Set in 1938, two girls become fast friends at boarding school. Violet is a quirky girl and she and Gilly are roommates who grow close. Violet invites Gilly home for Christmas vacation. Gilly, who has a dead mother and absent father, is excited to meet the two older sisters she keeps hearing about. They arrive at Thornleigh Hall and Gilly thinks the falling down mansion is a fairy tale place. She does not notice the shabbiness of it all. The family is concerned with with marrying off the older daughters well to ensure the future of their home and daughters, so reputation is everything.
In no time at all Gilly switches her loyalty from Violet to her sisters and there are secrets, tragedies, and end results that are completely unexpected. While the bulk of the action takes place over this one Christmas, we do get to see years down the road and how the events of Christmas 1938 affected all involved.
There were many surprises in this story and it was a page turner. I had expected it to be more historical though really just the setting was. That did not take from my enjoyment of the story however. The cover is gorgeous and the story was intriguing. Thank you to NetGalley for providing me the ebook in exchange for an honest review. 4.5 Star.

This was a wonderful debut book. It was well written with a good pace and a gothic vibe that I absolutely loved. It’s definitely more of a thriller/ suspense book which was great because it kept me on my toes and interested in what was going to happen. I enjoyed the twists and turns and how the characters interacted and grew. There are so many secrets and things unfolding that I was kept intrigued all the way to the end of the book

I loved this book so much! I haven’t shut up about it since finishing it. A wild ride of a book that was perfect and disturbing.

#theundoingofvioletclaybourne is an intriguing read. i can't and won't say i enjoyed it, b/c honestly, the amount of gaslighting and manipulation that occurs is painful and over the top. AND...later in the story, a little unbelievable. none of the characters are likable, and some are even despicable! it's been a minute since i've felt so strongly about characters, and perhaps that says something; thus, my 4 stars. bonus points for the terrific cover.

p. s. thanks to #netgalley for the ARC.

The Undoing of Violet Claybourne
by Emily Critchley
Pub Date: Mar 04 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

1938. Gillian Larking, lonely and away at boarding school, is used to going unnoticed. But then she meets Violet Claybourne, her vibrant roommate who takes Gilly under her wing. Violet is unlike anyone Gilly has ever met, and she regales Gilly with tales of her grand family estate and her two elegant sisters. Gilly is soon entranced by stories of the Claybournes, so when Violet invites Gilly to meet her family at Thornleigh Hall, she can't believe her luck.

But Gilly soon finds that behind the grand façade of Thornleigh Hall, darkness lurks.

Dazzled by the crumbling manor and Violet's enigmatic sisters, Gilly settles into the estate. But when a horrible accident strikes on the grounds, she is ensnared in a web of the sisters' making, forced to make a choice that will change the course of her life forever. Because the Claybournes girls know how to keep secrets, even at the cost of one of their own.

An unforgettable story full of prose and writing that will grip you. Tangles layers of friendship, family, wealth, and mental health.

Really good intense bleak book! Highly recommend this novel for all collections. The characters were so dark, many twists and turns, it ends with an unexpected bang. Part literary, gothic, and historical fiction. This will appeal to many readers.

The Undoing of Violet Claybourne is a suspense thriller bordering on gothic historical. Every character has a secret. Special thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Omg I hated basically everyone in this book except for Violet and some of the side characters. I was so angry at the characters that I almost gave up on the book for the sake of my mental health. I know it's a fictional book, but this is a very real scenario that has happened. Maybe not the exact details, obviously, but omg, I got so mad. Obviously can't go into details, since that is spoilers.

Violet clearly has a form of OCD, although that isn't something that had a diagnosis in the 1930s. As this isn't something that I have, I can't say exactly how the symptoms lined up with real life, but it would be great to hear the perspective of someone who does.

One major point. This is not a mystery. This is a suspense novel. Kind of gothic, mix between thriller and suspense. There is no mystery in it. The only mystery is the suspense in what is going to happen next. And why are these characters so awful?

