Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this ARC.

Violet Vaughan, 32, is a literary agent who works at Thoth Publishing, London. She is happily shacked up with Lenny, or so she thinks. On Valentine's Day of all days he confesses to be in love with Beatrice, a rival literary agent. 

This betrayal sends Violet over the edge into a mental health crisis. She feels the fact that everyone leaves her is down to her not being worthy enough, not slim enough, not fashionable enough. So when her new flatmate Bella turns out to work in a spa and to be full of beauty tips, she overhauls her lifestyle completely with her help. But is Bella all that she seems or does she have secrets?

Soon, Violet's friends get concerned about her transformation into this thin, groomed woman who has less and less time for them. There is her book club with octogenarians Kath, Nora and Pauline, her boss Felicity, her colleagues Irfan, Farah and Hugo and debut author Casey who she falls for.

This beautiful story about complex characters is told over two timelines, now and 2001 when Violet was 7, and both her beloved Uncle Kevin died in the 9/11 atrocity and then her childhood friend Flint left, plus classmate Alice relentlessly bullied her and called her a Shrinking Violet. 

First, I didn't like Violet too much, she seemed shallow, constantly posting filtered photos of herself on social media, but the more we learned about her deep-seated childhood trauma and how it had manifested itself, the more I understood and felt for her. Also, she is a big book lover and therefore obviously a good person! This is more about friendship and self-discovery than romance, and it's all the better for it.

Altogether, this is an intelligent, heartbreaking and powerful read with some unexpected twists, a beautiful cover and great characters, incorporating mental health issues including eating disorders with knowledge and skill. 

This is not the story you thought you were getting at the start of the book - it's better! This won't be my last book by this smart author. Even the title is clever. Make sure you have tissues ready for the ending!