Okay, so like, I totally need to talk about this book. The whole vibe of it is so dark and intense, and honestly, it was such a rollercoaster! Imagine a grand old manor that's, like, totally falling apart, but still holding onto its faded glamour. The characters? Let’s just say they're all kinds of messed up in a way that you can't help but want to know more. It’s, like, equal parts intriguing and twisted—especially when you get into the whole web of secrets and lies that the family is hiding.

Gilly is a super quiet girl, right? She’s just trying to fit in and not be totally invisible, and then Violet shows up. Violet’s, like, full of life and energy but also has these weird little quirks, and at first, Gilly’s, like, obsessed with being part of her world. But when she goes to Violet's crumbling family mansion, everything starts to unravel. There’s this tragic accident, and Gilly finds herself caught up in this huge mess where everyone's trying to protect themselves at any cost. Spoiler: it doesn't end well for anyone.

The whole thing has this gothic vibe, with all the creepy stuff that comes with old estates and, like, dark family secrets. The writing is actually so gripping—each twist and turn kept me hooked, even though most of the characters are, like, kinda unlikable. It’s one of those books where you're not really rooting for anyone, but you're still like, "What’s gonna happen next?"

Definitely a page-turner, with a lot of betrayal, manipulation, and mental health stuff that hits hard. It’s got that historical suspense feel, and the ending? Let’s just say it’s a lot to take in.

Thanks so much to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

THE UNDOING OF VIOLET CLAYBOURNE - EMILY CRITCHLEY

Historical fiction remains one of my favourite genres, and The Undoing of Violet Claybourne is a must-read for fellow fans. Unlike many other historical fiction novels, which follow a dual narrative set within two different time periods, the bulk of this story is set within the past with only short visits to the present at the beginning and end.

I loved this, because I felt like I could get fully immersed along with the main character, Gilly, as she visits the very opulent and addictive world at Thornleigh Hall. At its heart, I would say that this is a historical fiction mystery novel, just as the title itself suggests. From the beginning, there are questions to answer. Who is Violet? How is she 'undone'? These mysteries keep the pace going, where secrets are revealed up to the very last page. I struggled to put this book down!

This isn't a wide-reaching treatment of the UK during the 1930s. Instead, this book is about how one moment in time - and one decision - can have far-reaching effects on so many people for their entire lives.

I found this so interesting and, if I'm honest, devastating, as I became truly invested in Gilly and the other characters. If you love characters that fall within the shades of grey category, you'll really enjoy this book. There's also a hefty helping of hidden agendas, peer pressure, deception, betrayal, treatment of the servant class vs the 'landed' class, grief, guilt and so, so much more.

For a historical fiction novel that'll have you simultaneously hooked and have you reading with a growing feeling of utter despair for the characters, I thoroughly recommend The Undoing of Violet Claybourne.

Review score: 4/5

Release date: 4 March 2025 (US)

Trigger warnings: Violence, d*ath, injury detail, postnatal depression, mental health, alcoholism

darkly atmospheric and just generally dark book about a bunch of characters, many of which are quite unlikeable. would recommend. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

4/5 stars. A dark yet entertaining read with highly unlikeable characters all around. Most of it is set in 1938, first at an all-girls boarding school in England where shy, lonely, and not-so-rich Gilly rooms with daughter of Lord and Lady Claybourne, the outgoing and quirky Violet (who most certainly has undiagnosed OCD).

Most of the story takes place at Violet's family estate, Thornleigh Hall, where Gilly gets wrapped up in the lives of Violet's two older sisters and something terrible happens that changes all of the girls' lives forever. It was so hard to read about what the girls did to Violet and I hated how weak Gilly was, unable to stand up for anything she knew was right. Recommend for fans of historical mystery-esque, setting-forward books (a snowy Thornleigh Hall at Christmas was so easy to imagine) with flawed characters and a gothic vibe. But look up trigger warnings if you need to - this book pretty much has them all.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

Loved the premise and the writing, but the pacing was on the slow side and ultimately the story was a bit bleak. I think I would have enjoyed it a bit more had I read it during a week in which I wasn't in a funk. I think that is coloring my review slightly.

The Undoing of Violet Claybourne by Emily Critchley ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Sourcebooks Landmark
Pub Date: 3-4-25

Thank you @netgalley, @bookmarked, and @emily.critchley for this eARC.

