I know every character in this book and it cut almost too close to the bone at times. It's brutal in its honestly and the portrayal of teenage years was some of the most accurate I've seen.

I love everything about this book. Firstly, the cover design needs so much praise, it so suits everything in the writing and the title was a brave but perfect choice.

A good read from a new author for me.
Thanks for the opportunity to read & review it.
Will look out for more by this author.

I struggled to connect with this book which alternates from past to present. The road trip (present time) appealed but somehow seemed a little lost and blurred with the past. The character never seemed to move on with her life, which became clearer why towards the end of the book but lacked depth. I felt that the connection with the parents was not explained properly and why did the younger (more stable -ish) sister not have a connection with the parents? I'm unclear why the main character move to London and what happened during that time. I enjoyed the end where the sisters unite, but felt that the gap in their adult lives was not fully explained.

This book covers such raw and poignant topics with a candid, sardonic and witty voice. The relationship between sisters Sarah and Juliette, bracketed by the traumas of their youth, is explored with such brutal and heartwrenching honesty.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an arc of this book, and to @emjaneunsworth for the story!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

I really, really, really wanted to like this - Unsworth writes so brilliantly and with such a keen observational eye, but the subject just never quite came together for me. Shame. 3.5 for the quality of her writing and rounding it up to 4 on the stars (rather than down) because I also really, really hope other readers connect with it more than I have been able to

Although I loved the relationship between Sarah and Juliette as they reminisced about their youth, whilst travelling together, this one didn't quite hit the mark for me. As someone who grew up in the 7os, the 90s cultural references missed their mark. for me. I loved the dual timelines but found that the over-heavy use of dialogue left me a little confused at times. Having said that, I intend to go back and re-read at a later date as I am still intrigued by the premise and feel that maybe this was a book I would have left on my TBR pile until I was in the mood!

This had all the factors to be a book I could love. It's relatable, personal and thought provoking. The main character is deeply flawed yet likeable, someone will all know or are ourselves with a complicated family dynamic with her sister Juliette. Yet somehow there was just something missing for me that left me feeling disconnected from Sarah and her voice. I think the disjointed telling played a part in this. We follow two timelines of sort, with current 42 year old Sara going on a road trip with her sister, and then all flashbacks to Sarah as a fifteen year old. Every time I felt settled into one timeline we jumped to another and I just found it threw me out of the story.

I will say that Sarah is a very well developed character. As I've mentioned she's very flawed, yet is self aware enough to be humerous and self deprecating in a likeable way. Fifteen year old Sarah, from someone who has a fifteen year old, also feels very believable - with all the hormones and angst that is associated with being fifteen.

If you enjoy thought provoking very character driven books, this is a great read. Just don't expect too much plot, and a rather disjointed narrative style.

This book was surprisingly deep, it takes its time to work through so many thoughts and feelings over different timelines. I find it oddly relatable.

Sarah is woman who is on a mission in this book to confront the past it seems and she does have a roundabout way of this, but it’s clear how the past affected her into adulthood. Her sister Juliette seems to be at the root of her childhood guilt and desperation for connection, her sister feels like a foundation that Sarah leans upon whenever she feels out of sorts.

I did like this, it handles difficult topics well. I find the flow of the story a little confusing in parts but I feel like that’s because Sarah isn’t a reliable source of her own story and it feels a little disjointed. I’m rating this 3 stars as it’s definitely worth the read.

Such a fun look at a special era in time. The young us party girl scene that was so iconic for so may years. Such a fun nostalgic take on what it was to be a so called “slag”

Thank you to NetGalley and the Borough Press for the ARC of this book!

When I saw the title and description of this book, I was instantly intrigued. As a 90s baby who grew up in the 00s, I knew the nostalgia would hit for me. And it did.

Sisters Sarah and Juliette are heading on a boozy road trip, finally giving them chance amongst their busy lives to dig up the past and hash out some of their demons.

This book is really witty, some of the lines I couldn’t resist highlighting with my Kindle.

And the nostalgia of the flashback chapters, I was right there with Sarah as she fought desperately to be noticed, to feel something.

