Stepping Up - Sarah Turner

Genre: Adult Fiction | Womens Fiction

Release Date: Expected 3rd March 2021

Publisher: Random House UK | Transworld Publishers | Bantam Press

CW; Death, Car Accidents, Hospitals, Blackmail.

Beth has never stuck at anything.

She still lives in her parents house, drives a rusty old vauxhall and never stays at a job for more than a few months. She's still waiting for her life to start ... but like her car, it just doesn't.

But when a tragedy strikes her family and she suddenly finds herself the sole carer of her teenage neice and toddler nephew, she doesn't have a choice. Can she really look after a family when she can't even look after herself most days?

With her overbearing parents, (platonic) best friend Jory, and a new friend in their 83-year old neighbour Albert, Beth moves into her sisters house and is determined that this time, she's going to step up.

"I wanted to move to London and be a journalist, or run my own business. Instead, I became a serial job-quitter who still lived with my parents until I took on guardianship of two children following an accident. Not something any careers advisor could have predicted."

Stepping Up was a story brimming with heart - the type of story that leaves you unsure whether to laugh or cry from page to page. Beth captured the soul of a lost-twenty something woman without a purpose, trying to navigate relationships, family, friends and a career while the world is falling apart around her. Each character was so nuanced and relatable in some way, from their compassion and kindness to their worst flaws. Although Albert was most definitely the best character - he was a beautiful friend, and had some exceptionally useful tips about clothes pegs - he was an absolute delight to read about.

I thought I knew exactly what I was in for when I opened this book - but wow I was wrong. This story wasn't just about Beths journey to learn to care for two children, but to learn about herself and the people around her in new ways. Full of beautifully heartbreaking moments, this story is devastating but oddly hopeful in the fallout. With an ending I never saw coming, this novel exceeded my expectations and left my head swimming.

RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to Sarah Turner and the publishers for an advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.

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