The intro started off a little slow, but I was enamored by the MC. Vivid descriptions of food balanced with life lessons.

4.5/5 stars

There was so much about this book that I enjoyed. The writing—overall, on the prose level—was fabulous; the central character of Piglet was compelling, realistic, and finely drawn. The storytelling structure counted down the days to Piglet’s wedding and I thought that device worked really well, too. The constellation of relationships that Hazell builds around Piglet from the beginning felt immediately absorbing and I was invested in her connections to her friends and family. I also thought that Piglet’s issues with eating—she has what might be called a binge eating disorder—were handled very deftly; Hazell walks the line between showing Piglet’s disordered eating AND that, for her, food is sustaining and vital and central to who she is. By the last line, when she eats “until she was satisfied,” the reader is meant to understand that Piglet is working to find equilibrium in her relationship with food—and with herself. All of these elements came together in a mix that felt subtle, insightful, and poignant.

I also thought the plot of this book largely delivered, no small feat given how much anticipation Hazell builds up re: Piglet’s wedding. The conceit of the central narrative is simple. Thirteen days before their nuptials, Piglet’s fiancé, Kit, reveals that he has cheated on her throughout the whole of their relationship. Hazell is savvy enough to keep the nature of this cheating vague. We don’t even receive confirmation that it IS cheating that Kit unveils to Piglet, although it seems clear from context clues that that is, indeed, what he has done to so badly destabilize their relationship. Will Piglet, herself from a lower-middle-class background, wed the handsome, wealthy fiancé who has utterly betrayed her? The book is driven forward by this question. Particularly in light of Piglet’s class anxieties, it is a compelling question. Put another way, the book asks: what will she put up with to have a life that appears to surpass the horizons she grew up with? Piglet later describes this supposedly better life as one “that looked good rather than felt good” and the paradoxical appeal of such an existence will surely feel relatable to many readers. Nevertheless, Hazell does not idealize Piglet’s more modest upbringing in comparison to her shinier life with Kit. In a painful but realistic choice, Hazell shows how where Piglet comes from is, in many ways, nearly as flawed as where she is.

Weddings—bad and good—are both cliche and classic in literature and Hazell plays with that duality beautifully here. On one hand, Piglet is your classic marriage plot. On the other hand, her story also operates as a kind of urban legend. She is the friend of a friend whose fiancé reveals right before the wedding that he has done XYZ; the bride in a newspaper article who trashes her own wedding and then flees—she embodies a horror story of the middle-class, millennial wedding. The putative happiest day of Piglet’s life is transformed into an emotional, logistical, and physical nightmare. It’s a testament to Hazell’s writing that I wanted to see Piglet through this fever dream—especially when I knew it was coming. The fact that Hazell makes Piglet’s experience ultimately feel moving and real and not absurd is an achievement and shows the care with which she treats her protagonist.

While the core of this book was so well-crafted, there were times when either Hazell (or perhaps an editor!) do not seem to trust the reader to understand Piglet’s story. Each chapter ends with a few italicized sentences that attempt to sum up its emotional heart. These were such a defect in the story that, if I hadn’t otherwise loved the writing, I would have otherwise struggled to get over these bits. These italicized sentences almost feel like an author’s note-to-self that has been left in the text. Regardless of their intended purpose, these sentences suggest that the reader has not understood the chapter and needs to be spoon-fed the moral. It’s oddly 18th century and not in a good way! It gives the entire book a self-help cast that is otherwise not present. I also note that the last line of the book is not italicized and does not fall into the style of these other miniature conclusions. I think that’s telling as to the effectiveness of this device. If these sentences were deleted, the book would be a five-star read for me!

I just reviewed Piglet by Lottie Hazell. #NetGalley

I really enjoyed this book! I LOVED that she waited till her wedding day to tell THE WORLD what he did. 😂

3.5

Lottie Hazel is an awesome food writer- her descriptions of meals was what had me turning each page. I also really was rooting for Piglet. I think this story also excels at being a friendship story, which was the true love story of this book at the end of the day. I really rooted for the main character as well as, Margot any her sister Franny and could picture this being a tv show or movie.

