented in the 1990's as a hungry, ambitious journalist who will do anything to get her next promotion; lie, cheat, bribe, illicit sexual relations...you name and this book has it! There are lots of news stories mentioned which are clearly based on real events, which I think helps build a real world in which Becky exists.

I think her modern character is very clever and it is clear that she ends up running a sleazy tabloid newspaper which is her ticket to escape an impoverished past. I did not like Becky; she has no redeeming features in my opinion and deserved everything she got. However, against this terrible character is a heart-breaking back story which is cleverly revealed at pertinent points in the novel. I literally could go from experiencing strong feelings of abhorrence to total shock and dismay in the turn of a page. Becky is unlikeable, but you cannot help but empathise and understand why she is the way she is as the narrative reveals salacious details about her childhood. Becky's relationship with her seriously unhinged mother and the lack of a moral compass in her life is not to be recommended! This book is well plotted to give you just enough detail to maximise empathy but never allowing your feelings to become sentimental or sympathetic.

There are many characters and I don't think I liked any of them: they all deserve each other. I sometimes found it hard to keep track of the timeline between moving from past to present and the reintroduction of characters from Becky's past. There are also gaps in the narrative that left me feeling a little confused: at one point she is Pitt's nanny and suddenly we are quite far in the future and she is working on one of his newspapers; similarly, her marriage comes out of nowhere. I'd like to have felt there had been a spark of passion or a whirlwind romance, but if there was one, I completely missed it!

Becky wreaks revenge and havoc in many people's lives so great is her need to be in control. Her ambition and greed becomes her downfall. The ending is abrupt and is not without a little hope, though I cannot believe Becky has learned anything from her experience.

I'm not sure I can say I fully enjoyed the read, but it is clever and kept me guessing and I was compelled to find out where the book was going to go.

Becky is a fusion of modern retelling of the classic Vanity Fair and the real life story of Rebekah Brook's sensational rise and dramatic fall as the editor of the Sun newspaper. I have not read Vanity Fair so did not go into this with any assumptions/expectations . 

This was engrossing from the first page, told from Becky's point of view who is an ambitious, hungry journalist, determined to climb the career ladder no matter the cost. The novel touches on major media stories from the nineties, which led to some nostalgia: the "Princess'" affair, the kidnapping and murder of a school girl which, on further investigation, reveals the media group were using unscrupulous methods to obtain 'the truth'. The background to Becky's own life and those she meets on the journey made this a page-turner. 

Sarah May really knows how to set the scene and I enjoyed the scandals, scoops and mystery surrounding the world of news reporting and how ethical boundaries can be blurred to improve reader circulation. The plot covers a few decades and the storyline is developed extremely well.

Becky makes for a charismatic character and as a reader, I was convinced by her story but on reflection, it was difficult to decide if I liked her. If a character is a creature of circumstances, then you empathise with Becky. As there are lots of supporting characters, it was also hard to keep up with those recurring and some (particularly Dobbin) was not fleshed out completely and the only qualm I had is this confused me at times when they suddenly reappeared in the story and I did not remember who they were. Overall though, this was enjoyable read and I laud Sarah May's effort at keeping it a mysterious, entertaining read.

Thank you netgalley and Pan Macmillan for the advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

This isn’t my usual kind of read but I enjoyed it for a change although it was just a little too long and I did lose interest part way through. I prefer fast paced books. That being said, the book is well written and I would rate it a solid 3.5 out of 5.

This is a modern day retelling of Vanity Fair, set around the nineties as we follow Becky on her journey from rags to riches with scandals along the way. She will do everything she can to reach the top!

I think for me, Becky wasn’t particularly likeable as a character and I usually find that if I don’t warm to the lead character, I don’t enjoy the book as much.

Many thanks to netgalley, the publishers and the author for an arc.

Thank you to NetGalley and PanMacmillan for a copy of this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

'Becky' is a modern day retelling of Vanity Fair, and follows the life of Rebecca Sharp as she begins her career in tabloid journalism. With determination and a longing to escape from her past life, Becky is determined to be the best in the world, but at a cost...

