This is my first read of 2025 and what a fantastic way to begin the year!

The majority of this novel is set during 1938 in Thornleigh Hall, a deteriorating manor house in Oxfordshire. The house is the home of the dysfunctional Claybourne family. The second timeline is set in the year 1999 with Gillian Larkin now elderly, as she returns to Thornleigh Hall after sixty years.

Quiet and bookish, teenage Gillian Larkin attends a boarding school in England whilst her father and his new family reside in Egypt. Alone and adrift, she is delighted to have a new roommate, Violet Claybourne. Violet is ‘different’. One minute she is talkative and a risk taker, the next moment she is anxious and emotionally vulnerable. She does little ‘rituals’ which she calls her ‘undoings’. These present as counting on her fingers, rapping a door three times before she opens it, etc., all markers of someone who has OCD. In Violet’s case the OCD was a result of a traumatic incident.

When Violet invites Gillian to Thornleigh Hall for the Christmas break, she accepts with delight. She is eager to meet Violet’s two older sisters. Sisters are something that Gillian has always coveted in her lonely status as an only child.

The visit to Thornleigh Hall is marred by a very traumatic accident which spurs a tragic chain of events. The accident is the dividing point in Gillian’s life. Everything is either before OR after Thornleigh Hall…

I was riveted throughout this novel. The Claybournes were an eccentric lot, and their family dynamic was dysfunctional. Due to the matriarch’s obsession with ‘appearances’, the family hid all their ‘dirty laundry’ and the secrecy that entailed caused them to be riddled with guilt and anxiety. The secrets they held created many unsavoury repercussions over the years.

Written with rich characterization, this novel made you really feel for the characters. They were not all likeable, in fact most of them were quite unlikeable. They were however, very fascinating in a dark and damaged kind of way.

With themes of betrayal, cover-ups, gas-lighting, and atonement, this novel had a slightly gothic vibe. An historical, twisty, psychological thriller that kept me enthralled. A book which highlighted how horribly people with mental health issues were treated in the not so distant past. A book of manipulation and the self-absorption of the rich and privileged upper classes. A novel that emphasizes how outward appearances can deceive the unwary.

I enjoyed every page of this novel and will not hesitate to recommend it to anyone who will listen.

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

The Undoing of Violet Claybourne was the best book to end 2024 and start into 2025 with! This book was dark and atmospheric, and I loved exploring Thornleigh Hall with the main protagonist, Gillian (Gilly). I love gothic feels in books, and this was oozing them.
Gilly is away at boarding school in the UK, and her expat father lives in Egypt with her new stepmother and baby stepbrother. Gilly is just ploughing through school as she knows when she leaves, she's mist likely going to have to stand on her own too feet. When her new roommate Violet Claybourne begins at the school, Gillys life is made more fun and exciting and opens the door to a more privileged future when she goes to stay at Violets home Thornleigh Hall. Gilly meets Violets two older sisters and is drawn to them both and longs to be accepted by them like a sister. When they seem to be taking her into the fold and Violet becomes jealous, Gilly feels torn but sways more in favour of the sisters' attention than Violets. When a tragedy occurs and the girls are thrown into a situation that could ruin their lives, Violet becomes the scapegoat, and the trio slowly destroy her already fragile mental state...
This was a dual timeline read (mostly set in the past as events unfolded), and I felt a rollercoaster of emotions reading this. This highlights the social classes back in the 1930s and how mental health was seen and handled in those days. I felt every emotion I could possibly feel reading this book and my heart broke a few times for poor Violet.The twists within the book that unfold towards the end were a complete curve ball and I couldn't read the ending fast enough. You definitely don't want to miss this page-turner!

The Undoing of Violet Clybourne by Emily Critchley is a story about belonging. Young Gillian Larking has never felt like she fits in anywhere. Her mom died giving birth to her, and her father sent her away to boarding school at just nine years old to start a new family.

Gillian longs for a friend, someone she can care about and someone who will return that affection. She finds it in her new roommate, Violet. Violet is the youngest of three sisters and appears to live a life Gilly has only dreamed of. When Violet invites her to spend Christmas at Thornleigh Hall, Gilly can’t wait to be a part of what she imagines will be an idyllic holiday; she especially can’t wait to meet Violet’s older sisters, Emmeline and Laura.