I will say that this will be a polarising read for anyone who doesn’t like character-driven fiction.

I enjoyed this book but it did take me quite some determination to get through at times, but it really picked up in the final quarter!

Very candid, witty exploration of the relationship between sisters.

I am so sorry, I have tried three times to pick this book up and read it, I am really struggling to get through it . I have to say I can not finish this book and I do NOT like DNF'ing , I read over 140 books in 2024 and i think I only DNF'd 3 books so it is not something I typically do.

My apologies and I thank you for the opportunity to have had the chance to read this .

Respectfully Another Read by Angie

I didn't love this nor did I hate it. I enjoyed the dynamic between the sisters but I wasn't really compelled by them? Like I didn't particularly care about what happened.

Sisters Sarah and Juliette are going on a whisky-fuelled campervan road-trip across Scotland to celebrate Juliette’s birthday – and they’re going to dig up some demons from the past.

The blurb for Slags shows great promise and I was hoping for a light hearted novel in the timeless style of the popular British television series like Birds of a Feather (1989 to 1998) or Shameless (2004 to 2013). However, Slags did not work for me and I found it a BAD 1 star read.

Most of this story was from Sarah’s point of view, which is not a problem, in itself. What was infuriating is the constant switching back and forwards in time between the 15 year old Sarah and the 42 year old Sarah on holiday in Scotland. Those teenage years of a school girl were tiresome to read and the boredom made this book very easy to put down. You can’t even put those teenage years down to back story or character development as there is a gap of 27 years in the narrative. I did not like the teenage years at all and it spoiled any enjoyment I was hoping to get from this book. But the dual timeframes continued and I battled onto the very end. There is no drama, twists or big reveals in the final pages, just that feeling you get when visitors leave and you can get on with something far more interesting.

The 42 year old Sarah was more interesting than the 15 year old and the comparing of notes with Juliette, her sister, was very run of the mill. I found Slags to be a lazy read with lazy writing. Emma puts great emphasis on Sarah renting a Hymer B500 motorhome for their trip around Scotland and then claims that Juliette climbs onto the bonnet of the campervan. There is no bonnet to climb upon the Hymer B500, just an access panel to check the oil, water, screen wash and drive belts.

I had hoped for some humorous and witty dialogue between the sisters, like that between Sharon and Tracey in Birds of a Feather. Sadly, Sarah and Juliette do not have a sharp banter and this is the best snippet I could find throughout the whole book…

‘Prefer Ireland, myself. Better dairy products. You’re probably lactose intolerant, aren’t you?’
‘What would make you think I was lactose intolerant?’
‘All the young people are these days.’

Slags has two stories interwoven into each other - Sarah at 15 and Sarah at 41.
41 year old Sarah has taken her sister Juliette on a roadtrip for her birthday; they discover and discover the other throughout their journey. Interspersed with these chapters is 15 year old Sarah, shaping the future for older Sarah.

The book was an interesting read; Unsworth is an unapologetic author who tells the stories with a brutal honesty. It's a girls story; it's complex and tricky but also funny and moments of heartwarming in it. I'd definitely read her other novels having read this!

As someone who loves a lot of dialogue, this one didn't land well with me. Don't get me wrong, I love the premise, but I just wish I loved the outcome. It's not a terrible book, but also not a stand out for me

I really enjoyed this book. I've been in a reading slump over Christmas and picked this up.

I found it an easy read, the narrative was easy to follow and the two sisters had a very believable relationship.

Sarah and Juliette are sisters, and we get to know them better with flashbacks to the teenage years in the 90s.
The novel reads like a diary because of its rawness, hilarity and reflection.
The humour and the drama were at times relatable, at other times, curious/entertaining.

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

Set in the present but with half the story telling the past teenage years of two sisters. Funny and heartwarming in places it’s equally gritty and details how hard teenage love and growing up can be.

Fairly enjoyable read although I struggled to connect or really get into the story especially because of the switching narratives. The book was well written and I liked the coming of age feel to it, I just wish I enjoyed it more