Violets are Blue is a great middle grade story about dealing with a parent who is trying to hide an opioid addiction. Sadly, this is a situation that so many young people have to deal with at home and will find solace reading to find out they are not alone.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Barbara Dee is incredible at writing books that take you on an emotional rollercoaster at the heart of a painfully sympathetic young protagonist and Violets are Blue is no different. Wren's struggles to fit in, to find friends, to deal with a sick mom and changing family, and to use her passion to make life feel okay are emotional and touching.

As usual, Barbara Dee hits one out of the park! Wren’s painful realization that something isn’t right with her mother is all too timely. See deftly embraces the children of addiction while at the same time offering hope and a way back to family for them to hang on to. Never saccharine and always real, this story is going to be vital to so many kids out there.

Exceptional story of a teen torn between loyalty to her mother, who has relapsed into abuse of prescription medicines., while she grows closer to her step=mother.

Barbara Dee is a first purchase author for me. Violets are blue is a tender story about divorce and addiction. The special effects makeup hobby was a great addition to the story.

Barbara Dee does it again. A realistic middle grade voice full of emotion and real-world problems. I love the makeup, the family dynamics, the struggles with a nontraditional family and addiction. Wow. Just Wow. Thank you to Barbara, the publishers, and NetGalley for this book.It's a must read. Of course.

Wren and her mom have moved to make a fresh start. Wren loves make-up and has the chance to use her talents in an upcoming performance, and even receives great support from her father's wife. But things for Wren's mom are heading downward and fast, and Wren begins to see that she needs more support than she can give.

I appreciate many of the elements in this book. We have the awkward position of a kid between divorced parents, sublimating her own desires for the sake of keeping the peace. She's also the object of a crush that she doesn't reciprocate, a situation with no good answer. The twist in the plot is telegraphed pretty hard but is a decent plot element. Some of the details are a bit too extreme, though.

Barbara Dee has never missed in my book, and this latest hit is no exception. It took me a little longer to pick it up, and I regret that because I devoured it in one sitting. A gorgeous portrayal of what happens when divorce causes a girl to have no control over her own life. Told through her journey with discovering sfx makeup and making new friends at a new school (one of the many changes out of her control,) this story just really felt REAL and right to the truth of what happens when parents forget that their decisions and choices affect their kids first hand. It was beautifully handled and I can't wait to see what she does next!

Wren is a 12-year-old going through a difficult time when her parents split at the same time as she's going through a split of her own, with her frenemy at school. She loses herself in special effects makeup videos on YouTube, which provide an escape for her, and discovers that she's pretty good at making new looks - and new personalities - to try on. When her mom decides to up and move to a new town for a fresh start for them both, she welcomes the chance to start over. She makes a new friend and finds herself chosen to be the makeup artist for her new school's upcoming production of Wicked. And she discovers that she actually kind of likes her new stepmom - as long as she doesn't let on to her mom, who makes her feel guilty. The thing is, Wren's mom isn't doing well at all. She's sleeping a lot; she's put a lock on her door, and she's not always where she says she is - especially work - and her stories aren't matching up. Wren knows something is going on with her mom, but she doesn't know exactly what, only that her mom gets angry at her if she even tries to talk to her. It's only during Wicked's opening performances that Wren realizes something is very wrong with her mom, and that the new life she's been trying so hard to build is set on a very thin foundation.

Barbara Dee is an incredible middle grade writer who gets to the heart of social issues tweens are dealing with. In Maybe He Just Likes You (2019), she examined the sexual harassment of young girls that begins in middle school and earlier, and how girls' voices are brushed off as being "dramatic" or "unable to take a joke". My Life in the Fish Tank (2020) saw a middle school girl dealing with a sibling's mental illness, and Halfway Normal (2017) is about a middle school girl returning to school after undergoing cancer treatment. But Ms. Dee realizes that the one Big Issue isn't the Only Issue, so she creates layered, complex stories of the overwhelming crush of events and emotions that make up the life of a middle schooler: friends (or lack thereof); crushes, relationships with family members. Here, in Violets are Blue, Wren is navigating middle school relationships while being in the middle of her parents' divorce, her mother's depression and opioid addiction, and the complicated feelings she has about her father and his new family. What a phenomenal read - Barbara Dee is just amazing.

The cover is obviously stunning and the story will resonate with readers who have loved ones with mental health struggles.

I really like Barbara Dee's books, and this is another good one. It's a book about a child with a parent on opioids, but the whole plot doesn't revolve around that which I like. I also like how it integrated the internet and fandom but in the way a tween interacts with those things.

I was looking forward to another book by Barbara Dee, and "Violets are Blue" didn't disappoint. Dee does a wonderful job bringing to life the difficult reality of a middle-schooler who is dealing with some serious life situations, divorce, parent addiction, and fitting in. Many kids deal with parent addition in various forms which makes Wren relatable and a great example of someone mature beyond her years. This is the first novel that immersed the reader into the art of makeup, which is quite fascinating. Suitable for upper middle school students.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Publisher for sharing an ARC with #Collabookation in exchange for an honest review!

