Stepping Up is the debut novel by Sarah Turner, known for her blog The Unmumsy Mum and her best-selling non-fiction books, The Unmumsy Mum, The Unmumsy Mum Diary and The Unmumsy Mum A-Z. Thanks to Sarah’s publisher, we are incredibly excited to review this early proof edition. Out in March 2022, this feel-good read is sure to be a hit. Commercial, uplifting and women’s fiction fans, read on…

Beth has never stuck at anything.

She’s quit more jobs and relationships than she can remember and she still sleeps in her childhood bedroom. It’s not that she hasn’t tried to grow up, it’s just that so far, the only commitment she’s held down is Friday drinks at the village pub.

Then, in the space of a morning, her world changes.

An unspeakable tragedy turns Beth’s life upside down, and she finds herself guardian to her teenage niece and toddler nephew, catapulted into an unfamiliar world of bedtime stories, parents’ evenings and cuddly elephants. Having never been responsible for anyone – or anything – it’s not long before she feels seriously out of her depth.

What if she’s simply not up to the job?

With a little help from her best friend Jory (purely platonic, of course…) and her lovely, lonely next-door neighbour, Albert, Beth is determined that this time she’s not giving up. It’s time to step up.

Within minutes of starting this novel, I was pulled into the heroine’s world. From the opening scene with Beth hilariously observing rush hour in Cornwall to page 5 when her world changes, I found myself completely committed to this bright and witty character.

Beth is the perfect protagonist – strong, lovable, frustrating and perfectly flawed. As a reader, it’s clear she needs to go through a rite of passage – and you soon experience her pain along this journey. I felt deeply for Beth dealing with her family tragedy and during the daily mishaps, which often followed with sarcastic mutterings from her mother or Beth’s inner critic. Here I should mention the flipside to these moments – like many parenting stories; there were moments of hilarity, such as the sharply observed description of a modern children’s party.

“I’m still shocked at the level of commotion a badly timed music pause has caused. I’m tempted to say something about lessons in life, about how we can’t win every game we play and that sometimes other people will have more Haribo than us, that’s just the way it goes, but Mum responds before I launch my rant.”

In fact, there was a lot of light in this novel. From love interest Jory (who you can’t help falling in love with) to dear friend Arthur (the bow tie scene squeezed my heart), Turner has cleverly blended the every day with the extraordinary, and sadness with joy to make an uplifting and tender read. It is a story about digging deep for strength you never knew you had, and finding magic in the little things that were there all along.

With her trademark wit and natural flair for a story, Sarah Turner has proved to her thousands of followers (and herself) that she absolutely belongs in the commercial fiction world. I cannot wait to see her novel-writing career unfold.

(Review by Tilly)