Enjoyed it very much! I am a big fan of Catherine Gray's previous non-fiction books and I am so sure that this one is gonna be loved as much as her previous ones. A must-read for the Summer!

This is an emotional yet uplifting novel on a broken family and the impact on parental influences on the child’s development and life choices. I’ve read all of Catherine Gray’s non-fiction books and was very excited about her first fiction book. It’s unlike any fiction books I’ve read and days after devouring the book, I still find myself thinking about it.⁣
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The main character in the book is Fern/Flick, whose mum is a narcissistic social climber and dad is an alcoholic, touring rock musician who is loving, but also flawed in various ways. What makes the book unique is how at the age of 14, her story splits after spending equal time with each of her parents. We follow the story of Fern who stays in the States with her dad, as well as that of Flick who remains in London with her mum.⁣
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On both stories, she found herself struggle as a young woman, which is heartbreaking to read, and on both, the unsolved murder of her uncle is weaved in seamlessly. I was curious to see how her character and stories develop as I was reading pages after pages, and was actually quite triggered in the sense that I couldn’t help but reflect on how we could become such different version of ourselves, depending on our upbringing and surrounding.⁣

Such a warm and smartly written novel that can evoke self-reflection. Will be thinking about it for a while.

Versions of a girl tells a story from two different trajectories of the main character's life, following the sudden death of her uncle Rory.

In the first version of the story she is known as Fern and flees to America with her father, who is the key suspect in her uncle's death. They live a semi nomadic lifestyle as her father moves from town to town, touring with his rock band. In the second scenario she goes by the nickname Flick and live with her slightly narcissistic and pushy mother, who encourages her to pursue a career in ballet.

It's interesting to see that despite the radically different lifestyles of Fern and Flick, her personality is relatively similar, with her love of  art and addictive tendencies.

The format of the book can be a little confusing as it jumps back and forth between the timelines of each story but the different names given to the main character help with this.

A really interesting concept and an enjoyable read, with a twist at the end!

I was so excited to read this as I love a “Sliding Doors” style story, but I found it very confusing and the writing style didn’t connect with me at all.

There didn’t seem to be much of a difference between Fern/Flick and the issues they faced in the two different outcomes were very similar. I didn’t like any of the characters, Fern’s parents were particularly unpleasant and Fern herself didn’t have any substance as a character, so it was hard to care about what happened to any of them.

I am an outlier in this one, so likely a case of wrong audience and I hope other readers will love it!

2 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Catherine Gray and Headline for an ARC in return for an honest review.

This is a sliding doors kind of story. It shows two versions of Fern's story. and the routes she goes down. It considers what shapes us is it our parents, circumstances, the world around us, unexpected events?
When Fern is young she spends time between both parents mother is a social climber father has alcohol issues. A visitor causes her to face a dilemma of choices and the story splits in two.
Time line stories with two different strands can be confusing but this is handled well.
I found it an unusual book which touches on difficult areas and sad at times.

I was excited to read this book as Catherine Gray has written some great quitlit books already, and I liked the idea of the plot.
It was, for me, similar to a book I’ve read before ’When Polly Won the Lottery’ and the two versions of what might happen to her and it reminded me in a very small way of The Midnight Library.
It’s a story about choices, about addiction, about confusion, about motherhood and fatherhood too. Fern is dumped on her father by her mother and he takes her off to America after an ‘accident’ kills her uncle in Ireland. We then learn from flashbacks in time about the story leading up to all the events. Then in one version Fern stays with her father in the states and in another she returns to England to be with her mother initially for a holiday but that gets extended. Her mother encourages her to be Flick (as her middle name is Felicity and Fern was her father’s choice of name) and she lives a very different life to that of Fern.
Honestly, I found it all quite confusing, both Fern and Flick seem to have the same problems in both lives, kind of in the ‘sliding doors’ theme that what’s for you won’t go past you - as my grandmother used to say.
Sadly it just wasn’t for me. I didn’t really like any of the characters so I didn’t get invested in Fern or Flick, nor her parents.

My thanks go to the author, the publishers and to NetGalley for an advanced e.reader copy of this book.

I was very excited to secure a digital copy of this novel by Catherine Gray as it follows Flick / Fern on her journey in life down to two different paths, based on a decision Flick / Fern makes at the age of 14 whether to return to live with her mum or not. In one half she does and the other she doesn’t.