I loved My Life in the Fish Tank, so I was really excited to read Barbara Dee's newest work. Dee did it once again. This was a well written middle grade book about several tough topics...divorce and opioid addiction. I think the topic of divorce and going back and forth between two households is very relatable to kids, and so is Wren's character. I loved the character development throughout the story as Wren navigates many tough situations as a 12 year old. My heart broke for her because I know how many other kids like her deal with the impact of various addictions, whether it's their parents, siblings, friends or themselves.

Definitely an upper middle grade/middle school book that I think a lot of kids will be able to relate to or at least empathize with Wren!

Violets Are Blue is a lovely addition to Barbara Dee's canon, and those students who already love her work will certainly love this title. An easy choice to add to a classroom library.

Thanks to Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing, Aladdin, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

This book will be a gift to many middle-grade readers. 12-year old Renata is having a rough time. Her parents are newly divorced, she hates her name, her mom has had some difficulties with her boss and decided to move her and Wren to a different community for a fresh start. However, her mom's behavior and work challenges only worsen after the move. Wren relies on YouTube theatrical make-up tutorials to ease her troubles. She's pretty good at recreating the special effects make-up of her favorite YouTuber. Can her talent help her make friends at her new school? Maybe, but what is she going to do about her mom's secretive behavior. moodiness, and forgetfulness?

Trigger warning: addiction

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to RockStar Book Tour, Aladdin, and Barbara Dee for this free copy. All quotes in this review are taken from the Advanced Reader Copy and may change in final publication.

This book was pretty much heartbreaking and sometimes I forget that Middle Grade novels can hurt me so much more than adult novels. Wren and her mom try to start a new life by moving to a new town but things take a turn for the worse when Wren’s mom starts deteriorating. As a twelve-year old, Wren is bound to notice the things that are going wrong, especially since it’s just her and her mom now. Even when she tries to start a new life herself, with potential new friends and a job as the makeup artist for her new school’s upcoming production of Wicked, it doesn’t hide the fact that something is wrong with her mom.


There are so many real life aspects of this book that I know young readers will be able to relate to. Even if they aren’t in the exact situation as Wren and her family, they will be able to see the signs of what’s going on with Wren’s mom, and how they can learn how to get through with it and process their feelings. This was an emotional story and I really liked going through it.

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc and arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Violets Are Blue

Author: Barbara Dee

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 5/5

Recommended For...: middle grade readers, contemporary

Publication Date: October 12, 2021

Genre: MG Contemporary

Recommended Age: 12+ (drug illusions, divorce, parents fighting, slight child neglect)

Explanation of CWs: Illusion to drug use shown. Parents fighting and slight child neglect also shown and mentioned.

Publisher: Aladdin

Pages: 304

Synopsis: Twelve-year-old Wren loves makeup—special effect makeup, to be exact. When she is experimenting with new looks, Wren can create a different version of herself. A girl who isn’t in a sort-of-best friendship with someone who seems like she hates her. A girl whose parents aren’t divorced and doesn’t have to learn to like her new stepmom.

So, when Wren and her mom move to a new town for a fresh start, she is cautiously optimistic. And things seem to fall into place when Wren meets potential friends and gets selected as the makeup artist for her school’s upcoming production of Wicked.

Only, Wren’s mom isn’t doing so well. She’s taking a lot of naps, starts snapping at Wren for no reason, and always seems to be sick. And what’s worse, Wren keeps getting hints that things aren’t going well at her new job at the hospital, where her mom is a nurse. And after an opening night disaster leads to a heartbreaking discovery, Wren realizes that her mother has a serious problem—a problem that can’t be wiped away or covered up.

After all the progress she’s made, can Wren start over again with her devastating new normal? And will she ever be able to heal the broken trust with her mom?

Review: I really liked this book for the most part. It was so cute and sweet. The book does well to show some very scary and adult situations that children might be facing in their own private home lives. The book did well with character development and world building. The book was also well plotted and I was intrigued from start to finish.

However, I did feel like the book didn’t show good methods for children to reach out to trusted adults to deal with big situations like the ones shown in the book.

Verdict: It was good, just wished it showed more

It's well written and the character is relatable. Sometimes she seems wise beyond her years, and it's surprising how accepting she is of her new stepmom. I confess I couldn't finish it all before the book was archived. But what I got was very well written.

This was such a moving story about a 12-year old who is navigating her parent's divorce, a new school, and her mother's increasingly strange behavior. Her one saving grace is her obsession with Cat FX, a YouTuber who does special effect make-up. Wren discovers both her talent and refuge in learning to do make-up and has a tendency to keep to herself. The author's compassionate handling of divorce and addiction from a middle school girl's point of view is completely realistic, and the arc with the make-up was truly unique and kept me even more interested. I ended up reading most of it in one sitting as things became increasingly out of control for Wren. Although my heart ached for Wren, I thought that the stuff with the make-up helped keep the tough stuff from becoming completely overwhelming, even as it helped Wren to cope. I highly recommend this book to both students and adults, but especially if students are dealing with divorce or addiction in their family.

This was my first book by the author, but I"m already looking forward to checking out more of her work.

I received an advance review copy from NetGalley for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.