After listening to this book I see what people mean when they say there's no such thing as a unique experience.

I didn't quite grow up in Donny, but I did grow up in a Yorkshire town that calls itself a city and still shrinks under the shadow of Thatcherism and every word of this novel hit something in my core. Teenage memories I'd either forgotten naturally or forcibly buried until I did forget them - I felt like I knew these characters, like I had met them before or met some version of them in the girls I knew at school. Highly (and in some places horribly) relatable, We Pretty Pieces of Flesh perfectly encapsulates growing up in Yorkshire and all the perils that came with it. An excellent read, and listening to something narrated in my local dialect was wonderful - I didn't realise how much I missed it.

WE PRETTY PIECES OF FLESH by Colwill Brown blew me away. Written in Donny dialect, it can take a minute to fall into the cadence of the prose, but once you do, you’ll keep falling—in love with the characters, in fascination with Brown’s brilliant use of language, in awe of the world she creates that’s both all-encompassing and parochial: a true bubble. Because isn’t that what teenagerhood is?

In a working-class community of Doncaster in northern England, Rach, Kel, and Shaz quickly become inseparable, but their relationships are anything but straightforward. Evolving over the years into a wobbly three-legged stool, the triangle of their friendship makes them insecure, which they express with one-upmanship and exaggerations, suspicion and jostling for loyalty, little remarks meant to cut each other down to size. Nothing malicious, exactly, or at least not more malicious than how adolescent girls can use their words as switchblades. If this kind of drama sounds cringey (haven’t we’ve run far away from that in our own lives?), don’t let that keep you from this book, because Brown also imbues the narrative with beautiful moments of genuine care. Rach, Kel, and Shaz may sometimes be at one another’s throats, but when outsiders attack, they circle the wagons. As they become adults and grow apart, will crisis drive them back together? Or will an explosive secret splinter them forever?

Brown plays with form, point of view, and timeline in exciting and delightful ways. Every minute of this boisterous, exuberant novel kept me on my toes, whether Brown is dipping into the painful, shattering parts of girlhood or spinning plates in the air with the blissed-out high of drugs and clubbing. Rach, Kel, and Shaz felt very much like real people who will stay in my heart forever. I didn’t think I’d understand this book on audio due to the dialect and my American ears, but once I adjusted to the lilt, it was such an immersive treat to hear Brown narrate this herself.

This book is radiant with all that makes us human. Give it all the superlatives, give it all the prizes.

I don’t think I am the target audience for this book, I was offered an ALC from NetGalley and the listening experience through me off. The narrator is very Irish which was great because that is where the book takes place however the book is written with a lot of Irish short hand/slang and as someone who is not familiar I found myself constantly getting stuck on phrases trying to figure them out what was being said. The book is also from three different girls perspectives and I sometimes had a hard time figuring out whose chapter we were on what timeframe they were discussing.

The actual story I really liked, it kind of reminded me of Derry Girls meets the movie Thirteen.

Again I think most of my complaint is a me issue / a listening issue, the reading experience might be totally different.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t fully connect with this story. This book was read via audiobook, and the dialect took some getting used to for me, but I eventually caught on.

I love a coming of age story about girls and female friendships. That’s my thing. I think I just wavered with how much I was interested in the story. There were times I was locked in, but it didn’t hold.

I think this was a case of wrong book, wrong time for me, because I really wanted to love it.

Thank you to brilliance audio for the gifted ALC!

What I did read, I enjoyed the tone of and the dialect. However I did not finish the book due to triggering material - something I will consider going forward when choosing books.

I do think this one will do really well, as topical themes and important discussions will arise from it.

Thank you Net Galley for allowing me the opportunity to listen to this audio book. I had a hard time getting in to this book and following allowing with the different characters. to me the girls all had a very similar sound to them and the experience also did not differ enough. As the book went on, I enjoyed seeing how like lives intertwined and the their individual growth. I believe I would have had a better experience with this book if i was able to read a physical copy over the audiobook but overall not bad..

Colwill Brown’s We Pretty Pieces of Flesh is full of Yorkshire vocabulary that will fascinate American readers. There’s “aught,” for example, which can either mean “anything” or “nothing” depending on the context.

The word that I find myself dwelling on, though, is “sozlike.” It’s a form of “sorry,” but that “like” is in there at every instance, making the expression sound conditional. I’m sorry, like…I’m, like, sorry?

Among the three girls at the center of Brown’s debut novel, the expression is sometimes made in the form of a simple shrug, omitting the explicit apology altogether. That’s a function of how well the girls know each other — mere body language is enough — but it can also be read as a symptom of a culture where neither emotional vulnerability nor self-expression are particularly prized.

