What a beautiful book!

This book takes us on the tough journey of several homeless people, but mostly the journey of Kelly. It takes us through how she ended up homeless, and the 'pilgrimage' that she takes to find the owner of an engagement ring she has come into possession of.

The story was moving and heart breaking, but filled with little moments of joy and kindness.

I thoroughly enjoyed the narration - the Scottish accent lends to the authenticity, and it was great to hear so many colloquialisms sprinkled throughout the tale.

A heartbreaking and profoundly human story where we get to know Kelly, a Scottish woman who spends her life on the streets of Glasgow. Homeless and mostly keeping herself to herself, she tends to slip into the background, however she has a small but solid network of people.
As Kelly is usually more of an observer than an active participant in life, she spends her time reflecting on past mistakes which continue to haunt her. She lives life on the sidelines, a footnote in other people’s lives, an inconvenience to step around.

When Kelly inadvertently ends up with a bride’s engagement ring in the midst of her drunken hen night, it’s somewhat of a sign. The ring leads her to start a journey, a pilgrimage of sorts, where she meets a variety of people along the way and discovers things about herself that she had lost.
Parts of this book are deeply sad but overall it’s touching, beautifully written, authentically Scottish and a brilliant read that shines a tender and poignant light on the power of human connection.

I highly recommend the audiobook as Kelly’s voice vividly comes to life through the skilful narration.

I enjoyed this one but for me the narrators voice could have been a bit better. The story was ok but nothing stand out and the main characters were likable but not rememberable.

Audiobook review.
I tried to enjoy this one.
The narrator had a lovely voice, but for some reason, I couldn't stay engaged with the book and my attention dropped so many times when I had to rewind the chapter.
I wanted to love this one, but I think I'll try again as I think I will love it.

This book was incredible, it just didn’t feel like a book, this story of Kelly and her pilgrimage feels like a journey we are taking alongside her.

I am not going to lie, this book is deeply sad, it is raw and it is brutally honest about the reality that so many of us aren’t willing to really see. This book is about homelessness, it talks very openly about the reality of living on the streets, particularly as a woman. If you read this book, you will feel called out, because you do or have done some of the things that Kelly talks about people doing to the homeless.

With that being said, Paper Cup is also full of brilliant, happy moments and the frightening, heart in your throat moments, nerves, struggles, feelings and basically everything we will generally experience in life.

This book is that kind that will change you, it will change your perspective of real life people in the world, it will remind you of the value of life and to be incredibly thankful for the life that you do live. Which is a testament to the incredible writing of Karen Campbell.

I absolutely love that somehow Karen threw me off at the ending too. It wasn’t what I was expecting, although I’m still unsure of what I was actually expecting to happen. I just know that it wasn’t what happened at all!

Everyone should read this book, everyone should know what lies inside the pages and feel all the emotions that are contained inside. This book will change you, hopefully for the better, because that’s how this book stops being a reality for some

I listened to this as an audiobook and the narrator is absolutely fantastic.
This is beautifully written, eye opening and thought provoking. Not always an easy read/listen but very much worth it.
Highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley, Karen Campbell, and the publisher for the opportunity of listening to this audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion on it.

When I first started listening to this audiobook I wasn't certain it would be for me, but that really quickly turned around. This is such a real and powerful story which made me feel as though I was following Kelly along on her journey. I was rooting for her, grateful when she received kindness and saddened when she did not. As the book moves forward we get insights into Kelly's background and discover how she became homeless. It certainly challenged my perceptions of homelessness and highlighted the fundamental flaws in a system that is supposedly there to help people.

A little kindness goes a long way and I think that is something we always need to remember. What you see is only a fraction of what somebody has gone/ is going through.

⭐️ 4.5 ⭐️

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ALC in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

I listened to the audiobook of Paper Cup and absolutely loved it. Karen Campbell’s superb characters are brilliantly brought to life by the the wonderful voice of Caroline Guthrie.

I listened to the audiobook while I was out walking and I felt like I was accompanying the fabulous, feisty, down-to-earth character of Kelly on every single step of her pilgrimage, along with her dog Cauli(flower) — the aptly named Collie.

Paper Cup is beautifully written, with excellent attention to detail. The story isn’t sugar-coated — it’s eye-opening, thought-provoking, gritty and heartbreakingly raw but also joyful and uplifting, filled with warmth and a sprinkling of humour.

I thoroughly enjoyed accompanying Kelly on her journey and I’d highly recommend listening to the audiobook.

I raw, honest story. Very poignant and well told. There's a grittiness to and I felt I needed to be in a strong state of mind to cope with the story as it built up.

