This is such a clever book and such a fantastic premise, taking the established literary character of Rebecca Sharp et al and spinning the story in to a modern day setting. It felt totally relevant and fitting and not at all forced. However, the clear similarity with another Rebekah in a very similar position I felt slightly jarring. Whilst the author was clearly making this point and it was done in a very articulate and successful way I found the story being so close to the truth to no longer be fiction but not accurate enough to be fact distracting and for me this took away from the story telling ability of the author.
However, this was a very well written, enjoyable book and one that I would definitely recommend to others.

Inspired by Vanity Fair, but you don't need to have read the classic to enjoy BECKY so don't let that put you off! This update is very readable, glamorous and funny, and a great snapshot of what life was like at the tail end of the nineties. Just like Thackeray's Becky Sharp you find yourself rooting for this anti-heroine even when she's at her worst.

Another version of the classic Vanity Fair.
Becky Sharp has always had to fight for what she wants and doesn't care who she destroys until she gets her prize. The morals of an alley cat and definitely not likeable. The first part of this book was slow but also too busy as there were so many characters to get to know. Predictable but still a good read.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.

I found this a very entertaining read with an array of characters and a good insight into the world of media.
A real page turner for me.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Becky by Sarah May is a modern retelling of ‘Vanity Fair’ As I have not read Vanity Fair, I cannot compare the books. This story centres around Becky sharp who after a trouble childhood moves away and becomes a journalist and lies her way into the life of tabloid newspapers to get to the top. Not caring of who gets in her way.
I thank Pan Macmillan for an advanced copy for this. I really wanted to like this book but unfortunately, I just couldn’t get into it. The subject matter wasn’t for me that I DNF’d at 50%.

I've never read Vanity Fair so can't comment on any similarities. However I did find this a difficult read that didn't spark my interest and I found myself skim reading a lot of it to see if the plot could hold my attention. By the end it seemed to be about Rebecca Brooks and the scandal surrounding her which came as a bit of a surprise, but maybe that was the author's intention.
Thank you to netgalley and Pan Macmillan for an advance copy of this book

This was a rollercoaster ride with Becky and the 1990's and I thoroughly enjoyed the nostalgic ride. Although not my usual genre I will definately be looking to read more by this talented author.

I loved the idea of this but it fell short I think. I found it really hard going - the reimagining of Vanity Fair felt bolted on (if you want to read a brilliant update of a classic book try Darling by India Knight). The characters were all very unsympathetic so it was hard to care about anything they did. Also the narrative felt incredibly jumpy. Not for me I'm afraid.

Definitely a story that keeps you wanting to know more from beginning to end. Liked the probably insights into the media world. If you like thrillers this one is for you.

I didn’t enjoy this at all I’m afraid. I hated Becky, but maybe she’s not supposed to be liked even when we understand why she is like she is. I felt nothing for her, and I didn’t quite understand why her husband was the way he was - it didn’t feel right, nor the other relationships - all a bit odd? I also felt it was a bit clunky in places with the time jumps. This however is just my personal opinion….

This does feel in parts very close to reality and you can put your finger on exactly who they are talking about and who is who, especially with the big ending. Those of a certain age amongst us remember that scandal.

My thanks to Netgalley, My review is based on an advance copy that I received from the publisher.

I thoroughly enjoyed Becky. I haven't personally read Vanity Fair which I'm sure made it easier for me to get lost in the story-this may well be different for fans of the original I couldn't compare. What I read was an, at times fun, at others desperately sad journey from rags to riches and back again laced throughout with an almost insider knowledge of some of the biggest stories of our time. Well, my time. From the Princess' alleged affairs to her untimely death, to the News of the World scandal and its antagonist Rebekah Brooks. Becky is a fast-paced, exciting, and infuriating story that I could not put down I had to know how it turned out. Rebecca is her own worst enemy, she's every journalist I hate, and clearly, a deeply unhappy person BUT I couldn't help but root for her to get what she wanted- I don't know how Sarah May did that but bravo to her for it! I really liked the time jumps too which gave this book a little edge for me.


Review on my blog to follow in an end-of-year roundup.

