I remember being rather appalled when the Nurse told me how many injections my new baby would need in just one appointment. I questioned that, but not the vaccination itself. How ironic the author had the idea for this book just prior to the pandemic !!

I thought this story was well thought out and executed. I saw the faults, the strengths, the weaknesses and the emotion in both mothers and both families. The character development was top notch. Not just in the mothers, but also in the fathers and in a few other characters who played a larger role. In a story like this, there can't be an outcome that will be perfect so I loved that this book didn't try to wrap everything up in a nice bow. It was realistic and still satisfying. I definitely recommend and would not hesitate to read another book by this author.After studying at Edinburgh University, Emily Edwards worked for a think tank in New York before returning to London where she worked as a support worker for vulnerable women at a large charity. She now lives in Lewes, East Sussex with her endlessly patient husband and her two endlessly energetic young sons.

A masterpiece of emotional nuance, this novel makes you think. It challenges pre-conceived attitudes and beliefs and it turns your heart upside down and inside out. It took maybe 10% to get into it, its full of yummee mummee and posy dadee characters that I couldn’t relate to but as the story progresses that doesn’t matter so much as the story builds And after a few days of reading I could see why the characters in this book would seem familiar to anyone you might have an elizabeth living next door to you. Two families lives are changed forever when Bryony tells what is supposed to be a white lie before a child's birthday party. This small lie will have consequences so huge, they could never have began to imagine... Elizabeth, Bry and others all take their turn at being sympathetic and deeply sanctimonious and annoying. I think the author did a great job of showing how easily people rile each other up on this issue. I am a fervent believer in vaccinations, but even I recoil from someone yelling in my face how I must do this and I must do that or I'm morally-challenged and selfish. I like how the author never presented this as good vs bad because, like most things, it's more complex than that.Even though there are opinions in the book it is pretty much 50/50 so if you are wary its going to be anti or pro vax then don’t be, it genuinely seeks to offer both sides of the arguement, morally and otherwise based around the story told, I liked it was so impartial and the author chose not to add her feelings/views into the story ( as quite a few tend to on various topics nowadays ) bravo to her on that front Welcome to my review of The Herd by Emily Edwards. I enjoyed this fiction book based on two families with differing opinions on vaccinating their children with devastating consequences. I found the book very depressing & thought the the author's view of how other characters would behave toward the two mothers was overly influenced by how people reacted during the pandemic. As the story was set prior to Covid, I don't think people's reactions would have been so strong & vitriolic. I think that kind of behaviour & opinions was something only witnessed as the pandemic went on. Super-organised, methodical Elizabeth and bohemian Bryony “ weren’t exactly chalk and cheese; more like cheese and pineapple - a weird, unexpected pairing that just worked”. Close friends and now neighbours, they’re godmothers to one another’s daughters, and have found a way to balance each of their differences, except on one big issue - vaccinating their daughters. The unravelling of their friendship begins with a birthday party and ends up with tragic consequences, explosive public show-downs and unexpected revelations. Powerful, pertinent stuff.

The characters were strong and well executed and the research meticulous. The balance the author gives to both sides of the story is just perfect. The court case wrapped up with a great twist I didn’t see coming. The Herd is on the surface a story that examines whether a parent's choice on whether to vaccinate their child is valid when if they choose not to, they risk harm to other's who don't have that choice. Beneath the surface this is a story of friendship, grief and coping mechanisms. It is about the pressures heaped on parent's who for the most part are trying to do right by their child. I didn’t understand exactly how this was going to pan out for me as it was close to what’s happening in the U.K. at the moment with “herding” as regards to jabs/vaccines and Covid. I was interested in reading this book as the subject matter was something close to my heart. Many years ago my youngest child was taken seriously ill around the time he was due his vaccinations at 6 months old. It was a dilemma for me, vaccinate? or not vaccinate? The choice was taken out of my hands by the consultant paediatrician at the hospital where my son was treated.On the face of it, the book sounded right up my street, but the when reading it just felt very flat. The main debate focusses on the idea of vaccinations, and I was expecting this to be symbolic for something else, or at least something that delves a little deeper than just vaccinations - but that was it. It didn't go deeper, it didn't strike up and conflict in my own opinions, it didn't stand for anything else. It was just a simple argument, written simply. Scattered between the two women's stories are inputs from others - those others being rather a mixed bunch of seemingly unrelated people. It takes a while to figure out that the are unrelated as they just appear in italics without names or descriptions. We have a woman with polio, an online troll who loves seeding arguments and pouring oil on the flames, and a bunch of other women (I think they are all women) each throwing in their few pennies worth. It's a bit odd. Except this is MMR and how many parents were scared or ignorant or didn’t want the MMR for their babies for all sorts of reasons. It is hard to imagine a more timely novel. A fascinating exploration of all sides of a particularly knotty, politicized issue ― Jodi Picoult, NYT bestselling author of WISH YOU WERE HERE