LoveReading exists because books change lives, and buying books through LoveReading means you get to change the lives of future generations, with 25% of the cover price donated to schools in need. Join our community to get personalised book suggestions, extracts straight to your inbox, 10% off RRPs, and to change children’s lives. In terms of the narrative, the book doesn't take a strong stance either way and I understand why that might be the preferred way to write this. After all, taking a strong stance, either way, would have created some real fallout However, I also think this was a bit of a cop-out considering how divisive the topic is. Emily Edwards has taken a relevant topic and written a book that sits on the fence. I just don't really see the point in it. It doesn't even add much to the conversation. Instead, The Herd just regurgitates the different arguments and does nothing with them. In the end, this book starts slowly and has a weak ending. There was a lot of pressure on the stuff in the middle to hold it together. Lousy story and characters aside there are a few other things about this novel that really frustrated me: The 'herd' analogy appeared now and again but for the most part was largely underused. This novel wasn't fascinating or chilling, it just was. If you haven't read Bartz's debut novel and you don't happen to have a low tolerance for cringe-y proses, you might actually find The Herd to be entertaining.

And let me to introduce you to two sisters buried some many ugly secrets and kept so many skeletons in their closets reunite in NYC: Katie and Hana. Why were we introduced with them? Oh, I see, they’re good friends with Eleanor. They involved separately to her investigation. They wanted to find her but: as they keep digging about Eleanor’s past to find where she’s hiding or what happened to her, they start to face with their own dirty big secrets. See, sometimes it’s better not to know too much! Healthy Eating Steel-cut, stoneground or rolled oats? What’s the healthiest, most nutritious way to eat porridge 03:30 This is really good read, and it’s one of those books that is good on so many levels. Firstly it is really well written. The characters are all really well rounded with such individual natures but all very real too. The story itself is so well thought out and sensitively written. I kept wondering how this story would end as the story was so well balanced but the author clearly had it covered and I think the story had the perfect ending for such a story. On the face of it it is a story about differences of opinions centred around vaccinations but I actually think it is a much bigger story than that, it is about friendships and relationships but ultimately it is about being a parent, how complicated that can be and how it makes everyone feel differently.... Read Full Review I liked it. I liked how it didn't feel preachy or didactic. One thing I didn't love was the character of Rosalyn because I did not understand why she had no purpose other than to randomly pop up and offer magical hippie wisdom. Also, all the characters were middle to upper middle class, which is typical of anti-vaxxers, and white, which I honestly don't know if that's typical of anti-vaxxers or not. Now, on the day that Eleanor has a huge announcement for her company, in fact, right as she is supposed to be having the interview of a lifetime, to make this huge announcement, Eleanor is missing. She and The Herd have been targeted by a group called the Antiherd, with horrible words slashed across the walls of various locations. Eleanor has even been involved in a lawsuit with members of this group. Could they be responsible for Eleanor being missing? Could Eleanor have run away from the pressure of threats on her wellbeing and life?

What was the inspiration behind The Herd?

I found this to be a very well written, researched story. I would recommend it to fans of Jodi Picoult. Little do they know that they differ radically over one very important issue. And when Bryony, afraid of being judged, tells what is supposed to be a harmless white lie before a child's birthday party, the consequences are more catastrophic than either of them could ever have imagined . . . About This Edition ISBN:

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. Recommended Reads about Race, Racism, and Demarginalizing History - Necessary Non-fiction You Should Read for Life-changing Insights and Impact Elizabeth and Bry are best friends until their differing views start to pose a threat to whom Elizabeth loves most. Other supporting characters take their positions on either side of the debate.

Emily Edwards Press Reviews

At the outset it reminded me a little of The Slap, so much so that I read it in my head in an Australian accent, though it’s set in England. As the story progressed, I found myself losing patience with it. I loved this book. It put me through the emotional wringer. A genuine rollercoaster that asks big moral questions with beautifully drawn characters who left me in tears but also full of hope Sharon Horgan