I found this book overlong and despite an entertaining start it failed to hold my attention. I think that trying to equate it with Vanity Fair probably restricted the story telling and if I'd realised earlier that it's more based on Rebekah Brooks than Becky Sharp of Vanity Fair I don't think I'd have read it at all. It's about deeply unpleasant people and events and not the kind of book I enjoy. This is of course a personal opinion and by the number of 4 and 5 star reviews I'm definitely the odd one out.

A dark and at times chilling read that grpped me from the start and engaged me right until the end. I couldn't put it down

A really provocative read which could have been a fiction based on the Murdoch dynasty and their exploitation of the media over decades. Centred around outsider Becky who will stop at nothing to achieve her dream of global press domination. A sobering but excellent read.

I was not a big fan of Thackeray's Vanity Fair, although in its day it would probably have been a sensation.
Sarah May's Becky is not however a retelling of Vanity Fair, but a book inspired by it.
I enjoyed it tremendously although modern books with modern ideas baffle me slightly.
It had all of Thackeray's humour with a punchy story a nod to the real events of recent years.
I would have given this five stars apart from the times when the author left the story to the readers imagination, again a modern concept.
If you are a modern person with modern ideas who enjoys a humorous book this will suit you.
My thanks to the publisher for an advanced copy for honest review.

Becky Sharp aspires to be everything she isn’t - rich, successful, respected. Her life is so full of lies, it’s any wonder she knows what the truth actually is. Her childhood is traumatic, so she makes up a glamorous backdrop to her starting out as a nanny to a newspaper editor. She aspires to be a journalist, and hopes by being in close contact she’ll secure a position working for the newspaper - which following an unlikely series of events, she does, and in doing so she starts to collect information on people that will eventually become useful. She is very clever, and remembers details about everyone she comes across, both the good and more importantly the bad. Eventually, she becomes a newspaper editor and is on a mission when a child goes missing to find that child through her newspaper, at any cost…. This costs her a lot, on a personal level. I understood her drive, and felt for her lack of love and compassion - she hadn’t experienced it in her childhood and didn’t know how to express it, I don’t think she had the capacity for anything other than her desire for success.
Having read Vanity Fair many years ago, and really struggling with it, barely remembering much more than a rags to riches to downfall story, I found Becky an easy read, if a little hard and traumatic at times. The writing was engaging, and I wanted to keep reading (it was hard to put down!).

For those who lived through the rise of the media moguls in the UK and the hacking scandals, salacious gossip, and the hounding of celebrities, this novel brings all these elements together. Becky is the girl who came from nothing who has ambitions to be a journalist. From her lonely childhood, we follow the tale of her progress and her rise to the top as CEO. Becky is likeable and despicable in equal measures, and this is a real skill of Sarah May. Becky is unputdownable.

A thoroughly entertaining read! I’ll admit the characters weren’t very likeable, but that didn’t matter, it didn’t detract from the overall book and I found it enjoyable

Rebecca Sharp had a very difficult start in life, and has worked very hard to become a successful journalist. Ruthless and successful, Becky sometimes forgets to follow the rules and make enemies on the way up. A sparkling homage to Vanity Fair, this is entertaining and thought-provoking.

I cackled and gasped my way through this delicious mash-up of the literary life of Vanity Fair’s Becky Sharp and the real life rise and fall of Rebekah Wade/Brooks.

I have no real interest in characters being “likeable” - I’d much rather they were interesting, and I could not tear myself away from Becky. Yes, she’s despicable and ruthless in her ambition; she’s also the smartest person in every room, an orphan from nowhere with almost no education who charms and works her way into the top echelons of society. The knowing nods to lots of real life people are very entertaining.

There are a lot of characters to keep track of. I raced through this because it was so compelling and propulsive, but if I’d read it more slowly I may have struggled to keep track of everyone. In a fairly important scene right at the end a character appears who we have met once, briefly, several hundred pages before - if I’d remember who the character was their presence would’ve been a real gutpunch, but as it was I only remembered who it was when I searched the book for their name. I like a book which lets the readers do some work without constant signposting or exposition, but if you’re going to have such a vast cast I think sometimes a little reminder might be helpful.

Overall though that didn’t take away massively from my enjoyment of this fun and despicable romp of a book.