I so desperately wanted to love this book! I enjoyed the read but it became tedious in some places and I found the majority of the characters so unlikable with little to no redeeming qualities. Becky herself is very self-centred and selfish, with little regard for those around her and no 'she means well but does bad' kind of saving grace feature. The conclusion felt rushed and lacking, but the content of the novel itself was fast-paced enough to keep me interested. Overall, very mixed feelings.

A contemporary retelling of the classic Vanity Fair, mixed in with some real life aspects of Rebeka Brooks (ex editor of The Sun) - really enjoyed this take on it and it worked well for the era.
Chaotic and messy throughout, Becky was a total anti hero who I loved and hated at the same time.
So much scandal and intrigue built up within these awesome storylines. There’s quite a lot of mystery and change in pace as we move along the years in the book - it kept it fresh and interesting.
Although in parts it dragged slightly, could have done with being 100 pages less almost? Still loved it and I wasn’t deterred.
Do check TW/CW’s - there’s a lot!! But I definitely recommend it for an excited and messed up read. Also, really want to reread Vanity Fair now!

Becky is a modern re-write of Vanity Fair. which I remember reading for English A-level far too many years ago.... so I was keen to see if any of it came back to me in this fresh new take. I liked that the author has kept the same character names as the original story, and there's even a nod to William Thackeray in there too!

I was hooked on the 1990s Becky Sharp's journey from rags to riches, she is the most accomplished social climber - starting from a position of pretty much nothing, she grapples her way to the top of the ladder, running one of the biggest newspapers (in the pre-internet era when newspapers could make or break people at the drop of a hat). She makes friends who help her on her journey, and never misses the chance to dig into people's backgrounds and find the dirt. Her relationships are never clearcut, there's always a hidden agenda or underlying meanings.

its a well told tale, easy to read with some fantastic characters- thanks to @netgalley for the chance to read it

I haven’t read the original vanity fair but maybe I will now.
This was an easy read set in the 1990’s in London as Becky try’s to rise to the top of her career and will stop at nothing.

An entertaining read on one level, but ultimately not a book I would recommend. Rebecca is not a likeable character and I didn’t like the continual thread of dishonesty. Other readers may enjoy it more than I did though, as. I haven’t read the original Vanity Fair.

I wasn’t too sure how much I would enjoy this as the subject matter felt dry from the blurb and I have never read the original Vanity Fair but I could not put it down!

Becky is a modern-day reimaging of Vanity Fair that draws heavy inspiration from the story of Rebekah Brooks, the former Sun editor at the heart of the News International phone hacking scandal. The story follows this iteration of Rebecca Sharp as she claws her way up the ranks of the newspaper industry, from her beginning as a nanny to the editor of the Mercury in the 1990s, through to her eventual promotion to CEO in the 2000s, with various glimpses of her child and adolescent-hood in the 80s interspersed throughout. Headstrong and determined, Becky will do anything to get ahead, dead-set on securing her next scoop by any means necessary; a combination of her unusual charm and the careful manipulation of everyone around her propels her to the top of her field - but what goes up, must come down. The question is, how many people will Rebecca Sharp take down with her?

I found the novel to, overall, be fairly fast-paced and entertaining, I was always eager to find out more, and where the story was going. However, knowing from the outset that Becky's meteoric rise was to ultimately become her own undoing, I felt like this part was very rushed and glossed over, leaving the conclusion a little unsatisfactory. As I have not read the original Vanity Fair, I'm not sure if this is a deliberate mirroring of the conclusion of that novel, or if it's a flaw in this one.

The narrative often switches back to portions of Becky's childhood in the middle of chapters, often in quite a disjointed way, so it sometimes became a little confusing until you realise it's a flashback - there is no indication of this in the formatting of the pages, though I did read an advance copy, so it may be corrected in the final version.

Although there are some pretty dark topics covered (drug abuse, prostitution, sexual abuse, missing children), I found this to be an enjoyable read, in spite of the few flaws mentioned above.

