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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.
meghan_readsbooks's review against another edition
5.0
I just finished listening to the audiobook Anatomy of a Scandal from Sarah Vaughan when I got the chance to review Reputation, her forthcoming novel. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the copy of this book.
Ms Vaughan has a talent for highlighting the underbelly of not just political lives but of many adult lives. Ms. Vaughan also again shows strengths in highlighting why we must have awareness of women's lives as seen in the public lens and how the media, and general public, is often attached to one narrative, one that lacks nuance and does not offer room for explanation, insight, or flexibility (this is seen when the Emma, main character, a new MP, is thrust into a media frenzy when a dead body is found in her house.
I love that this book has strong women and blurry/morally grey areas; I am all in for women being able to pursue positions of power and leadership and to make their experiences their complicated, messy, and filled with questionable experiences and decisions. It was hard, but real and relatable, to see a character with confidence, and to earn a position of leadership and power, become less than confident, to be hurt and impugned by media attacks and online trolls.
This is a book filled with strong suspense as well and well executed twists and turns. The execution of this plot is well done, I was really engaged not just in Emma's story but also in how it was shared and revealed; the narrative was for me compelling and well paced. I like the balance of plot driven narrative with strong character development, I felt as though I had a strong grounding in Emma as a character but also in how Emma was treated and how we got to a satisfying resolution.
This is a book with a lot of payoff and also a lot of discussion potential. I am definitely a fan of Ms. Vaughan's work and her storytelling!
Ms Vaughan has a talent for highlighting the underbelly of not just political lives but of many adult lives. Ms. Vaughan also again shows strengths in highlighting why we must have awareness of women's lives as seen in the public lens and how the media, and general public, is often attached to one narrative, one that lacks nuance and does not offer room for explanation, insight, or flexibility (this is seen when the Emma, main character, a new MP, is thrust into a media frenzy when a dead body is found in her house.
I love that this book has strong women and blurry/morally grey areas; I am all in for women being able to pursue positions of power and leadership and to make their experiences their complicated, messy, and filled with questionable experiences and decisions. It was hard, but real and relatable, to see a character with confidence, and to earn a position of leadership and power, become less than confident, to be hurt and impugned by media attacks and online trolls.
This is a book filled with strong suspense as well and well executed twists and turns. The execution of this plot is well done, I was really engaged not just in Emma's story but also in how it was shared and revealed; the narrative was for me compelling and well paced. I like the balance of plot driven narrative with strong character development, I felt as though I had a strong grounding in Emma as a character but also in how Emma was treated and how we got to a satisfying resolution.
This is a book with a lot of payoff and also a lot of discussion potential. I am definitely a fan of Ms. Vaughan's work and her storytelling!
kellyvandamme's review against another edition
4.0
I was literally just kicking myself for not listening to Anatomy of a Scandal sooner, when Reputation was up for grabs on NetGalley. I was in such a rush to click that button I didn’t even read the synopsis, sometimes all you need to know is the author’s name, I guess that alone speaks volumes.
Reputation centres around a female MP, Emma Webster, who is the best sort of MP one could hope for, really: she is honest, diligent and truly concerned about her constituents’ wellbeing. Unfortunately, a big tree attracts the woodsman’s axe, especially when it’s a good-looking woman fighting for women’s rights in a man’s world. With threats coming from all corners, slowly but surely Emma descends into a state of almost constant fear.
Meanwhile, Emma’s teenage daughter Flora is being bullied and catfished by the people who are supposed to have her back. At the end of her tether, Flo does something that might be classed as a stupid teenage prank, but of course it’s different when your mum is in the public eye and your random act of foolish vengeance may be used against her.
Part psychological thriller, part political thriller, part courtroom drama, Reputation aptly documents the negative spiral of being under constant attack and wanting to save one’s family and one’s reputation. Sticks and stones, you might say, but words can and do hurt, and how are you meant to do your bit for the good of your constituency if people don’t trust you?
When we first meet Emma she’s this fairly confident politician but we see her (d)evolve into this nervous wreck of a woman, which makes for a truly fascinating character study. Her fear is palpable, and, I think, will be familiar to many women. Haven’t we all felt unsafe walking or cycling home, speeding up, glancing over our shoulders, clutching our keys tightly, just in case? Emma’s also very credible as an MP and as a mother, once again Sarah Vaughan delivers well-rounded, three-dimensional and utterly believable characters. Reputation also nails the prejudices against women in general and women in authority, the lack of political correctness.
I had a great time with Reputation, I was completely invested in Emma’s and Flora’s story and I love that it kept a few things up its sleeve until the very end. If you enjoyed any of Sarah Vaughan’s previous books and/or you’re in the market for a cracking thriller, then I recommend you take a closer look at Reputation!
Massive thanks to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions are my own.
Reputation centres around a female MP, Emma Webster, who is the best sort of MP one could hope for, really: she is honest, diligent and truly concerned about her constituents’ wellbeing. Unfortunately, a big tree attracts the woodsman’s axe, especially when it’s a good-looking woman fighting for women’s rights in a man’s world. With threats coming from all corners, slowly but surely Emma descends into a state of almost constant fear.
