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rebeccadiv's review
challenging
mysterious
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
4.75
I really, really enjoyed this book. I ended up reading it in a little over 24 hours and found myself wanting to come back to it after I'd put it down. I felt the tension and the anxiety as the book continued and definitely think this book deserves higher ratings than it has right now!
Unrelated to the content of the book but still important, I found the hardcover to be the perfect size and weight 😂
Unrelated to the content of the book but still important, I found the hardcover to be the perfect size and weight 😂
Content Warnings
Moderate: Classism, Eating disorder, Body shaming, and Fatphobia
Minor: Sexism
kelleykamanda's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I absolutely *inhaled* the first half of this book. It became a bit slow towards the middle... but the end, THE END! I was so satisfied with it. This book truly embodies what it feels like to take up space. Painful, difficult, the whole works. Bonus points to the beautiful descriptions of food and cooking. Love.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Eating disorder, Classism, Fatphobia, Infidelity, and Body shaming
The author struggles with an eating disorder. Detailed images of the body and disordered eating are heavily present.minimicropup's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I. Loved. This. But it wasn’t satisfying, the texture was strange, and it left a weird aftertaste…I want more, where can I find more?
Energy: Evasive. Addictive. Vulnerable.
Scene: 🇬🇧 Set in Oxford, UK, in a newly developed neighbourhood
Perspective: We follow a cookbook editor nicknamed Piglet as they settle in with their soon-to-be spouse in the months leading up to their wedding.
🐕 Howls: Moments of ambiguous dialogue where we need to know who is talking, it impacts the story!
🐩 Tail Wags: The writing style. The dialogue (mostly) & characters. The feels and foods. Using ambiguity and withholding as the primary plot device. Piglet being frustratingly horrifying, but loveable. The nuanced juxtaposition of greed and entitlement vs love and fulfilment.
🤔 Random Thoughts:
Half the time I didn’t know what was going on. How does a book that bases everything on ambiguity and withholding not annoy me?
----
🎬 Tale-Telling: Dialogue-driven. Mostly show, not tell.
🤓 Reader Role: Invisible, standing in the room, picking up what others are putting down and tying it all together.
🗺️ World-Building: Energy driven. The physical settings are minimal. The ambience comes from the characters interacting with each other and their environment.
🔥 Fuel: What happened to make Piglet feel so differently about her partner and friends leading up to her wedding? Is she ruining her life? Will she go ahead with the wedding? Will she stand up to others? Will she stand up for herself? Should she?
📖 Cred: Open to reader interpretation with sprinklings of everything from hyper-realism to bizarro nonsensical
🚙 Journey: A dream that feels all too real.
Mood Reading Match-Up:
-Backyard barbeque. Sizzling stir fry. Kettle boiling. Knife chopping. Pots and pans. Caramelized onions. Bitter perfume. October breeze. Fall colours, crunching leaves. River water. Food truck rumblings. Tourists in the park. Hamburgers. Seams ripping. Sickening sweetness.
-Ambiguous plot mostly vibes bizarro realism
-Literary should-I-stay-or-should-I-go romantic suspense
Content Heads-Up: Body shaming, fatphobia (character comments). Pregnancy. Vomit. Eating disorder (starvation, restricting food, binging). Betrayal.Unhealthy relationship. Alcohol use.
Rep: Lesbian. Heterosexual. Cisgender. Fat. Same-sex parenting. Ambiguously described characters.
📚 Format: Kobo
🤩 Potential Fav of 2024
My musings 💖 powered by puppy snuggles 🐶
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming and Eating disorder
Moderate: Fatphobia
Minor: Pregnancy, Vomit, and Alcohol
tashtasher's review against another edition
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Infidelity, Classism, and Eating disorder
Moderate: Body shaming, Pregnancy, and Fatphobia
juffnstuff's review
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia and Body shaming
Moderate: Eating disorder and Toxic relationship
stine_0's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dysphoria, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, and Body shaming
Moderate: Grief and Infidelity
cozyscones's review against another edition
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Classism and Infidelity
Minor: Pregnancy
dearkatie's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
slow-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? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Eating disorder, and Fatphobia
Minor: Vomit
sxndaze's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-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? Yes
4.75
She was going to waste, she feared, she knew, the life she had made spoiling around her, turning to rot.
what a wild ride. an encapsulation of what it feels like for the life you’ve built to spiral out of control. hazell writes with such intent and incorporates food into the story seamlessly. the descriptions are rich and lush and border on gross and nearly too much. you feel like you’re over indulging.
the level of anxiety that is constantly humming in the background is impeccable and consistently rises until it hits its peak. it ties itself with the descriptions of food and i’m obsessed.
spoiler: you’ll never know exactly what kit did to betray piglet. some people would hate that. normally, i wouldn’t be a fan, but i kinda like that here. you can assume it’s infidelity, but you can fill in the blanks with what you think is unforgivable and make it personal. it almost hits harder that way.
a gorgeous debut and i look forward to what hazell writes next.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy, Body shaming, Eating disorder, and Classism
Moderate: Vomit
milliemark's review against another edition
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Eating disorder, Fatphobia, and Body shaming