Another fabulous read by Samantha Tongue, which I couldn't put down! Make sure you have tissues for this one!
The main character is Violet, whose life has been turned upside down with her boyfriend Lenny cheating on her and how her new friend Bella helps her get the life she thinks she wants.
The book flits between Violets childhood and her life now. The storytelling is powerful and thought-provoking and will make you be grateful for those real friends in your life! Thank you, @NetGalley_UK and @BoldwoodBooks, for this advance copy. It's definitely a book I won't be forgetting anytime soon!

If You Could See Me Now by Samantha Longe.

I’ll admit, majority of the storyline is pretty standard and nothing wild. But the themes of mental illness, eating disorders, bullying and trauma from real-life events we have witnessed in the past actually made this book fantastic. As someone who struggles with every theme I mentioned, I was not triggered or at all feeling like I would DNF this book. If you would like more info on the triggers before reading, please send me a message!

Overall, the book was a pleasant read. Definitely makes me want to read more of Samantha’s work!

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc,
I really enjoyed this story, it was a sweet feel good read about romantic relationships, family relationships, friendships, break ups and new beginnings, How Violet transformed herself into the person she thought she should be with the help of her new room mate Bella and some hidden secrets...!!!
It was a great ending, I didn't want it to end.

3.5 Stars

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

I did enjoy this story and loved every single unique character involved! I do appreciate how the topics of discussion were brought up and it made me remember how quickly one can lose themselves. While I do feel it seemed to drag a little I was still invested especially when Vi was having flashbacks to 2001. I believe the flashbacks were written so well and I was extremely intrigued in them. My only comment would be some details were unnecessary and I felt we could have done without. I will say it took me a while to realize what was the plot twist so I enjoyed that! I’d def recommend this to other people :)

If You Could See Me Now by Samantha Tonge is a sweet, feel-good read that’s perfect for anyone in need of a cozy escape. With a mix of romance, personal growth, and a touch of magic, the story follows a woman who unexpectedly starts seeing a mysterious man—who may or may not be a figment of her imagination. Tonge has a knack for creating charming, relatable characters, and the book is full of heart and light humor. It’s an uplifting reminder that sometimes, love and change come in the most unexpected forms. Perfect for curling up with on a lazy afternoon!

Thank you netgelly for this arc

I was intrigued to see how would take form since the description of the book reveals that Violet has a secret
I honestly didn’t thought this would be dealt with an eating disorder since it didn’t specify in any part of the book. The story progresses is a fast paced one in which we as a reader are taken between the past and present in her life story, while it explores different topics and moments of he life

Is a nice book which can be read in one sitting in an afternoon, definitely recommend this for people who want something different to their usual read!

If You Could See Me Now by Samantha Tonge is an uplifting, heartwarming story of self-discovery and transformation. Violet, a kind-hearted woman struggling with a breakup, embarks on a journey of personal reinvention with the help of her quirky new flatmate, Bella. As Violet revamps her life, career, and image, she meets the magnetic author, Casey, and starts to believe that happiness is within her reach. However, hidden secrets from her past begin to surface, threatening to unravel her progress. Tonge’s charming narrative explores themes of love, identity, and healing, with a relatable protagonist who reminds readers that true happiness comes from embracing who we really are.

“If You Could See Me Now” by Samantha Tonge is the first book I’ve read from this author. While the story started off a bit slow, I found myself increasingly engaged as I delved deeper into Violet’s journey. The flashbacks to her childhood were instrumental in developing her character, providing depth and context that made her more relatable. Without these insights, Violet’s character might have felt less substantial. The novel beautifully conveys the message that true friendship comes in various forms and that we often overlook the people who care about us the most, even when they’re right in front of us.

I would like to thank NetGalley and the author, Samantha Tonge, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book had a lot of potential, but unfortunately, it didn’t resonate with me the way I hoped it would. While the characters were well-developed and the fast-paced nature of the story kept me turning pages quickly, something about the overall experience left me feeling mixed.

The most significant issue for me was the focus on Violet’s eating disorder. While I understand that this was central to the plot, I was disappointed that it wasn’t mentioned in the book’s synopsis. A heads-up would have been helpful, especially since eating disorders can be a sensitive topic and very triggering for some readers. Given my own experience, I wasn't particularly sensitive to it, but it would have been useful to know what I was diving into before starting.

For the first half of the book, I felt like the narrative was primarily centered around weight loss, and this focus didn’t sit well with me. It felt like an unhealthy message without a clear understanding of the deeper issues Violet was facing. Only once I realized that the book was going to explore her eating disorder in a more complex and sensitive way did I begin to connect with the story. But even then, the lack of a warning at the outset made the journey uncomfortable at times.

