A chaotic story filled with feminine rage, shame and toxic relationships.
Hard to read at times as you suffer along with the main character, hurting while watching her being treated the way she is.

There isn’t much structure to the chapters, often feeling more like chaotic stream of thought.

Raw and uncomfortable, I think a lot of people will find it relatable, particularly women.
Would recommend checking out trigger warnings.

A solid debut.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher 3.5/5 ⭐️

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book.

This dark and turbulent read following Charlotte throughout her life and key relationships both in friends, family and mainly her toxic relationships with men had me gripped. It’s a book of extremes but I found it relatable and a breath of fresh air to read.

What a ride and what an ending!! No spoilers but do check for trigger warnings if you need to.

Well this was a really different and a very quick read that I enjoyed but found parts of this a bit difficult. The story flows well and the characters all felt real I just felt at times something was missing and I’m not sure what but maybe that was just me.
As I have said overall I did like it and it was well written I’m also pretty sure it’s going to be a big hit but for me it was just an ok read.
My thanks to NetGalley and John Murray Press for giving me the opportunity to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

3.5 stars.

This book intrigued me as it sounded so different to what I normally read. From the blurb, I had thought it sounded a bit like chick lit with a twist, but the reality is, it’s far from it… and I’m finding it rather hard to categorise. It’s a book about women, misogyny, power, adultery, sex and complex, but equally relatable modern relationships. It definitely needs some trigger warnings, even though it somehow isn’t particularly an ‘explicit’ novel; despite this book being very much about sex with a capital S, the sex scenes are relatively matter of fact. This is not 50 shades of Bodies!

It reads a lot like a stream of consciousness, breathless intimate outpourings of the main character Charlotte, laid bare. The endless sentences and lack of structure were at first hard to get used to, but they’re created an authentic tension, which was very much how the whole book reads. The reader is pulled along, pushed around by the narrative and it’s jumping timelines, in a way that wasn’t always pleasant and created that unnerving sense of a runaway train.

There were however some aspects of the writing that I struggled with. For example, the repetition of ‘and’ in some early chapters, was just so grating. I get that it was a device, but it felt too easy an option and overused to such a point that I lost faith in the writing. This improved thankfully, and the novel does get more complex than its seemingly straightforward initial outpourings. The twist - well, I did guess it pretty early on, but it’s helps give the whole novel that extra level. It’s a short read, and definitely one that will grab the attention of millennials - at 50, I think I’m a bit older than what will be its age demographic.

With thanks to NetGalley and John Murray Press for an ARC.

Foley's writing is smooth, it's dark, it's delicious. I devoured this in one single sitting.

The narration has a confessional, stream of consciousness vibe to it which almost felt like listening to a friend ranting about the terrible men in her life. Every woman can tell a story of a man she or her friends have known who perfectly fits the profile of a Johnny, a Lar, a Kyle, a Con, an Adam. This shared acknowledgment between the reader and Charlotte solidifies our empathy with her in every male encounter.

I really ached for Charlotte as she stumbled her way through early relationships with boys and men who had little to no respect for her. Her own lack of self-worth, whether beaten down by these relationships or by the tragic loss of her sister, is heartbreaking. I wanted to jump into the pages and protect her. Even as glimmers of her secret start to reveal themselves I couldn't help rooting for Charlotte.

This is a raw, powerful read that I cannot wait to talk about with others once it's released.

Bodies by Christine Anne Foley felt like reading every early twenty-something girl's diary. The way the character centers their life around men and seek their validation was depicted with such raw honesty and familiarity that it was deeply relatable. Foley captures the internal struggles, the search for identity, and the emotional turbulence of young women navigating relationships and self-worth. Despite its brevity, the book resonated powerfully, offering a poignant reflection on how societal expectations shape our desires and actions. This short book truly packed a punch, leaving a lasting impression on me.

Imagine Sally Rooney's Normal People infused with the female rage and darkness of Eliza Clark's Boy Parts.

