Sugartown

by Caragh Maxwell

Een prachtig Iers debuut voor fans van Sally Rooney!
Na een pijnlijke relatiebreuk voelt Saoirse zich gedwongen weer thuis te gaan wonen. Alleen is de wereld waar ze in terugkeert totaal anders dan die ze verliet. Haar moeder heeft een nieuw gezin, en iedereen lijkt verder te zijn gegaan met zijn leven. Ze stort zich in een nieuwe relatie, blaast vriendschappen nieuw leven in en duikt met drank en drugs vol haar oude nachtleven in. Wat als je leven zich eerder achter- dan vooruit lijkt te bewegen? Hoe begin je dan opnieuw?

Genres: Fiction, Ireland, Irish Literature, Contemporary, Coming Of Age, Book Club, Novels

223 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 13, 2026

Reviews

[Tessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

irish literature somehow really manages to strike the balance between being super raw and honest and very subtle at the same time - this one shows that once again. loved reading about saoirse and her navigating life in her 20s - it simply is fricking hard.

[Audrey D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sugartown by Caragh Maxwell is a stunning debut novel. Raw, desperate and tender, it has left me looking forward to the next book of Caragh's. I read somewhere that Sugartown had over 40 rejections - I can't believe that!!! The publishers who rejected it should give their heads a wobble! I'm glad Caragh persevered.

[✦denisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

sally rooney wanna be vibes...
this one… hmm. it’s easy to read, the setting is okay, and the characters are okay, but it didn’t grab me the way i hoped. still a fine, light, lowkey read if you’re in the mood for something easy to follow, just not as sharp or memorable as i wanted.

[Paula · Rating 2 out of 5]

Awful.This story has been told many times before,and much better.Predictable, clichéd.

[Kerri · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing was done well in this but I fear I've read one too many "messed up girl in their early 20s" novel. Bonus points for being set in Mullingar tho

[Annelore Quyssens · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eigenlijk 3,5/5 ⭐️
Het las heel vlot, maar ik miste wat diepgang. Er werden bepaalde belangrijke thema’s aangehaald, maar van mij mochten die wat meer in de diepte uitgewerkt zijn. Het was ook wel wat abrupt gedaan, precies of het rap rap klaar moest zijn. Maar het is een debuut dus ik vergeef het haar!

[Patricija || book.duo · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5

Viena tų lėtų, skaudžių, šiaip jau ganėtinai depresiškų istorijų, kuriose tarsi nieko per daug neįvyksta, bet aš vis tiek pasijaučiau įsitraukusi. Labai airiška, labai gerai papildanti tą liūdnų mažų miestelių ir juose gyvenančių liūdnų mažų žmogelių kategoriją, kur nuo pat pradžių žinai, kad apie jokias laimingas pabaigas čia turbūt negali eiti nė kalbos, bet šiuo atveju, jei jums tai svarbu, o ir ne joks spoileris, pabaiga vilties suteikia. Tik tiek – nieko daugiau ir nežadėjo, nieko daugiau ir negalėtų pasiūlyti, nes turi likti ištikima žanrui. Aišku, kaip ir visos airės, rašančios tokias knygas, Maxwell sulaukia lyginimo su Rooney ir Nolan. Mano akyse ji tikrai netempia iki nei vienos iš jų, bet tai jokiu būdu nereiškia, kad knyga neverta dėmesio – tiesiog kad ta airių kartelė baisiai aukštai.

Veikėjai čia įvairūs, tik, aišku, vienodai nelaimingi, daug purvo ir alkoholio, liūdesio ir nesusikalbėjimų, saviplakos ir visa mental issues puokštė, perduodama iš kartos į kartą, ignoruojama iki kol kas nors nesugriūna taip, kad ignoruoti nebeišeina. Yra ir meilės istorija, jei pasirenkame ją taip vadinti, labai realistiška ir pažįstama daugeliui, deitinusių kažkada tarp 2015-2025-ų metų. O kai kurie dalykai išvis amžini, tik galvoju, kad visgi tiems, kam iki trisdešimt, turbūt surezonuos labiausiai, nes pasirodys atpažįstamiausia. Bet ar ne panašiai su Rooney ir Nolan? Aišku, tie „iki trisdešimt“ irgi turi būti tam tikro tipažo, aplinkos ir požiūrio, bet jei jaučiat, kad jums gali rezonuoti šita liūdna neilga istorija, siūlau pamėginti – žanrui nieko labai naujo nepasiūlo, bet stovi ant savų kojų solidžiai.

[Oisin O · Rating 5 out of 5]

A little too close to home.

[Mise Enda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Depressing drama set in the midlands? Hook it to my veins.

