I did enjoy this one, and I found the writing style very easy to read and very humorous.
For me, I enjoyed the flashback chapters the most and I found myself looking forward to them the most as opposed to the present day story. The only thing I would say is I had a distinct feeling like I wasn’t in on some sort of personal joke, like it felt like I was an outsider reading and not part of the story, usually when I read I feel as though I’m there and a part of it but there was an element of detachment when I was reading this. That may have been intentional but it made the read slightly less enjoyable.

having previously read from this author, i was really excited to read this one -- i read adults, which i thought was phenomenal, a really great use of narrative voice, and a very brave, funny look at its central themes. considering the title of this (and the synopsis) i thought this would be similar. i was right!!!

i enjoyed this so much. emma jane unsworth has such great use of voice and character, imo. this switches between first and third person, from sarah as a woman in her forties and sarah as a girl about to sit her gcses. it's so skilful too: the close intensity of the teenage voice and the slightly more modulated adult narration. this isn't to say that both aren't hot messes because sarah very much <i>is</i>. and i adored her for it. like i said before, i think what i loved so much about previous works is that i thought it was very brave and i think this is continues that. sarah (and her sister and her friends) are often propelling themselves through the kind of morally questionable scenarios that leads to boring discussions about "likeability." this isn't a book particularly interested in that: instead it's a more honest depiction of how hard it is to <i>be</i> honest with yourself and with others and how a refusal to do so can lead to a hampering of relationships with, again, the self and others. but what i found so lovely about this is that it doesn't seem to suggest that you don't experience the good, from it. sarah and juliette, her sister, have not been honest with each other but they so clearly adored one another anyway; they have found each others presence enriching and invigorating and infuriating in equal measure. it's only towards the end of the novel, though, that they embrace it fully.

i really enjoyed being on this journey with them. sisters always get me and i thought a real depth of affection was obvious here. both sisters are dealing with big life issues: there's love affairs, alcoholism, bodily issues, ageing. but i think it was dealt with both seriously but with great humour, one of my absolute favourite parts of life and also with books. i suppose the humour here won't work for everyone but it really did for me.

one of the most startling parts of this is when the novel shifts back to sarah's teenage years. the style changes but it's still funny and honest and very raw. sarah is apparently in love and running off with a teacher, but pretty quickly a question is introduced about how much this is rooted in reality. unsworth created such a magically propulsive, really hilarious and also a very mortifying real adolescent voice here. it felt true to experiences at this age: huge and all encompassing, even if an outsider may or may not agree on how impactful these moments can be. i really enjoyed reading them and i enjoyed seeing how much sarah as a properly grown adult woman reflected these. towards the very end of the book, the medical notes are brought in and i will say i thought this was such a poignant, empathetic look at the characters within.

this feels like it may be a very marmite book, because i feel like unsworth's humour and her characters may not be for everyone. but i've loved the darker, complex emotions and people she's created and i loved this.

i received an arc of this from netgalley, which tyvm because i enjoyed the heck out of this. i hope it finds its readers because i thought it was excellent!!!

Yikes! What a raw, emotional and honest read. I wasn’t sure if I was going to like the two timelines but I did, although I found it easier to read about adult Sarah as teenage Sarah was at times heartbreaking. The relationship between the sisters was complex and realistic. The author tells this story with wit and emotional depth. I’ve read and enjoyed adults but haven’t read animals yet. Will now look that one up too. Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for this read.

I actually really liked this book! Found Sarah such an interesting character and I liked the backwards and forwards parts, as it explained how she got to be who she is today. Had a really good nostalgic feel to it.

3.5 Stars. A beautiful story detailing the trials and tribulations of sisterhood. I loved the flashbacks to them growing up and all of the nostalgia that this story invoked. I have already recommended that my mum read this as I think it will really resonate with her. Added bonus that it took place in Scotland!

So sorry I just couldn't get into this book. I didn't find it funny or particularly like the way it was written.

A darkly funny, straight-talking novel, Slags moves between the past and the the present, showing Sarah's life at both 41 and 15 years old. At 41, Sarah is taking her younger sister Juliette on a birthday road trip across Scotland. At 15, she's navigating sex, drugs and friendship as a teenager with an obsession.

Sarah as a 41-year-old makes sense - her approach to life is a consequence to her experiences as a 15-year-old, and the further into the story you progress, the more you understand the 'why' behind things. It felt like Sarah had a certainty in herself as a teen, yet didn't quite know who she was as an adult.

I enjoyed this because it felt familiar and real; the heartache, confusion and naivety that comes with being a teen stay with you into adulthood and Sarah as a teenager felt embarrassingly familiar. I'd recommend this to anyone who wants to read a raw, realistic tale of addiction, obsession and growing up.

If i am going to read lit fiction, I want it to be about women and preferably about female rage.

The messy back and forth narrative definitely mirrors the emotional state of the main character, and i appreciated the vulnerability in the voice

Anything that Emma Jane Unsworth writes, I'm going to read. The cover, the plot, the vibes? Slags hit every mark, I didn't think I was going to love this book more than Animals but I'm glad to be proven wrong.

I found this book difficult to finish. It lost my attention and I found myself skimming trying to get to the end.
Sarah and her sister Juliette go on a road trip to mark Juliette’s 40th birthday. The narrative skips back and forward from present day Sarah to a particular time in 15 year old Sarah’s life. I found it harrowing and difficult and couldn’t wait for it to finish. Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins for an ARC of this novel.

