hmmm I expected to love this more than I did, but I think my initial thoughts of the book were skewed. the title/cover/description made it seem like something moshfegh adjacent - quirky, weird, almost surreal with maybe a twist or two; but this was really more of a straightforward ‘self discovery’ type of story, and a lot of the focus is on her relationships with her family and fiancée in the weeks leading up to their wedding. there were some really interesting scenes here (especially the restaurant gorge) but ultimately i wanted MORE of them.

Piglet

This book was published within the last two weeks and has been on my list since I read buzz about it at the end of 2023! I really enjoyed it even though the protagonist’s relationship with food can be triggering for some with a history of eating disorders. The author does a great job slowly building suspense from start to finish.

Piglet, our protagonist, hates her nickname that has stuck with her since she was a child. She’s also about to get married. Less than two weeks before the event, her fiancé reveals a shocking betrayal that makes Piglet question everything. Will she go through with the wedding or will she do something that truly satisfies her?

The format of this book is good. The chapters are organized at certain days leading up to the wedding, and separated into parts before, during, and after the wedding date. This book is 75% food descriptions, but oddly enough it works. Through the process of cooking and baking, we are able to get a good idea of the headspace of our characters. Piglet doesn’t make the best decisions, but she makes the decisions that best suit her given her circumstances. The story is a tale about women being made small by culture, diets, and conventional norms, and the power it requires to take back control.

Kit was a true trope of your mindless rich white boy, and I’m glad the author spent as little time as possible giving him a personality. The clash between class throughout the book added another interesting point of contention. The descriptions of the food and overall setting were lush and colorful. I finished this book in a day because I just had to see how it would turn out. I recommend if you’re interested in unique, modern “thriller.”

Loved this book. Loved the descriptions of delicious sounding food combined with such rich and complex characters. A great achievement in how this author pulled this off. Will definitely recommend this one highly to friends, and patrons

“Outside of a childhood nickname she can’t shake, Piglet’s rather pleased with how her life’s turned out. An up-and-coming cookbook editor at a London publishing house, she’s got lovely, loyal friends and a handsome fiancé, Kit, whose rarefied family she actually, most of the time, likes, despite their upper-class eccentricities. One of the many, many things Kit loves about Piglet is the delicious, unfathomably elaborate meals she’s always cooking.

But when Kit confesses a horrible betrayal two weeks before they’re set to be married, Piglet finds herself suddenly…hungry. The couple decides to move forward with the wedding as planned, but as it nears and Piglet balances family expectations, pressure at work, and her quest to make the perfect cake, she finds herself increasingly unsettled, behaving in ways even she can’t explain. Torn between a life she’s always wanted and the ravenousness that comes with not getting what she knows she deserves, Piglet is, by the day of her wedding, undone, but also ready to look beyond the lies we sometimes tell ourselves to get by.”

When I came across the Title and Cover of Piglet, in all its glistening burger glory, I was immediately intrigued. After reading the above synopsis, even more so! At the start of the novel I couldn’t get enough of the delicious food descriptions. My mouth literally watered with each page I read. Then came the confession of Kits betrayal and my interest became a combination of curiousity of said betrayal, wondering what Piglet would make or eat next, and waiting to see if this wedding was actually going to happen.

I have very mixed feelings on Piglet. It’s easily one of the most unique novels I’ve ever read. And Lottie Hazell is quite a gifted Author. But the story between Piglet and Kit was just too subtle. Maybe it was meant to be that way? I also kept waiting to find out what the big betrayal was, and it’s never actually divulged, which was a bit disappointing. Obviously, it was meant to be that way, and maybe to be left up to the readers interpretation. But in any case, it still annoyed me a little.

But even though I felt slightly cheated at the end of Piglet, I absolutely enjoyed the rest of the story. If you’re a foodie, you’ll revel in this culinary delight. And I promise you, Piglet will be one of the most weird but good novels you’ll read this year. This was a fantastic debut by Lottie Hazell. Well done!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Henry Holt & Co. for gifting me an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Piglet by Lottie Hazell – 4 Stars (Kindle, NetGalley)

My final NetGalley of the month – I requested this book solely based on the cover, as well! This is the story of Piglet (no, really, that’s the name she’s gone by most of her life) as she is finally settling into the life she’s always dreamt of. She and her fiance move into their dream home, her friendships are thriving, her career as an up-and-coming cookbook editor is going well, and she’s two weeks out from her dream wedding. And then her fiance, Kit, confesses a deep betrayal to Piglet, and she is faced with making decisions that might cause the life she’s always worked towards to crumble. No spoilies, but I was really intrigued with this one.