That excitement fades when the family is faced with a Boxing Day tragedy. Gillian is torn between her newfound loyalty to the Clybourne sisters and telling the truth about what she knows. Little does she realize that the decisions she makes will have lifelong reverberations for everyone involved.

I wanted to love this story. It has a dark, gothic vibe, and Critchley does an excellent job of showing readers the way so many high-class families of the time were living an illusion. I also appreciated how she was able to weave in the impact of the Great War on several of the male characters. The problem comes in with the characterization of Gilly and Violet’s sisters. While readers can sympathize with some of their struggles, that sympathy isn’t enough to make you like any of them. While I’ve read plenty of stories with irredeemable characters, I don’t think it works to have Gilly, who seems to be the central character of the story despite the book’s title, never really grow or change.

Thanks to Net-galley and Landmark for an ARC of this story in exchange for my honest review.

4 🌟

A gothic & twisty family drama, told from an outsider's perspective - a girl who just wants to be a part of it all.

Upon meeting the Claybourne sisters, you think - well, Emmeline is aloof, Laura is carefree, and Violet is quirky. The first half of the book sets up the atmosphere quite well, with the main setting being a crumbling old family estate. I can't resist a book that takes place in an old house. Gillian, our protagonist, can't resist the allure of old money either.

Part 2 is where the book really starts to shine, as the story turns from youthful friendship and the desire to belong to a heartbreaking tale of a girl being manipulated by her only friend and the sisters who should be looking out for her. Emmeline isn't just aloof, she's ruthless. Laura isn't carefree, she's feckless. Violet isn't just quirky, she's a victim. And Gillian might be the world's worst friend.

I really enjoyed this one and simply couldn't put it down. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

Thank you to Sourcebooks for an early electronic copy. All opinions are my own.

The Undoing of Violet Claybourne follows personal ambition at the cost of your own sister's mental health. Granted in the 1920-30's, mental health wasn't a thing, especially for a woman. Histrionics were mostly attributed to female woes of all sorts. In the case of Violet Claybourne, she has coping mechanisms, or modern-day tics, that she uses as undoings. Her mind has her convinced if she were to perform these movements, touches, etc., it will stave off an impending disaster of some sort.

When Violet, who comes from some money, meets a new roommate at their boarding school, the girls become fast friends. Violet then asks Gilly to come home for the holidays with her. Gilly excited to be around the type of people she herself wants to become, is excited to go. There she is accepted by Violet's sisters and parents. When a tragedy unfolds, it is to Gilly the sisters turn as a way of deflecting the blame. Another tragedy is Gilly deciding to side with the sisters. At that point, Violet is left to suffer consequences and a complete breakdown.

Mining the relationships between sisters and friends and expectations of family is deftly explored throughout the story. There is a crime and its consequences play out in multiple and fascinating ways. The sisters are self-absorbed as often the privileged are with the exception of Violet. Though many things are brought to light toward the ending, I still wasn't able to feel any empathy toward the older sisters and barely any for Gilly.

It was nice to see Karma have her way.

Set in 1938, two girls become fast friends at boarding school. Violet is a quirky girl and she and Gilly are roommates who grow close. Violet invites Gilly home for Christmas vacation. Gilly, who has a dead mother and absent father, is excited to meet the two older sisters she keeps hearing about. They arrive at Thornleigh Hall and Gilly thinks the falling down mansion is a fairy tale place. She does not notice the shabbiness of it all. The family is concerned with with marrying off the older daughters well to ensure the future of their home and daughters, so reputation is everything.
In no time at all Gilly switches her loyalty from Violet to her sisters and there are secrets, tragedies, and end results that are completely unexpected. While the bulk of the action takes place over this one Christmas, we do get to see years down the road and how the events of Christmas 1938 affected all involved.
There were many surprises in this story and it was a page turner. I had expected it to be more historical though really just the setting was. That did not take from my enjoyment of the story however. The cover is gorgeous and the story was intriguing. Thank you to NetGalley for providing me the ebook in exchange for an honest review. 4.5 Star.

