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Picture Imperfect

The feel-good new adult novel and instant Sunday Times bestseller

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Picture Imperfect

By: Jacqueline Wilson
Narrated by: Megan Richards
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FROM THE BELOVED SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU PUT YOURSELF FIRST?

Dol has spent her life holding everything — and everyone — together. But she's done being perfect.

Now it's time to be herself.

Dol Westward has always been the dependable one — the steady hand, the peacekeeper, the fixer. Especially when it comes to her unpredictable mother, Marigold. But after years of putting everyone else first, she’s starting to wonder what’s left for her.

When life begins to fray around the edges, Dol realises she’s been chasing an idea of perfection that was never really hers. Old habits, old expectations — they’re hard to break. But maybe imperfection is the only place she can finally feel free...

Funny, moving and full of hope, Picture Imperfect is a story about family, love and discovering that life doesn't have to be perfect to be wonderful — from the beloved author who always writes real life, honestly told.

'Jacqueline Wilson taps into the joys and pains of women everywhere.' Dawn O'Porter, bestselling author of So Lucky

'This story offers grown-ups what Wilson has long offered teenagers: comfort, sanity and delight in the ordinary.' Daily Mail

'A read-in-a-day comfort book.' The Independent

© Jacqueline Wilson 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

 Clean & Wholesome Genre Fiction LGBTQIA+ Creators Literary Fiction Women's Fiction
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Critic reviews

Praise for Jacqueline Wilson
A read-in-a-day comfort book.
Nuanced and refreshing...beautifully told.
This story offers grown-ups what Wilson has long offered teenagers: comfort, sanity and delight in the ordinary.
Jacqueline Wilson taps into the joys and pains of women everywhere.
Wilson knocks it out of the park once again...a moving story that is as fun to read as it is meaningful.
She is a national treasure.
Realistic, sharp eyed...I loved it and didn’t want it to end.
Praise for Picture Imperfect
‘Jacqueline Wilson is a national treasure! Picture Imperfect is at once beautiful, sad and uplifting.’ (Alice Winn)
All stars
Most relevant
Storyline was okay, but had an underwhelming and abrupt ending. I really wanted to like Dol's character but found it annoying that she wouldn't take responsibility and was completely dismissive of the impact she was having on people and of their feelings.
Fell below expectations. I liked the Easter eggs, but didn't think there were as many as in Think Again.

Hoped for better

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nothing at all it was really good word min word min word min word min

Great story

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I love the whole idea of the story and I really like the adult bits

Amazing

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As someone who was around Dol's age when the first book came out, I read The Illustrated Mum til I was cross eyed. Bringing Dol into modern times was always going to be difficult since the book was a huge part of lots of people's reading childhood.

Is it perfect? No. Did I love it anyway? Yes. I completely believed that adult Dol was a realistic adult version of the little girl in the first book. I liked the story and the characters had good depth.

The only thing that stuck out was the same thing I've always thought about JWs books (even when I was a kid reading the children's books). The dialogue just isn't realistic. I don't know any 33 year old who says things like "I feel a fool" and "ever so" and I didn't know any teens that said these things in the noughties either! Other than that, I enjoyed it.

It ends quite abruptly - perhaps a sequel is coming?

This was always going to be tricky...

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As a lifelong JW fan, I was thrilled for this release and reread The Illustrated Mum. The story is engaging and the character updates are a joy. However, as someone with severe dyslexia who relies on audiobooks, I found Doll’s dyslexia portrayed unrealistically—at 33 she can’t read simple words and rarely uses context or pictures, which makes her seem almost illiterate. Dyslexia makes reading slow and tiring, and spelling tough, but not usually to that extreme. That misrepresentation pulled me out of an otherwise strong, enjoyable book.

Reunited with Favourites, Let Down by the Dyslexia Portrayal

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