This was a difficult book for me. I loved the idea of Piglet as a cookbook food editor. As a professional chef, I really related to her passion for food and cooking. I think Hazell did a fantastic job at making the reader really empathize with Piglet too. That said, some of the content really hurt to read. I suppose that indicates that Hazell was successful, but it felt almost a bit overwhelming. Watching Piglet be bullied, fat shamed, and just generally be treated badly is painful and it was unrelenting. I wish that there had been a point in the story that allowed for a bit of an emotional reprieve as I started to numb out towards the end. All in all, I think this is a well-written book, although I think it could be triggering for a lot of people.

We never really know what Piglet looks like…,how tall she is………is she heavy or small? What color is her hair, her eyes? What did Kit do to set her off on a path of self destruction? I devoured this book!
What beautiful prose by Lottie Hazell! And story had me reeling! Almost like my first marriage!
This book is a winner, and everyone needs to read it! I’d give it 20 stars if I could.

Another book to add to the Unhinged (white) Women genre that often intersects with the Women With Food Issues genre. Piglet follows our main character with the same (nick)name, who is about to marry a man named Kit. Not far from her wedding, Kit reveals a betrayal that sends Piglet's painstakingly earned domestic life of upper-middle-class comfort into a complete spin. Told through food allegories and moments of clarity about the class divide between her own family and Kit's, Piglet is for readers who enjoy an unlikeable main character and gluttonous descriptions of food.

What's difficult about Piglet is how innately easy it is to dislike her and everyone around her. Nobody in this story is likable, save maybe her best friend Margo, and everyone has a role to play in Piglet's mental breakdown. Similarly, much like the void Piglet is attempting to fill through her binge eating, there is no satisfaction at the end of Piglet because we as readers continue to miss key information. While I can see why many are frustrated by this, I thought it was a clever and thought-provoking choice that added to Hazell's sharp and rich writing.

Piglet is a 31-year-old cookbook editor living in a trendy London suburb with her fiancee. Despite the childhood nickname that follows her around, Piglet feels content with the distance she's put between her upbringing and her reinvented self. Two weeks before their wedding, however, Piglet's fiancee confesses to a horrible betrayal that puts everything she's worked for in jeopardy. Under pressure to decide whether she still wants to move forward with the marriage, Piglet begins behaving strangely. By the time of their wedding, Piglet is completely undone and must decide whether the cost of lying to herself is worth it.

In writing Piglet, Lottie Hazell has completely mastered the art of nuance and subtlety. So much of the plot is implied, which can be a risky choice, but it works well here. While Piglet is a work of literary fiction, it's pace is quick and consistent. You're drawn in immediately and Hazell maintains your attention by piling on tension throughout the story. This is another women vs the void book crafted immensely well that doesn't lean too far into hysterics and feels relatable. A must read.

Thank you to the publisher for this advanced digital copy! I had heard great things about this on BookTok from accounts that frequently recommend what I classify as "messy girl literary fiction" and I believe this falls squarely and perfectly into that genre. Piglet is a 20-something foodie preparing for her wedding when her fiancé reveals a great betrayal. The book follows her as she navigates her relationship with food, her family, money, and the betrayal of her boyfriend all in the weeks and days leading up to their planned wedding date. This managed to be a great balance of plot and character driven although the characters could've benefited from a bit more depth. The discussion of food and class divides added a lot to the story. I wish the book would've been longer and built more on the relationships between the main character and the women in her life (sister, mother, best friend, even mother-in-law). The ending was satisfying in a sense but also left me really wanting more which is probably what prevented it from being a 3.5 or 4 star for me.

Piglet is a luminous, luscious debut in which the titular character finds her carefully-constructed facade crumbling around her -- and becomes ravenous as she sits in the ruins.