I think the main drawback I had was I wish we could have gotten more time with the Main Character‘s motivations, I think having even more back story as well as insight into what the MC had going on next (post disaster) would have been nice and I think could have provided even more complexities into the relationships that were depicted.

This was a quick and ultimately satisfying reading experience! I don't love food descriptions (I'm vegan and it makes a lot of the content unappealing) and they were copious throughout, but there was food for thought as well! I really appreciated how it approached the subjects of societal pressure and the use of hunger as metaphor, which is a truth for many of us.
3.5

Piglet is a book unlike most I have read. It was a compelling adventure. Piglet, a pet name given to her by her parents, does over eat at times, many times…..but as I’ve gleaned, “it’s not what you’re eating but what’s eating you.’’ Piglet’s parents are good people but simple. They love their daughter but have contibiuated to her eating frenzies, in my opinion. They mean well and do compliment her but also put her down. They lack instinctive support that Piglet is ravenous to obtain, pun intended. It’s both a sad story and an enlightening story, as Piglet does ultimately subscribe to the adage, to thine own self be true. She is an exquisite cook and her dishes, as described, are mouth watering. She seeks kudos and recognition for her culinary endeavors, as a way to boost her self esteem. Unfortunately, a betrayal throws a real dagger into her heart and psyche. This disloyality causes an enormously uncontorlled eating frenzy. My impression is that she will survive. Very well written novel and a unique plot. Thank you NetGalley and Henry Holt and Company for sending this booking for review consideration. All opinions are my own. #Piglet, #NetGalley, #LottieHazell.

as women, the society we exist in refuses to accept that we want to have our cake, and eat it too. our title
character, piglet, is by all appearances a “successful” woman: she’s got a good job that she enjoys as a cookbook editor at a london publisher, two supportive close friends, despite their main focus being on one’s pregnancy, and a dapper loving fiancée, from a well off family that she begrudgingly gets along with. “piglet”, not her real name, is a caught on nickname given to her by her family, reflective of her love of food, meant in “good fun” but it’s deeper meaning becomes increasingly grating as it continues to affect her view of herself, and how much she’s “allowed” to want when she know she deserves more. piglet is two weeks out from her wedding, when suddenly her fiancée, kit, decides to uncover a secret he’s been keeping from her, revealing this duplicitous nature he’s been hiding away, giving piglet an impossible decision to make, of whether to continue on to get married after being lied to, while being given merely two weeks notice. feeling betrayed by her fiancée, unsupported by her pregnant best friend, and avoidant of her sister and her queries for money, piglet becomes deeply hungry, for support, for guidance, but most of all, for food. as things in her personal life quickly spiral out of control, and with no one to truly confide in, piglet relies on her dependent relationship with food to give her something to focus on; unable to satisfy her hunger for the life she always craved, she feeds a different hunger instead. her desperate attempts to fix everything that has been ruined, her suffocation of herself in order to retain a presence of steadiness, this incorrigible hunger she insistingly tries to quell, nothing filling the pit in her stomach; this drama plays out like a powerful symphony reaching its striking crescendo. reading this book gives you the feeling of being alone in a dressing room, sweating, crying, trapped in an outfit that you can’t get off, so stuck that you have convinced yourself you’ll be forced to buy this cage of a garment, have to walk out the dressing room in something that doesn’t fit, all eyes on you, wondering if everyone can tell you are holding your breath to keep the buttons clasped. it feels impossible to fit in the mold made for women in this world while also honoring our appetites, everyone wants us to have this relatable low maintenance appetite, we must stay small, consume only enough to be everything they want us to be, but not an ounce more. we constantly receive criticism on our bodies: you’re too small, eat a burger, you’re too big, go on a diet, not to mention endless comments on our hunger in terms of ambition and desire; when will it ever end? at what point can we begin to trust our own hunger? i think as women we have all been asked damaging questions about our hunger, whether it’s for food or otherwise; you’re going to eat all of that? how can you still be hungry? surely you’re not going to eat more? how can you still want more? it makes you feel as if the only acceptable hunger for a woman in this world is none at all. in piglet, we watch a woman figure out what she craves, what it means to truly honor this hunger, and turn towards what she finds out she needs to fully satisfied, the ingredients to the life she truly deserves. womanhood is it’s own breed of ravenousness, a begging to be fulfilled, and we are tired of being forced to stifle our hunger.