"If I am to remember, to truly remember, I must go back to the very beginning. I must remember not only the glamour, the decadence, and the sense of wanting so desperately to belong that I felt in the company of the Claybourne sisters, but also the darker side of our story, what really happened during that winter break, and the events that led me to flee my life as I knew it. Only then will I know what to do with the letter."

During the Christmas holidays of 1938, events unfold that set in motion a series of choices that will alter the lives of Gillian and the Claybourne sisters—Violet, Laura, and Emmeline—forever.

As I followed their journeys, I found myself wishing they would make different decisions, constantly hoping they would consider the consequences their actions would have on others.

The atmospheric setting added depth to the story, and the surprises revealed throughout kept me hooked, unable to put the book down until the full weight of the characters’ decisions became clear - reverberating for more than sixty years and impacting multiple generations.

Gillian Larkin has always been a loner. She's an only child who was sent away to school when her father remarried. She's been at school for years, and she finally has a friend the year she is 16. Violet Claybourne is a spirited girl with odd tendencies. The youngest of three sisters, she's adventurous and different from all the other girls at school. When Violet invites Gillian to Thornleigh Hall, her family home, for the holidays, she's eager to see how a family works, especially the sisters.

Thornleigh Hall was once a dazzling home, but now it is crumbling and has sections blocked off due to a fire. Gilly is quickly drawn in by Violet's older sisters, which quickly leads to tragedy—for the family, for the sisters, and mostly for Violet.

This is a family full of secrets, who have no qualms about blackmailing each other or thinking only of themselves. Gilly is suddenly part of it all, and she's torn between the two sisters, who treat her as one of their own, and her friend Violet, the strange girl with strange habits.
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It's hard to be a woman in gothic novels. There are limitations to what is acceptable by society. There are easy ways to get what you want if you have enough money. The Claybourne sisters are no different from other gothic novels' classic heroines. While the timeline of this story is post-WW1, leading directly into World War 2, this story can be placed in any timeline. It's about family, sisters, truth, and honor. It's about friendship, sisterhood, and how far secrets can go. This is the sad story of the Claybourne sisters.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

In 1938, Gillian is at a boarding school and befriends her new roommate Violet. She is invited to spend Christmas with Violet's family and is desperate to fit in and be accepted by Violet's two older sisters. After an accident on the grounds of the Claybourne home, Gilly has to decide where her loyalties lie…and live with it for the next 60+ years. This was okay. I didn't love it, but I don't know why. 3 stars.

Interesting concept, setting, and overall plot points but not executed well in my opinion. Pacing was slow and dragged for majority of the book. Couldn’t wait for it to be over.

Psychological studies can be manipulative, they can be terrorizing, they can haunt and do much worse. The undoing of Violet Claybourne shared all these qualities wrapped within an often told tale. One young woman yearns to be recognized, to become more, to be admitted to that special society that is out of reach. Another born to that certain societal class just wants to be left to let out all the inner feelings she is denied while she also searches to be recognized and remembered.

Winter, 1938 marks the divide of the lives of the inhabitants and one guest of Thornleigh Hall. Told from a current POV, the reminisces of the past and the glimpses into the patterns and mysteries that make up this story are remarkable in the expectation that this is the way it is supposed to be,”Nos contra mundane, us against the world.” Until it isn’t. The ultimate realization that the past does not forget our destruction whether it to be self or others and our ultimate justification of our actions so we may “carry on.”

Well and strongly plotted and written - many thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for a copy.

Was excited for this one and it just felt flat. I love dark academia and really wanted more here, more mystery more ambiance. I am not sure what exactly made it less than I was expecting,but it was really hard for me to connect to these characters.

3.5 stars rounded up.

This book starts off so slow, but then around 40%, a terrible thing happens and the pace really picks up. I became invested in the story at that time and finished the remainder of the book in a day.

The characters are all wholly unlikeable, except for maybe Violet herself. However, in this case, it’s fine that they’re all unlikeable. I was just reading to see what would happen to them all…

This book is full of a lot of trauma and I feel like readers should know that going in. At the same time, I’m worried that if I identify some of the content warnings in my review, I will spoil some of the plot. So I will say…proceed with caution and if there are certain triggers you have, do research before you begin reading…

I will be creating an IG post on this one at Instagram.com/kraftykatreads and will update my review links once I do so.