Piglet is perfectly content with her life -- well, with everything but the lingering childhood nickname that she can't escape. She's an up-and-coming cookbook editor in London and lives in a gorgeous home with her fiancé Kit, where she hosts elaborate dinner parties for her clever friends that feature delicious and complex homemade recipes. But then, two weeks out from their wedding, Kit confesses to a shocking betrayal that sends Piglet's life careening down a path she doesn't expect, and doesn't feel equipped to handle. And so she just goes on with things...and she eats.

Lottie Hazell is doing a lot in Piglet -- there's a lot simmering (pardon the pun) beneath the surface of this story, explored both overtly and ambiguously. The book explores women's often-complicated relationship with food, class divides, how our pasts form our identities, and the pitfalls of trying to maintain a facade of superficial perfection, at the expense of self-awareness and authentic relationships. Piglet is both a frustrating and sympathetic character; it's maddening to watch her inaction and self-sabotage, but Hazell crafted her character so deftly that, at the same time, we feel for her deeply and root for her voraciously. We intentionally never learn the specifics of Kit's betrayal, because although that is the catalyst for Piglet's journey to self-actualization, it's not at all the point of the book. It's everything that happens after that matters and that we're really interested in.

And Hazell does all of this while peppering (again, pardon the pun) the narrative with some of the most gorgeous, glistening food writing I have ever read. Portions of this book left me salivating and starving. It all comes together in a clever, original, and thought-provoking character study that left me wanting seconds (and thirds, and fourths) from Lottie Hazell.

Piglet, is at a pretty great time of her life. She has the career she wants, an editor for a London Publishing house, a fiancée who she loves dearly and a new home. The home is her safe haven, her kitchen her heart. She is 14 days away from her wedding and she is happily enjoying each day, as the wedding approaches. She feels giddy with her life, almost like it is too good to be true. The author tells about each day, leading up to the wedding, in such a realistic way. Piglets family, her in laws to be and finishing up work for her wedding/honeymoon. As if she wasn’t nervous enough, her fiancée admits to a terrible betrayal, that makes her rethink everything. Can anything be the same again? Is there someone she can trust with this betrayal? What is she to do? This was a very good read. The characters were honest and human. Showing you can have every feeling under the sun, before your wedding. That sometimes you have to listen to your intuition and not chalk everything up to wedding jitters.
This was a four star read for me. I want to thank Netgalley, Lottie Hazel & Henry Holt & Company for my copy of Piglet for an honest review. It was a pleasure reading and reviewing this book. I hope you enjoy it too.

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

"Piglet" delves into the depths of a modern woman's appetite for life, food, and success, unraveling a narrative that is both eerie and introspective. Through the protagonist's eyes, readers are taken on a haunting journey that mirrors the complexities and challenges faced by women in society.

What struck me most about "Piglet" was its unflinching portrayal of the protagonist's desires, often overshadowed by societal expectations and shame. The novel fearlessly confronts the ways in which women's wants are shamed or diminished, shining a light on the internal battles many face when pursuing their ambitions.

The food writing in "Piglet" is nothing short of remarkable. With vivid descriptions that evoke both mouthwatering cravings and visceral repulsion, the author skillfully captures the duality of pleasure and discomfort associated with indulgence. It's a testament to the power of sensory writing that lingers in the reader's mind long after the final page.

The dynamics within Piglet's family struck a personal chord with me, echoing elements of love tempered with conditions and shame. These familial complexities add depth to the narrative, showcasing the intricacies of relationships and the impact they have on individual growth.

In terms of writing style, "Piglet" is beautifully crafted, with prose that is both poetic and poignant. The author's ability to evoke emotions and provoke introspection makes this novel a compelling read that stays with you well beyond the last chapter.

Overall, "Piglet" is a hauntingly real exploration of women's desires and dilemmas, wrapped in a captivating story that resonates on multiple levels. It's a book that invites readers to reflect on their own aspirations and the societal forces that shape them—a literary gem that leaves a lasting impression.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of "Piglet" by Lottie Haxell.

"Piglet" by Lottie Hazell is a sweet little book that'll warm your heart. Hazell's illustrations are adorable and really bring Piglet's world to life. It's a feel-good story about friendship and never giving up, which is always a nice message to hear.

