The description of this book looked really good but for me it didn’t live up to the hype. It was good but not brilliant and I found myself skipping lots of pages to get to the interesting bits. A good twist at the end.

This is the first book I have read by this author, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. What I got was a candid story about sisterhood, sex, past trauma, and growing up in the 90s. The book is split into a dual timeline: the past, when Sarah was 15 years old, fairly wild and frantically in love with a teacher, and present day where 41-year-old Sarah and her sister, Juliette hire a camper van and head to Scotland to celebrate Juliette’s 40th and, more importantly, to reconnect. I adored the dynamics between the sisters – it felt very real, and their banter had me laughing out loud on more than one occasion (it reminded me of my sister and I when we get together). And their anecdotes of growing up in the 90s hit home too (the good and the bad).

Whilst the dual timeline was helpful in providing important background details, I found some of the storylines slightly confusing and I really did struggle to grasp why Sarah is still so affected by her teenage crush on Mr Keaveney. For the most, this book is well written, and the characters are well-developed and believable, but, as mentioned above there are jumbled sections, which threw the pacing right off for me. All in all, I didn't love this book but I nor did I hate it, so it’s a solid three stars from me.

I wanted to love this as I love a nostalgic read but this one just wasn’t for me. I didn’t like Sarah as a main character and I found the present day chapters dragged on and on and kind of ruined the narrative for me. I liked the flashbacks but i’m not sure it worked for me as whole book if i’m honest.

Slags is a funny and frank exploration of sisterhood and sex.
The dynamics between the characters felt real, raw and at times emotional. The impact they had on eachother is portrayed so well.
I loved the humour and banter, those in jokes that I felt a part of.
The timelines change and the writing changes with it in very subtle shifts that I felt showed great writing skills.
The way sexual relationships are examined is likely to be difficult to read for some, but very true to life and some peoples experiences. Making this for a deep and moving piece of fiction.
I’m only giving three stars for the fact that the pacing for me felt off at times otherwise it would have been a higher rating. The content is brilliant though and anyone who grew up in the 90s will also get a nostalgic read, which for me is always a winner.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC. This is a voluntary review of my own thoughts.

Slags is a 3.5⭐️ rounded up to 4⭐️.
Slags is a read following two sisters celebrating the youngest sister, Juliette’s birthday. Sarah the oldest sister has hired a camper van for a week touring Scotland. The book follows their week and every other chapter is from Sarah’s youth starting from her finishing high school to going to university. The book covers Sarah’s obsession with alcohol, sex and her teacher at school. The sisters are very different but that makes their connection deeper as they both share their secrets over the week and Sarah tries to find a revengeful way to help Juliette completely recover from her assault when she was younger.
This was a book I struggled to get into but by a quarter of the way in I was invested. The book is a lot darker and goes a lot deeper than I thought it was going to after reading the blurb. The chapters from then and now work really well in this book and really helps with getting to know why Sarah is why she is now. The book did make me laugh several times but does deal with sexual abuse a few times. It reaffirms that teenage years are the hardest and especially if you don’t have the support from home. A different read for me that I really enjoyed.
I would like to thank NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction, The Borough Press for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

A really engaging and fun read packed with drama, chaos, and emotion. I especially loved the sister dynamic and exploration of friendship and adolescence.

Was excited to get an early copy of this after loving Emma Jane Unsworth’s previous books and this didn’t disappoint! Loved all the Manchester references, the dry humour and the relationship between the sisters. It was extra relatable having the story from the older sister’s perspective and seeing how fiercely loyal she is towards her younger sister but how she can wind her up like no one else, very relatable!

This book was a lot more serious and darker than what the description first led me to believe. Don´t get me wrong, the book is hysterically funny at times but at the same time it tackles some heavy themes lie growing up and growing old.
The book is divided in two sections. One is set today and tells the story of two sisters on a holiday in Scotland where they try to rekindle their friendship and tackle the fact that they are turning middle aged.
The other part is the diary which the older sister kept when she was 15 and madly in love with one of her teachers. This part of the book is almost physically painful to read in parts. It´s hard being a teen…
Funny and poignant. A great read and I´ll be sure to pick up Unsworths other titles.

It’s the 1990s. Sarah is 15, obsessed with boy bands, sex and getting drunk on Malibu. Most of all, she’s hung up on her teacher, Mr Keaveney.
Fast forward 26 years. Sarah is 41, the last of the party girls. But the mad nights out are losing their shine. And her teenage dreams are now distant, queasy memories.

