Dear Virginia, Wait for Me

by Marcia Butler

A sensitive portrait of a vulnerable yet resilient young woman who, with the help of an inner voice and newfound friends, attempts to find her way at the turn-of-the-millennium Manhattan.

For as long as she can remember, Peppa Ryan has been guided by a benevolent voice in her head who she believes is Virginia Woolf. Though she's an exceptionally bright twenty-year-old, she suffers from crippling low self-esteem and has barely left her parents' ramshackle home in Queens, New York. Set at the turn of the millennium, Peppa defies her parents' wishes and ventures out on her own to a job at a Wall Street investment firm. But her parents continue to pull strings, insisting she date a handsome but penniless plumber in the hopes she’ll return to her roots. Peppa plans to immediately dismiss the plumber on their first date, but to her surprise they discover an unlikely bond over a shared love of the novels of Virginia Woolf.
 
Peppa continues flourish and her confidence grows as those around her recognize and admire her analytical prowess. Then, when her relationship with her parents and the plumber becomes untenable due to a devastating betrayal, Peppa succumbs to her mental fragilities and suffers a collapse. With the help of her kindhearted boss, his eccentric client, and the voice of Virginia, Peppa recovers. And on one crisp and clear autumn morning she considers a path to reconciliation.
 
For those who loved Where'd You Go, Bernadette, The Remedy for Love, or And Then We Came to The End, this is a sensitive coming-of-age novel of a fragile yet brilliant young woman who, like Virginia Woolf, is determined to carve her unique path in life. 

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction

192 pages, Paperback

Published May 6, 2025

About the author

Marcia Butler’s nationally acclaimed memoir, The Skin Above My Knee, was one of the Washington Post’s “Top ten noteworthy moments in classical music in 2017”. Her debut novel, Pickle’s Progress, was hailed by Michael Schaub of NPR: “Surprising and audacious, Pickle’s Progress succeeds because of Butler’s willingness to take risks and her considerable charisma. She’s a gifted storyteller with a uniquely dry sense of humor and a real sympathy for her characters.” And Richard Russo said: "The four main characters in Pickle's Progress seems more alive than most of the people we know in real life because their fears and desires are so nakedly exposed." Her third book, Oslo, Maine, draws on indelible memories of performing for many years at a chamber music festival in central Maine. While there, Marcia came to love the majestic moose who roam at their perpetual peril among the humans. Bethanne Patrick of Literary Hub noted, “The author’s deep compassion for a different species means that you will wonder why more writers don’t choose to include all manner of beasts in their narratives.” In her stunning new novel (5/6/25) Dear Virginia, Wait For Me, Marcia draws a sensitive portrait of a not quite formed, vulnerable yet resilient, young woman who, with the help of her inner voice who she believes is Virginia Woolf, attempts to overcome the psychological damages wrought by her troubled upbringing. Best-selling author, Jonathan Lee, writes: “Her protagonist believes she's being guided by the voice of Virginia Woolf, but it is Butler's voice -- comforting and astute, alive to the music of kindness as well as betrayal -- that holds you to the end.”

Prior to becoming an author, Marcia had several creative careers: professional musician, interior designer, and documentary filmmaker. During her thirty-year musical career, she performed as a principal oboist and soloist on the most renowned of New York and international stages, with many high-profile musicians and orchestras – including pianist Andre Watts and composer/pianist Keith Jarrett. The New York Times hailed her as a “first rate artist”. Her interior design projects have been published in numerous shelter magazines and range up and down the East Coast, from Boston to NYC to Miami. The Creative Imperative, her documentary film exploring the essence of creativity, premiered in 2019 at The New York Society Library and is now available on YouTube.

Marcia’s writing has been published in The Washington Post, Literary Hub, PANK Magazine, Psychology Today, Aspen Ideas Magazine, Catapult, Bio-Stories, Kenyon Review, and others. She was a 2015 recipient of a Writer-in-Residence through Aspen Words and the Catto Shaw Foundation and was a writing fellow at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts in 2018 and 2019. After four decades in New York City, Marcia now calls New Mexico home.

Reviews

[DianaRose · Rating 4 out of 5]

firstly, thank you to the publisher for an alc!