But, I gotta be honest, the plot is pretty straightforward and doesn't throw any curveballs. You kinda know where it's heading from the get-go. And while Piglet is cute, I wish we got to know him and his pals a bit better.

Still, "Piglet" is a cozy read that'll leave you feeling all warm and fuzzy inside. It's perfect for sharing with the little ones or just enjoying on your own when you need a pick-me-up. So, if you're in the mood for something light and heartwarming, give "Piglet" a try.

This book was brilliant! It took me a bit to get into the story but once I was hooked I couldn’t put this book down! I can’t wait to read more by Lottie Hazel! The days leading up to Piglets wedding felt like a whistling kettle!!

The premise for Piglet might be familiar, even overdone (even considering Hazell's choice to never explicitly state what Kit confessed to), but it works. For me, the reason this novel's a success is because it's not the betrayal we're focusing on, but how it serves as the catalyst that forces Piglet to acknowledge the life she's meticulously crafted is just that: artifice, something she must constantly maintain to impress other people. I loved the juxtaposition of Piglet's perfectionist tendencies toward food and her appearance versus how she ultimately lets these expectations go, first by spiraling downward and then pulling herself back up. The relationships were fascinating and authentic, especially Piglet's friendship with Margot and the jealousy she experiences due to Margot's newborn, the writing was sharp, and it was the perfect length. Will definitely be picking up a copy soon.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the author Lottie Hazell, publishers St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of PIGLET. All views are mine.

Her hand on the door, Piglet noticed that there was sludge beneath her fingernails. She saw that tiny pieces of napkin had caught on her sticky skin. She noticed her hand, which was no longer a hand. Her fingers had fused together. They were short and swollen and ended in a sharp point. She stared at it, this appendage resting on the door. It was not a hoof, but it was not a hand. Loc.1641

PIGLET surprised me with its singularly enchanting description of food preparation and consumption, and the use of hunger to represent a more personal sort of need. Piglet is a nickname given in childhood to the first person narrator, for being a child defined by her motivation to feed her hungers. When she finds out something terrible about her fiance weeks before they are to be married, she becomes insatiably hungry.

Hazell uses the shape of the narrative, a spiral, to carry the reader through the fmc's greatest social nightmare and out the other side. It's such a wild, unique ride, and I was full taken in. I was a little disappointed in the ending, as I thought the resolution was too oblique. I'd still recommend this to fans of suspense and family secret yarns.

Mrs. Edwards pulled platters towards her, smeared with leftovers. She scooped up pieces of mushroom, uneaten crusts of tart, and crushed soft garlic between her forefinger and thumb. She licked her fingers. She wasn’t finished. Loc.2721

Three (or more) things I loved:

1. The writing style in this one is very pleasing: As she fled, she made her decision: she would not go back to the office . She could not look at Toni again, at Natalie, she could not return to receive quiet, consolatory facial expressions from Olivia. She would not meet their eyes, not now they had seen her. The woman she had been, eating alone, was no longer anonymous. Loc.1648

2. From food to sports to names, this book is so British!

3. This fmc is so, so passive. I'd like to say I can't really connect with her, but that's not quite true. Humans don't have only flight and fight responses when we feel threatened, we also have the freeze response. Piglet freezes, which is exactly how I react to threats. So I sympathize, even though it makes me uncomfortable, given how threatened our fmc feels all the time. This is good character work!

4. The descriptions of food in this book are absolutely gifted. I find in books, food descriptions are often the same-- same words describing the same foods I'd read about a dozen times before. In PIGLET, the descriptions I read of food were like nothing I'd ever read or eaten or even imagined. I was so entertained.

5. I would never have thought that a description of baking could be so tense and suspenseful, but then I found this brilliance.

Three (or less) things I didn't love:

This section isn't only for criticisms. It's merely for items that I felt something for other than "love" or some interpretation thereof.

1. When Piglet is caught with all those burgers by her friends showing up unexpectedly at the same restaurant, it's a moment of significant shame for her. She doesn't seem able to explain the situation. But she works for a publisher of cookbooks; how hard would it be to say she was researching a project for work? However implausible that may be, it's better than how she does handle the scene.

