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wordsmithreads's review
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I am not someone who cares about food writing. Descriptions of baking, of chopping vegetables or preparing a glaze do not romance me into feeling any particular way. And yet, after finishing this, I stood at the stove, wondering, “What if I added [blank] to this? Maybe this seasoning? Would these pair well?” Hazell’s debut would be delectable for the food descriptions alone, but the pointed plotlines around women, women’s eating habits, and control — Follow the recipe, follow the rules, Hazell writes at one point — are spun like the sugar of the croquembouche. I found myself marveling at how many phrases and adjectives in our language are food-based — devoured, hungered, gorging, bitter, soured, sweet. They are sprinkled (seasoned?) artfully throughout the text as Hazell bakes (okay, I’ll stop) the picture of Piglet’s spiraling gluttony in response to her to-be-husband’s betrayal. Many plot points are implied, including the true reason behind Piglet’s nickname, but I was never lost in the plot. I loved Piglet, even when she was making bad decisions. All the tension leading up to the wedding day was excellent. And I was very pleased to find out that Hazell has a PhD in creative writing, and her research is on food-writing in twenty-first-century fiction — that added another great layer to this smart read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fatphobia, Eating disorder, Pregnancy, and Body shaming
Minor: Infidelity
torturedreadersdept's review
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Body shaming, Dysphoria, Body horror, Classism, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, and Pregnancy
Minor: Bullying, Excrement, Grief, Cursing, Lesbophobia, Misogyny, Alcohol, and Abandonment
maddie7217's review
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
first things first, i am obsessed with this cover. i think it is perfect, i think it is inviting, i think it is one of the most true to form book covers i’ve come across. so now let’s chat about what’s beyond the cover…
as you all may know, one of my favorite genres of book is “the angry woman”. let. me. tell. you. this book does this trope so incredibly well. in some cases, piglet’s anger in justified, in other’s it’s a reflection of her own shortcomings. she uses her anger for good, evil, and everything in between. this book tackles issues like class, norms, and societal expectations all while being themed around piglet’s sincere passion for food.
what impressed me so much about this book is how paramount the discussions of food were. so much of this book was dedicated to detailing her actions as she made different meals, descriptions of each individual ingredient, and sometimes even plans to create food or discussion of menu items. while if you told me this at face value i might turn my nose up and think ‘how fun can reading about food possibly be,’ it was so enthralling. the author used these cooking scenes as a highly effective way of expressing emotion and tension and it created a perfect storm for me as a reader.
the only thing i had hesitation about in this book was that, at the end of each chapter, there was somewhat of a “big picture” moment written in italics where another perspective was considered or deeper feelings were addressed head on. i felt that this sometimes took me out of the moment, but as i got further into the book i felt that it became more appropriate just due to the way it was being used in those later chapters.
all in all, this book was really great and i do recommend you check it out!! thank you to netgalley and lottie hazell for the arc! i’m so glad i came across it
as you all may know, one of my favorite genres of book is “the angry woman”. let. me. tell. you. this book does this trope so incredibly well. in some cases, piglet’s anger in justified, in other’s it’s a reflection of her own shortcomings. she uses her anger for good, evil, and everything in between. this book tackles issues like class, norms, and societal expectations all while being themed around piglet’s sincere passion for food.
what impressed me so much about this book is how paramount the discussions of food were. so much of this book was dedicated to detailing her actions as she made different meals, descriptions of each individual ingredient, and sometimes even plans to create food or discussion of menu items. while if you told me this at face value i might turn my nose up and think ‘how fun can reading about food possibly be,’ it was so enthralling. the author used these cooking scenes as a highly effective way of expressing emotion and tension and it created a perfect storm for me as a reader.
the only thing i had hesitation about in this book was that, at the end of each chapter, there was somewhat of a “big picture” moment written in italics where another perspective was considered or deeper feelings were addressed head on. i felt that this sometimes took me out of the moment, but as i got further into the book i felt that it became more appropriate just due to the way it was being used in those later chapters.
all in all, this book was really great and i do recommend you check it out!! thank you to netgalley and lottie hazell for the arc! i’m so glad i came across it
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, and Eating disorder
Moderate: Body shaming
celticthistle's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Glorious dark, disgusting yet funny at same time
Content Warnings
Moderate: Eating disorder, Toxic friendship, Panic attacks/disorders, Addiction, Vomit, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Addiction, Body shaming, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Pregnancy, and Grief
hotpinkinthenight's review
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was a well-crafted and thoughtful story. It takes some patience to get into, but every detail Hazell gives builds towards a riotous final act. I was gripped, and found myself hurtling towards the end. Thoroughly enjoyed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Classism, Body shaming, Mental illness, Eating disorder, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Pregnancy
porshainielsen's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The cover is what caught my eye initially, but the story proved to be interesting. The story follows Piglet, or Pig, and the events leading up to her wedding day. Something her fiancé discloses to her prior to the wedding creates a giant riff in their relationship and we follow Piglet wrestling with her future. There is a lot of comments on class in this novel. If you have ever dated someone out of your tax bracket, or from a more educated family, you may be able to relate. Overall though, I did not particularly care for the numerous descriptive food scenes. It felt like Julia Child and scenes from Disney's Ratatouille took over this book. Also, I wanted to know the husbands secret so badly and the author strung me along, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it doesn't work for me.
Thank you NetGalley and Henry Holt and Co. for this digital ARC.
Thank you NetGalley and Henry Holt and Co. for this digital ARC.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Pregnancy
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