This was a wonderful debut book. It was well written with a good pace and a gothic vibe that I absolutely loved. It’s definitely more of a thriller/ suspense book which was great because it kept me on my toes and interested in what was going to happen. I enjoyed the twists and turns and how the characters interacted and grew. There are so many secrets and things unfolding that I was kept intrigued all the way to the end of the book

I loved this book so much! I haven’t shut up about it since finishing it. A wild ride of a book that was perfect and disturbing.

#theundoingofvioletclaybourne is an intriguing read. i can't and won't say i enjoyed it, b/c honestly, the amount of gaslighting and manipulation that occurs is painful and over the top. AND...later in the story, a little unbelievable. none of the characters are likable, and some are even despicable! it's been a minute since i've felt so strongly about characters, and perhaps that says something; thus, my 4 stars. bonus points for the terrific cover.

p. s. thanks to #netgalley for the ARC.

The Undoing of Violet Claybourne
by Emily Critchley
Pub Date: Mar 04 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

1938. Gillian Larking, lonely and away at boarding school, is used to going unnoticed. But then she meets Violet Claybourne, her vibrant roommate who takes Gilly under her wing. Violet is unlike anyone Gilly has ever met, and she regales Gilly with tales of her grand family estate and her two elegant sisters. Gilly is soon entranced by stories of the Claybournes, so when Violet invites Gilly to meet her family at Thornleigh Hall, she can't believe her luck.

But Gilly soon finds that behind the grand façade of Thornleigh Hall, darkness lurks.

Dazzled by the crumbling manor and Violet's enigmatic sisters, Gilly settles into the estate. But when a horrible accident strikes on the grounds, she is ensnared in a web of the sisters' making, forced to make a choice that will change the course of her life forever. Because the Claybournes girls know how to keep secrets, even at the cost of one of their own.

An unforgettable story full of prose and writing that will grip you. Tangles layers of friendship, family, wealth, and mental health.

Really good intense bleak book! Highly recommend this novel for all collections. The characters were so dark, many twists and turns, it ends with an unexpected bang. Part literary, gothic, and historical fiction. This will appeal to many readers.

The Undoing of Violet Claybourne is a suspense thriller bordering on gothic historical. Every character has a secret. Special thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Omg I hated basically everyone in this book except for Violet and some of the side characters. I was so angry at the characters that I almost gave up on the book for the sake of my mental health. I know it's a fictional book, but this is a very real scenario that has happened. Maybe not the exact details, obviously, but omg, I got so mad. Obviously can't go into details, since that is spoilers.

Violet clearly has a form of OCD, although that isn't something that had a diagnosis in the 1930s. As this isn't something that I have, I can't say exactly how the symptoms lined up with real life, but it would be great to hear the perspective of someone who does.

One major point. This is not a mystery. This is a suspense novel. Kind of gothic, mix between thriller and suspense. There is no mystery in it. The only mystery is the suspense in what is going to happen next. And why are these characters so awful?

I am so glad to be done with this book. The only problem is, I know it's is going to bother me for years to come. I am going to go into rants about it every once in awhile to people who have never read the book about how horrible the characters are. So even though I gave it a three star rating, the case could be made for a higher rating just because of that.

Thanks to NetGalley for the free kindle book. My review is voluntarily given and my opinions are my own.

I am very appreciative of the complimentary digital Arc that I received from Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley. This opinion is my own. Gillian and Violet meet at boarding school, become roommates and best friends. Gillian has no friends in the area, her father and his new family are in a different country and school holidays are spent with her aunt, a penny-pinching spinster. As Christmas comes around, Violet invites Gillian to her house for the holiday term. Gillian is very happy to be brought into Violet's family. Her mother and father, standoffish and with plans of their own, do not take an active part in the holidays but, no matter, Violet's sisters are loads of fun. As Gillian forms a girl crush on the sisters, she is ready to leave Violet behind. Twisted and treacherous, an old aristocratic family with all their secrets, this is a book that I really enjoyed. Three and 1/2 stars, rounded up to four because I felt the book could have been shortened a bit. After awhile the treachery of the girls became redundant.

This was an awesome read. The narration and word building was so powerful I actually felt being in that medieval era with woods around a manor. The clarity with which Claybourne family was described like the characters, their emotions, the relationship between the sisters and their parents, the staff - all was so good. I found the length a bit more at some point but not a single minute where I got bored while reading. There was this intrigue and mystical feature all the time, like some underlying suspense which made the reading more fast paced since it was unable to keep the book down. And my god, the twist at the end was totally unexpected. I did not expect that story could take such a turn. The plot runs through decades and you could see the way characters developed. I absolutely loved reading this and would recommend this to all.