Meanwhile, Emma’s teenage daughter Flora is being bullied and catfished by the people who are supposed to have her back. At the end of her tether, Flo does something that might be classed as a stupid teenage prank, but of course it’s different when your mum is in the public eye and your random act of foolish vengeance may be used against her.
Part psychological thriller, part political thriller, part courtroom drama, Reputation aptly documents the negative spiral of being under constant attack and wanting to save one’s family and one’s reputation. Sticks and stones, you might say, but words can and do hurt, and how are you meant to do your bit for the good of your constituency if people don’t trust you?
When we first meet Emma she’s this fairly confident politician but we see her (d)evolve into this nervous wreck of a woman, which makes for a truly fascinating character study. Her fear is palpable, and, I think, will be familiar to many women. Haven’t we all felt unsafe walking or cycling home, speeding up, glancing over our shoulders, clutching our keys tightly, just in case? Emma’s also very credible as an MP and as a mother, once again Sarah Vaughan delivers well-rounded, three-dimensional and utterly believable characters. Reputation also nails the prejudices against women in general and women in authority, the lack of political correctness.
I had a great time with Reputation, I was completely invested in Emma’s and Flora’s story and I love that it kept a few things up its sleeve until the very end. If you enjoyed any of Sarah Vaughan’s previous books and/or you’re in the market for a cracking thriller, then I recommend you take a closer look at Reputation!
Massive thanks to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions are my own.
melissadelongcox's review against another edition
1.0
*Thanks to Atria/Emily Bestler Books for the ARC!*
I've tried so many times to read this one and it's just not going to be one that I finish. The book centers around a law protecting women from online abuse and harassment, and it's pretty explicit with some of the threats about Emma in the beginning of the book. Between that and simply not liking her, I wasn't super interested. I skimmed a bit further, but ultimately, this one just wasn't for me!
I've tried so many times to read this one and it's just not going to be one that I finish. The book centers around a law protecting women from online abuse and harassment, and it's pretty explicit with some of the threats about Emma in the beginning of the book. Between that and simply not liking her, I wasn't super interested. I skimmed a bit further, but ultimately, this one just wasn't for me!
katelynjaynexx's review against another edition
3.0
This is my third time picking up a Sarah Vaughan novel, and as a huge fan of Anatomy of a Scandal I was really excited this one had that same political theming that I so enjoyed in that book.
Emma is a female MP who is known for supporting the rights of women and is currently seeking to enact new laws that target people who send revenge porn. As we get to know Emma more we see that she does indeed have people who want to target her and when a journalist whom she had worked with is found dead in her home the story begins to unravel and people's reputations are at stake.
This book has the classic Sarah Vaughan charm that draws you in to the nasty world of British Politics and their relationships with the tabloids whilst also addressing many issues that teens, women and even women in power face on a regular basis. As I said, I enjoyed the political theming and premise of this book but did find it dragged on a bit in some places which took my rating down.
However Sarah Vaughan has become an auto buy author for me as I have loved elements of each of her previous books as well.
Emma is a female MP who is known for supporting the rights of women and is currently seeking to enact new laws that target people who send revenge porn. As we get to know Emma more we see that she does indeed have people who want to target her and when a journalist whom she had worked with is found dead in her home the story begins to unravel and people's reputations are at stake.
This book has the classic Sarah Vaughan charm that draws you in to the nasty world of British Politics and their relationships with the tabloids whilst also addressing many issues that teens, women and even women in power face on a regular basis. As I said, I enjoyed the political theming and premise of this book but did find it dragged on a bit in some places which took my rating down.
However Sarah Vaughan has become an auto buy author for me as I have loved elements of each of her previous books as well.
kazza27's review against another edition
5.0
Thank you to Anne Cater for my invitation to the tour and to Simon and Schuster for my copy of the proof in return for a fair and honest review.
We meet Emma an MP who has worked really hard to get where she has, she is divorced and has a teenage daughter Flora. Emma takes part in a photo shoot in which she shows a side of her that she doesn’t recognise as herself. What follows is a horrible onslaught on social media in which Emma receives the most vile threats and abuse.
Emma gets involved with Mike a tabloid journalist and she confines in him about her daughter. However what happens next shocks Emma and her ex husband David to the core and Mike hears about it from another source and he asks Emma to give him the scoop which she refuses.
Sarah has done it again with a story that is so timely and realistic it really hits hard because although the abuse is really horrific, you know sadly that it is believable and that women are subjected to this on a daily basis by people who do not even know them but feel that they have the right to do this.
Emma has worked really hard to get where she is professionally and really cares about her constituents and is trying to bring about changes in the law for revenge porn and cyberbullying. The second part of the book switches to the courtroom and even more drama and tension.
This is a clever, gripping and I really enjoyed An Anatomy of a Scandal and this one is topical, fast paced and engrossing. I absolutely loved it!