This book started okay but it quickly deteriorated into a muddled piece of writing. I struggled to find anything endearing in its ramblings, sadly. It didn’t work for me, sadly.

I absolutely loved this, and if you're peri /menopausal and in the mood for a trip down memory lane to the 90s then this book is for you!
It's a mixture of lightheartedness between sisters with private move based jokes, to mid life existential crises.
Sarah's reminiscence of being an older sister and a schoolgirl obsessed with her teacher is wonderful a d so evocative of the time. And I loved their humour too ! 5 🌟 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Slags by Emma Jane Unsworth is a raw and unapologetic exploration of sisterhood, friendship, and the complexities of teenage years. The story follows sisters Sarah and Juliette on a whisky-fuelled campervan road trip across Scotland to celebrate Juliette's fortieth birthday. Along the way, they confront their shared past, with Sarah reflecting on her teenage years and the unresolved demons from her youth.

The narrative switches between two timelines—Sarah’s final year at school and the present-day trip. This dual perspective adds depth to the story, allowing readers to experience the nostalgic highs and lows of adolescence, including the confusion, relationships, and obsessions that defined Sarah’s teenage years. Unsworth’s brutally honest portrayal of the awkwardness and emotional intensity of being a teenager makes for a compelling read, especially for those who can relate to the messy, sometimes painful journey of growing up.

The author’s candidness about the realities of life, both as a teenager and an adult, provides a refreshing and heartfelt tone throughout. Slags is a striking, relatable book that deftly balances humour with deeper emotional exploration, making it a must-read for fans of coming-of-age stories and contemporary fiction.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

I really enjoyed this book and enjoyed the way the book went between present day and the past. I enjoyed the characters and the relationships between the sisters but also the sisters and their parents.
I would definitely recommend this book.

I'm grateful for the advance review copy and I thought the book started well but it really wasn't for me. Some insights into teenage obsession and sisterly relationships with some mildly humorous parts but it never really grabbed me.

All contemporary lit fic readers are just going to love this ! It's funny yet deals with quite deep themes and it's just a great read. If you grew up in the UK in the 90s/00 this will feel like a nostalgic trip back to that time as the story sways between the present day and back to when our main characters were teenagers. At first I though it was going to be a sort of comedy type of read but it is so much more, there are many layers to unravel the more that you read.
The book is also a great exploration of sisterhood and family relationships . It's very modern, sharp, funny and just a joy to read

Very much enjoyed- wild that i got to read it before publishing! I think if you have a sister you will love this but its great even without, super funny lots of 90s kid references, loved the tone of the different age chapters it was so effective for setting the timeline, would recommend!

I took a really long time to get into this book. It's the story of Juliette and Sarah who are sisters, going on a road trip for Juliette's birthday. The story flits between their teens and then their early 40s. I'm the same age as the main character which makes for a weird if too real comparison which is also why I think I found it hard to get into!. It's a really good depiction of what it was actually like being a teen in the late 90s.
The story goes on to explore sex and relationships in both periods of the lives of Sarah and Juliette including their experiences of sexual assault.
I have read books by the same author before and they can be a bit unflinching but that's part of the appeal of her as an author.
That said, it's a great read: if a bit too real in places! Would recommend but with caution!

This is quite a difficult one for me to review. I had read the club and being a northern girl who grew up around the same time thought I would really enjoy it.

The narrative of the two sisters felt to me like a constant squabble which was quite off putting. As the road trip gets further along, the realities of knowing who your sister was in your youth are shattered as you really don’t know them as an adult.

There were some incredibly funny moments and some descriptions were incredibly accurate to my own youth however it didn’t grab me the way I would like to have done. Saying that, I think that is more about me than the actual book.

Great novel, enjoyed reading this so much on a recent trip.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me access this book in exchange for my feedback.

Two very different sisters go for a week self drive holiday to Scotland. Celebrating the younger sisters 40th birthday.
Reflecting on growing up in the same household but from differing perspectives.
The older sibling shielding the younger from mistakes she has already made and can guide her away from the same mistakes..
Growing up in the north in the 80s this book hit so many memories.

I really loved this book - the writing and the story of the relationship between the sisters, told from two time periods. Real, raw and evocative. Great novel and will keep an eye out for this writer in the future.