2. The hidden name thing is one of my least favorite tropes. The execution of this was too cute, too pat. Not to mention, if the reference applies on a narrative level, I can't figure out how.

3. He would tell her thirteen days before their wedding, and she would feel his words lodge like a shard of bone between her ribs. Loc.200 I'm not a fan of this sort of contrived suspense, but if you are here for it and wait until the end for this conflict to resolve, you might not be happy.

Rating: 🐷🐷🐷🐷 / 5 piglets
Recommend? Yes!
Finished: Mar 14 '24
Format: Digital, Kindle, NetGalley
Read this book if you like:
📠 contemporary fiction
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 family stories, family drama
👰‍♂️ wedding disasters
💇‍♀️ women's coming of age

Piglet is ambitious and wants to have it all. Told mostly in breezy dialogue and delicious food descriptions you really get a feel for these fractured characters. This really captivated me.

This book and the story of Piglet is so smart and interesting. Just knowing that this woman who has been called Piglet by her family since childhood gives us a clue to the plot to come. She has a seemingly perfect life: the perfect job, the perfect home and is about to be married and is planning the perfect wedding. Ultimately, we learn of the stresses she is facing in her life trying to present that "perfect" life are starting to unravel as her fiancé just weeks before their wedding shares a terrible secret that devastates her. She then becomes "hungry" and we see that perfection begin to unravel. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and how thought provoking it is telling of the struggles we face seeking perfection in our lives and how that often presents in our relationship with food and our real hungers. I highly recommend it.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book. I look forward to seeing more of this author's work.

"With his help, she had made a feast of her life. Sit, she encouraged their loved ones. Look at what I have made."

This book was a struggle to read for a few reasons, and all of them being reasons to praise the writing: the food descriptions made my stomach cramp with hunger; the spiraling of the main character and her actions during that made me want to look away, to not bear witness to the destruction of her own life; and the insecurity over her body image was so relatable, it was frustrating to witness.

This is a book about hunger and craving. For food, absolutely. But also for a picturesque life among the upper class. Instagram worthy spreads, including the perfectly placed wooden utensils, stone bowls, and apron-over-the-linen-dress wife look. The book puts forth the question "How much is too much? When will you stop asking for more, more, more?"

Start with the main character's name - Piglet. It's a nickname her friends and family have imposed onto her, and the only name we know her by for nearly the entirety of the novel. Inherently, it's a demeaning name, and because it's the only name we know her by, we are participants in that disrespect. We make judgements upon her, based on how a patriarchal society has taught us to view women who crave, who hunger, and who indulge. And Piglet indulges plenty. For that, the people around her have much to say.

She indulges as an escape from her failing impending marriage and the anxiety of the pressures that come with the commitment to this marriage. Her soon-to-be husband is wealthy, and she is not. This alone presents a power imbalance in the relationship - if she is to have the life she wants, she must marry him. And in the beginning, this is a deal she can accept. She's willing to leave behind her family, even shun them for being lower class. However, when her husband confesses a secret he's been hiding from her, she starts to question everything. She overindulges, drowning her emotional sorrows into her one reliable comfort - food, and she starts to imagine a life where she doesn't become a complicit, quiet, well-behaved wife in exchange for luxuries.

The spiraling was uncomfortable to read. It's hard to see character dismantle their life, emotionally and physically destroy the world they've built. The tension during some of the scenes in the latter half of the novel were intense, which is a testament to Hazell's writing, considering the context was fairly tame. But from a feminist perspective of the reading, the destruction and tension that emerged from that also came across as powerful and liberating. Women can, and should crave. They should hunger.

Lottie Hazell even made me crave with this book (my meal plan for the week took a sharp left turn during the reading of this). The descriptions of food were not only deliciously impressive, but they added so much to the commentary on body image and class through metaphors. The only criticism I have for the book is the faltered ending - after the big main event, there's too long of a lull, and then it ends. The book should've ended a little sooner - leave the reader reeling from what the main character has done. However, praise has to be sung for making me so invested in a fairly unlikeable main character.

For a debut book, I'm highly impressed. It was unique, well-written, well-structured, and had deeper themes than I expected.

Thank you to Netgalley and Henry Holt & Company for an Advanced Readers Copy.