diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index d9e38157..6c147976 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -31,7 +31,8 @@
   "jest": {
     "verbose": false,
     "roots": [
-      "app"
+      "app",
+      "shared"
     ],
     "moduleNameMapper": {
       "^.*[.](s?css|css)$": "<rootDir>/__mocks__/styleMock.js",
diff --git a/shared/utils/parseTitle.js b/shared/utils/parseTitle.js
index ebb3e0dc..9faa2929 100644
--- a/shared/utils/parseTitle.js
+++ b/shared/utils/parseTitle.js
@@ -6,7 +6,10 @@ export default function parseTitle(text: string = '') {
 
   // find and extract title
   const firstLine = text.trim().split(/\r?\n/)[0];
-  const title = firstLine.replace(/^#/, '').trim();
+  const trimmedTitle = firstLine.replace(/^#/, '').trim();
+
+  // remove any escape characters
+  const title = trimmedTitle.replace(/\\([\\`*{}[\]()#+\-.!_>])/g, '$&');
 
   // find and extract first emoji
   const matches = regex.exec(title);
diff --git a/shared/utils/parseTitle.test.js b/shared/utils/parseTitle.test.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..60d35738
--- /dev/null
+++ b/shared/utils/parseTitle.test.js
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+/* eslint-disable flowtype/require-valid-file-annotation */
+import parseTitle from './parseTitle';
+
+it('should trim the title', () => {
+  expect(parseTitle(`#    Lots of space     `).title).toBe('Lots of space');
+});
+
+it('should extract first title', () => {
+  expect(parseTitle(`# Title one\n# Title two`).title).toBe('Title one');
+});
+
+it('should remove escape characters', () => {
+  expect(parseTitle(`# Thing \- one`).title).toBe('Thing - one');
+  expect(parseTitle(`# \[wip\] Title`).title).toBe('[wip] Title');
+});
+
+it('should parse emoji if first character', () => {
+  const parsed = parseTitle(`# 😀 Title`);
+  expect(parsed.title).toBe('😀 Title');
+  expect(parsed.emoji).toBe('😀');
+});
+
+it('should not parse emoji if not first character', () => {
+  const parsed = parseTitle(`# Title 🌈`);
+  expect(parsed.title).toBe('Title 🌈');
+  expect(parsed.emoji).toBe(undefined);
+});