This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2024 and I was honestly a little disappointed by it. It wasn’t really what I expected. Still an interesting read. Thanks for the advance copy!

Thanks to NetGalley and Henry Holt and Co. for this advance readers copy, in exchange for an honest review. Piglet is the name of this book and is the nickname of our main character. She is set and on her way to marry charming Kit in a few weeks, with other pieces of her life, like her work as a cookbook editor and even her own excellent cooking skills, going well and only improving. However, Kit confesses a terrible betrayal about a week before and suddenly, all elements of Piglet’s life are called into question.

A very interesting aspect of this book is that we don’t actually learn what Kit’s betrayal is (although of course you can make some reasonable guesses). BUT, despite my own curiosity, this missing information truly doesn’t matter to the plot line. The author does an excellent job at using the characters cooking skills, elaborate meals, and even growing physical hunger throughout the story as an excellent metaphor to her realizing that she doesn’t truly know what she wants from her life, only that she wants more than what she’s currently getting. Although Piglet’s life looks perfect from the outset and based on everything she “has”, we can really sense the unhappiness she feels and the use of food as a symbol is this book is truly fantastic and unique. Piglet’s journey throughout the book endeared me to her greatly and I was rooting for her to take a stand, which propelled this story forward for me and helped me finish this in a few short sittings. To note as well— the author’s writing and descriptions of Piglet’s dishes are truly wonderful; it is very complementary to the metaphors within the book and really drives home its use as a key symbol.

I would recommend this book to fans of literary fiction and fans of self-growth/self-actualization stories!! I’ll be interested to see what other readers think of this one when it’s out in the world later this year!

I’m not entirely sure how I feel about this one. Piglet was an interesting read. It didn’t give me any big feelings, neither positively nor negatively, which is why I am settling with a solid three stars.

“Piglet” is nicknamed as such for being so greedy in her family’s eyes, and perhaps she is, but not anymore than they average working young woman is in a first world country. Is it excusable? Not necessarily but is it so greedy to want a nice a wedding to a good husband, for your job to pay you praise, to have a nice home to share with someone you love? Maybe some would it is, but I would say that Piglet wasn’t the greediest person in this book.
(Admittedly, Piglet’s thoughts towards her family of embarrassment is harsh but with them calling her such a name, I can understand why she might not like to associate with them so much.). I wasn’t a fan of the continual use of her nickname, whether she was being addressed or not (however, I assume that was intentional).

The reflections on class, in particular between Piglet’s families and Kit’s families were good, as were the feelings of guilt that can stir when you long for more than you have. The depictions of her hunger and how instead of just wanting what she didn’t have, she was starving for it, was interesting but I think it honestly could have been delved into further (but perhaps I am just looking for this book to be weirder than the author ever intended).

I would be interested to see what Lottie Hazell does in the future because I do think there was some potential here, my attention just wasn’t particular enthralled.

Thank you to Henry Holt & Co and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was an interesting book in that it goes soooo in depth on the subject of food but then barely grazes other issues pertinent to the story: the big secret from piglets fiancé, her sister eating disorder, etc
This book is the equivalent of going to the supermarket when you’re starving- you think everything looks good then you buy way too much and regret it. The food descriptions while good just distracted from the character study. I felt too removed from piglet, kit, etc. an interesting debut and I’ll be interested in what this author does next but this was a bit of a miss for me.

Only read this if you are prepared to be very, very hungry. Like most people I could read pages and pages of food descriptions and this book is worth the read just for the gorgeous prose about food.
That being said, overall this book is very good, but not great. The entire time it felt like we were on the precipice of something, but it just couldn’t get there. Throughout the book there would be moments and I would think, oh this is IT. But then it would just shy back. I think if the author had really gone all in, I could see this being the type of unhinged story the booktok girlies would love.

ARC provided by NetGalley.

Impressive but not incredible. Well donennovel primarily told through and about food. Thanks for the arc and cheers

I'm obsessed with this book! I plan on reading it many more times, it was such a profound exploration of how our relationships with food, our friends, and family grow and change. Determining what path you want your life to take is so hard and I really felt Piglet's struggle. I moving tale of womanhood.

A serviceable novel that is beautifully written when it comes to describing the many mentions of food, cooking, and recipes. Many times I found myself wishing I could eat the foods being written about in this story. However, I think the focus on such long and interesting descriptions of the food and food being cooked in this story took away the author's focus to the overall story and characters, as I felt like the main character came across a bit bland. Maybe this was purposeful. Maybe the author wanted it to seem like the food the main character makes is more interesting than she is. Which, I could understand, however, it didn't come off totally purposeful.

My biggest fault with this story and the writing, was the fact that this "big secret" was never revealed. For the most part, I have no issue with unresolved endings. But this was different. It felt like a cheap and easy way to try and catch the reader's attention from the beginning, and hold it for the entirety of the story. There is no ultimate payoff for the reader. It became frustrating. And not knowing what the big secret is would have become less frustrating if there had at least been more developments with the character of the fiancee, as he was just as bland as the main character. The reader isn't left with much to speculate on what the fiancee had done when we never really learn the background of the fiancee and his flaws, besides having come from a wealthy family.

A decent read with an interesting concept for a story, that just doesn't satisfy the reader as much as the writing around the tasty sounding foods.

Piglet is a touching story of a young woman preparing for her upcoming wedding to a man who shared with her that he has betrayed her 2 weeks before the wedding. Throughout the book, the author introduces a young woman who is struggling to figure out how to manage the expectations of her family and society with what she feels is right. Piglet's family relates to her in a very patronizing, condescending matter. As she is trying to figure out her place in the world, very few people take her seriously and the only safe consistent factor in her life is food. The character development is outstanding, and I really felt like I came to know and understand Piglet.