[Madelief BK · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5⭐️
Dit boek gekocht tijdens een dagtrip naar Kilkenny in Ierland. Het gaat over de 23-jarige Saoirse die vanuit Londen terug moet verhuizen naar haar kleine geboorte dorp in Ierland, en over alle moeilijkheden die daarbij komen kijken: oude vrienden, nieuwe gezinsopstelling, terugkerend familie trauma. Vond het een heel mooi en rauw boek, met interessante verhaallijnen voor de bijpersonages. Soms werd ik er tijdens het lezen ook een beetje ongemakkelijk van dus dan deed het echt wat met me.

[Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

waiiiit this was so good. why is this not bigger? a fantastic irish debut with incredible writing.

[andi · Rating 5 out of 5]

so tender and so beautiful

[Myrthe Stijns · Rating 3 out of 5]

. Leest/luistert fijn. In het verhaal gebeurt niet super veel. Indien je van spanning houdt, is dit niet je boek.

[Ted · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the writing style in this book. Every scene and situation is described so well that I feel like I know Saoirse, the main character. An impressive debut novel from Caragh Maxwell.

[Orla Connell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ouch!

[Sofie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 ⭐️
Heel angstig dit boek gelezen 😬

[helena · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gave me war flashbacks.

[Isabella · Rating 4 out of 5]

zijn alle ieren zoals sally rooney? ik iig wel dus i like

[Brontey · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars ⭐️


About a sad girl, for sad girls.

Beautiful writing, full of heart, and packed with infuriating characters.

[Diana de Jong · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meeeh, yet another ‘gen Z wallowing in self pity, with tons of booze and drugs, unhappy childhood’ trope. Disappointing read.

[Noëmi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Saoirse trekt in bij haar moeder, stiefzusjes en de nieuwe man van haar moeder.
Na een relatiebreuk heeft ze ruimte en tijd nodig. Ze is nog niet helemaal klaar voor de volwassen wereld en wordt meegesleept door haar jeugvriendin van het ene naar het andere feestje. Al vlug krijgt haar leven meer kleur. Een baantje en een vriendje zorgen voor wat stabiliteit. Maar kan wat begon als een uit de hand gelopen avond op haar eerste feestje terug in de hand gehouden worden...
.
Soms moet je de diepte raken voordat je jezelf terug kan vinden.
.
Een vlot geschreven verhaal dat nu al vergeleken wordt met werken van Sally Rooney. Waar ik bijvoorbeeld in Normal People niet echt grip kreeg op de personages kreeg ik rap een klik met het hoofdpersonage. Een open en eerlijke kijk in het verleden van Saoirse zorgt ervoor dat je hoopt dat ze het leven terug oppakt. Ze is zoekende, doet haar best maar kan geen nee zeggen tegen haar donker kantje.
Na een harde keuze van Saoirse moeder neemt ze met wat hulp de touwtjes eindelijk terug in handen.
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Waauw wat ben ik blij dat ik dit boek een kans heb gegeven. Emoties moeten gevoeld worden en als dat niet gebeurd kan het onverwachtse gevolgen hebben. Een aanrader. Een verhaal dat toont dat het ok is om hulp te vragen en aanvaarden.

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ben fan van de opkomst van meer Ierse romans!! maar vond deze toch net niet de juiste snaar raken. veel tiener drama, weinig vernieuwende inzichten

[Juliano · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Nevertheless, we started to understand one another. Tendrils of him took root inside my chest like wallflowers in the crevices of brick, filling up old cracks and missing mortar. I would water him, sun him, tear myself down to make sure he grew. This I already knew even before I loved him. It was just my way.” Oh how I loved Caragh Maxwell’s debut novel, Sugartown, such a tender, open-hearted exploration of family and early adulthood and independence. Saoirse Maher’s life in London has fallen apart and she’s moved back to her mother Máire’s house in the Irish Midlands. Here Saoirse is forced to confront all that is wild and poisonous in her life: generational trauma, cold mother, alcoholic and distant father, and sisters she hardly knows; a history of untreated depression; a pattern of substance abuse easily waved away as “social” despite its constant damage to her life; a sense of unbelonging, a lack of purpose and responsibility, a well of romantic longing that is incompatible with her inability to be honest or to advocate for herself. All the mundane failings of any person that make them feel like a fuck-up. Maxwell sketches all of her characters so carefully and caringly, that even at their worst there is such love for them, in the prose and in the reader too I think; even characters like Doireann, who could easily stray into “stock best friend” territory, is so real and realised, so nuanced, she and everyone else are not just real people, but people you know. I’m in such awe of how Maxwell holds up familial relationships to the light, taking them apart and putting them back together, and considering so widely how these dynamics afflict every party involved, not just the flawed but inherently champion-able protagonist: we want better for and from Saoirse because we want better for and from ourselves. A sad but glitteringly hopeful gem.