Thank you to Bolinda Audio and NetGalley for the audio ARC. I'm veering between 3 and 4 stars here. Lovely story about a homeless woman who struggles with alcohol issues. The story starts in Glasgow with Kelly the main character deciding to undertake a pilgrimage to the coast where she is from. The descriptions of the places she visits and the characters she meets on the way are excellent. The plot is a bit Shugie Bain meets Eleanor Oliphant with a dog thrown in for good measure. The plot does touch on the difficulties faced by people who fall through the cracks and need state assistance such as signing into work schemes when you cant afford a phone and having to take part in counselling etc. The narration is very good also.

I absolutely loved this book. It was my first audiobook and I shall definitely listen to many more.
Kelly had fallen on difficult times and is living rough on the streets of Glasgow. One evening she is given some money but a bride-to-be in her hen night, unbeknown to Susan her engagement ring slipped off. At first all Kelly can think of it’ is selling the ring, but then she decides to find Susan and give it back. We follow her adventure across the south west of Scotland, current take entwined with how she came to be where she is.
Some choice language, but totally appropriate for the story and have real authenticity to the book.
A pilgrimage, redemption, looking for her past, selling a better future or just going with the flow day to day.
Wonderfully read by Caroline Guthrie.

Paper Cup is Kelly's story and Kelly is homeless. This is both a harrowing and humbling story, Kelly may be at rock bottom but she never lets her circumstances totally bring her down, she has an inner strength that gets her to where she needs to be no matter what the obstacles, and living on the streets and battling an addiction to alcohol bring many. She has a good sense of humour, often aimed against herself, and can see the ridiculousness in many others but above all Kelly has morals, and the perfect loyal puppy dog.
A great audio book perfectly narrated, my thanks to netgalley for the opportunity to listen on my daily walk.

I really enjoyed listening to this book. I found the main character unusual, interesting and exciting. This novel definitely gave me a different perspective to consider the world through.

Kelly is homeless and finds herself with a dilemma - should she return an engagement ring she's come upon to the owner? Or keep it? Sell it and be able to buy more drink? Kelly embarks on a journey to get to the wedding venue in time for the big day... as she sets out, she meets lots of unlikely people along the way - some are kind, some are suspicious and some are downright appalling. We get to see what it's like for a homeless person, how judged they are, how rude some humans can be.

Throughout her journey, we get to see Kelly's fantastic sense of humour and also learn about how she ended up on the streets. With a surprise twist at the end, this book really did keep me engaged.

I have found myself thinking about Kelly long after I've finished, and this is always the sign of a very well written book.

I'd love to read more from Karen Campbell, what a clever author she is to create such a fantastic character.

Paper Cup by Karen Campbell 🎧5⭐️

I had the audiobook read by Caroline Guthrie, I enjoyed the accent, it has a contemporary feel.

I really like the book cover.
Homeless Kelly needs to escape the streets of Glasgow, she returns home on a mission.
It’s a very character driven story. Kelly’s character has good depth, we discover her past and go on her journey with her, that both in miles and development. During which we see the very best and worst in people. It’s so well written. She’s very engaging, I just love Kelly and Cauli. You can’t help but feel for her plight. Despite being at rock bottom she doesn’t lose sight of her humanity, she is kind,thoughtful and caring, don’t get me wrong she’s no where near perfect, and has done things she’s not proud of when she reflects back when sober.
It’s one of those books that makes you think about your own views of homeless people. It’s not grim and depressing, and Kelly often had me chuckling at her antics and humour.
I glad that the ending was kept realistic. It’s a really great read, This is in my books of the year, and I highly recommend it.
It’s one where on reflection I increased my rating as the book has stayed with me.

I listened to this and can highly recommend. Read by Caroline Guthrie, with her lovely Scottish lilt which really helped with the atmosphere of the book.

The book opens with a group of women at the end of a hen do - the bride-to-be is sat in George Square feeling a little worse for wear, and at the other end of the bench is Kelly - the bench is actually Kelly's bed for the night - she is homeless, and these women are preventing her from sleeping. When the group move on they leave Kelly a bag of coins - unwittingly leaving behind the engagement ring with it. Kelly has a choice - pawn the ring, or try to reunite it with its owner.

The books follows Kelly, sharing snippets of her past - how she ended up homeless, connections with others, pals she has met along the way and glimpses inside Kelly's mind and deeper thoughts.