As two sisters set off on a trip together as adults, we get to experience the nostalgia that they feel as they spend a considerable amount of time together for the first time since they were children.

I loved the concept of this novel, and having a sister myself, made me think about how that experience would be.

This book follows Sarah as she and her sister Juliette as they embark on a road trip to mark Juliette's birthday. We jump between present day and Sarah's teenage years to follow the events that have affected who Sarah is today.

I enjoyed this book and really identified with parts of it, being of a similar age to Sarah. Its quite nostalgic in these parts, for both the good and the bad of those times. The book is humorous but also sad in places as it examines the lasting effects of things that happen to us at an early age.

I did find it a little slow in places, its certainly more about the characters than the plot but is an enjoyable read.

This has been a great read! I did feel sometimes that the Sarah's from both timelines were completely different people though - I get you can change a lot in 26 years but it just threw me off a bit! However I enjoyed reading about the sisters' relationship and their road trip.

Emma Jane Unsworth’s Slags is the latest novel from the bestselling author of Adults and Animals. A darkly funny, gritty and brutally honest book, Slags centres Sarah, and her younger sister Juliet; spanning from their teenage years in the 1990s to their present-day adulthood, as they set out on a birthday roadtrip across Scotland for Juliet’s fortieth. Both sisters are very different but they have a bond that is undeniable, raw and relatable.

Told in a back-and-forth narrative that bridges the 25-year gap between past-Sarah and present-Sarah, the novel is told in third-person in present-day and first-person, diary-style for Sarah’s youth. The first chapter of teenage Sarah takes some adjusting to as it begins to read somewhat like a ‘Vicky Pollard-esque’ deluge of information and words, however, as the novel moves on, Sarah’s character becomes increasingly clear through this narrative form. While some elements of the novel’s story are predictable, particularly those that come to fruition through teenage naivety, there are several twists that are more surprising.

Exploring issues including physical and mental health, trauma, sex and love, alcohol and family relationships, Slags is a novel that is much deeper than the title might suggest. It is a reclamation of the word ‘slag’ and all those other words that are used as weapons against women, and it is a reclamation of our own bodies. With a darkly twisted, sarcastic humour threaded through it, Slags is a novel that makes the pain and heartbreak readable, as Sarah and Juliet work through their emotions page by page.

Sarah and Juliette are sisters who take a trip around Scotland in a Hymer to celebrate Juliette’s 40th birthday. Being of. Similar age I really enjoyed reading about the sisters lives at school in the 90’s. It really took me back. The book jumps between two timelines the present and their trip around Scotland and their relationship growing up. This is a very character driven book which explores the relationship between the sisters and their parents, and how these relationships have affected their lives. An enjoyable read.

Thanks netgalley for the ARC of Slags. Due to be published 08/05/2025

This is open, honest and raw. Sarah's account of her day to day life intertwined with memories of her teenage years gives insight into her experiences relating not just to her sister and friends but her views of sexual freedom. It's direct and blunt in it's approach but also shows Sarah's naivety as a teen particularly around her crush. You can't help but feel sorry for the misunderstanding she had and how that continued to play in her mind as she grew up. Her relationship with her sister is interesting and the dynamics between the two are amusing and demonstrative of how you can live together and grow up in the same environment but ultimately be completely different and how different views/values.

A fun but sometimes tense read!

This was everything I hoped it would be.

A touching, a story of sisterly love at its deepest and most complex, capturing perfectly the shit oldest sisters carry around. Told with Emma's keenly observed, sharp and perfectly directed humour and wit. It had me with laughing out loud (the Brooks clinic just one of many episodes) and conspiratorially joining in with condescending sniggering, mainly at Johnnie (zone 2 fat burning, paleo diet, keto breath) . All of this against the backdrop of a week away in a camper van in the wilds of Scotland in March. Add in aging musicians, injured deer, whisky distilleries, grey water emptying and it is a whole bunch of wonderful crazy with a big warm heart.

Sarah organises a birthday road trip for her younger sister Juliette's fortieth, just the two of them hitting the road in a rented campervan and heading for Scotland. Their lives have gone in very different directions, Juliettes married with two children and Sarah is living the single life

Theres a lot to like about this book, on the surface its lighthearted but underneath is explores much deeper - two sisters, two lives and the undeniable bond that unites them. An unapologetic and raw portrayal of teenage angst full of wrong signals, wrong men and many mistakes, Sarah's teenage years were definitely more exciting than mine but there was plenty I could relate to.

Told in dual timelines, Sarah at fifteen and Sarah now, it takes the sisters on a journey of discovery with great characters along the way. Its sharp, witty, poignant and relatable all rolled into one, if you like character driven novels this is definitely a book worth reading

This is an excellent book. I really enjoyed the sisters’ dynamic and their relationship. My favourite part was the 15 year old Sarah’s diaries, they were so well written and I fully lost myself in the belief that a teenage girl had written them. I really loved this one.

Sarah is a woman on a mission to confront her past and how it affected her into her adulthood. At the root of Sarah’s childhood trauma and guilt she is so deeply wanting to find a connection that she is laying heavy onto her sister Juliette.
The author handles a lot of difficult topics very well. The flow was good, and it was paced wonderfully. It’s definitely worth the read!