I am so glad to be done with this book. The only problem is, I know it's is going to bother me for years to come. I am going to go into rants about it every once in awhile to people who have never read the book about how horrible the characters are. So even though I gave it a three star rating, the case could be made for a higher rating just because of that.

Thanks to NetGalley for the free kindle book. My review is voluntarily given and my opinions are my own.

I am very appreciative of the complimentary digital Arc that I received from Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley. This opinion is my own. Gillian and Violet meet at boarding school, become roommates and best friends. Gillian has no friends in the area, her father and his new family are in a different country and school holidays are spent with her aunt, a penny-pinching spinster. As Christmas comes around, Violet invites Gillian to her house for the holiday term. Gillian is very happy to be brought into Violet's family. Her mother and father, standoffish and with plans of their own, do not take an active part in the holidays but, no matter, Violet's sisters are loads of fun. As Gillian forms a girl crush on the sisters, she is ready to leave Violet behind. Twisted and treacherous, an old aristocratic family with all their secrets, this is a book that I really enjoyed. Three and 1/2 stars, rounded up to four because I felt the book could have been shortened a bit. After awhile the treachery of the girls became redundant.

This was an awesome read. The narration and word building was so powerful I actually felt being in that medieval era with woods around a manor. The clarity with which Claybourne family was described like the characters, their emotions, the relationship between the sisters and their parents, the staff - all was so good. I found the length a bit more at some point but not a single minute where I got bored while reading. There was this intrigue and mystical feature all the time, like some underlying suspense which made the reading more fast paced since it was unable to keep the book down. And my god, the twist at the end was totally unexpected. I did not expect that story could take such a turn. The plot runs through decades and you could see the way characters developed. I absolutely loved reading this and would recommend this to all.

Thanks @bookmarked and @netgalley for sharing the DRC in exchange of honest review.

Set in 1938 this is a story of two young girls, Gillian and Violet, who meet at an English boarding school. Gillian was sent there after her mother died and her father remarried. Although she wants to fit in with the girls at school she is quiet, shy and often overlooked. Then Violet shows up at school and becomes Gillian’s new roommate. Quirky Violet is hard to overlook and plagued with obsessive compulsive tendencies. Gillian is captivated by the stories Violet tells about her family and especially her two older sisters and so delighted when Violet invites her to come home with her for Christmas holiday.
Violet’s family home, Thornleigh Hall, is a once grand English manor falling into disrepair. I love this setting! It is very atmospheric: cold grey days, stark winter landscape, a dark lake and the house itself. Marred by a fire and the dwindling funds to care for such a home, Thornleigh oozes a sense of impending doom, but to Gillian it all still seems rather fabulous. The cast of characters is no less enthralling. Violet’s two older sisters are worldly and beautiful, her father an old war hero now softened and subdued, her mother wanting to keep up appearances and find a good match for her oldest daughter. Then there are the various staff, little Robin, and a lone tenant who lives in a small cottage on the property.
Gillian is starstruck by Violet’s sisters and she is soon drawn into the dark family drama. After a tragic accident her loyalty to her friend Violet is twisted and broken and their lives are changed forever!
I especially enjoyed the gothic feel of this story, the once grand family and home whose gilded finish is chipping away, and the psychological turmoil the characters experience as the story winds its way to the finish.

Oh wow, how to describe this novel? The Undoing of Violet Claybourne appears on the surface to be a book about two roommates. Gilly is enchanted by her roommate, Violet and the stories she tells about her home and family. Naturally she jumps at the chance to spend the holidays with them.

Then tragedy strikes during the visit and everything spirals out of control from there. Everyone has a story, everyone has their own intentions. The story spans a lifetime of regret, betrayal, friendship, debts. This book is absolutely FULL of secrets that I did not see coming!! It’s perfect for a book club!

I loved One Puzzling Afternoon (still horribly underrated)—DO NOT sleep on The Undoing of Violet Claybourne. It would be absolutely criminal for this book not to get the readers it so richly deserves.