PIGLET is an absolutely captivating novel—I was hooked from start to finish! Piglet is completely content with her life. She holds a dream job as a cookbook editor at a publishing house in London, is happily engaged to handsome, accomplished Kit, has a great group of friends, and just moved into a beautiful new house. But when Kit admits to a shocking betrayal just days before the couple is supposed to be walking down the aisle, everything starts to fall apart. Piglet's life is full of everything she could ever want...but now she's hungry. At first, she's willing to keep up appearances, wrapped up in planning the wedding and clinging to a relationship that has now become a lie, but can you ever be satisfied when you know you deserve so much more? And when the wedding day arrives, what will Piglet choose?

I loved how character-driven this novel was! Piglet is a flawed, messy, complex protagonist, and I was so engaged in her journey and invested in her different relationships, even at times when I found her unlikable. I also thought the descriptions of food were so well-done and immersive, and really enjoyed Hazell's writing style in general. I understand why certain things weren't expanded on as completely as they could have been, and that some aspects of the plot should be somewhat open-ended, leaving readers thinking. However, at the same time, I wished Piglet's history with her eating disorder and how her upbringing shaped her relationship with food had been explored even more. I also wanted to know more about her relationship with Kit. Beyond finding out what he had done (which, admittedly, I was curious about, too!), I wished their relationship had a little more depth, and we got a little more insight into their dynamic and how their relationship got to where it was before the betrayal. Still, I thought PIGLET was a fantastic debut, and a compelling story I'm still thinking about even after turning the final page! I look forward to seeing what Lottie Hazell writes next. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

3.5 stars
This book was well written. It included some amazing food descriptions that honestly made my mouth water. That said, the book also left me with a lot of questions. That isn't always a bad thing, but when one of the major plot points was based on an unknown it made it hard to know what or who I was rooting for. At one point, I even went back and reread earlier chapters to make sure I wasn't missing vital information. 4 stars for writing style, 3 for plot.
Thank you for the ARC.

this book was absolutely incredible. i can’t believe this is hazell’s first novel.
the language hazell used was sharp and to the point, and so intense that at times i was viscerally uncomfortable (in a good way lol). something that i especially liked was how she emphasized how piglet was, at all times, hyper aware of her own body.
piglet and margot’s relationship was also a really beautiful part of the story.
overall this has been one of my favorite reads of the year and i can’t wait for it to release so i can make everyone read it :)

Piglet is getting married soon, and nothing can stop her impending nuptials. Not even when her husband-to-be comes clean with something she never thought she’d hear thirteen days before the big event.

One to follow the rules and have everything laid out perfectly for her, Piglet is shaken to the core. But trying to cover up her unhappiness with her seemingly perfect domestic life, Piglet needs some time alone to gather herself, process her emotions, and continue on with the wedding.

This novel was a curious one. I’m not sure if I loved it or hated it. The characters were questionable in their actions and dialogue. They didn’t come off as genuine but rather self-absorbed and a bit shallow. Piglet definitely has some layers that I would have liked to explore more, but she withheld a lot from her family and even herself.

Overall this was a quick read. Not what I was expecting, but good nonetheless.

The publisher provided ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

DO NOT READ THIS AS A 5 STAR REVIEW. This was sent by error for a different book.

Piglet, in a generous mood would earn 2 Stars. It's one of the strangest novels I've ever read. If you think a book about gorging on food is erotic, perhaps you would like this one. The only stars here are for some lovely cooking writing. The story, NO.

Piglet is a thirty-ish food book editor and compulsive eater. She is to be married to Kit, with whom she has bought a house. Kit confesses to something which makes Piglet rethink the entire relationship, What it is, we never find out. Give me a break.

I am regretful that I requested this book and that I even finished it. Sorry to author and publisher and thanks anyway for the ARC.

I thought this book was a pretty good character study, with horrible family relationships and food at the core of the story. The book becomes somewhat mired in emotion and triviality in the middle and end though, which caused me to lose interest a little. Piglet is an interesting character however.

