Less than two weeks before their meticulously planned, elaborate wedding, Piglet’s fiancé confesses a betrayal and, having put so much effort into the wedding, a new home, her whole carefully constructed life, she doesn’t know how to respond. Instead of reacting as one might expect, she continues on autopilot, becoming increasingly undone as the wedding day nears. What I found compelling about her unravelling is that she finds comfort in food. Lots of food. The complicated relationship many women have with food is a topic not often explored. There’s a line towards the end of the book when Piglet compares her fiancé’s indulgence in pleasures of the flesh to her indulgence in culinary pleasures, and I loved it. I’m a stress eater, so I related to Piglet’s stress response (although hers was pretty extreme!). Ultimately, this is a book about family and finding oneself. I look forward to more books from this debut novelist.

I had high hopes for this one. Unfortunately, I was disappointed. I didn't like any of the characters, especially Piglet. The book had a clever premise and it was well written. I enjoyed all the food scenes. The narration gets an A +

“Such a special day.”

Piglet is an offbeat novel that marks the debut of author Lottie Hazell. The protagonist is a young woman named Pippa, but everyone calls her Piglet. This author has me before I open the book, because with a nickname like this, I have to see what’s behind it, and where it’s going. My thanks go to NetGalley and Henry Holt for the review copy; this book is available to the public now.

Piglet lives in London, far from the working class area where she was raised, and where the rest of her family still resides. She’s a cookbook editor for a publishing company, is engaged to marry Kit, who is handsome and comes from a well to do family, and they have recently purchased a gorgeous home. Her star is clearly rising.

It’s a tightrope walk, to be certain. People with money have expectations, and so it’s not easy for Piglet to advocate for herself in the presence of his family. But she genuinely likes them, and so she works with them—which generally means that they get their way. Her own family mildly embarrass her when the two families meet, but her folks won’t often cross paths with these people once she and Kit are wed.
Then, two weeks before the wedding, Kit confesses a terrible, terrible betrayal, and Piglet has to decide whether she is in or out. As she unravels, I watch in horror. Piglet, you see, is an emotional eater.

In many ways, Piglet is the protagonist I have been wanting to read all my life. So often female main characters respond to stress by not eating. The lesser characters around them cluck over how pale, how thin they’ve become, and I sit back on my ample behind and say, “Yeah, right.”

But Piglet’s stress eating is epic in scope, and I also worry that the resolution will involve therapy, a new diet and a wedding gown in a size smaller than anything she’s ever owned. And since this much comes from my own imaginings rather than the book, I’ll go ahead and tell you, no. That doesn’t happen, and I am so grateful.

For most of this novel, I feel an intimacy with the protagonist that is rare. I can’t wait to find out what happens next, but I also can’t tolerate interruptions, and so I choose my reading sessions carefully. I am fortunate enough to receive both the digital review copy and the audio galley, and at the outset, I do what is my usual routine in such circumstances, listening to it while I am doing something else, but with the DRC nearby so that I can make notes or highlight likely passages for quotes. But by the time I am about thirty percent in, that’s over, and instead I am listening while reading also, because how can I think of anything else?

There are two things that I am dying to know. First, does she stay with Kit? And more importantly, what terrible thing did he do? Piglet keeps this information close to her vest, but the few people she tells are uniformly horrified, and so I know it’s bad. But what is it? Just what the hell did he do?

The ending feels incomplete to me. There are so many things that Hazell could have done and didn’t that I am disappointed by what feels like a slightly bland resolution. This is a good book, but it could have been a great one.

Hazell’s word smithery skills are stellar, and when I was done, I found I’d highlighted over 150 passages. Obviously, I won’t use them all here. Most of the novel’s tone is quite serious, but there are a few moments of dark humor that leave me shaking my head in admiration. In particular, there’s a wedding photographer that makes me howl!

The narrator is outstanding.

One way or another, Lottie Hazell is an author to watch. I look forward to seeing what she produces next.

A promising debut for Hazell, Piglet (you find out her real name at the very end) thinks she has it all - good friends, a job as a cookbook editor that she loves, and a rich, handsome fiance. When that fiance confesses to a dark secret (we can only guess what it is for a while, but it isn't a hard thing to guess) 13 days before the wedding, it throws Piglet for a loop and leads her to try and fill her new void with food. I did enjoy getting to know Piglet and her family and friends, though I did also find myself detaching from the story as it went along. Piglet's is not the only story in the book that revolves around an eating disorder, I wanted Piglet to be a stronger person based on the foundation she built herself going back to the reason that she got her nickname and that reason made me sad for the way that she handled her foundation cracking. I definitely found Hazell to be a lovely writer and look forward to what she does next! Thank you to Macmillan and NetGalley for the early listen in exchange for my honest opinion.

Piglet by Lottie Hazell

Thank you so much NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC and the chance to review it honestly.

Blurb:
An elegant, razor-sharp debut about women’s ambitions and appetites- and the truth about having it all.

My thoughts:
I totally requested this ALC because the cover art made me hungry and I thought it was beautiful. Then I listened to the audiobook and ordered a hardcover to keep on my shelves forever through Aardvark book club because I loved it. This Book is different. The kind of different I really enjoy and sticks with me. The story is so well written and narrated, if you couldn’t already guess since I purchased a copy! It’s full of drama and relatable life happenings to keep you engaged in this story. Piglet’s obsession with food is a metaphor and I felt like it rounded out the story nicely. Oh! And there a major deceit that happened but it’s never really revealed, however, it’s easy to read between the lines. But really back to the food… the book really stood out for me by how the food was seamlessly integrated into telling Piglet’s story and it really made me want to eat! As always, my reviewers focus mostly on how the book made me feel and I enjoyed this one a lot! I recommend reading or listening to this book!

Happy reading

"She was proud, in a way, that she could still smile as the delicious life she had been savoring turned maggoty in her mouth"

Sorry not sorry for the food pun, but I ate this book up. Piglet immediately sucked me in and I ended up finishing this in one setting. The story was engaging, full of unlikeable characters and the taunt of a reveal I kept hoping for.

While she has never managed to outgrow her childhood nickname, Piglet is doing pretty well for herself. Her life has become fully intertwined with Kit, her handsome and rich fianceé. However, not everything is as perfect as it seems. Kit levels her with a huge secret (just months after they've bought a house together and only 13 days before their wedding), and Piglet is left reeling and unsure of what to do. As she pretends that everything is fine and moves along with the wedding plans, we see her begin to completely spiral.

I read this via audiobook and would highly recommend consuming in the same way. Piglet is full of rich descriptions of food and there was something so pleasing about having them read to me. The narrator's voice was very calming, even as the tension picked up in the final act and Piglet fully loses control.

Thank you to Macmillan audio and NetGalley for a review copy. I will definitely read from this author again.

First of all, this book was SO British. Like, I can’t find a better way to describe it but it was so completely, entirely British.

I think the writing was gripping and the story flowed well, at parts there were times I did not want to pause the audiobook (The morning of the wedding? My god) for there was simply too much going on for me to stop. Piglet is trapped in a life she built for herself - and she’s hungry for more.

Overall, I wouldn’t say I liked any of the characters but the author did a fantastic job of making sure I didn’t - I could tell everyone was crafted with care and Piglet’s backstory was well developed for me to better understand why she is the way she is in present day. To be honest, the writing was so visceral that I got literal second hand embarrassment for her at some points (the restaurant, the dress..). Not a lot of books can pull a physical reaction out of you like that, so cheers to Hazell’s debut!

None of the food descriptions were appealing to me, personally? It didn’t make me hungry but more made me want to gag, as Piglet’s over gluttonous attitude towards food was just a scream for help or an act of desperation for control. I would say there should definitely be a trigger warning for disordered eating, and by the premise/cover alone (That burger cover is so chef’s kiss, literally) it’s obvious food is central to this narrative, so please be mindful going into this!

My final thought: none of the characters were likable, it was honestly difficult to empathize for Piglet (our main character.. the fact that she allows people to call her Piglet? Moving on), and the food/cooking scenes were borderline too descriptive for me - this was all done very purposefully, and that deserves 4 stars from me even if this didn’t personally satisfy me.

Thank you to NetGalley, Henry Holt and Co, and MacMillan Audio for both the e-arc and audiobook arc in exchange for my honest opinions.

“But her wants her desires, she had come to realize, were untrustworthy allies”

This book really surprised me with how wonderful it is. The plot is very simple but the detail and depth of the main character is truly incredible. I've never read a book that is able to capture the sensation of disassociating and disconnecting from your body as well as this one does.
The book deals with ideas of romantic relationships, eating disorders, friendships, and how to support people you love when they are making choices that aren't good for them. Individually those concepts are hard to do correctly but Lottie Hazell is able to combine them and tell a story that is so powerful and easy to connect to. The visuals in this book are also incredible, the author spends a lot of time detailing the food and cooking in both repulsive and alluring ways. I will be thinking about this book for a long time.
This is a great read for book clubs; between the food, the relationships, and a secret that leaves you speculating this book does not lack talking points.
I highly recommend the audiobook, Rebekah Hinds does a wonderful job reading. Her gorgeous British accent is addicting to listen to.

Well. That was something.

Essentially this is a book about a woman careening headlong into a marriage she doesn’t really want while coping with food.

I mean really even before the thing (which is never named but I assume was an affair/one night stand) is confessed to Piglet barely seems to be able to stand her fiancé.

Through lavish descriptions of food, incisive commentary, and an increasingly spiraling protagonist, Piglet recounts the story of a young woman on track to have it all—a perfect marriage, a career promotion, and support from close friends. Her life is interrupted when her fiancé's reveals a long-held secret that threatens to ruin everything.