3.5 stars

dear virginia, wait for me follows our fmc peppa who believes she has the voice of virginia woolf guiding her through life by helping her make decisions.

an interesting novel about being a young, working woman in nyc in the early 2000s, having a parent with a mental illness/terminal illness, generational trauma, and having a mental illness yourself.

as for the audio, the narrator did a great job!

[Literary Redhead · Rating 5 out of 5]

Peppa is a young brilliant but fragile woman who feels she's guided by the voice of Virginia Woolf. She flourishes after joining an investment firm in Manhattan, but after a traumatizing betrayal, suffers a mental collapse. This poignant story offers a sensitive portrait of living with mental illness, and also brings hope with Peppa's hard-won recovery. Masterful!

[Jo Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dear Virginia, Wait For Me was a novel with a bit of a difference, while it covered some really hard hitting themes it felt cozy in nature. Peppa is a bright young woman, starting a new job in the city where she’s sure to excel, but her parents want her to stay home take over the family business and marry a tradesman.

Peppa hears voices, one voice to be precise, that of Virginia Woolf. I thought the author had Woolf’s voice down to a tee. It made what were often difficult to hear topics hold humour.

A short sharp novel that I did really enjoy, I really wasn’t sure about the ending.

Morgan Hallet’s narration was lovely.

Huge thanks to RB Media and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this audiobook which is available now 🎧

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting novel unlike anything I've read! Peppa gets a new job working for Ivan and she's wonderful at it as she "channels" Virginia Wolff and "hears" her voice giving her advice. As an overweight and odd woman, she's delighted to be so useful in her job as she can remember things easily and Ivan is incredibly impressed with her. But her parents keep trying to fix her up with eligible men so she's at a crossroads in her life. It's one of those crazy-fun books that keep you on your toes as you never know what to expect!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

[Bridget Fitzpatrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

When this book started off with the main character getting a job in the World Trade Center in November 2000, let me tell you I was STRESSED. I spent this whole book thinking there was going to be some Remember Me twist.

Thank you to NetGalley and Central Avenue Publishing for sending me this book!

[Riley (runtobooks) · Rating 2 out of 5]

tbh i found this book to be quite grating. couldn’t connect with the narrator or any of her decisions. some of the supporting characters felt like caricatures at times, specifically gogo and her father. chapters felt choppy & abrupt. not one i enjoyed reading.

[Chantal · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75*

Dear Virginia, Wait for Me follows Peppa, a 20 year old woman searching for her own identity in Y2k New York City.

Peppa's parents wish for her to join the family business and manipulate Peppa into thinking that she needs to stay at home to take care of her mother, who suffers from a mental illness. Peppa does not want to work in the family business, and she longs to create a separate, individual identity. She finds herself a job in the Twin Towers in Manhattan, with a terrific boss who is very kind to her and sees her potential. But Peppa hears a voice in her head, which she thinks is Virginia Woolf talking to her. The voice guides her and makes her believe she is, amongst other things, worthless. When her life falls apart later on, her boss - and other extravagant characters - help her build it back up again. Lots of small plottwists make a greater whole. Reading about Peppa's journey in her own mental illness was tough, but it was written beautifully. It was good to see Peppa make some healthy choices. This may just be me, but I feel like Peppa's character may have been autistic coded.

Virginia Woolf quotes, early 2000s New York City and blooming mental health was the perfect mix for this coming-of-age novel. From the start, I was pulled in by the rich descriptions of the setting and the characters, which were never too elaborate to become boring or obsolete. The entire book is not even that long, but Butler is capable of saying a lot in a few pages. I think it's great when an author is able to do so. The ending was wonderful.

Would definitely recommend this book to friends.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this arc.

[RatGrrrl]

I received an ARC through NetGalley for an honest review.

This was a DNF @42%

I should learn to trust my gut and read blurbs more thoroughly, despite hating how much some, this one included, give away.

Being a large neurodivergent gal myself, I love to see some representation...although the person on the cover bares little semblance to the protagonist of this book, but I don't care how intersectional the lead of a book is if the book is peddling girlboss 'feminism'.

Philanthropy is Great Man bullshit and the boss is an overbearing, mansplaining, pushy arsehole.

This reads like, how I learned to love capitalism and embrace my true girlboss...


Maybe there's more to it, but what I read was unpleasant and made me deeply uncomfortable and according to the blurb the boss and rockstar are the heroes, which...fuck off!

I'm sure this is very appealing to a certain reader, but it couldn't be me.

[Hege-Kristin Beck · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had great expectations for this story, but "Dear Virginia, Wait for Me" turned out to be just an OK read. It wasn't bad, but it didn't quite live up to what I had hoped for. While it didn't completely captivate me, there were aspects that I appreciated. I liked Peppa's voice, her perspective, and her growing hope for the future. There was also a lot of strength in her weaknesses, which made her a complex, lovely character. The setting was also great! Y2K in New York seemed perfect. The first chapters provided a great starting point, but then it felt like something shifted in the story. Characters were introduced that I couldn't quite grasp. What I loved so much at the beginning of the book (Peppa's strong voice) faded into the background for other voices. Some chapters felt completely unnecessary, and it didn't feel like the story was going anywhere.

I wanted more Peppa, more of her dynamic one-on-one with her boss, more from Peppa's mother. The ending contributed to a positive upswing, but unfortunately, there was too much uninteresting content in the middle. Virginia Woolf's voice was a nice touch to the story and could have been explored even more.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review.

[Patrice McFadin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very different but interesting story. I especially loved the ending. Thanks Virginia! Great advice! Bagels, bagels, bagels!!

[Miri · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

[Tania · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book came very highly recommended by the owner of a bookstore in Dunsborough, Western Australia. Well, I’m highly recommending it too. It’s not often I’ll read a book so quickly. A wonderful story and excellent writing. I just loved it.

[Kristi Hovington · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I read that this book portrayed a character who heard Virginia Woolf's voice in her head, it immediately went to the top of the TBR pile. Kudos to the author who portrayed Woolf's voice in her head so well; I was convinced, and it made me want to go back and revisit some of Woolf's non-fiction again.

This isn't my typical kind of book choice, but I enjoyed it; it's an interesting hybrid. It's very much about mental health issues, including body dysmorphia and more; it's also about childhood trauma and a young woman believing in herself despite much stacked against her. These are all rather heavy issues, but it's reads light, almost adjacent to cozy, which works in some instances and is kind of jarring in others. I feel like, tonally, the book couldn't decide whether or not to delve into issues or just gloss past them. For example, in one part of the book, several characters let an obviously (and admittedly) intoxicated man drive a car, and these characters are all intelligent, responsible people. That scene took me completely out of the reading experience; it seems so unlikely that the characters I'd just spent 200 pages or so with would allow that to happen when they could easily have called a cab or given the man, a central side character, a ride. And then, there are ample tender scenes that are beautifully written and resonant. Some dialoge is sharp and observant, and then others - particulary with the romantic interests - did not seem as believable. It's a novel with a promising premise and many good parts.

Thank you Netgalley & Central Avenue for the ARC!

[Tess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marcia Butler does it again. One of my favorite authors and it makes me sad that more people don't know who she is! Her voice is singular and each book is very different from the last so you never know what you're diving into, or what story is going to be told.

In DEAR VIRGINIA, WAIT FOR ME, we have a coming of age story in New York in the early 2000s. Peppa is a naive but highly intelligent girl from Queens who gets her first job at a financial firm in downtown Manhattan. She lucks out with an actually good boss who understands her unique perspective, and her overbearing parents who seem to have been holding her back all these years, wanting her to be a part of the family plumbing company instead of finding her own way. She is also obsessed with Virginia Woolfe, who is a voice in her head, so this book is peppered with quotes from Woolfe that enhance the reading experience.

One Peppa gives a chance to a boy her parents set her up with, things go a bit haywire and dormant mental illness that she has inherited from her mom come to the surface. It's a short book, but full of life with wonderful characters and realistic world building. It reminded me of the book BROOKLYN a bit. Once you get to the end, you will NOT be able to put it down. Can't wait for more from Butler.

