Bad Manners
By Amy Beashel
Published by HarperCollins Publishers

Would it kill you to smile, darling?
A hand, a touch, but no consent!
A look, a glare and so the story unfolds.
A men-only charity dinner. A collection of young waitresses, naive to the job.
The jokes are uncomfortable.
The banter is course.
The hands linger too long!
The looks linger too close!
Behind closed doors, the wine flows, the money flows and the power is all male!

From the author of Split Milk comes another page turner, plot twisting, power struggle. Dark, uncomfortable and complicated are the facts surrounding patriarchy, coercion and male privilege that night, in society and beyond.
But questions are asked when we call it out!

As layer upon layer are uncovered, through generations past and present the truth must be told, heard and changed.
But revenge is sweet, carefully planned and brilliantly executed.
Justice comes to those who are willing to speak out, no matter how much or who it hurts.

A fabulously fierce read full of power and love. The love for ourselves versus the love for our families is a hard one to juggle. But the truth must prevail!
And change MUST come!

Joanne Bardgett - teacher of littlies, lover of Children’s literature.
#Netgalley

Wow, this is definitely a book that has such a powerful message and opens your mind up to the world around you. It will definitely stay with me for a long time and be a talking point with friends and family. I like how the story is told from different POVs within the family which really helps you to understand things from different perspectives and see how impactful our words and actions can be on other people without realising the effect it can have. The book covers a lot of difficult topics but also explains real life circumstances and the series of events before and after, and the vulnerabilities we have.
Such a powerful and poignant book.

Absolutely brilliant, loved it. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me an advance copy, I will definitely be recommending.

A difficult read and not just because of the subject matter. I struggled to stay informed on which character we were following and what timeline we were in. With so many flashbacks and no real time stamps, this quickly became confusing and a little overwhelming. I like the message the book was sending, the uncomfortablility of womanhood, but the execution fell a little flat for me.

I found this to be a fascinating, albeit at times uncomfortable, read. Exploring the life of women in a man's world. It's very timely, with reference is made to real life events. A powerful novel, which all should read.

A book that depicts a woman’s life in a world made for and by men.
Such an emotive and inspirational read, that deals with such heavy topics in a light way.
It’s written in three different p.o.v’s: a mother, a daughter and a father. And we learn how each deal with the same issue in different ways.
It also depicts the problems of lack of communication. Especially between the character of daughter and father.
Themes: Body image; sexuality; sex; family; women in man’s world
This is just a book that everyone should read, men, women, teenagers. It’s a recurring problem that has yet to be dealt with.

"I know I've always told you to use your voice [...] But you need to keep quiet."

What is a woman’s life in a world made for men? “Bad Manners” meditates on this question but doesn’t really come up with any new answers, ideas to ponder, or solutions. It does, however, present a thrilling idea for revenge. Being a multi-layered story, there are many characters in the book, most of them engaging and relatable, but there are a couple who don’t really bring anything to the table, but while some characters may not contribute significantly to the plot, the overall narrative remains compelling. There’s a lot of action crammed into just over 300 pages, but it's not a criticism, this actually makes this a engrossing read and a page-turner.

Beware, you might be feeling simultaneous rage at the injustices portrayed and a sense of solidarity with the characters. It's a relevant, if not powerful book. I give this somewhat utopian revenge story 3.5 stars.

That said, I agree with my fellow reviewers: “Bad Manners” is a book that should be read by women, young girls, and especially, I think, men.

With many thanks to the publisher.

Powerful, important and difficult to read at points. Beashel doesn't shy away from the truth however ugly it is. I loved Spilt Milk and I loved this.

"Bad Manners" by Amy Beashel follows the intertwining narratives of a British family and their relationship with sexism, violence, and activism. Cassandra, the 18-year-old daughter, has experienced her life falling apart after a night acting as a waitress at a dinner for privileged men. Eve, her mother, is grappling with her past and seeing her daughter in similar circumstances. Harry, the father, is faced with the harrowing realization that he is not, in fact, such a "nice guy".

This novel centers around sexism and many narratives parallel real-world events. Andrew Tate is explicitly mentioned. Cassandra mentions a court case that mirrors Depp vs Heart. The novel mentions two missing women, mirroring Sarah Everard and countless others. Something I appreciated about this novel is that Beashel takes an intersectional look at these issues. She understands how these experiences manifest differently for people of color.

While it does come as a gut-punch, I think the final page of this novel was a necessary addition, as it accurately reflects the fact that men often get away with their transgressions.

Overall, I found this to be a very well-written and realistic novel.

This book is definitely a powerful book of emotions and taking back control. It was definitely a thrilling read as well and it had kept me away due to alot of it overplaying in my head. Not normally into books like this but they had some strong chacters and expectations that I couldn't put it down. My first time reading a book from this aurthor too, will definitely explore more.

I have loved her previous books, *Spilt Milk* and *We Are All Constellations*, and this one is just as great. It tackles important, timely issues, a great and gripping feminist book. The story is tense, emotional, and full of diverse characters with different perspectives. Definitely recommend!

Bad Manners from Amy Beashel takes an unflinching look at the all-pervading effect of the power of the patriarchy and shines a huge big spotlight on it, exposing its ripples - both big and small.
Nuanced, powerful and wonderfully told.