That’s doubly true for women, as described by the narrator (or narrators, depending on your interpretation) of We Pretty Pieces of Flesh. Girls such as Rach, Shaz, and Kel are raised to understand that their bodies are what matter most about them in every important sense: their bodies are what boys lust for, what parents police, what peers punish. Speak your mind, and your body will pay the price.

Jumping times and places, Colwill maps the three friends’ progressions from late-1990s tweens to latter-day adults. When young, the girls’ friendship is a kaleidoscope of intense, shifting loyalties; in adulthood, they grow apart but reunite to see if they can be honest enough about their past to support one another in the future.

The authentic Yorkshire language is foundational to the narrative, establishing the girls’ world and later serving as a measure of how far they have (or haven’t) traveled from it. The author narrates the audiobook with a deliberately flat baseline affect, spiking as various incidents animate the characters. I’ve never experienced an audiobook where the specific delivery is so integral, and the use of language so novel to my ears, that I can’t even imagine what the words would look like printed on a page.

To describe the plot in broad strokes, We Pretty Pieces of Flesh could be a typical coming-of-age novel. What distinguishes the book, in addition to its vivid sense of place, is the craft Colwill brings to each vignette. Whether describing the friends’ outing to the Doncaster Dome ice rink (peerless venue for teenage drama) or Kel’s snowy adult idyll with a Boston polyamorist, Colwill shapes the episodes like short stories: with enough detail and shades of meaning that each could be complete in itself.

When Kel returns to Yorkshire after years living in the States, Shaz — the most undiluted Doncasterian of the three — notes how Kel’s accent won’t quite snap back to its original strength, no matter how hard the returning native tries. Kel has been wounded during her time away, but she’s also demonstrated a degree of independence her friends have yet to achieve.

When America betrays her, though, Yorkshire pulls Kel back to the waiting arms of her friends. Whether the women can effectively support each other, in a world that still only sees them all as pretty pieces of flesh, is this unforgettable novel’s unanswered question.

I was so interested in listening to this one due to the dialect but honestly it was really tough to understand the words being said. It was a little easier once l started reading the physical book in tandem. And although it took awhile for me to get through, I loved the story so much and l definitely recommend.

Over all the book content is good. I struggled at times with the narration but it could be because I like to listen to my books faster.

In "We Pretty Pieces of Flesh" we get a story about female friendship and growing up, set against the background of Northern England and poverty and shame.
Thanks to @henryholtsbooks and @brilliancepublishing for the advanced copy.
I am of a similar age, so often felt very connected to this coming of age tale about friendship.

So a few things for me- I find the narrator (which is the author) often hard to understand, but that is my own issue with understanding some of the accent and slang.
Also they don't use articles, no the and a, which took a minute for me to get used to.
I feel like by the end of the book, I was understanding better.
Also I was a bit confused sometimes by the references, I do not know anyone who had a cell phone in 1998, but maybe it was different in England?
Overall a good listen, but heavy, with cracks of light poking out.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. The story follows 3 rebellious teens. And the trouble and lessons they learn.

If you enjoy stories about friendship that intertwine with themes of coming-of-age, you'll love this book. I loved following this trio of best friends as they navigated their journey into womanhood. This narrative explores life, friendship, and girlhood in a raw and authentic way.

🎧 The author narrates the audiobook, and while I love her accent, I did have some difficulty understanding all the words.

Thank you @henryholtbooks for the gifted book. Thank you @brilliancepublishing for the gifted audiobook via #NetGalley.

A coming of age story at its finest.
I love a good coming of age story, however I was nervous I wouldn’t be able to relate to the 3 girls we watch grow to women because of the Doncaster dialect, South York, and the fact that I didn’t grow up there.
I was wrong. I didn’t experience many of the things these girls do, their stories have some grit to them, but as a woman it’s hard not to see yourself in the characters at different times in the story.
The book reads almost like a collection of short stories intertwining, I absolutely love a book like this. Would recommend if you’re looking for something a little different.
Thank you Netgalley and Holt for the ARC!

Pretty Pieces of Flesh explores the raw and often unsettling journey of friendship and girls coming of age in the 90s. I struggled with the shifting points of view and the non-chronological timing. At times, I found it difficult to keep track of the different perspectives, which made it harder to become fully immersed in the narrative.

That said, this novel offers an honest portrayal of growing up that resonates with both discomfort and truth. Brown's skill as an author shines through in the way the narrative brings the grit and vulnerability of that time to life. I was especially impressed by the fact that she both wrote and read the book in a Yorkshire accent. I’ve often been skeptical of authors narrating their own work, but Brown exceeded my expectations. Her narration adds a layer of authenticity and intimacy that pulls you into the world of the story.

Despite the occasional challenges with the narrative structure, We Pretty Pieces of Flesh is a remarkable debut. Brown has a distinct voice, and I am eager to see what she will create next.

Thank you NetGalley and Brilliance Publishing for the chance to listen to this book in exchange for my honest opinion. 4.25