[Claire Bartholomew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short, sweet, and unexpectedly emotional - this one was a joy to read. For as long as Peppa can remember, Virginia Woolf has been in her head giving her advice. Now, Peppa is 20 years old and about to start her first job at a Wall Street investment firm in November 2000. Her parents are upset she isn't helping out with the family business, but she's determined to make her own way. Peppa starts her job and then also starts dating a man her parents set her up with, and things slowly start to fall apart in her life - both related and unrelated to that man.

Peppa is a darling character who tries so hard the entire book to make sense of everything going on in her life and her parent's lives, even though she doesn't always have all the information and things definitely do not make sense. New York really comes alive in this book, and it's wild to imagine being in the city pre-9/11 - Peppa even works in one of the twin towers. The author is gentle and compassionate in handling mental illness in this book, and every character is treated with nuance and understanding despite their flaws. I loved the found family aspect of this book. This was a quick, lovely read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Central Avenue Publishing for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review!

[Lily · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this unique and fascinating new novel, readers follow young adult Peppa Ryan as she struggles with her father’s wishes for her future, her mother’s mental illness, and the advice from the voice in her head (who she believes is British author Virginia Woolf). Instead, Peppa takes on a job at a Wall Street investment firm, but her parents continue to push their agendas on her, including a date with a plumber who actually shares her love of Virginia Woolf. With everything seeming to go her way, the discovery of a betrayal by her family causes Peppa to have a breakdown and forces her onto a new path. With a complex emotional plot and a fascinating cast of characters, readers will enjoy the characters’ relationships with each other in this emotionally deep book. Peppa is an interesting and layered character, while the other characters are surprisingly complex in ways which add conflict and emotion to the book, and readers will enjoy the added layers that the characters’ complexities add to the story. Well-written and packed with detail, the characters are definitely the stars of the book, and readers will sympathize with and enjoy Peppa’s story and journey in this complex novel.

Thanks to NetGalley, Central Avenue Publishing, and Central Avenue for the advance copy.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had the opportunity to get an ARC of this book (audiobook). The storyline was really interesting, based in the Y2K era, a girl getting her first real job in the city while coming from what seems like an overbearing family, at first.

A few chapters in, you realize her parents rely on her for a lot of things due to her mother having had a mental break previous and still dealing with mental health struggles.

She’s struggling to find her way in the city. Her boss is extremely particular. The job is different than she’s expecting but she’s excited. Her boss introduces her to a whole new world of “luxury” she isn’t used too. Funny enough, she’s lived not far from the coast her whole life, but she’s never had seafood and is given lobster for the first time.

Also, she hears the voice of Virginia Wolfe in her head, talking to her.

Was it my favorite book? No. Was it a bad book? No.
Just a little drug out to show the stark differences in how her life was, then the life she was introduced too. Then the love story her parents introduce into her life feels off to me too.

The audiobook narrator was great. The different voices she did for the characters made following the story easy.

[Esha Tujjohora · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 stars

First of all, a huge thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the ALC of Dear Virginia, Wait for Me by Marcia Butler! I'm so grateful I got the chance to listen to this gem early.

Right from the start, I was completely hooked by the premise — I mean, a woman followed around by her inner voice as she builds resilience and fights her way through struggles? Sign me up! I just knew this was going to be special, and it absolutely was.

The writing and narration are super intriguing from the very beginning — it pulls you right in, and you don't want to leave. And oh, Pappa. What a queen! I found myself rooting for her so hard. She’s been through so much, but the way she pushes forward is just inspiring.

What I also loved is how the story explores some really heavy, emotional topics but manages to do it with a kind of lightness that makes it feel real and approachable, not overwhelming. It strikes that perfect balance between heartfelt and hopeful.

If you love character-driven stories with heart, grit, and a little bit of quirk, definitely give this one a listen. Pappa’s story will stick with me for a long time!

[Moriah Pitcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you RBmedia & Net Galley for the advanced audiobook of Dear Virginia, Wait for Me by Marcia Butler.

Reading Dear Virginia, Wait for Me by Marcia Butler felt like stepping into someone’s most private thoughts - raw, beautiful, and sometimes deeply unsettling. Marcia Butler has written a story that’s equal parts heartbreaking and hopeful, told through the voice of Virginia, a young girl trying to make sense of a world that often feels cruel and confusing.