That's the essence of Bodies, a powerful debut novel that will resonate with every woman in their 20s.

The novel traces the trajectory of womanhood, exploring themes of grief, loss, abuse, trauma, and the shame surrounding female sexuality. It offers an astute commentary on rape culture and the social stigma linked to female promiscuity.

The anger and shame involved in the female experience burns right off the pages of this book, yet its moments of vulnerability and poetic prose perfectly convey the complexities of being a woman objectified in this patriarchal society.

I devoured this book in one sitting. The stream-of-consciousness narrative style provides honest, authentic insights that transports readers seamlessly into Charlotte's mind. We feel her emotions, experience her thoughts, and empathise with her desire for connection and love that competes with her desire for agency. While you will spend half the time sympathizing with her and the other half wanting to shake her, Charlotte is a complex, flawed and very real protagonist that readers can connect with.

Foley takes us on an unflinching, dark journey, presenting raw, uncomfortable moments that are unfortunately all too familiar to a female readership.

My expectations were far exceeded, and I look forward to reading Foley's future works.

With thanks to John Murray Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Wow. This book left me a little bit speechless in places - it is truly unlike any book I’ve ever read. It’s incredible dark and raw and weirdly I could relate to the main character in so many ways.

This book is a bit of a ‘f**k you’ to men and if you, like myself, have experienced cheaters, narcissists and all the arseholes in between then you will probably love this book. You’ll also find it unfortunately very relatable so definitely check the trigger warnings.

The short chapters had me gripped and the telling of each stage with different men was so well written I flew through it.

For a debut novel I am so impressed with Foley and can’t wait to see what she releases next!

I’m only new to the world of NetGalley but this has been my most highly rated read!!

Unlike anything else I have read before! A Dark and twisted journey of self-discovery through the eyes and thoughts of Charlotte. Following her many toxic relationships from teens through to her early thirties jumping back and forth in grief and anger trying to navigate the world around her. Often desperate to be wanted, yet alone. An inner turmoil. Charlotte's vulnerability and the impact of earlier trauma makes the reader question the way women's bodies are treated and mistreated. A raw, shocking and surprising dark read with an ending that was anticipated yet enjoyable.
Many thanks to Netgalley for my ARC.

I picked this book based on the synopsis and cover. The way it was written didn’t make for an easy flow of reading and causes some confusion. Its dark twist from around half way through was unexpected. This wasn’t one for me personally, but I can see it appealing widely. I wouldn’t let my opinion put someone off giving it a go.

Bodies reads almost like you are in someone's dream, and they are reflecting on their life and past relationships. It is a story that flows so naturally, you cannot help but get caught up

Slowly as the book progresses, you start to notice a few things and it is very satisfying to discover the end!

Once I picked this fairly brief read up, like many others, I couldn't put it down until I got to the bottom of the seemingly endless thread of bad luck and the wrong people. The story of Charlotte's romantic encounters are fragmented, bouncing back and forth between various lovers, broken up only by chapters about her older sister. At it's heart, this is a novel about grief; about grieving; about coping -- from love, of all kinds, lost.

In truth, I had hoped for more. Characters come and go so briefly, and while you do manage to get a solid sense of the individuals, it feels ultimately fruitless to do so in the end. The twist was just a twist, though I won't pretend that it did not please me, none the less.

I think this will be a real hit for some, and a grim miss for others.

Wow! This was an amazing debut following Charlotte as she darts back and forth telling the stories about every man she's fallen in love with. This is raw, real, and unfortunately, some parts are very relatable. I loved Charlotte as a character even though she was super flawed, and I loved how she knew what she wanted and just took it. I also felt sadness towards her when all she wanted was for someone to love her as much as she loved them. This is super fast-paced, and I read this in a couple of hours. I can't wait to read more by this author. Highly recommend!

This was a 4.5 star read, which started to creep up in the last few pages, then ended up with an ending which made it an instant 5.

I loved this. I knew it was going to be my thing. Also the protagonist is called Charlotte (hi!).