Thanks @bookmarked and @netgalley for sharing the DRC in exchange of honest review.

Set in 1938 this is a story of two young girls, Gillian and Violet, who meet at an English boarding school. Gillian was sent there after her mother died and her father remarried. Although she wants to fit in with the girls at school she is quiet, shy and often overlooked. Then Violet shows up at school and becomes Gillian’s new roommate. Quirky Violet is hard to overlook and plagued with obsessive compulsive tendencies. Gillian is captivated by the stories Violet tells about her family and especially her two older sisters and so delighted when Violet invites her to come home with her for Christmas holiday.
Violet’s family home, Thornleigh Hall, is a once grand English manor falling into disrepair. I love this setting! It is very atmospheric: cold grey days, stark winter landscape, a dark lake and the house itself. Marred by a fire and the dwindling funds to care for such a home, Thornleigh oozes a sense of impending doom, but to Gillian it all still seems rather fabulous. The cast of characters is no less enthralling. Violet’s two older sisters are worldly and beautiful, her father an old war hero now softened and subdued, her mother wanting to keep up appearances and find a good match for her oldest daughter. Then there are the various staff, little Robin, and a lone tenant who lives in a small cottage on the property.
Gillian is starstruck by Violet’s sisters and she is soon drawn into the dark family drama. After a tragic accident her loyalty to her friend Violet is twisted and broken and their lives are changed forever!
I especially enjoyed the gothic feel of this story, the once grand family and home whose gilded finish is chipping away, and the psychological turmoil the characters experience as the story winds its way to the finish.

Oh wow, how to describe this novel? The Undoing of Violet Claybourne appears on the surface to be a book about two roommates. Gilly is enchanted by her roommate, Violet and the stories she tells about her home and family. Naturally she jumps at the chance to spend the holidays with them.

Then tragedy strikes during the visit and everything spirals out of control from there. Everyone has a story, everyone has their own intentions. The story spans a lifetime of regret, betrayal, friendship, debts. This book is absolutely FULL of secrets that I did not see coming!! It’s perfect for a book club!

I loved One Puzzling Afternoon (still horribly underrated)—DO NOT sleep on The Undoing of Violet Claybourne. It would be absolutely criminal for this book not to get the readers it so richly deserves.

I would like to extend my gratitude to Sourcebooks Landmark, Emily Critchley, and NetGalley for allowing me to read this story

This book drew me in right away. Quiet Gillian befriends outgoing Violet at school and is invited to spend the holidays with Violet's family at the family estate, Thornleigh Hall. Gillian at once admires Violet's older sisters and wants to be liked & accepted by them. Tragedy strikes one morning and suddenly Gillian feels a kinship with the sisters. Yet this relationship with the older sisters hinders her friendship with Violet eventually causing a rift in the friendship. Gillian leaves Thornleigh Hall hoping to put it in her past. More tragedies happen amongst Clayborne sisters and there is no peace for Gillian as she lives the remainder her life with the secret of what really happened that winter morning at Thornleigh Hall. I eagerly continued reading to the end of the book hoping for redemption, apologies and forgiveness. There was none and the ending was a completely unexpected surprise. I do believe this book would be a good book club read! Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Gilly was living a lonely, boring life at boarding school until Violet came along and brightened it up. Violet’s tales of her sisters and her home Thornleigh Hall feed Gilly’s desire for a family to love and to find a confidence that had been lacking. So when Gilly has the opportunity to spend Christmas with the family she jumps all in and embraces all that sisters Laura and Emmeline’s have to offer. Unfortunately at the expense of Violet.
I wouldn’t call this a gothic thriller. There was no foreboding, no darkness and sense of horror at every page. It was more Downtown Abbey than Jane Eyre. The richness of the writing was a treat and I was drawn into the story. There was plenty of darkness in the characters and that came out when the unthinkable happened. I could see where the storyline was taking me but it didn’t detract. I thought the author was sensitive and realistic with Violet’s personality and mannerisms.
A really good read and the cover is gorgeous.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC