An intriguing and relevant story, REPUTATION touches on many elements of being in the public eye in the age of social media. Emma Webster is an MP dealing with harassment, threats, and the press—and things ramp up when her teenage daughter makes a mistake and also is threatened with exposure. The structure of the book is interesting and keeps tension high, although it did lead to 3-4 "ending" chapters that were a bit anticlimactic. Also, the repetition of the word "reputation" in the second half is a bit heavy-handed, thematically! But overall an interesting and compelling read.

Thank you to the publisher for a free copy.

I really enjoyed the plot of this story. The format of the flashbacks and different point of views went, The ending, and how we found out the real story, was enjoyable.

Please know going in that this is more a court room and political drama than a thriller. I did not know much going in and that was at my benefit I think.

My biggest issue with the book, as was with the other book I read by Vaughan, was pacing. At some points this dragged a smidge, as we read the full opening and closing arguments from both sides of the court. It felt almost repetitive when we got to the closing arguments.

Reputation by Sarah Vaughan has an intriguing premise. A female politician with a messy personal life has a dead body found in her home with the double standards faced by women in power weaved in. The whole time she is trying to protect her reputation. It is the one thing in life everyone wants to have a good impression and reputation. I found this book to be a wonderful, suspenseful read. I definitely encourage others to give a go!

This had a strong start and a very intriguing end, but for me, things faltered a bit in the middle. Once the story reached the trial, the story lost some of its momentum. A different format might have worked to better tease out some of the most important bits of information, rather than just rehashing the same story across multiple witnesses over several chapters in the trial.

Sadly, I did not care for this novel. It was so repetitive, chapter after chapter, getting nowhere. I loved Anatomy of a Scandal, and loved the Netflix series as well. But this one fell flat for me. I really didn’t care for the main character Emma either.

Can Sarah Vaughan do wrong? The answer is no. This is so good, and so well written. She knocked it out of the park. I"ll be patiently waiting for her next book.

4 what’s it worth stars

This is my first read from this author and I found the premise intriguing. Just what is your reputation worth? What if you are in the public eye, a politician? Are the rules different for you? Why does it seem that women are often the target of online bullying and vitriol? What role does the press play, is it to dig up the truth or stalk people to get a story?

Emma Webster, Member of Parliament, is also beautiful, smart, and dedicated to her role. She is a former teacher, now divorced, and mother to a teenage daughter named Flora.

Emma is working on a bill to help those that are victims of online abuse while her daughter is struggling with her own issues with bullying at school. Throw in a dogged reporter, disturbing threats in many forms to Emma, and a serious incident with an intruder – makes for more of an interesting plot.

Much of the book is taken up by courtroom drama and it was interesting to see some differences with the US court system. This one seems to be a polarizing read, people love it or hate it. I lean more to the like it side, but I think it could have definitely been shorter!

Emma has sacrificed a lot for her political career, but she feels those sacrifices have been worth it. As an MP she is working towards enacting a law that would hand out stricter sentences to perpetrators of revenge porn, after she was contacted by one of her constituents whose sister killed herself after being the victim of such an act. Then Emma's teenage daughter, having been tormented, trolled, and catfished by former friends at school, in a moment of anger enacts her own revenge, and Emma is torn between being true to her job and protecting her daughter. When a man is found dead in Emma's apartment - a man who had been threatening to go public with what her daughter did and destroy Emma's reputation in the process - Emma has to fight to keep from being imprisoned for his murder.
I have read several of this author's previous books, so I was excited for this new book that she had written. Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy it quite as much as the previous ones. Don't get me wrong, it was a really good book, just not great. I just felt at times the story went a little slow, and I really didn't care for Emma, so it was hard to root for her. If you are a fan of suspense or procedural thrillers, then I think you would enjoy it, so definitely check it out.

This slow-burn thriller alternates chapters told from the varying POVs: Emma, a divorced British politician; Flora, Emma’s 14-year old daughter, who is bullied and harassed at school due to her mother’s high profile; Caroline, once Flora’s piano teacher and now stepmother; and Mike, a political journalist at a local newspaper.