3.5 stars

I loved the authors previous book One Puzzling Afternoon and jumped at the chance to get a review copy of this her latest, which releases in March 2025

The year is 1938 and Gillian Larking is sent away to school where she befriends her new roommate, Violet. Invited to Violet‘s home for the Christmas holidays Gillian‘s life as well as Violet takes a drastic change. Jump ahead 60 years later the repercussions are still felt.

This book started out with a nice grabber that kept me reading. It was great to get to know Gillian and her past while she was in England and her father in Egypt. The author took her time introducing the Thornleigh sisters, all three of them with vastly different personalities, goals, and drive to achieve what they want. At times I felt the story, which comes in at a 400 pages, a tad too long as it seemed to drag out a bit for me. And honestly, I struggled to find any characters that I really even liked.

This novel is a story of family, secrets, betrayal, and ambitions so desperate doesn’t matter who is in your way. The ending was okay but not as satisfying as I'd hoped.

My thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark for a digital arc in exchange for a honest review.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the EARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

While visiting a school friend for the holidays Gillian witnesses a tragedy that changes the trajectory of her friend’s family from that day forward. I went in blind and I think that is the way to go. Gave me gothic vibes as well as some more mild VC Andrew vibes. This was primarily a novel about family drama, class, and manipulation.

I enjoyed the setting of this story and the writing style mostly kept me engaged. Overall I’m glad to have read it but it didn’t stand out enough for me to be 4 stars.

A big thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the eARC in exchange of an honest review.

I went in blind, thinking it was a historical story, something along the lines of a mystery... But to my surprise it's quite suspenseful, so thriller leaning and I really enjoyed the ride.

I recommend, its a captivating story.

This is my first read of 2025 and what a fantastic way to begin the year!

The majority of this novel is set during 1938 in Thornleigh Hall, a deteriorating manor house in Oxfordshire. The house is the home of the dysfunctional Claybourne family. The second timeline is set in the year 1999 with Gillian Larkin now elderly, as she returns to Thornleigh Hall after sixty years.

Quiet and bookish, teenage Gillian Larkin attends a boarding school in England whilst her father and his new family reside in Egypt. Alone and adrift, she is delighted to have a new roommate, Violet Claybourne. Violet is ‘different’. One minute she is talkative and a risk taker, the next moment she is anxious and emotionally vulnerable. She does little ‘rituals’ which she calls her ‘undoings’. These present as counting on her fingers, rapping a door three times before she opens it, etc., all markers of someone who has OCD. In Violet’s case the OCD was a result of a traumatic incident.

When Violet invites Gillian to Thornleigh Hall for the Christmas break, she accepts with delight. She is eager to meet Violet’s two older sisters. Sisters are something that Gillian has always coveted in her lonely status as an only child.

The visit to Thornleigh Hall is marred by a very traumatic accident which spurs a tragic chain of events. The accident is the dividing point in Gillian’s life. Everything is either before OR after Thornleigh Hall…

I was riveted throughout this novel. The Claybournes were an eccentric lot, and their family dynamic was dysfunctional. Due to the matriarch’s obsession with ‘appearances’, the family hid all their ‘dirty laundry’ and the secrecy that entailed caused them to be riddled with guilt and anxiety. The secrets they held created many unsavoury repercussions over the years.

Written with rich characterization, this novel made you really feel for the characters. They were not all likeable, in fact most of them were quite unlikeable. They were however, very fascinating in a dark and damaged kind of way.

With themes of betrayal, cover-ups, gas-lighting, and atonement, this novel had a slightly gothic vibe. An historical, twisty, psychological thriller that kept me enthralled. A book which highlighted how horribly people with mental health issues were treated in the not so distant past. A book of manipulation and the self-absorption of the rich and privileged upper classes. A novel that emphasizes how outward appearances can deceive the unwary.

I enjoyed every page of this novel and will not hesitate to recommend it to anyone who will listen.

