 |
| Available to order here |
An abrupt change; a new friendship; a dark secret...
Kind-hearted Violet has never fitted in, but despite being bullied at school is now content. She is dating ambitious Lenny, has her dream job in publishing and runs a book club at the local retirement home. However, when her relationship with Lenny begins to falter, Violet, hurt and alone, seeks the advice of her new flatmate, Bella. She changes her image and with her head held high aims to show that she doesn’t need Lenny in her life to be happy and successful.
My Review:
A thought provoking and emotional book. I was not prepared at all for what it a lot of more than your standard 'chick- lit' /women's fiction - I was engrossed throughout, what a brilliantly written tale of the fragility of relationships, friendships and control.
Violet , our main character, is really likable and relatable. She thinks of herself as an odd ball who doesn't quite fit in or deserve any of the good things in her seemingly happy, comfortable life. She is a normal - kind hearted girl, loved by those around her and is admired for who she is. Only problem being that she doesn't see it.
The breakdown of her relationship with Lenny is the catalyst for her examining every part of her life and deciding that she needs to stop being the oddity, she needs to be better ao to compete with the type of women Lenny now wants to be with.
I enjoyed the use of flashbacks - helping to understand the reasoning and details of why Violet feels and acts how she does. To see how the issues she struggles with have deep seated roots.
The additional characters in the book are interesting. Some characters are the people she needs - the ones that stick by her no matter what; some are the people she desires - although they aren't necessarily the ones who want the best for her and are people she could do without. I liked how the friendships Violet had remained strong, how she had people on her side throughout.
Admittedly, I had my suspicions about certain elements of the book but I was still surprised and shocked. I'm not giving anything away - but I was pleased the twists were there. I think it's important to have a book like this around in today's climate.
Some may find it a tough read, it's emotional and quite hard in some parts. Don't get me wrong, it's not all dark and gloomy, but it is a read that will have you hooked until the end. It tackles some difficult, but realistic themes but Samantha Tonge has done so in a careful way, sensitively where you feel connected to the character and emotionally involved.
My first Samantha Tonge read and definitely not my last.
Comfy rating: 👍👍👍👍
Thank you to Netgalley and Canelo for the copy in exchange for an honest review.
No comments:
Post a Comment