This was a quick read, but I really loved the characters. Moved well and even though the main character at times was hard to love, she had the right people around her which helped the reader to realize her potential.

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 plottwist 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 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.

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!

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

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.

dear virginia, wait for me had an intriguing premise, but unfortunately, it didn’t fully deliver for me. the story felt choppy, with abrupt transitions that made it difficult to stay immersed. certain plot developments felt rushed or unrealistic, which made it hard to connect with the characters and their journey. while there were moments of emotional depth, they didn’t resonate as strongly as i’d hoped, and i often found myself struggling to stay engaged. overall, it had potential, but it didn’t pull me in as much as i expected.

*thank you netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

A beautiful book. Our heroine believes she is guided through life by Virginia Woolf.

Through the pages we learn about her, her family and follow her as she embark on a new career.

Highly recommended!

I really liked the premise of this book and the beginning of it. However, I just really struggled to connect with any of the characters and the pregnancy trope annoys me.

this was a fantastic read, it had that element that I was looking for from the description. It felt like that was supposed to and was a realistic portrayal of the character. I was invested in what was going on and was glad everything worked together. Marcia Butler has a strong writing style and can't wait for more from the author.

Dear Virginia, Wait For Me by Marcia Butler

A brilliant young woman, Peppa Ryan, begins her career in an investment company in Manhattan in 1999. She navigates the world with the help of a voice in her head which she attributes to Virginia Woolf, but she can't escape her family background and mental illness eventually catches up with her. Can Peppa forge a new life for herself with the support of her new friends?

Wow, what a beautiful book - I loved it so much! I've struggled to convey how joyous the story is, despite the themes of mental illness and family dysfunction. I read it in one go and loved Peppa and her new friends so much - I think this book would make a fabulous Netflix film. And the ending.... brilliant! Very VERY highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

Peppa is a young woman who goes through life feeling like she's being guided by the voice of Virginia Woolf.

I've been intrigued by this premise, and had high hopes going into this, and they were definitely met. Peppa is such an easy character to root for, and following her journey was such a joy. It was such a short, sweet, interesting read, with a really enjoyable cast of characters. The writing is so masterful and gripping, truly a perfect book to sit and binge.

Many thanks to Central Avenue Publishing & NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

A beautifully crafted, sensitive and thought provoking novel which addresses mental health issues in a sensitive and thought provoking way - bringing Peppa's inner world to life with depth and sensitivity.

A character study of Peppa who is a brilliant but sensitive woman who believes she is guided by the voice of Virginia Woolf. After suffering a betrayal, we see Peppa's hopeful recovery balancing resilience and fragility.. The characters are beautifully drawn, showing the complexities of family dynamics and professional challenges.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Peppa, a young woman with a love of literature (especially Virgina Woolf), embarks upon a challenging career in the midst of facing familial challenges.

this book was okay! It was giving Hallmark movie with the cheesy "small town girl goes to the financial world and has to go back to her small home town" feel. I think the writing was fine, i did not like the parents trying to limit Peppa and make her small

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complimentary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

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!