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

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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 work three days a week out of a co-working space in Exeter and I absolutely love it. Walking to and from work and having that separation between work and home has hugely benefited both my mental health and writing productivity. My co-workers are great company too (and often, there are biscuits!). There was also a mysterious theme throughout that I enjoyed because it added a unique flair to the story✨

Written with such love and heart. Sarah has done an exceptional job of marrying her trademark comedy with deep and raw emotion. I loved it! Giovanna Fletcher Stop EVERYTHING and read this! Funny, tender and beautifully observed. Loved, loved, LOVED it!? Cathy Bramley

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An incredible debut novel, warm, uplifting and full of so much love. I couldn’t put it down. The pacing was perfect. I feel like everyone needs to read this! It’s definitely one of those books that will stay with me for a long long time. 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. Wat een pareltje is dit!

This is a story about digging deep for strength you never knew you had and finding magic in things that were there all along. Het verlies van haar schoonbroer + mogelijks haar zus zorgt meteen voor een emotionele start in het verhaal. Ik werd meteen meegesleept in Beth’s zorgen om goed voor haar neefje & nichtje te zorgen, haar hoop die ze blijft koesteren op een goede afloop voor haar zus en het feit dat ze haar moeder wilt bewijzen dat ze wel iets goeds kan doen. How can a book be both heart-warming and gut-wrenching at the same time? Surely it's impossible to have an impact on several internal organs at once? So we have Beth. A single woman who can't commit to a job, or a relationship, suddenly thrust into the role of mother/aunt, looking after her teenage niece and toddler nephew. 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. With a little help from her best friend Jory and her lovely next-door neighbour, Albert, Beth is determined that this time she's not giving up.But, nevertheless this was a funny, sad, happy and difficult read. I certainly felt all the emotions. After three bestselling Unmumsy Mum books, you’ve now released your debut novel, Stepping Up – what inspired you to turn your hand to fiction? 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. Somehow, in her debut novel Sarah Turner manages to do both with a deftness of touch that makes for a memorable and lovely read.