The author left certain elements of the story intentionally vague and I found this lack of clarity to be somewhat distracting. Nonetheless I enjoyed Piglet and I recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Henry Holt & Company for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Piglet is a book that has consumed my thoughts upon finishing. It has truly taken the spot of one of my favorite reads, and Piglet might be one of my new favorite characters. I’m surprised this was Lottie Hazell’s first read, but it was a wonderful first impression. Everything was divine, and I too, like Piglet, was left hungry for more.

3.5/5 rounded up

This book is a delicious look at the nature of women’s desire and hunger, something we are often told not to have. It made me frustrated and happy and angry and hungry, all at once. That being said, I feel like it didn’t know what it wanted to be. Thriller? Literary fiction? Speculative fiction? I just wanted it to commit a tiny bit more.

This book was well written and I enjoyed the food descriptions. The protagonist's character development through her relationship with food was interesting.

woah! loved the fast-pace and intensity of this one! the story follows Piglet, who is about to marry into a family of a higher class than her own. The story is full of DRAMA and you can feel the tension! great debut

Entertaining story. The main character will have you shaking your head a lot. It’s funny at times and sad at other times. It’s a ride!

What a wonderful, exhilaratingly, satisfying book.

Piglet, a wife-to-be, is all about food, her fiancé Kit, and her best friend Margot. Piglet is selfless, is often too caring, too kind, too quiet. And when something devastating happens, she realizes she is unsatisfied with everything.

This book is mostly dialogue and descriptions of cooking food. It’s a little annoying if you don’t think about the calming quality that cooking is, but overall the way it reads is very helpful for getting in to the mind space of the MC.

I really enjoyed the ending of this book, although I had a hard time connecting to Kit and Piglets relationship. I will definitely be keeping my eye out for more books written by Lottie Hazell

Piglet follows a woman in the weeks leading up to her wedding and the day itself. Her fiancé unveils a secret that changes her feelings for him and the wedding. The many descriptions of food were mouth-watering!

There were many parallels between Piglet never being satisfied with her life and never feeling full with her appetite. Control was a major theme I was thinking about a lot while reading this. The ending felt complete when you realize she was finally satisfied with how she ended up in life and her choices.

This book was very literary, very character-driven, and very thought-provoking. I was sympathetic for the main character in multiple scenes- that burger scene made me sad. :( However, I felt like there were some gaps. I felt like many parts of the book were never directly addressed. You were supposed to grasp what happened based on what was vaguely being described. Not to say that it wasn’t super hard to figure it out, but you never really know if you were right. The secret her fiancé shares? We never learn exactly what it is. We also know she has an eating disorder, but we never really learn more about it, which would have added more depth to her character. This was all probably intentional, but it made me feel slightly detached from everything.

Getting this into the right hands is crucial, and I recommend this to people who like reading about women losing it. Definitely wouldn't be surprised to see this in a “books cool girls read” tiktok.

Thank you Henry Holt for the e-arc! It's been a long time since I've read a book that's made me so stressed out. I've definitely never read a book that's made me stressed out through descriptions of food and its preparation (and its consumption). I both couldn't stop reading but then had to stop because I wanted to die of second-hand embarrassment and stress. This was an excellent depiction of a woman at her breaking point, while also being very funny. I am extremely happy to not be in Piglet's place, but what a story! And now I want pasta for dinner.

PIGLET is a unique literary novel that centers on the unfortunately nicknamed Piglet, a thirty-something cookbook editor. About two weeks before she's set to be married, her fiancé, Kit, reveals a dark secret that derails her life drastically off course.

Piglet gets little support from anyone, and she often clings to food in these uncomfortable moments. The descriptions of food are dazzling and contain surprising, emotional moments (that croquembouche scene!).

One of the reasons why I loved this book is that it didn't beat you over the head with lessons and answers. The writer gives the reader the credit and freedom to draw their own conclusions, and I find that way more enjoyable than your standard "this happened, and this is why" plotline. It is also a great character study that left me with a lot to ponder.

This was a gem of a story that may not be for everyone, but it worked for me. I look forward to whatever the writer comes out with next.

Piglet loves her life, she is weeks away from marrying Kit, the perfect guy and joining his perfect, upper class family when he confesses a secret that could ruin everything. Now Piglet has to decide what to do and she starts spiraling out of control. Lottie Hazell does such an amazing job of building tension through this book. I never knew reading about someone making a wedding cake could stress me out so much! I really enjoyed the use of food and cooking throughout the book, and I think this one will stick with me for a while. It explores so many different topics, particularly for women. I think this would be a great book club read or buddy read.
(If food or body image is triggering, this may be one to skip.)

Thank you NetGalley and Holt for the e-ARC of this book.

I'm going to be as brutal as I can be with this review, but it won't be very brutal because, God, how I fucking love character-driven novels. Hazell writes with all the spunk of a seasoned writer, all of the emotional awareness of the likes of Rooney, to make your insides feel twisty with fear for characters that you hate. And the food! Oh, the food. What a wonderful way to tie a character's personality together, demonstrate that never-ending sense of control through the one thing that women spend their entire lives trying to control, what they eat, the way they look, who they marry. It's just thoughtful. The novel is thoughtful, and stunning.

I did dock a star because the ending left plenty to be desired, but still. It's so very good, and if you've ever had an eating disorder, buckle up! You'll hate this and love this and it's worth it, because I see myself on every page in a way that makes me sick.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for a review!