Central to the story is Emma, who lobbies for women’s issues, which causes a backlash among male constituents, who take to social media with sexually explicit and abusive posts, sending threatening email and text messages, as well as stalking her. The book opens with a man having just falling down a flight of stairs in Emma’s home, then proceeds to events that lead to his fall, and its aftermath.

Relevant and timely subject matter, the overall theme of the book is referenced in the book’s title, and for women, no matter how carefully built, their reputations can be destroyed instantly with one decision. This book also highlights how women regularly endure aggression, harassment, bullying, trolling, intimidation, stalking and other abuse, and how it has been normalized by society, especially if the woman is a public figure.

Atria/Emily Bestler Books via NetGalley kindly provided me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

5 Is Perception Reality Stars!!

The minute I started this book I was hooked!! Given the times we’re living in right now, the story that Ms. Vaughan has written hit me on so many levels.

Emma and Flora don’t have the best relationship as mother and daughter and my heart hurt so much for this young lady having to experience the things she was enduring by being bullied. But she also wants to do something about it by lobbying for a new law that could have resounding effects in the online community. But any good that she may have been on her way to getting, comes to a screeching halt with the man who’s dead in their house… and so begins and twisty and turvy tale that happens over several months.

We’re taken back in time in some chapters and others are current so we can get what should be a clear view of the who’s what’s and why’s. But leave it to Ms. Vaughan to leave morsels of a trail that lead us to a shocking ending. I loved how Emma was determined to do whatever she had to in order to protect herself and her family, some of it unthinkable to most of us!

The moments that Emma is in Parliament were so compelling and fascinating for me. I was glued to my device while being sucked into those scenes. And my fascination spilled over to all parts of the story. There times that the hair on the back of my neck was standing on end because of the suspense. I thought I knew what was coming, but, not so much! And this to me is why this is a 5 star read for me. Not once could I predict what was going to happen nor who some of the major players were because it wasn’t who I thought it was.

This is my second book by this author and this book just solidified why I’ll drop everything to read her words. She’s a master of building the story and filling it with characters you love and love to hate. She also doesn’t shy away from what’s happening in our world today, making this book very timely. I’m so looking forward to see what she has coming next!!

I feel like the only thing I need to say here is - its Sarah Freaking Vaughn people?! Anatomy of Scandal...hello?! She is back and just as good as before with her newest novel! She writes books that make you feel uncomfortable and I feel we need more of that now.

Overall, another outstanding novel from a hugely talented writer. It’s very well written, the characterisation is incisive, the pace and pitch of the novel I think is perfect. This is designed to make you think and it does just that. I highly recommend it!

Thanks to Atria for the free book.
Okay, this one started strong for me. I loved the look at a woman in politics and the double standard that exists. But I found the book to be really repetitive and almost feel like it was trying to do too much. I’m sad it didn’t work because I loved Anatomy of a Scandal. I know this is working for other readers, and I will recommend it to those looking for this type of book.

"It takes many good deeds to build a reputation and only one bad one to lose it." - Benjamin Franklin

Emma is a former teacher turned politician who lost her marriage due to her political aspirations. Her relationship with her fourteen-year-old daughter also took a hit. Emma loves politics but not the things that go with it including the insults, bad press, and bullying on social media.


Flora is Emma's fourteen-year-old daughter. Like her mother, she is dealing with both school and online bullying.

Mother and daughter will both see their reputations take a hit in this book. When a man if found dead in her home, Emma will fight to save her family as her reputation is torn apart.

This book was a bit of a slow burn for me and although I enjoyed it, it failed to completely win me over. I did enjoy how the author tackled bullying, the negative impact of social media bullying, harassment, and bad press.

Enjoyable but lacking in 'wow' factor for me. Others are enjoying this more than I did, so please seek out their reviews as well.

Thank you to Atria Books, Atria/Emily Bestler Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was so intrigued by the premise of Reputation -- a female politician with a messy personal life has a dead body found in her home with the double standards faced by women in power weaved in. Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy it as much as I hoped I would. I struggled with the slow pace of Reputation and didn't connect with the characters in any way (love or hate them). The courtroom drama was by far my favorite part of the book.

Fans of well written, slow burn courtroom dramas should check out Reputation.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the digital copy.