I could tell very quickly the author was a similar age to me as the teenager years are so viscerally clear as 2006-2008 which was exactly the time I just started going out-out. The clothes and the trends and the details, even the behaviours of girls and boys at that time and that age.

It gets very dark half way through and I loved realised the double nature of the title Bodies but it still didn’t go where I expected.

This deserves to be huge and I hope it is. I’ll never ever be sick of a messy young woman.

The plot twist comes 53% of the way through this book - but my, what a twist it is. I had a dark feeling in the lead up to it, but I wasn’t fully prepared! I’ll leave it at that.

As a character, our protagonist Charlotte’s voice and emotions come through strongly and I found myself really drawn into her world. Charlotte is a very well-written and engaging character and somehow (worryingly?) I started to really empathise with her (until the end of course)… The topics explored in this book are current and relevant for women worldwide, but would definitely recommending heeding the trigger warnings before diving in.

This was a gripping read, I thought the characters were intriguing and I'm going to keep an eye out for more from this author.

This was a cracker. I read this in one sitting because how could I not? The writing sucked me in and before I knew it I was sitting in a pub next to this girl and at times the writing was so genuine and so true to life I thought I might have been reading something that had once happened to me.

Set against a back drop of religious and generational trauma this story starts off as one thing and quickly spirals into something else, I was genuinely intoxicated with the writing. I’m not Irish, I’m Scottish, the similarities are glaring and for a Buckfast reference, Christine I give you 100 points. It’s not often you come across a book that feels you’ve walked through the streets and pubs and clubs of, but this was definitely made me feel like I’d lived there.

I have to recommend this for all those girls out there who love a weird girl book but also, for any girl who’s ever been used by a man, hurt by a man or generally ever just been in a room filled with men. You’ll get it.

This book was definitely written for all the girls who have been gas-lit, cheated on, hurt and used. It feels like vindication wrapped up in someone else’s madness but healing in a way that only an anti-hero could serve.

Christine is now an instabuy author for me and Christine, if you see this - thank you for giving this to us, all of us who needed this.

A sly, intriguing read that - as others have noted - is benefitted by going in with as little foreknowledge as possible. Cleverly written and constructed. Recommend.

I’ve read my fair share of ‘I support women’s rights and wrongs’ literature and this takes the cake without a doubt.

Going to keep this review as vague as possible because I truly believe that the less you know going in, the better. I went in relatively blind - the synopsis doesn’t really give much of the plot away, but I’m so glad I did. Genuinely one of the most hypnotic books I’ve ever read; I knew from the first few pages that it was going to consume me rather than the reverse - suffocating and claustrophobic and wholly immersive. There are some very heavy triggers, so please be gentle with yourself if you do pick it up, but the PROSE!!! So entirely captivating that I couldn’t look away despite the darkness; I love a good stream-of-consciousness that also feels like a wine-fuelled dusk-’til-dawn conversation with a friend.

Charlotte was a masterfully crafted character; traversing between past and present through her lens, the reader is taken on a visceral journey exploring the accumulation of trauma in various forms - some unfortunately common for women especially, others more a rarity - and how it affects a person’s development and relationships. A multitude of heavy themes and experiences broached; control, coercion and humiliation to name a few, but they were handled in an understated and nuanced way, leading to a perfect conclusion.

The men… my goodness, the men. The less I say, the better; I’m sure a lot of people will get war flashbacks to varying degrees with them (was Kyle for me), and Charlotte’s reclamation of her sexuality and autonomy, by any means necessary, was a breath of fresh air.

My only qualm is that I would’ve LOVED to see more at the end but that’s just me being greedy, I do think that concluding where it did was an iconic power play.

Such an amazing book!!! I keep on telling people to read it and can't wait for it's release in July. Brutal, funny, horrible, relatable and thought provoking. Like talking with your best friend after too many drinks (in the best way)! And my! What a revelation they have for you!!

Can't wait to see what Christine Anne Foley writes next!