My Thoughts on “Stepping Up” by Sarah Turner

Good morning everyone,

I hope that you’re all well 🙂

A couple of weeks ago, I finished reading”Stepping Up” by Sarah Turner, and I’ve got to say, I really enjoyed it. We’re going to be delving into some of my thoughts and feelings about the book in today’s blog.

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“Stepping Up” was our book club choice for the month back in June, and when I first heard the setting for the plot, I thought that it was going to be a fairly boring read, one that I could never see myself getting into, but boy was I wrong! Within the first couple of chapters, I was instantly attached to the characters and the story arcs that the book takes you through.

The book follows the character of Beth, somebody who has never had to accept any responsibility in her life, whether that is related to work, her personal life or otherwise. The plot opens with Beth finding out that her sister has been in a nasty car accident, which killed her husband and has placed her in an indefinite coma. Beth finds herself guardian to her toddler nephew and teenage niece, as they come to terms with the tragedy and attempt to piece their lives together after such a loss.

The story talks us through how each family member reacts to the accident and the ways in which they process and come to terms with all of the different things that are going on in their lives. One of my personal favourite things in reading is when we get to see and visualise the development/journey that characters go on as they progress through certain experiences, which is something that Stepping Up has in bucketloads.

My two favourite characters in the book have got to be Teddie, Beth’s 2-year-old nephew, and Albert, Beth’s next-door neighbour. Teddie is just such a sweet and innocent character, who really helps Beth to process the loss of her brother-in-law and because of his young age, he helps the family retain some sense of normalcy, to help him come to terms with the unusual situation.

The scene where he is in the park with Beth, talking about how he waves goodbye every time a plane goes past, thinking that it’s his father, is such an emotional and well-written part. The book does such a good job of exploring how different generations and people react to trauma, there are so many incredibly valuable lessons weaved into the plot.

Albert is Emmy’s (Beth’s sister) next-door neighbour, who, at the start of the book Beth thinks is going to be a very miserable and boring person, but he is quickly revealed to be one of the most wholesome characters that I have ever read. The way that he interacts with the different members of the family is so lovely to read about and he was honestly the highlight of the book for me – we need more characters like Albert in books, please!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Stepping Up. I wouldn’t say that it is the best book that I have ever read, but it was so worth a read. It’s one of those books that you can relax and unwind while reading, with connectable characters and a steady-flowing plot to really make you feel a part of the whole family dynamic. It’s not my usual type of book to read, but it was so good, I reckon you should all give it a go!

Stepping Up by Sarah Turner, what a book! That’s all for today’s blog, what do you think? Do you enjoy seeing the odd book review here on the page? Are there any books that you would like me to take a look at and potentially write about in the future? What sort of blogs would you like to see on the page?

I’d love to hear your thoughts and views 🙂

Thanks for reading and I hope you have a lovely day!