Once the book delved deeper into Violet’s struggles, I found myself more engaged. The emotional depth increased, and I genuinely felt for Violet as she faced the challenges of her disorder. It was definitely a raw, sometimes difficult read, but by the end, it was moving. Still, I couldn’t help but feel frustrated with the pacing and the way the themes unfolded.

Ultimately, I think the book has its merits, but it could’ve been more thoughtful about the sensitive material it covered. I’d recommend it to readers who are okay with this subject matter, but I do wish the author had been more transparent about the focus of the story from the beginning. While the book touched on important themes, I found myself feeling indifferent about the characters and the plot. It wasn’t a bad read, but it wasn’t as impactful as I expected it to be.

Decent 2 ⭐ read.

Another lovely, thought provoking, emotional story from Samantha.
This story was compelling and very moving.

We meet Violet, after splitting from her boyfriend we watch her come to terms with this and decide to move on and change herself into the person she feels she should be. A new room mate encourages this, but just how far will they push these changes?

I don’t want to give much away as you need to read this to follow Violets journey, meet her friends, her colleagues, see where she works and what she likes to do.

The flashbacks to Violets youth are imperative to the story, as you will find out as the story reveals its secrets.

What I love in this book are the friendships. It shows that friendships aren’t just made with people your own age and in similar situations to you. Anyone can be friends, any age, any background, any religion. It shows the importance of friends, of sticking by someone, even when they push you away, as you never really know what that person may be going through.

The book is incredibly well written. The author develops the characters and plot in a very informative yet sensitive way.

Definitely a must read.

Let me start this off by saying I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The characters were fleshed out really well, and the storyline was interesting and fast-paced enough to keep my interest. I read this book within less than two days!

However
The entire plot of the book was basically how Violet developed an eating disorder, which was the main storyline of the book as I read it. It would have been nice for the book summary to have mentioned this. As there was no mention of it at all.
Firstly because as someone who has struggled with eating disorders(as many do) I would like to have been aware of this storyline before reading, as I am not sure if I would’ve chosen to read it. Eating disorders are sensitive and easily triggered by even reading about it -especially in as much detail as this book got into.
Secondly because since the summary didn’t mention this storyline, for the first 60% of the book I was frustrated with the fact that it was mostly focused on losing weight and sending the wrong message across, and confused why the plot of the book was completely focused on something different than I had read before in the summary. It wasn’t until I figured out myself that this was the actual plot of the book that I felt more understanding towards it and read the book from a completely different point of view.

However: If I would judge this as a book with what I’ve mentioned above as its plot, I think it is a very touching, raw and honest book. Where I cared about Violet and rooted for her to get better, and was fully there on the journey with her. I even shed a few tears at the end.

Thank you to NetGalley, Boldwood Books and Samantha Tonge for this ARC.

This book wasn't what I expected. I somewhat expected a light hearted fun read but this was so much more. It is tough to write this review because I don't want to give anything away. It did take me awhile to get into this book and I almost gave up ,but I'm glad I didn't. I had mixed feelings about Violet, I would go from liking her to not being a fan of her personality. I will say by the end of the book everything made sense even though I had my suspicions of why she was acting the way she was and how her mind was working. My heart broke for her, when it all clicked. She had such a wonderful support system but she was pushing those who truly care about her away. She was becoming toxic to herself and others around her. I would defiantly say that this was a great read when I find myself caring for the well being of a fictional character!

I didn't care for the flashbacks to 2001 until I realized that it made a big impact to the story and it explained why Violet was the way she was.. I now wish I had paid a little more attention to those chapters and will probably go back and read them now.

I will give a hint that this book does touch on mental health and eating disorders. Just be aware if those a triggers for a person.

I was not expecting this to be such a serious read and from the blurb it did not come across that way. In some ways I was pleasantly surprised by the depth and difficult plot threads and in other ways I felt I needed more warning. That being said I enjoyed the book and Tonge's exploration of serious subject matters is handled sensitively and it is integral to the plot. Despite not knowing what I was letting myself in for, I did guess the 'twist' early on and I was interested to see how Tonge would continue the plot and reveal the twist to the reader. The plot had a bit of everything and was definitely fast paced.
Violet as our main character is terrific, a very human, likeable yet flawed character I simply enjoyed spending time with her and following her development as the book progressed.
'If You Could See Me Now' is a difficult read at times but I found it to be worth it.
Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an advance copy.

Not what I thought – but that’s not a bad thing.