This book is absolutely perfect—I can't believe it's a debut. The language is so careful and well-crafted, I regularly had to put it down just to think through what I'd read. I'm so glad I picked it up—I'll be reading everything this author writes.

Piglet was an interesting listen as it differed greatly from my typical choices. The tale of one woman's journey of finding herself and what makes her happy is a bit melancholic. The book left many of the issues up to the reader/listener's interpretation, which kept the story interesting.

I adored this book. The story revolves around Piglet, and how the relationships she has with food and the people around her affect her in her darkest times. I think this novel is absolutely stunning. I felt that Piglet is so relatable, not only with how she uses food to appease her feelings, but how she tends to lose herself in her relationships. I wish I could read this book for the first time again. Absolutely beautiful.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this audiobook!

This is such an interesting read!

This story is about a woman that is "losing it", Sometimes that storyline can be repetitive. In the early stages of the book, we find that her fiance has done something to betray her. Probably cheating i am certain. Even though we know that she knows she doesnt want to be with him i feel that she is hurt by the betrayal.

I feel that the whole book is about her trying to avoid the betrayal and not wanting things to change. I feel that the character of piglet should have stopped the wedding because this would have added to her character. Just my Opinion.

Not going to lie, I sometimes judge a book by the cover. And this one had what appears to be a Big Mac so I requested it.

I have finished this one and I'm still not really sure how to rate it. I struggled a bit with this one. the nickname Piglet really didn't sit well with me and the fact that they used it throughout her life.

I disliked pretty much all the characters. I think I know where the author was trying to go with this, but I think it just wasn't for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for an ALC in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars.
My heart breaks for our heroine - that horrible nick name for starters, that her clueless family gave her and maintained all through her life. Her fiancé's betrayal and the ghastly in-laws who protected their golden boy. I'm so happy that she had good, supportive friends!
Hats off to Lottie Hazell for writing a story that made me feel so strongly for the main character, even if my feelings were rage and hurt!

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

I think I liked this? It was cringy, often, not in a funny way but in a devastating way. At some moments, perhaps a little over the top?


Review copy provided by publisher.

Piglet has a wonderful façade of having it all, a well paying job that taken her out of her Midlands hometown, a beautiful new house, and very handsome and wealthy fiancé. But even in the opening scene of the book, we see her life is askew. Her fiancé reveals a wicked secret that she is unable to deal with and it bubbles up and eventually takes her over.

Perhaps it’s the postal code that gives her this air of snobbery but she’s constantly comparing her own family to her fiancé‘s family: Barbour wearing, pearl clutching, house south of France owning, upper middle class types in Summertown. I don’t know all the British politics of it all Midlands versus Oxford, but I do know the audiobook was read by someone with a Darby accent, maybe to give Piglet a sense of home outside the pages.

Piglet seems to be an unwelcome nickname given to her when she was prepubescent, she downplay the effects of how this has made her feel and it’s really only her best friend Margo, who calls her by her birth name. Her acceptance of this nickname is one of many ways Piglet tries to desperately to people please and in turn she is taken advantage of. No one hesitates or asks Piglet if something would be an inconvenience for her.

I really liked this novel I was kind of expecting maybe more unhinged behaviour as that’s what I would have done! Poor piglet! Absolutely a great read, and thank you NetGalley for this ARC audiobook.

This is an addictive novel, one where you are hooked from the beginning to understand the edible payoff of this curious little novel. The way that gluttony becomes a proxy for filling any void in Piglet's life is clever (though I'm not sure how I felt about it as it relates to chronic overeaters who suffer from weight gain, as Piglet is shamed for this in her story). The novel had incredible, vivid imagery, and the ways that we could see how eve the smallest moments of Piglet's life contribute to her downfall is engaging. The finale scene is really special. But I'm not sure I ever *loved* this story, and not sure I ever connected with the reasons why Piglet decided to go down the food route. It's a vivid and visceral novel, but one that still left me a bit hungry.

2.5 rounded up 4 stars for the reader of the audiobook.
If this was just a novel about someone who enjoy eating and making food, I would have rated it higher. But it wasn't. It was a novel with a secret, that we never learn. Never. And a woman who choses the path where said unknown secret doesn't cause her to change her desire to marry the person who told her the secret. Well, it couldn't be that bad if she still wants to marry, right? But why should the reader have to assume it is bad. Tell us, don't make us suffer. And send me food, I'm hangry now!
Thanks NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an ARC version of the audiobook.

I loved this one. I alternated between reading the egalley and listening to the audiobook. I was immediately caught up in the narrative, and the audio version artfully captured the mood and characterizations. My heart broke for Piglet as I read, and by the end, I was utterly invested in her story. Highly recommended for literary fiction fans.