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

The Undoing of Violet Claybourne was the best book to end 2024 and start into 2025 with! This book was dark and atmospheric, and I loved exploring Thornleigh Hall with the main protagonist, Gillian (Gilly). I love gothic feels in books, and this was oozing them.
Gilly is away at boarding school in the UK, and her expat father lives in Egypt with her new stepmother and baby stepbrother. Gilly is just ploughing through school as she knows when she leaves, she's mist likely going to have to stand on her own too feet. When her new roommate Violet Claybourne begins at the school, Gillys life is made more fun and exciting and opens the door to a more privileged future when she goes to stay at Violets home Thornleigh Hall. Gilly meets Violets two older sisters and is drawn to them both and longs to be accepted by them like a sister. When they seem to be taking her into the fold and Violet becomes jealous, Gilly feels torn but sways more in favour of the sisters' attention than Violets. When a tragedy occurs and the girls are thrown into a situation that could ruin their lives, Violet becomes the scapegoat, and the trio slowly destroy her already fragile mental state...
This was a dual timeline read (mostly set in the past as events unfolded), and I felt a rollercoaster of emotions reading this. This highlights the social classes back in the 1930s and how mental health was seen and handled in those days. I felt every emotion I could possibly feel reading this book and my heart broke a few times for poor Violet.The twists within the book that unfold towards the end were a complete curve ball and I couldn't read the ending fast enough. You definitely don't want to miss this page-turner!

The Undoing of Violet Clybourne by Emily Critchley is a story about belonging. Young Gillian Larking has never felt like she fits in anywhere. Her mom died giving birth to her, and her father sent her away to boarding school at just nine years old to start a new family.

Gillian longs for a friend, someone she can care about and someone who will return that affection. She finds it in her new roommate, Violet. Violet is the youngest of three sisters and appears to live a life Gilly has only dreamed of. When Violet invites her to spend Christmas at Thornleigh Hall, Gilly can’t wait to be a part of what she imagines will be an idyllic holiday; she especially can’t wait to meet Violet’s older sisters, Emmeline and Laura.

That excitement fades when the family is faced with a Boxing Day tragedy. Gillian is torn between her newfound loyalty to the Clybourne sisters and telling the truth about what she knows. Little does she realize that the decisions she makes will have lifelong reverberations for everyone involved.

I wanted to love this story. It has a dark, gothic vibe, and Critchley does an excellent job of showing readers the way so many high-class families of the time were living an illusion. I also appreciated how she was able to weave in the impact of the Great War on several of the male characters. The problem comes in with the characterization of Gilly and Violet’s sisters. While readers can sympathize with some of their struggles, that sympathy isn’t enough to make you like any of them. While I’ve read plenty of stories with irredeemable characters, I don’t think it works to have Gilly, who seems to be the central character of the story despite the book’s title, never really grow or change.

Thanks to Net-galley and Landmark for an ARC of this story in exchange for my honest review.

4 🌟

A gothic & twisty family drama, told from an outsider's perspective - a girl who just wants to be a part of it all.

Upon meeting the Claybourne sisters, you think - well, Emmeline is aloof, Laura is carefree, and Violet is quirky. The first half of the book sets up the atmosphere quite well, with the main setting being a crumbling old family estate. I can't resist a book that takes place in an old house. Gillian, our protagonist, can't resist the allure of old money either.

Part 2 is where the book really starts to shine, as the story turns from youthful friendship and the desire to belong to a heartbreaking tale of a girl being manipulated by her only friend and the sisters who should be looking out for her. Emmeline isn't just aloof, she's ruthless. Laura isn't carefree, she's feckless. Violet isn't just quirky, she's a victim. And Gillian might be the world's worst friend.

I really enjoyed this one and simply couldn't put it down. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

Thank you to Sourcebooks for an early electronic copy. All opinions are my own.

The Undoing of Violet Claybourne follows personal ambition at the cost of your own sister's mental health. Granted in the 1920-30's, mental health wasn't a thing, especially for a woman. Histrionics were mostly attributed to female woes of all sorts. In the case of Violet Claybourne, she has coping mechanisms, or modern-day tics, that she uses as undoings. Her mind has her convinced if she were to perform these movements, touches, etc., it will stave off an impending disaster of some sort.

When Violet, who comes from some money, meets a new roommate at their boarding school, the girls become fast friends. Violet then asks Gilly to come home for the holidays with her. Gilly excited to be around the type of people she herself wants to become, is excited to go. There she is accepted by Violet's sisters and parents. When a tragedy unfolds, it is to Gilly the sisters turn as a way of deflecting the blame. Another tragedy is Gilly deciding to side with the sisters. At that point, Violet is left to suffer consequences and a complete breakdown.

Mining the relationships between sisters and friends and expectations of family is deftly explored throughout the story. There is a crime and its consequences play out in multiple and fascinating ways. The sisters are self-absorbed as often the privileged are with the exception of Violet. Though many things are brought to light toward the ending, I still wasn't able to feel any empathy toward the older sisters and barely any for Gilly.

It was nice to see Karma have her way.