**THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER**

'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

'A glorious novel about family, grief, changing expectations and, ultimately, love.' The Sun

Beth has never stuck at anything.

She's quit more jobs and relationships than she can remember and she still sleeps in her childhood bedroom. It's not that she hasn't tried to grow up, it's just that so far, the only commitment she's held down is Friday drinks at the village pub.

Then, in the space of a morning, her world changes.

An unspeakable tragedy turns Beth's life upside down, and she finds herself guardian to her teenage niece and toddler nephew, catapulted into an unfamiliar world of bedtime stories, parents' evenings and cuddly elephants. Having never been responsible for anyone - or anything - it's not long before she feels seriously out of her depth.

What if she's simply not up to the job?

With a little help from her best friend Jory (purely platonic, of course ...) and her lovely, lonely next-door neighbour, Albert, Beth is determined that this time she's not giving up. It's time to step up.

This is a story about digging deep for strength you never knew you had and finding magic in things that were there all along.

'STEPPING UP is a heart-blasting triumph of a novel - wise, witty and wonderfully human.' Isabelle Broom, author of A YEAR AND A DAY

'Stop EVERYTHING and read this! Funny, tender and beautifully observed. Loved, loved, LOVED it!' Cathy Bramley, author of THE LEMON TREE CAFE

'A moving and beautifully-told tale of parenthood but not as you know it. I just loved it.' Gillian McAllister, author of THAT NIGHT

Readers love STEPPING UP!

***** 'Simply excellent . . . A true emotional rollercoaster.'

***** 'It had me laughing out loud, on a bus no less, crying and laughing. This book is a tonic! I read it in one go. I was rooting for Beth the whole way through!!'

***** 'An emotional rollercoaster to keep you turning the pages. . .Perfect for curling up with; perfect for a bedtime read; perfect for a book group; just perfect.'

***** 'This book needs all the stars! It made me laugh, it made me cry and I just want to start it all over again.'

***** 'Funny, heartbreaking and totally relatable, it makes you feel all the feels!'