What struck me most was how real Virginia felt. Her voice is honest and vulnerable, and the way she escapes into her imagination is both painful and powerful. The story doesn’t shy away from the tough stuff—trauma, loneliness, and the messy realities of childhood—but it handles everything with such care and sensitivity.

Butler’s writing is lyrical without being flowery. There’s a dreamlike quality to the book that pulls you in.

This is one of those books that stays with you. It made me think about how children survive hard things, and how creativity can be a lifeline. Dear Virginia isn’t an easy read, but it’s a meaningful and moving one.

PS I love GoGo!!

[Paloma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dear Virginia, Wait For Me is a beautiful story! It has strong characters with a heart of gold and an endless supply of love and empathy. I loved it so much!
💫💫💫💫💫

Penelope Ryan, aka Peppa, is a very different and very peculiar young woman. She hears Virginia Woolf in her head, often guiding her on her day to day. Peppa landed a job at an investment law firm with a very sweet and generous boss, Ivan Scherbo. She is a math genious and has phographic memory, which immediately puts her in her boss' good graces, and they soon become friends.

Her parents are distant folks who believe that giving her a roof over her head and food is more than enough, and she is beholden to them. They want her to marry a plumber named Brendon. After a date and sex, Peppa is pregnant, and she finds out some information about Brendon that does not sit well with her. While pregnant, she has a mental episode and finally confronts the reality of why she has suxh harsh views about herself and why Virginia Woolf lives in her head.

Thank you, Netgalley and Central Avenue Publishing!

[Emi Yoshida · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the things that's always endeared Virginia Woolfe to me is her unconventionality, so I loved this book's title, the main character Peppa hearing Virginia Woolfe's voice inside her head, and what I thought was Peppa's not being pretty and yet being confident in her abilities. The latter combination I took to be (particularly in the year 2000) counter-culture-esque and quite feminist. But then it turned out to be an untruth.

The plot, characters and dialogue are all captivating, and the red herrings all very convincing. I don't generally like romance novels but this one is quick and super entertaining. Granted, some lines fell flat, like "I'm literally dying for a lobster." And I was confused when the unfailingly tasteful boss, Ivan Scherbo, has an empty living room with a "curlicue wooden-framed sofa with button-tufted black velvet fabric on both seat and back" and a kitchen colored mustard and sweet blue. Neither of those sounded fashionable to me, but apparently author Marcia Butler was an award winning interior designer so what do I know.

[Pat Trattles · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an OK read. The premise sounded really intriguing. Unfortunately it didn’t quite deliver. I was engaged for the first few chapters, then it fell apart. Just about the time we were getting to know Peppa and the trauma in her life as she tries to get away from her domineering parents, things start working out for her. She is successful in her job, her boss takes her to lunches and dinners at fancy restaurants, she becomes friends with her boss’s boyfriend as well and everything is rosy. Yes, she did still have her issues and insecurities, but they were presented and quickly glossed over. And when her world did fall apart it was put back together too quickly with long periods of recovery skipped completely. The characters were wooden and somewhat stereotypical, which made it hard to relate to any of them. The ending is left to the reader’s interpretation, which was a nice touch. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review

[Molly Ringle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew within a few chapters that this would be my favorite book yet of Butler's, and it lived up to that promise! It's an utterly delightful found-family story, set in NYC in Y2K. Our main characters work in the Twin Towers, and knowing 9/11 is on the horizon made me so worried. But (vague spoilers) I ended up pleased with how things turned out. The book kept its literary-fiction-crossed-with-rom-com vibe throughout. Butler's writing is masterful, in the prose descriptions as well as the lively (often hilarious) dialogue, and in the snippets of the voice of Virginia Woolf, who protagonist Peppa hears in her head as a guiding spirit of sorts. (Or a mental illness? Or both? It's up for discussion.) Also, now I long to have a pair of cool uncles like Ivan and GoGo to make my life easier as well. Really loved these characters!

[Lizzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved this book. It’s such a thoughtful, emotional story about a young woman trying to figure out who she is and how to live her life on her own terms. Peppa Ryan is super smart but struggles a lot with self-esteem and anxiety. She barely ever leaves her house, until she gets a job at a Wall Street firm and slowly starts stepping into the world.

Oh, and she also hears a voice in her head that she believes is Virginia Woolf. That part totally caught my attention, and honestly, it kind of works. The voice isn’t weird or overwhelming, it’s more like a quiet companion that helps her get through tough moments.

This book made me feel so many things, sad, nostalgic, hopeful, frustrated, inspired. It’s not a big dramatic story, but it’s honest and heartfelt.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. I’d definitely read more from this author!

[Kim Pet · Rating 4 out of 5]

When you have a bit of inherited mental illness and an extraordinary mind, there are a lot of things that come into play in everyday life. Peppa’s successful attempt to break out of the family mold to pursue her own dreams comes at a cost to her self confidence and skewed world view, but her courage and innate abilities are what keeps her going.
I truly enjoyed this story, Peppa’s ‘voice’, the plot, the writing, up until the last couple of chapters. It felt to me like the story took a rather sharp turn so far into the story, which changed it for me. The ending events were rather apropos of nothing and felt rushed to tie up ends, and was ultimately rather unnecessary. Just my opinion. However, I did still enjoy the book and would absolutely recommend it.
*I was invited, by the publisher, to read and give an honest review, through NetGalley

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this character driven book. Dear Virginia, Wait for Me follows Peppa Ryan a first generation American born to Irish immigrants. They live in Queens. Peppa has a very strained relationship with her parents and has long since been a witness to her mother's mental illness. Peppa gets a job in The Twin Towers in 2001 and finds herself slowly become free of her parents grasp. Peppa has a voice in her head always giving her advice which she imagines is Virginia Woolf. I absolutely loved characters Ivan and GoGo and how much they loved and protected Peppa throughout this book. I'd recommend this if you're into contemporary fiction. Thanks to NetGalley and Central Avenue Publishing for this ARC.

[Andreea-Maria · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a Virginia Woolf fan I really wanted to read this book, so thank you to the publisher for the advanced listener copy!

Peppa Ryan is a sensitive yet resilient young woman who, with the help of an inner voice ( Virginia Woolf’s voice) and newfound friends attempts to find her way in the world.

I know how Virginia Woolf’s words can stay with you, so when I heard of the premise I thought it was a very interesting idea for a story. However, I couldn’t quite connect to the main character and I did not like most of the side characters unfortunately. That being said, all of the advice in Peppa’s head seemingly coming from Virginia Woolf was great and really reminded me of some of Woolf’s nonfiction.

[Quinty · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really wanted to like Dear Virginia, Wait for Me, but unfortunately, it wasn’t for me.

Even though it’s less than 200 pages, I really struggled to get through it. The entire book is very focused on conversations between characters, and I have to be honest, I didn’t really care about them. The characters fell a bit flat; they didn’t feel very realistic to me and therefore I couldn’t really connect to them. Certain transitions also felt a bit fast in contrast to the slow pace of the book.
Overall, it just didn’t quite click for me.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher, for the e-arc

[JenJenReads · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dear Virginia, Wait for Me had moments of brilliance- there were scenes and passages that truly captivated me, and those parts were incredibly well done. The book showed real potential, and when it was good, it was really good. Unfortunately, those highlights were mixed with sections that felt unnecessary or even distracting, which pulled me out of the story. It was frustrating at times because I could see how great this book could have been. In the end, the inconsistency made it hard to fully enjoy, even though I genuinely loved certain parts. 2.25

Thank you NetGalley and RBmedia for the chance to listen to this title for my opinion.

[Kayleigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

THE END MAKES ME SO NERVOUS.

Peppa is meandering through life, thinking she's being led by the voice of Virginia Woolf, an interesting premise to kick things off and she seems to have things going for her with a fancy new tech job and maybe her parents setting her up not being the worst thing to happen to her but true to her visionary, she has a mental breakdown and things go awry. Set in NYC in 2000/2001, the setting is relatable.
I will say that the narrator was a little hard to connect with and maybe knocked the story down a little on my end.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an audio ARC, Dear Virginia releases on 05/06/2025.