This book is different from anything I've ever read. The descriptions of food and recipes are beautiful until they turn to disgust in a very intentional way. Content warnings abound for anyone with food concerns but if you grew up in a family where your weight was a disappointment for others, there's something about seeing that experience on the page that will make you feel seen. Everything feels designed to illicit a reaction from the reader - from the title to the character's decisions throughout. I spent most of the book thinking this would be a 5 star read for me - but there's some serious ambiguity in the plot that left me unsatisfied in the end.

pretty good? the food descriptions are far and away the best part. the prose aside from that is a little lackluster, hamfisted at times, but the characters are well-developed and nuanced. there are these weird italicized portions at the end of every chapter hinting at things to come or revealing major plot points which i don’t get all; they’re usually overdramatic and jarring, and i don’t see why they weren’t just incorporated into the rest of the writing. also, from the description, i was expecting piglet’s “hunger” to be more… unsettling? or more important. like she just eats a lot of food at a couple restaurants, when i was hoping for something more interesting like eating hair or paper or dirt or something. it’s really just an average contemporary novel about the dissolution of a relationship and a woman uncomfortable in her own skin, not the mona-awad-ottessa-moshfegh-thriller i was looking for.

There's some strong and engaging writing here, but Piglet suffers from an identity crisis - is it a satire about the insane pressures that come with a wedding? An exploration of eating disorders? A relationship drama? Most of the time it's a mixture of all of the above, which is fine - it just feels a bit imbalanced. Piglet is also not the most sympathetic character and sometimes I got a little bored (and hungry) with the endless descriptions of food preparation. I also felt like certain parts of the story, like the origins of her eating disorder and her fiancé's transgression, just weren't explored in a totally satisfying way. Gripes aside, it's promising work and there's definitely an audience for it.

Piglet

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

This was an unusual book, to say the very least, about a woman with a severe eating disorder. She never feels satiated, and when she feels even a tiny amount of stress, she feels a need to overeat to a massive degree.

This is one talented author, as I cannot imagine another writer keeping a reader engaged throughout this entire story.

The problem I found with this novel is there was never anything beyond the merest hint, to indicate what caused the main character's extreme eating disorder. You had an idea that it developed in her childhood, but one isolated event would not have created this character.

What type of people would call their child Piglet or Pig throughout her entire life? That is perhaps, one of the story's most telling clues that this illness developed during the main character's childhood.

Additionally, the main character is engaged to a man who confesses a secret to her - well, I was sure this secret would at some point be revealed in the story, but...

Lastly, there is a small indication, during the last one-percent of the book, that "Piglet" might have started caring about herself to some degree, however I feel that books of this type need to be more evenly written, and part of the book addresses an illness (and in illnesses of this type, typically you are provided with a reason for the illness) and then ideally, there is some type of recovery, however this novel is almost exclusively about someone who overeats to an almost unimaginable degree, and that is about all this book describes, her either actively overeating, or about the main character thinking about overeating.

There is no "recovery" in this story, just a mere twinkle of an idea that perhaps she finally cares about herself enough to at least ATTEMPT to get help for her illness, which leaves the novel unbalanced.

As mentioned earlier, this book is well-written, and it "holds" your attention. I would gladly read future books written by this author, however this one fell a bit short of the mark usefor me, due to all the reasons stated within this review.

Until next time ...

The Piglet of the title is a woman nearing her wedding day, and beginning to doubt everything she shows about herself and her fiancé. The prose is compelling, but the story is not as gripping as it could be because the characters lack depth, and are mostly unlikeable. The descriptions of food are delicious, and there are parts of the book that feel edgy and real, and parts that feel like old cliches, so there is an unevenness that slows down the story’s intended moments of outrage and shame. The book takes on some big questions about secrets and lies, about how well we know our partners, about family, and fidelity, and hungers that can’t quite be quieted, but like the character of the title, I was left feeling not quite satisfied at the end of this promising but not-quite-there-yet novel.

Okay I tried. But very quickly I found myself irritated by Piglet and her condescending self-righteousness and superiority... I realize that is the point of her. The author did not hide the eight ball here - it is right there in the blurb. But for some reason I thought it would be snarky and entertaining, and instead I felt like I was being judged wanting. While this visceral response is clearly a testament to Hazell's writing skills, it didn't make for a very enjoyable read - a feeling that only strengthened as the book went on to the point that I finally set it down for good because of the feeling. This was not a good fit for me....