I would like to extend my gratitude to Sourcebooks Landmark, Emily Critchley, and NetGalley for allowing me to read this story

This book drew me in right away. Quiet Gillian befriends outgoing Violet at school and is invited to spend the holidays with Violet's family at the family estate, Thornleigh Hall. Gillian at once admires Violet's older sisters and wants to be liked & accepted by them. Tragedy strikes one morning and suddenly Gillian feels a kinship with the sisters. Yet this relationship with the older sisters hinders her friendship with Violet eventually causing a rift in the friendship. Gillian leaves Thornleigh Hall hoping to put it in her past. More tragedies happen amongst Clayborne sisters and there is no peace for Gillian as she lives the remainder her life with the secret of what really happened that winter morning at Thornleigh Hall. I eagerly continued reading to the end of the book hoping for redemption, apologies and forgiveness. There was none and the ending was a completely unexpected surprise. I do believe this book would be a good book club read! Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Gilly was living a lonely, boring life at boarding school until Violet came along and brightened it up. Violet’s tales of her sisters and her home Thornleigh Hall feed Gilly’s desire for a family to love and to find a confidence that had been lacking. So when Gilly has the opportunity to spend Christmas with the family she jumps all in and embraces all that sisters Laura and Emmeline’s have to offer. Unfortunately at the expense of Violet.
I wouldn’t call this a gothic thriller. There was no foreboding, no darkness and sense of horror at every page. It was more Downtown Abbey than Jane Eyre. The richness of the writing was a treat and I was drawn into the story. There was plenty of darkness in the characters and that came out when the unthinkable happened. I could see where the storyline was taking me but it didn’t detract. I thought the author was sensitive and realistic with Violet’s personality and mannerisms.
A really good read and the cover is gorgeous.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC

This book lures the reader in…the lower class girl, desperate to fit in and have friends…rooming with the seemingly free-spirited privileged girl of the upper class. But things aren’t always what they seem, and the grass isn’t always greener. Secrets, shifting alliances and gaslighting abound in this twisty tale.

The Undoing of Violet Claybourne is a gothic thriller/mystery that kept me on the edge of my seat!

Normally this kind of book isn’t my thing, but the synopsis of this book sounded so good I just had to read it and I’m glad I did!!

The Claybourne family is a family full of lies, deceit, abuse, etc and Gillian, who is determined to become one of them, is trapped in the middle of their issues. This story was just so captivating and full of twists and turns! Nothing is what it seems with this family. This novel was both heartbreaking and amazing. I highly recommend it!

The Undoing of Violet Claybourne tells a story of unexpected friendships set against the backdrop of complex class differences. As I delved deeper into the narrative, I discovered that secrets, lies, and deception lurked at every turn. Each character wrestles with their own motivations, often leading to moral ambiguities that keep readers questioning their true intentions.

The novel prompts readers to ponder profound dilemmas: Can we ever truly trust in our friends, or do hidden agendas taint those relationships? What about our familial ties—are they fortified by love and loyalty, or do they too harbor their own betrayals? Ultimately, the narrative leaves us grappling with the unsettling notion that, in a world riddled with complexity, everyone might simply be looking out for their interests.

I believe this would make a great book club read since there is so much to discuss. While it might not be one of my favorites this year, I am confident that others will enjoy it.

Dark and deeply gothic style of writing! I know the characters weren't written to be liked but I truly despised them. They care for no one but themselves. The plot is what drew me in and the mysterious twists had me holding my breath to discover the outcome.

Gillian Larking, is attending a boarding school and is invited to spend the Christmas holidays with the glamorous Claybourne family by her new roommate Violet Claybourne. What Violet finds is a gorgeous but crumbling mansion and an experience that changes her life forever after, after a horrendous Boxing Day accident and what the Claybourne sisters will do to ultimately protect themselves.

This book cover is absolutely stunning and along with an enticing description, is what drew me to this wonderful historical mystery. This is a story of a rich and privileged family with very dark family secrets and a glimpse of mental illness during the time of the late 1930's. The writing was beautiful and the story was suspenseful and there were definitely some twists that I never saw coming. Great book and one that I would definitely recommend!

My reviews can also be found on my GoodReads page: www.goodreads.com/brandisbooks.

This book is set to release March 4th 2025.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.