A Precious Possession: Your Reputation

Emma Webster, a Labor MP, has a reputation for taking on moral issues. She is pushing a bill to make revenge porn illegal. Emma’s career has forced her to sacrifice her marriage, and it has troubled her relationship with her daughter Flora.

Being trolled on social media is the nightmare of politicians and Emma is no exception. Then her daughter becomes involved in a similar scandal. After being involved in a bullying incident, Flora takes to social media in a poorly chosen bid for revenge.

With her daughter’s situation becoming known, Emma’s life begins to fall apart. She finds herself under fire in the press. Then the journalist who threatens to expose her is found dead in her house. Now she must defend her reputation in the court of law.

If you like courtroom drama, which I do, this is a terrific book. The lead up to the trial is slow, but once the action starts this is a difficult book to put down. I found the use of the dangers of social media an excellent choice for the underlying action. Emma’s problems showed how public figures are constantly under the threat of having their reputation destroyed by an anonymous person hidden behind a computer screen. It’s a very timely plot.

The story is told through multiple narrators. Emma is the major voice, but other characters such as her husband’s new wife, also give their viewpoint. I can’t say I warmed up to Emma. She is a very strong character and hard to get close to, but I did admire her. Flora, however, was my favorite. She added a touch of the real life problems of teens growing up with famous parents.

I received this book from Atria Books for this review.

Really slow read for me and wasn’t really enjoying it like I thought I would from the description. I couldn’t connect well with the characters or the plot and I was struggling to get through this read. I gave it my all to read but it just wasn’t in my wheel house or if it was, I just wasn’t really enjoying it sadly. As much as I wanted to love it from the descriptions, I just didn’t.

Emma Webster’s star is on the rise. She’s an ambitious member of English parliament fighting for women’s causes including protection from online abuse. She’s divorced and is trying to make time for her 14-year-old daughter Flora. After she is featured in a major newspaper article, which included a photo that made her look more like a femme fatale than a politician, the media trolls start to come out and she is besieged by threatening messages. Her daughter is also struggling, trying to deal with bullying at school. When a dead body is found at the foot of Emma’s stairs, Emma has to explain what truly happened. And she needs to stop lying.

Reputation is an engaging and timely mystery thriller that kept me glued. A portion of the book is set in the courtroom, which was well done. Author Sarah Vaughan addresses some important topics and keeps the suspense going as Emma finds herself going from the victim to the accused. It shows how quickly someone’s reputation can rise and fall and how women in high places are judged very differently. (If you have not heard of the author before, her book Anatomy of a Scandal was adapted for the popular Netflix series of the same name.)

I started this one after watching the Netflix series based on the author's previous book and this political thriller clearly shows the double standards women have to face when their reputation is affected especially when in important positions in career. There is a scandal and there is a lot of courtroom drama for those who are interested in juicy stuff.
Do people worry so much about reputation? Yes, I totally agree people can go to any extent for the sake of reputation and if that is in trouble, the world can seem like closing off to you at times. Interesting, timely and a great read!

🌟 BLOG TOUR REVIEW 🌟

Reputation
by Sarah Vaughan
Atria Books, Atria/Emily Bestler Books
Pub Date: Jul 5

I read the raves about Netflix's Anatomy of a Scandal, based on author Sarah Vaughan's gripping same-named book.

Which led me to her newest, Reputation, an equally thrilling cautionary tale about the double standards women face when running for office.

Deftly written and paced, with a storyline torn from today's headlines, Reputation will keep you up through the wee smalls as you race to the end. Highly recommended!

Thanks to @svaughanauthor, @atriabooks, and @netgalley for the ARC. Opinions are mine.

#Reputation #svaughanauthor #atriabooks#EmilyBestlerBooks #NetGalley
#BritishMPNovel #byauthorofAnatomyOfAScandal #NetflixSeries #mysterythrillerfiction
#bookstgramcommunity

This just wasn't the book for me. Even though it was a pretty interesting premise, I struggled with the first half of the book. I found myself not looking forward to picking this up and trudging along just to get to "the good part". Unfortunately, I found part two to be even less compelling and was disenchanted by the way things ended. I'm sure many will enjoy this but the subject matter and the heavy courtroom focus fell flat for me.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book; all opinions are my own. Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for allowing me to be an early reader.