When Violet’s relationship with her boyfriend ends, she wonders whether there’s just something unlikeable, even unlovable about herself. This brings childhood memories to the surface and the narrative switches between the present and Violet’s seven year-old self.

From the description (the cover doesn’t give much away, really), I thought this was, if not a rom-com, then a romance with a personal development arc for the main character. Which is why, I think, about a third of the way through the book I wasn’t really feeling it, until a short while after that I realised that’s not what this book is. So don’t expect things to be straightforward, with hearts and butterflies and a neatly wrapped-up happy ending. It’s character-driven first, and the romance takes a back seat. Once I adjusted the way I was thinking about this novel, I really enjoyed it.

Violet embarks on a process of transformation to show herself and those around her that she really is good enough. And it seems to work. I’m not a fan of the ‘glow-up making everything better’ plotline and felt uneasy at this point. If you feel the same way, keep the faith – it doesn’t go the way you might fear.

I found the writing from a child’s perspective okay – it was really useful in helping the reader to understand how Violet has become the person she is today, and the past and present converge at the end of the book in a satisfying way. Writing a child’s voice, however, is tricky – you either have to choose a fairly limited vocabulary or have the character sound inauthentic for their age. Tonge strikes a pretty good balance.

I enjoyed the dialogue and description – there were some striking phrases without the language being overwrought. Because Violet as a character is feeling adrift, there’s naturally not much connection between her and her friends and family. Whilst being the right choice for the narrative, I felt it prevented me from connecting with Violet as much too. That said, the passages with Violet’s childhood bully were very vivid and effectively portrayed Violet’s suffocating yet isolated experience at school.

This is a powerful read that has a promising conclusion, if not a straightforwardly happy ending.

Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

I really really enjoyed this book. It was powerful, sympathetic and lovely when you have friends looking out for you. I did cry at the end but it’s really stayed with me. I didn’t want to put this book down!

Another great read by Samantha Tonge. I just couldn’t put it down it was so well written.
I really felt for Violet after her breakup from her boyfriend Lenny and I think everyone can relate to how life can change in a flash and how vulnerable people can feel.
The chapters that take us back to when Violet was young really added to the book and really resonated with me.
An excellent ending that had me shedding a few tears.
Thanks to NetGalley, Samantha Tonge and Boldwood Books for an advance copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Violet works at a book publisher and loves her job. She has been messed about by boyfriend Lenny and is gutted when she finds out the truth about him. Finding a new flatmate in Bella gives her a new start in more ways than she ever realised, something that resonated with me and I’m sure will with other readers.

Sometimes the worst things perhaps bring out the best in us if that makes sense? A fresh start, a new look, the little things that make us feel different and better even if only to ourselves. Samantha has a truly wonderful talent for putting things into a story that say so much more than the words on the page, that the reader can clearly see if they want to. Parts of the story go back to Violet's school days and her life with her mother and Uncle, who she was very close to, which gives a background as to why Violet is now, at the beginning of the book.
There are not many books where I finish and have to take a moment to gather myself. This one blew me away. I’ve also had friends similar to Bella and the twist completely threw me.

A story of change and hope and being who you are, not someone else’s perception. The confidence that can come from within if allowed and how the little things go towards doing this. Of friendships and truth and self belief. One of my books of the year 10* if I could.


For more reviews please follow me on X (formerly Twitter) @nickisbookblog got book
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I really enjoyed reading this book! It was real, with some deep themes, and it was still light and enjoyable. I did love the themes of love, trust, growing up, and taking control. I like the character development and I really like how the author writes, she does a good job with pulling at the heart strings.


Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complimentary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

Wow what a thought provoking read. I really enjoyed this book and Violet's story was heartbreaking at times but one I think affects many people and as we read about her childhood it gave us a great insight into the way we think we ought to be and also how low self esteem can be the cause of such important and life changing problems. Samantha tells this story beautifully and it's a really important subject that needs more understanding I was in tears at the end a brave topic to write about. 5 big 🌟from me well done Sam

Taking control of your life, how far would you go for a perfect life.
As we meet kind hearted Violet Vaughan, her dream book job for Thoth Publishing, handsome boyfriend Lenny and her cat flossie she's happy in life.
Lenny and Beatrix become cosy and he leaves Violet she is guttered.
Taking in a new flat mate beautiful Bella who works in a spa changed Violets way of life, and now believing she's a ok person with a make over healthy eating and keeping fit.
As this book unfolds Taking us back to Violets childhood, this is such a powerful unique story, I love the characters blending into a story that will touch readers hearts sending over a powerful message.
It's touching, uplifting and a feel good read that I absolutely loved reading.