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pernillelsk's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Murder, Bullying, Death, Misogyny, and Stalking
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, and Violence
Minor: Suicide, Classism, and Suicidal thoughts
rmarcin's review against another edition
5.0
I really enjoyed this novel about a woman in Parliament who advocates for regulations and protections for women who have been targeted by others and have suggestive photos and videos posted about them. When Emma is found over the body of a journalist at the bottom of her stairs, she is pulled into a drama that she never expected.
Emma's daughter, Flora, in a moment of rage, posted a video of her ex-friend and the papers were going to publish a story. Emma begged Mike, the journalist, not to print anything. But, when Mike dies as a result of the fall at Emma's house, Emma is put on the spot.
This story asks what you would do to protect your reputation, and whether you can depend on others to protect it. Very tense drama.
Emma's daughter, Flora, in a moment of rage, posted a video of her ex-friend and the papers were going to publish a story. Emma begged Mike, the journalist, not to print anything. But, when Mike dies as a result of the fall at Emma's house, Emma is put on the spot.
This story asks what you would do to protect your reputation, and whether you can depend on others to protect it. Very tense drama.
clarebearr's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
jacki_f's review against another edition
3.0
This was a book of two halves. The first half is all set up. Emma Webster is an MP, a divorced mother who is championing a bill to make it a crime to share revenge porn (sex videos filmed with consent but released without it after a relationship ends). She also has a teenage daughter who is being bullied at school. The book opens with a body lying at the bottom of a flight of stairs and gradually it emerges that Emma has been charged with murder.
To be honest I found the first half of the book pretty sluggish but it gets more exciting in the second half which covers the trial. There are too many things that are deliberately withheld, presumably to create tension but instead they just annoyed me. Also, some of the twists are underwhelming. It was an interesting story but I never really cared a great deal about any of it.
To be honest I found the first half of the book pretty sluggish but it gets more exciting in the second half which covers the trial. There are too many things that are deliberately withheld, presumably to create tension but instead they just annoyed me. Also, some of the twists are underwhelming. It was an interesting story but I never really cared a great deal about any of it.
pinksy's review against another edition
slow-paced
1.0
Frustrating
Slow
Unreliable narrative
Poor character development
Glad it finished!
Slow
Unreliable narrative
Poor character development
Glad it finished!
kdurham2's review against another edition
4.0
Check out the full review at Kritters Ramblings . . .
Emma Webster was surprised when she was elected a MP so quickly and was torn as it would greatly impact her husband and her daughter. A few years later this book begins as she has been a MP for awhile and it has impacted as her husband and her have divorced and they are trying to coparent their teenage daughter. And not a spoil here, but the book begins as Emma has found a dead body at the bottom of her stairs and we immediately go back in time to find out how she got there.
Emma Webster was surprised when she was elected a MP so quickly and was torn as it would greatly impact her husband and her daughter. A few years later this book begins as she has been a MP for awhile and it has impacted as her husband and her have divorced and they are trying to coparent their teenage daughter. And not a spoil here, but the book begins as Emma has found a dead body at the bottom of her stairs and we immediately go back in time to find out how she got there.
marilynw's review against another edition
3.0
Reputation by Sarah Vaughan
This story would be a good candidate for a drinking game with all the times the word reputation appears in the book. It seems to be on almost everyone's mind and we are repeatedly reminded that reputation must be safe guarded, often at any cost. And it seems to be the thing most under attack whether the victim is an MP with detractors or a teen who has made enemies.
Emma is an MP who has always put her career before her marriage and her daughter. She'll deny the daughter part but really, she's been letting her ex husband and his wife raise her fourteen year old daughter, Flora, while her time with Flora is fit in around her busy MP career. She even accepts that she is to blame for the break up of her marriage because she really didn't have time to do it all.
A new law to protect women and girls from the effects of online abuse is Emma's main focus and she wants those who use social media for revenge to pay a high price. That is until things hit too close to home. Turns out that Emma is nothing if not hypocritical.
When a man is attacked in Emma's home, we sort of know what happens but there is also a strong sense that things are being held back. Emma is going to protect her daughter, she's going to protect her career if she still has one when this massive dust storm settles, and I get the sense that nothing with Emma will really change.
The first part of the book let me know I didn't care for Emma. The second part of the book is when she falls off her high horse. There is some courtroom time and I tried to pretend I was a juror that had to pay attention but what I knew is that I'd be fighting not to fall asleep in that courtroom. Then it's over and I'm not thrilled with the way things go. I did like Flora, Emma's daughter, and her parts of the story were my favorite.
Published July 5th 2022
Thank you to Atria/Emily Bestler Books and Edelweiss for this ARC.
This story would be a good candidate for a drinking game with all the times the word reputation appears in the book. It seems to be on almost everyone's mind and we are repeatedly reminded that reputation must be safe guarded, often at any cost. And it seems to be the thing most under attack whether the victim is an MP with detractors or a teen who has made enemies.
Emma is an MP who has always put her career before her marriage and her daughter. She'll deny the daughter part but really, she's been letting her ex husband and his wife raise her fourteen year old daughter, Flora, while her time with Flora is fit in around her busy MP career. She even accepts that she is to blame for the break up of her marriage because she really didn't have time to do it all.