5 Stars *****
We meet Emma an MP who has worked really hard to get where she has, she is divorced and has a teenage daughter Flora. Emma takes part in a photo shoot in which she shows a side of her that she doesn’t recognise as herself. What follows is a horrible onslaught on social media in which Emma receives the most vile threats and abuse.
Emma gets involved with Mike a tabloid journalist and she confines in him about her daughter. However what happens next shocks Emma and her ex husband David to the core and Mike hears about it from another source and he asks Emma to give him the scoop which she refuses.
Sarah has done it again with a story that is so timely and realistic it really hits hard because although the abuse is really horrific, you know sadly that it is believable and that women are subjected to this on a daily basis by people who do not even know them but feel that they have the right to do this.
Emma has worked really hard to get where she is professionally and really cares about her constituents and is trying to bring about changes in the law for revenge porn and cyberbullying. The second part of the book switches to the courtroom and even more drama and tension.
This is a clever, gripping and I really enjoyed An Anatomy of a Scandal and this one is topical, fast paced and engrossing. I absolutely loved it!
5 Stars *****
kazza27's review against another edition
5.0
Thank you to Anne Cater for my invitation to the tour and to Simon and Schuster for my copy of the proof in return for a fair and honest review.
We meet Emma an MP who has worked really hard to get where she has, she is divorced and has a teenage daughter Flora. Emma takes part in a photo shoot in which she shows a side of her that she doesn’t recognise as herself. What follows is a horrible onslaught on social media in which Emma receives the most vile threats and abuse.
Emma gets involved with Mike a tabloid journalist and she confines in him about her daughter. However what happens next shocks Emma and her ex husband David to the core and Mike hears about it from another source and he asks Emma to give him the scoop which she refuses.
Sarah has done it again with a story that is so timely and realistic it really hits hard because although the abuse is really horrific, you know sadly that it is believable and that women are subjected to this on a daily basis by people who do not even know them but feel that they have the right to do this.
Emma has worked really hard to get where she is professionally and really cares about her constituents and is trying to bring about changes in the law for revenge porn and cyberbullying. The second part of the book switches to the courtroom and even more drama and tension.
This is a clever, gripping and I really enjoyed An Anatomy of a Scandal and this one is topical, fast paced and engrossing. I absolutely loved it!
5 Stars *****
We meet Emma an MP who has worked really hard to get where she has, she is divorced and has a teenage daughter Flora. Emma takes part in a photo shoot in which she shows a side of her that she doesn’t recognise as herself. What follows is a horrible onslaught on social media in which Emma receives the most vile threats and abuse.
Emma gets involved with Mike a tabloid journalist and she confines in him about her daughter. However what happens next shocks Emma and her ex husband David to the core and Mike hears about it from another source and he asks Emma to give him the scoop which she refuses.
Sarah has done it again with a story that is so timely and realistic it really hits hard because although the abuse is really horrific, you know sadly that it is believable and that women are subjected to this on a daily basis by people who do not even know them but feel that they have the right to do this.
Emma has worked really hard to get where she is professionally and really cares about her constituents and is trying to bring about changes in the law for revenge porn and cyberbullying. The second part of the book switches to the courtroom and even more drama and tension.
This is a clever, gripping and I really enjoyed An Anatomy of a Scandal and this one is topical, fast paced and engrossing. I absolutely loved it!
5 Stars *****
stephisbooked's review against another edition
4.0
Similar to Anatomy of a Scandal, Vaughan explores many themes throughout Reputation, particularly the treatment of female politicians and the impact of social media. I enjoyed the different POVs from Emma, Flora and Caroline who all had unique voices. This kept me guessing until the end and if you enjoy courtroom drama than this one is for you!
l1nds's review against another edition
3.0
I honestly thought I was going to DNF this until I reached 38% and it FINALLY picked up, and even then it wasn't until the court case began that I approached it with anything like enjoyment. I know a lot of the beginning was necessary ("speaks to the defendants state of mind your honour" - yes, I have seen way more American legal dramas than British!) but it really felt like it dragged on.
The book is very timely and raises some important issues about the overwhelming misogyny women face both online and in person, especially those in the public eye, but it's very heavy handed about it. Even I, a woman who cares deeply about these issues, felt browbeaten, so I'm not sure how those more ambivalent will take it.
Anyway, I found the book to be a very mixed bag but the courtroom scenes really elevated it. Once I reached the halfway mark it became truly gripping and hard to put down. Those used to a final jaw dropping twist may be disappointed, but those who enjoy a well argued courtroom drama should be quite satisfied.
*ARC from Netgalley for an honest opinion*
The book is very timely and raises some important issues about the overwhelming misogyny women face both online and in person, especially those in the public eye, but it's very heavy handed about it. Even I, a woman who cares deeply about these issues, felt browbeaten, so I'm not sure how those more ambivalent will take it.
Anyway, I found the book to be a very mixed bag but the courtroom scenes really elevated it. Once I reached the halfway mark it became truly gripping and hard to put down. Those used to a final jaw dropping twist may be disappointed, but those who enjoy a well argued courtroom drama should be quite satisfied.
*ARC from Netgalley for an honest opinion*