I always find it fascinating thinking about alternate universes out there where our lives differ based on a choice we make or don’t make, so I thought the basis for this book was right up my street.

I will be honest, in the first half of the book I wasn’t sure about the story as I felt I couldn’t quite get into it. I do wonder whether some of this was due to the fact it was a digital proof version I was reading and as such it wasn’t always obvious to know “which life” I was reading about. However, my opinion completely changed in the second half where the story came together with an unexpected twist too, which I absolutely loved and then I was totally hooked!

It is a book about so much: nature versus nurture, our own parents’ experiences in life affecting their parenting of us, addiction, recovery, love, grief, guilt, secrets… It is a story you will want to savour and think about once you’ve finished it for sure! I am really pleased I read it.

Thank you @netgalley and @headlinebooks for the gifted copy.

"Versions of a Girl" by Catherine Gray is an emotionally gripping novel that delves into the impact of parental influence and life choices.
At fourteen, Fern's life splits into two narratives: one where she stays in California with her loving but flawed alcoholic father, and another where she moves to London with her controlling, social-climbing mother.
The parallel lives of Fern/ Flick are explored with depth, showing how their different environments shape their personalities and decisions.
Gray’s writing captivates with its complex characters and thought-provoking plot. Fern’s father, despite his flaws, stands out with his deep love for his daughter, adding emotional weight to the story.
The suspense and twists kept me engaged,and I found it to be a very interesting read and I can’t remember reading anything similar so far.
Overall, "Versions of a Girl" is an intriguing, heartfelt read that I highly recommended for fans of contemporary fiction with a psychological twist.

Very grateful to the publisher for my copy, opinions are my own.

CW/TW: Please be aware, this book could contain mentions of paedophilia, drug and alcohol abuse, parental neglect and murder.

💬 My Bookish Thoughts

This Sliding Doors-esque novel that delves deep into the concept of dual narratives and how our lives can change based on a single decision. At the age of fourteen, Fern's story splits after she has spent equal time with her damaged parents. We follow Fern, who stays in America with her alcoholic but loving father, and Flick, who is raised by her loveless, dominating, ex-ballet dancer, social-climbing mother in the UK.

Fern/Flick is a complex character, and I was fascinated by how the author played with her personality, lifestyle, and emotions impacted by the split narrative. The third-person storytelling of these parallel lives required my full concentration to keep up with the different timelines, but the distinct names for each narrative—Fern and Flick—helped immensely.

One standout character for me was Fern's father. Despite his many flaws, his deep love for his daughter was clear and added a layer of real interest to the story.

Coming from a broken family there were many aspects I could relate to, at times I feel quite emotional reading about her parents and the impact of their flaws had on their daughter. I have always wondered what my life would have been like if I had chosen to live with my other parent.

The book is full of suspense and twists, keeping me engaged throughout. However, as much as I love the cover, I felt it didn't quite reflect the serious topics covered in the story.

Overall this novel would make a great book club read, sparking discussions about how our choices shape our lives and the enduring impact of our parents' influence.

Thank you to NetGalley, Headline Books and Mountain Leopard Press for gifting me a digital proof copy in return for an honest review.

Fern's mother is a social climber and a former ballet dancer who lives a plush life in a London townhouse.

Fern's father only climbs if there's a bottle at the top, has an IQ of 133 and lives hand-to-mouth in Californian motels.

Aged fourteen, Fern has spent equal time with each of her parents. That is, until an unexpected visitor triggers a life-changing whether she should get on a plane to London to be with her mother, or stay in California with her father. Here, Fern's narrative splices in two.

I am a big fan of Gray's writing having read most of her books so I was intrigued to see what her foray into fiction would be like and it hasn't disappointed.

Fern's split narrative brought up some interesting plot lines and I found it really interested. These are real, flawed characters. Yet Gray portrays them with grace and verve.

An interesting concept and a book that kept me engaged until the end. A novel idea that was well executed. The story starts with young Fern living with her alcoholic Dad in California. When she is 14 she has to choose whether to go and live with her Mum in London or stay with her Dad. This is where the story splits and we get to see what happens with both choices. I wanted Fern / Flick to find some happiness and invested in her. (Although it was easier to invest in Fern than her London based version, who was harder to like, just like her mum!) There are also flashbacks to her earlier life and then further back to the start of her parents relationship. These provide the plot reveals. It would make an interesting book club choice with lots to discuss and analyse.