A new law to protect women and girls from the effects of online abuse is Emma's main focus and she wants those who use social media for revenge to pay a high price. That is until things hit too close to home. Turns out that Emma is nothing if not hypocritical.
When a man is attacked in Emma's home, we sort of know what happens but there is also a strong sense that things are being held back. Emma is going to protect her daughter, she's going to protect her career if she still has one when this massive dust storm settles, and I get the sense that nothing with Emma will really change.
The first part of the book let me know I didn't care for Emma. The second part of the book is when she falls off her high horse. There is some courtroom time and I tried to pretend I was a juror that had to pay attention but what I knew is that I'd be fighting not to fall asleep in that courtroom. Then it's over and I'm not thrilled with the way things go. I did like Flora, Emma's daughter, and her parts of the story were my favorite.
Published July 5th 2022
Thank you to Atria/Emily Bestler Books and Edelweiss for this ARC.
emily_loves_2_read's review against another edition
4.0
Reputation
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Thriller
Format: Kindle eBook
Date Published: 7/5/22
Author: Sarah Vaughan
Publisher: Atria Books
Pages: 336
Goodreads Rating: 4.03
Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing a digital advanced readers copy of the book for me to read for my honest opinion.
Synopsis: As a politician, Emma has sacrificed a great deal for her career--including her marriage and her relationship with her daughter, Flora. Fourteen-year-old Flora is learning the same hard lessons at school as she encounters heartless bullying. When another teenager takes her own life, Emma lobbies for a new law to protect women and girls from the effects of online abuse. Now, Emma and Flora find their personal lives uncomfortably intersected--but then the unthinkable happens: A man is found dead in Emma’s home, a man she had every reason to be afraid of and to want gone. Fighting to protect her reputation, and determined to protect her family at all costs, Emma is pushed to the limits as the worst happens and her life is torn apart.
My Thoughts: We live in a world where your reputation is everything, it can take years to build and second to destroy. Once destroyed, it could more years to reestablish yourself. Social media is everywhere and we put every part of our lives on social media, hopefully this book will make you hesitate to do that. That is what made me want to read this book. This book is classified as a thriller, but could also be classified as fiction due to the very strong message it relays. The book is narrated by several characters, mainly Emma and Flora, from their own perspective. I loved the court scenes as I generally gravitate toward legal scenarios. The characters were very well developed, had depth, strong, and the female characters were portrayed as very intelligent. The author’s writing was complex, thought-provoking, gripping, shocking, creative, and just brilliant. This story does not follow a typical thriller with red herrings and unreliable narrators, it a story that absolutely could be real, which is what makes this book so good. This is the first I have read by this author, but will not be my last.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Thriller
Format: Kindle eBook
Date Published: 7/5/22
Author: Sarah Vaughan
Publisher: Atria Books
Pages: 336
Goodreads Rating: 4.03
Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing a digital advanced readers copy of the book for me to read for my honest opinion.
Synopsis: As a politician, Emma has sacrificed a great deal for her career--including her marriage and her relationship with her daughter, Flora. Fourteen-year-old Flora is learning the same hard lessons at school as she encounters heartless bullying. When another teenager takes her own life, Emma lobbies for a new law to protect women and girls from the effects of online abuse. Now, Emma and Flora find their personal lives uncomfortably intersected--but then the unthinkable happens: A man is found dead in Emma’s home, a man she had every reason to be afraid of and to want gone. Fighting to protect her reputation, and determined to protect her family at all costs, Emma is pushed to the limits as the worst happens and her life is torn apart.
My Thoughts: We live in a world where your reputation is everything, it can take years to build and second to destroy. Once destroyed, it could more years to reestablish yourself. Social media is everywhere and we put every part of our lives on social media, hopefully this book will make you hesitate to do that. That is what made me want to read this book. This book is classified as a thriller, but could also be classified as fiction due to the very strong message it relays. The book is narrated by several characters, mainly Emma and Flora, from their own perspective. I loved the court scenes as I generally gravitate toward legal scenarios. The characters were very well developed, had depth, strong, and the female characters were portrayed as very intelligent. The author’s writing was complex, thought-provoking, gripping, shocking, creative, and just brilliant. This story does not follow a typical thriller with red herrings and unreliable narrators, it a story that absolutely could be real, which is what makes this book so good. This is the first I have read by this author, but will not be my last.
shivermepink's review against another edition
3.0
If you’re into legal drama and politics, you should absolutely read this book because you will most likely love it.
This was an overall painful read for me and I was quite honestly happy that I made it to the finish line and finished it.
I don’t personally find politics interesting and the majority of the book happens inside the courtroom which was another big yawn for me.
What did interest me was the the main characters obsession with her reputation but not enough to captivate me, clearly.
This was an overall painful read for me and I was quite honestly happy that I made it to the finish line and finished it.
I don’t personally find politics interesting and the majority of the book happens inside the courtroom which was another big yawn for me.
What did interest me was the the main characters obsession with her reputation but not enough to captivate me, clearly.