I haven't read the original Vanity Fair, so I can't comment on this book as an adaptation.
As a standalone book, though, it's ok. The narrator takes us over different stages of Becky's life, including a very grim childhood/adolescence with her single mother, in an attempt to get us to understand her character better.
We see Becky rise through the ranks of a newspaper and we see her using everyone around her to get ahead in her life and career.

I didn't particularly enjoy the book. Becky is not a likeable character. She really doesn't care about who she hurts or how she uses people for her own benefit.
The story moved at a medium-fast pace so that kept me engaged, but overall it wasn't a book that I enjoyed reading.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

Becky was a confusing book to read, the way it was written was not cohesive and I felt it was pretty hard to read and comprehend. It took me a while to read the book, but the plot was pretty nice. It is a re-telling of the classic ‘Vanity Fair’. Though I’ve not read the original, I could get the gist of it through ‘Becky’. It is story of a woman in an unfortunate situation, rising from her ashes to be a successful, ruthless entrepreneur.

The plot was slow and haphazard. The writing was choppy and bizarre. The tone of the book was exciting and had me on the edge. The narration was interesting but could have been better. I think the book could have been better with more rigid editing and hope that happens in the finished copy as I’ve only read the ARC.

Set in the world of Journalism in 90s tabloid era in London, it wrote about a lot of scandals related to the royal family. There were a lot of illegal things happening in the background. Becky lied and clawed her way to the top and she was emotionally involved with her work always. Her family was never her top priority. But at some points of life, family has to come first, will
Becky figure that out or lose whatever she fought for?

As in the original Vanity Fair, the character of Becky Sharp is an opportunist social climber and not a particularly likeable heroine. Our 20th century Becky rises through the social ranks through being a newspaper journalist and being pretty ruthless about who she exploits and whose secrets she exposes in order to boost her newspaper’s circulation and her career in the industry. The story is compelling, written in the first person with flashbacks to Becky’s childhood and is an entertaining, if not particularly original read.

With thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for an opportunity to read and review the novel prior to publication.

Set in the 90s, challenging Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray and inspired by the career of ex-SUN newspaper editor Rebekah Brooks, BECKY follows the life of Becky Sharp as she pushes her way up through the ranks at the Mercury newspaper with manipulative scoop after scoop, but she may have more in common with the people she’s writes about than she thinks - what takes a lifetime to build takes only a moment to destroy…

I’ve always been interested in learning about the industry behind something, be that publishing, film, theatre. For example, the podcast ‘The Town’ (from the Ringer network) was made for someone like me. Tell me why the Disney CEO coming back to Disney means something. I want to know.

So with BECKY, I enjoyed it most when it showed what these characters are willing to do for a story. The deals they’re making (and breaking!) behind the scenes. And how Becky makes her way up through the ranks, especially as a woman in a male dominated industry.

And while I enjoyed the romance storyline/s and learning more about Becky’s past, (and acknowledge the latter’s purpose in understanding Becky and her later actions), I just wanted to get back to the office and see what else was going on!

One more note: the book is set in the 90s so of course there’s a Princess Diana inspired storyline but given the coverage of you know who this week I could have done without it… yes, even Diana.

So overall, an entertaining read but I think maybe a sign that I need to get some non-fiction reads about the newspaper industry in the 90s on my shelves..

Any suggestions on where to start?!

I'm sorry to say that I did not enjoy reading this
It started well. Becky is a nanny to Violet and Lulu until six months later when she goes to work at the Mercury for Pitt.
All the characters were unlikeable. I felt that Becky didn't care about anyone and that included her daughter.
I received a free e book copy from Pan,Macmillan in return for an honest review

A clever modern retelling of the great 19th century novel, Vanity Fair with William Thackeray's social climbing heroine transposed from the Napoleonic era to a 21st century setting.

This was such a clever retelling of a classic. It was modern, yet felt timeless. Becky was a complex and damaged character, fuelled by ambition which was ultimately to her detriment. It's not a happy read, but it is a compelling one. It's a book to be reflected on and digested rather than skimmed through. With a plot that's inspired by true events, it has a lot to say about modern life, women's experiences and the corruption of power.