Stepping Up: the joyful and emotional Sunday Times bestseller and Richard and Judy Book Club pick 2023. Adored by readers

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Degene die mij al een tijdje volgen weten dat ik altijd bezwijk voor realistische romans die je naar het hart grijpen. Beth was just wonderful and I think every single one of us could relate to her character in one way or another. I felt as though everyone around me was sailing through motherhood and, if I’m honest, I had started to wonder whether I was cut out for the job.

It has been a steep learning curve but I have been so lucky to have wonderful editors who have supported me every step of the way. I finished it, but didn’t want to finish it, I fell in love with all the characters, the humour and heartbreak. Spending five years working on non-fiction titles gave me the boost I needed to take the plunge and I’m so glad I did.

Each time I wrote a blog post I felt a bit lighter which inspired me to keep writing and eventually those posts became the foundation of my first book. Ondanks dat er ietwat voorspelbare wendingen in zitten + een open einde heb ik genoten van dit verhaal en vond ik het heel mooi hoe Beth evolueert en haar doel vindt. From the start, our story is packed with so much emotion and as a parent, it definitely hit me hard. Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an advanced release copy in exchange for an honest review. Albert the neighbour is just a beautiful character and everyone has a side to them you can relate to or know someone who is like that.

Life is full of unexpected challenges but Beth has always avoided anything resembling responsibility. If you're a parent it'll also make you think about your will if it's been a while since you sorted it.Beth is such a great character and we see her change and grow as she adapts to suddenly being thrust into parenthood – in what ways do you think motherhood has changed you as a person? She has since written three Sunday Times bestsellers: The Unmumsy Mum, The Unmumsy Mum Diary and The Unmumsy Mum A-Z. Humour and heart are everywhere in this book, and I went from laughter to tears in the turn of a page.

Your writing career started out with a blog back in 2013 – what inspired you to start writing The Unmumsy Mum?

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.

With a cranky old neighbour to contend with, a mother with extremely high expectations, yet with no hope that Beth will deliver, and a best friend who seems to be drifting away, at a time when she needs him more than ever. Al jaren roep ik dat schrijfster Dani Atkins (naast Colleen Hoover) mijn favoriete auteur is en dat niemand qua niveau ook maar in haar beurt kan komen, maar toen ik dat zei had ik duidelijk 'Vallen en opstaan' van Sarah Turner nog niet gelezen. Beth, our heroine, really ins one, though she doesn't really know it; after all, she is known for being the quitter of the family and has been, pretty much her whole life. Walking to and from work and having that separation between work and home has hugely benefited both my mental health and writing productivity. As a parent, it was difficult to read about Ted and Polly as they grieved for their parents, and I struggled in some parts to carry on.After graduating with first-class honours in Philosophy from The University of Exeter, she dabbled in careers in finance then higher education before a 'warts and all' parenting blog she'd started to let off steam gathered unexpected momentum and writing became her full-time job.