A good read. I enjoyed this book. Thank you to the writer, publisher, and NetGalley for allowing me to review this book.

Brilliant - a real nod to Sliding Doors, the 90's film. Really well executed, you cannot help but love the main character and feel for her. Alcoholic Dad or cold, loveless Mum, both are going to be pretty awful. She's a great main character though and the novel has a satisfying conclusion. Thank you so much to the publisher for the ARC.

Oh wow what a read, the story splits between two versions of a girl, Fern stays in America with her Dad, who is damaged by life and not being told the truth, then Flick who’s raised by her Mum, and is also damaged. They both make some questionable decisions, and there doesn’t seem to be a good outcome for either of them.
My heart hurt for their Dad and how his life spiralled.
The world seems to level out but then spins off in a different direction. Definitely worth a read.

Im sorry to say that this book wasn’t for me. I liked the premise of the story but it wasn’t what I was expecting. The blurb piqued my interest, however I thought it would more of an alternate universe scenario rather than a nature vs nurture / father vs mother. Im a fan of multiple timelines and POVS but I found it a bit difficult to keep up. Ultimately it was the dark topics that were covered that resulted in me DNFing this book. I’m sure other fans of literary fiction who are more comfortable with darker topics will enjoy this.

This wasn't what I expected at all but I really enjoyed it! I was thinking it would be a bit SF/fantasy, or alternate universe, but actually the 'split' is done with a super light touch - more of a butterfly effect concept and then it's done, and you are simply exploring what Fern/Flick's different paths mean for her. (It also took me an embarrassingly long time to realise that what we are comparing is the effect of her mother vs her father)
I found Fern/Flick an engaging, refreshing character, a sensitive depiction of addictive personality and generally nice to have a flawed, rebellious but intelligent heroine. The mysteries slowly unravelling around the death of Rory and Fern/Flick's parentage are paced nicely, keep you turning pages to find the answers, but then concluded in a satisfying way without overdoing it. I liked the exploration of the different relationships and the psychological background / drivers to how Flick/Fern engaged with the people around her, her friends and lovers. Overall, a highly enjoyable, readable novel that felt fresh and different. Thanks to Netgalley & the publishers for the opportunity to read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Headline for this ARC.

Fern/Flick has a narcissistic mother and an alcoholic drug using father. The novel explores what would happen if at 14 she had to decide to either live with her mother in London or her father in California. Her time with either of them, before and after the split in the timeline, is not happy for various reasons, making her troubled and substance dependent herself.

The gorgeous cover with the bold colours drew me in as did the description of a Sliding Doors story.

What I actually got was a wildly confusing story - I don't think I've ever read a novel that jumps around in time so much.

The author does everything she can to make it less confusing, gives Fern a second name, tells us exactly where and when we are at all times and even draws a diagram that shows the split etc but my head was still all over the shop.

I simply could not get on with the writing style - it felt like a patchwork quilt of scenes, randomly stitched together, where a patch of Fern in 1993 sits next to a patch of Flick in 2014, with random interjections of "ten minutes earlier" or "Fern is six years old" when she was fourteen a minute ago.

I also found the story quite dark, what with the pedophile uncle, the unpleasant mother and the drug abuse. I found the solution to Rory's murder far-fetched but ultimately I didn't care who killed him and I still don't understand why anyone felt the need to confess to it!

Sorry, as interesting as the concept is, this wasn't for me.

Loved the premise of this story. It's just to far removed from my comfort zone.
The itinerant life style and a mum choosing a new partner over a child.
I am obviously not the target audience.

Versions of a Girl follows Fern, a fourteen-year-old girl who faces a life-changing decision that splits her story into two parallel lives. In one, she stays with her mother in London and becomes Flick. In the other, she remains with her father in California.
The storyline is gripping and the characters are well-developed. It's a must-read for fans of contemporary fiction and a great choice for book club reads

I really enjoyed this storyline and watching her life play out as different versions. I definitely had a mixed bag of emotions whilst reading, from laughter to tears. Beautifully written