Reviews

Piglet is a woman who has struggled with her body her entire life, but with her fiancé, Kit, it all seems to matter a little less. His family is wealthy, so she leaves her own lower-class family behind. She has a great job as a cookbook editor and is in line for a promotion. She and Kit have just purchased a home, and she is intent on filling it with elaborate food and good friends. Everything is going her way, until one night, two weeks before the wedding, Kit makes a confession that rocks her to her core. From there, she begins to unravel.

This novel touches on a lot of topics. The most obvious is body image, offering a personal connection for nearly every female reader. Piglet’s childhood nickname is cruel, but she can’t lose it or the lore that comes along with it, that she is always wanting too much. Her sister is revealed to have an eating disorder as well, which adds an interesting layer to the story. The food metaphors throughout are tastefully done (ha! See what I did there?) and give the characters and their struggles a little something extra.

Another major topic here is class. Piglet is embarrassed of her lower-class family and tries her best to leave them behind, but when everything falls to pieces, for all their faults, they’re the ones by her side. They do have their own self-serving motivations as well, which is another interesting view of class and how it affects relationships.

Kit’s infidelity and Piglet’s reaction to it — and Kit’s reaction to that — are an important statement on the lies we tell ourselves. Right up until the end, Piglet tells herself it will be different, that she will feel differently, once they are married, but it just isn’t that easy. Sometimes, as Piglet’s relationship with her friend Margot shows, our friendships are the only things that save us.

Overall, this is a great debut. I can’t wait to see more from Hazell in the future!

emconley's review

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medium-paced

2.0

louise010's review against another edition

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challenging emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No

3.5

catobeyts's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

butterscotchsundae's review against another edition

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tense

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

caitrionar's review

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4.0

Wasn’t expecting to be this stressed reading a book??? Loved all the food descriptions though mm mm mmmm

lmilfort's review

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challenging emotional funny fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

[about a girl who finds out her fiancé cheated on her about two weeks before their marriage and she copes with food, also has a very weird slightly hateful relationship with her family and hometown] It was okay but kinda weird did not really stand out though

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