Poles Apart by Anna Burns and Jacqui Burns is a character led story and, as the reader, I was instantly drawn in. The four disparate protagonists: Ivy, Gwen, Meg and Summer, are presented as representatives of the various stages of any woman’s life. And they are placed in situations that easily evoke empathy.

These characters are rounded and multi-layered. Each grow in their own way as their individual stories are told, and as the overall plot progresses.

The fundamental theme, that of friendship, centres around a quite mysterious pivotal character, Feather Starr, who brings together these women in what is presented as a controversial situation; that of a pole dancing class in a small traditional Welsh village in Pembrokeshire. Bubbling away in the background, the humorous diatribe against the group is carried along by a few minor characters and cleverly offsets the real and serious problems that each protagonist is dealing with. It’s a good balance.

Both the internal and spoken dialogue is strong and easily attributed to each character; the reader is never in doubt of whose point of view is being presented, or of the emotions threaded through the words.

The setting of the book, the towns and villages of Pembrokeshire give a good sense of place. To anyone who knows the county it brings a familiar background to mind. To readers unfamiliar with the area, the descriptions are strong enough to evoke images of beautiful coastline and village life, with the occasional sojourn into the town representative of many other towns.

When I say this is an easy read it’s not in a detrimental way. Poles Apart is a book that captures the imagination from the start, I found myself easily drawn into the various stages as the narrative progressed, and can recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys a feel good story, with a neat little twist at the end.

As it says on the charming cover: Four Woman, One Sleepy Village ... It's Time to Give Life a whirl - sums this book up nicely.

A lovely engaging story about village life and the friendships that develop when a group of women join a pole dancing class. There are some real difficulties they need to overcome and through the friendships that are formed they manage to navigate their ways round a number of obstacles as they all become stronger. I found myself really rooting for them and there were laugh out loud moments too. A great book, I loved it. Great characters, great plot, thank you NetGalley and publisher for this advanced copy.

I adored this book!
Set in Wales, this is an uplifting story about self-love, self-discovery, bravery, friendship and found family that will just put a smile on your face.
A group of women who ordinarily wouldn't be friends join a pole dancing exercise class and develop an unbreakable bond. There are four main characters, ranging in age from 20s to 70s, who are all struggling with their own challenges and tribulations (infidelity, chronic illness, motherhood, etc.). Through this class and their friendship, they discover strengths that they never knew they had and learn how to navigate the difficulties and conflicts in their lives. You'll fall in love with many of these characters and find yourself rooting for them. I really enjoyed following each character on her journey. There are many heartwarming moments in addition to many that will just make you laugh. This book reminds us that everyone has their struggles (that we probably don't know about!); that we should embrace who we are and love ourselves, flaws and all; and that it is never too late to try something new!
Thanks to NetGalley and Allison & Busby publishers for an advanced e-copy of this book.

I love how this quiet community starts out and how the friendships develop, loved the realistic and relatable characters too.

Absolutely fantastic read loved this book!
A small village gets a shake up when a poster is distributed calling for people to learn to pole dance. It causes a very divided community.
Great to read of the women involved and how they grow and prosper with the classes from the snobby know it all to the mum who’s drowning with responsibility and the older lady who just wants to have fun. Come on a journey with these women and find out what life’s all about as a pole dancer.

Yay for the sisterhood of pole dancing! Yay for leaving your comfort zone!

Of course the theme of living your best life has nothing to do with what is shared on social media, but about finding your own way, standing up for yourself, and to do whatever works best for you.

And having a troublesome health myself (almost 19 years ill with ME), I was happily surprised to see one of the main characters dealing with a chronic illness. I am glad these authors showed that there are more flavors of the human kind, such as being overweight, or struggling with the isolation of being a stay-at-home mum.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book.

I’ve really been loving acquiring books about the power of female friendship as of late and this seems like it will be a perfect addition to that theme. I’m so excited to share my full thoughts and review and the pole dancing aspect will definitely keep readers quite entertained I suppose. Much more to come.