I really liked how the book shone a light on how difficult it is to remove yourself from homeless, there is a really poignant bit towards the end that highlights the many obstacles and hoops that have to be cleared in order to get help, some of them you don't even know hoops to jump through - until you missed jumping through them and it has a knock on effect to getting back on your feet.

Kelly is portrayed really well as a protagonist - after all she is an unreliable narrator, Campbell presents Kelly to you warts and all - she is brilliantly developed. I would definitely recommend this for anyone who loves a character driven book, that shines a light on real life issues.

A beautifully written and compassionate story about Kelly, a homeless woman on the streets of Glasgow, who dulls her pain with alcohol. After a chance encounter with a bride-to-be, who accidentally leaves her engagement ring on the bench, where Kelly is dossing, Kelly finds herself on a pilgrimage across Scotland that takes her back to her home town. She crosses paths with an array of characters, picks up a Collie dog and confronts past ills on her journey. The story doesn't gloss over the topic of homelessness, but depicts it in all its unapologetic truth. The audiobook is beautifully represented and suits the present tense narration. We feel like we are taking every step alongside Kelly and feeling every heartache. There are some beautiful phrases throughout that make this a gen of a listen. Everyone should listen to this audiobook at least once. A powerful story. #papercup #karencampbell #audiobook

Thank you Bolinda Audio and netgalley for this opportunity. I like to discover different accent and I rarely find Scotish. It was just a little to slow and maybe too much characters. But the settings was great. It was sure a book make you think.. Small guests of kindness makes a difference.

Describing what it's like to be homeless this is the story of someone falling through the cracks and finding herself labelled. Well written and so heartfelt you cannot help but to like the main character and wish her some good fortune. Good fortune being a room with her own front door, its not much is it. The pilgrimage takes a journey of its own and a deeper understanding of the resentment towards the homeless, the joy of buying some second hand clothes is beautifully described. The small kind acts from random strangers makes such a difference. I really liked the Scottish words and phrases topped off with narration by a scot, it was very real. Thank you #NetGalley for the audiobook to review.

Paper Cup is a unique and beautifully written novel about Kelly, an alcoholic homeless woman living on the streets of Glasgow. A series of events lead her to travel back to the small town she grew up in and we follow her on her fascinating journey home.
This book is peppered with both humour and tragedy which along with the amazing characters will keep you engaged throughout. The narrator also added another level of enjoyment to the story.

FROM THE COVER📖

What if going back was the only way of going forward?

Rocked by a terrible accident, homeless Kelly needs to escape the cold streets of Glasgow. Maybe she doesn’t believe in serendipity, but a rare moment of kindness and a lost ring conspire to call her home. As Kelly vows to reunite the ring with its owner, she must return to the small town she fled so many years ago.

On her journey from Glasgow to the south-west tip of Scotland, Kelly encounters ancient pilgrim routes, hostile humans, hippies, book lovers and a friendly dog, as memories stir and the people she thought she’d left behind for ever move closer with every step.

REVIEW ⭐️⭐️⭐️

For me this was slightly different take on what is becoming a increasing poplar plot- an older person going on a journey to set right mistakes, find themselves and basically go full 360 on they have been living. Think away with the penguins and the like

We join Kelly on her journey as travels around Scotland, Kelly is homeless and suffers from addiction and mental health issues, the story is told mainly from Kelly pov via inner monologues spanning now and her past. A lot deep and emotional issues are explored not only though Kelly but also a collection of characters that Kelly meets as she travels however there is a lot heartwarming moments and lots of gallows humour.
Some great Glasgow words/dialogue all of which seemed authentic which is rare in Scottish novels normally I find the use of Scots quite awkward and false in many Scottish set books but this wasn’t the case here at all. So major claps for that.

This very much a character-focused novel. The plot for me was quite weak and very slow paced. I will admit I got quite bored at times it dragged on a bit, I skipped chapters and I don’t think I missed much. Some of Kelly’s flash back bits were a bit trippy and hard to follow that being said the author gives such note to the details it makes the memories seem real.

The author handles the delicate subject matter really well and really highlights how as society we can sometimes dismiss people like Kelly, for the me the true message that comes through is that we shouldn’t judge anyone and everyone has a story.

For me what really made this book three stars as opposed to two was the locations in particular my favourite place Port Patrick the author clearly loves the place as much as I do as she captured it perfectly right down the The Crown Hotel and the sand on the beach.

As a audiobook the narrator switches seamlessly between characters. I loved her Scottish accent no cringing Taggart accents here . I would definitely listen to more audiobooks by her she has nice pace, tone and her reading has a conversational feel to it

This book wasn’t for me but it was interesting take on the subject matter that was handled with care and class