[Shona · Rating 3 out of 5]

What do you do when you've ruined your life? You go home to your mother, if you're lucky enough still to have one. Saoirse Maher wouldn't recommend it. When she moved to London, Saoirse was leaving Ireland behind for good, and with it her messy, broken family. But it turns out that starting again isn't as easy as she imagined, and when her five year relationship goes south, Saoirse finds herself out of options. Except the world she comes back to is nothing like the one she left behind. Her mother has a new family, and everyone else seems to be moving on but between the drinking, drugs, and an entirely healthy, not-problematic-at-all-thanks relationship with Charlie, there's plenty to distract her. Don't look too closely, and everything's fine. Saoirse is just fine. 

This was a beautifully written book, the descriptive prose really inviting the reader into Saoirse’s world, her emotions laid bare for all to see.

The tenderness of Saoirse’s character is evident, the ordeals of events in her childhood shaping the actions she makes as an adult, a hard hitting impact affecting her life and also her mental state. The use of drugs and alcohol is violently described, bringing the importance of her bad decisions to the forefront.

The relationship Saoirse has with her sisters is heartwarming, her embracing of the family life they have that she never experienced not creating any animosity with these three young girls, it is evident she would do anything for them which highlights there is still goodness in her after all.

I am a big fan of Irish fiction but I feel unfortunately I didn’t totally connect with this one but overall there is no denying that this is a poignant read, a delve into the world of a disturbed character that is fighting to get through each day.

[Aine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A depressed 23 year old girl messing up her life & going crazy while living in her family home. Sounds a bit too familiar yikes!

This was nicely written. The language used is descriptive but very simple, and I enjoyed how Maxwell effectively intertwines Saoirse’s inner thoughts with the dialogue and narration of the story.

I just wanted to shake some sense into the girls who kept going back to men who treat them badly. Again, a situation I am all too familiar with in real life unfortunately, maybe that’s why I found it so frustrating.

Although not exactly a heart-warming or uplifting plot, there’s something really comforting about reading books written by Irish authors who manage to perfectly encapsulate the familiarity of Irish culture, society and everyday living.

If you are a fan of Snowflake by Louise Nealon and Sally Rooney, I think you will enjoy this book. It has a very similar feel.

[Regan Collison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. What an incredible debut. More people need to get on Sugartown. Caragh Maxwell has truly created something special.

The novel gave me Sally Rooney vibes, especially with the lack of quotation marks, which I think cleverly mirrored the miscommunication between characters. But dare I say, Maxwell did it better. Like Normal People, Sugartown explores class divides, messy relationships, and fractured communication, but the writing felt even more raw and beautiful. I underlined so many quotes because of the way she captured emotions so perfectly.

What stood out most to me was the friendship between Saoirse and Dorieanne. Their bond showed what female friendship should be: loyal, messy, supportive, and real , even when chaos was unfolding. Maxwell gave side characters just enough depth (like Dorieanne’s pregnancy and her awful boyfriend) without overshadowing the main story, making the world feel layered while keeping the focus on Saoirse’s journey.

Saoirse and Charlie’s relationship was both intoxicating and painful. I felt every butterfly, every frustration, and every heartbreak right alongside her. It was unfair how Charlie couldn’t step up or be honest, but it was written so beautifully that I rode through all the highs, lows, drunken nights, laughter, and tears with her.

The exploration of family trauma hit hard too, Saoirse’s strained relationship with her mother, the sense of being the black sheep, and the way her mum treated her compared to her younger siblings. Even the detail that she called her mother by her first name was powerful.

Despite juggling multiple storylines in such a short novel, Maxwell executed it brilliantly. I never felt lost or like anything was missing, I understood each character’s feelings deeply, but the heart of the book always stayed with Saoirse.

The ending tied it all together beautifully. When Saoirse reflected that “nothing is permanent except transience… sometimes pain isn’t decimation, it’s growth. Growing hurts too” and then flashed back to a childhood memory, it showed she had finally reached peace. It felt like she was offering healing to her younger self, a poignant, full-circle close to her journey.

[Caoimhe Galligan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Caragh Maxell can write beautifully & I enjoyed the prose. But the constant self pity used to excuse Saoirse’s behaviour well this was not for me. It felt like a non stop loop of drama, drugs & excuses. Everyone has baggage but that doesn’t automatically justify acting like an overgrown teen for 300 pages. It felt a longer book than it was.

[Sally Hobson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perhaps a 4 star - maybe. I enjoyed aspects of all the characters besides Connor but the storyline was not very gripping. The story lacked any real substance so I actually cannot fathom anything more to say.

[Tiphaine Dudok · Rating 1 out of 5]

Je n'ai pas réussi à ressentir de l'empathie pour le personnage principal, ses consommations, fréquentations et réactions. Le seul point positif du livre était qu'il se passe en Irlande et c'est rafraîchissant un livre en Irlande ☘️ bon et la fin mouais

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Heftig onderwerp drank en drugs. Soms heftig om te lezen, maar ook mooi om over een hechte vriendschap te lezen. De langzame groei naar zelf acceptatie/heling was ook mooi om te lezen. Duurde mij iets te lang.