Picture Imperfect

Brought to you by Penguin.

Discover the joyful and uplifting new novel from the Sunday Times bestselling author of Think Again, a nostalgic adult sequel to the beloved classic The Illustrated Mum.

Will Dolphin retrace old patterns - or illustrate her own?

Dolphin Westward spent her childhood as the supporting character in the story of her beautiful, wild, volatile mother Marigold.

Now thirty-three, she’s painfully aware that not much has changed. She lives in a tiny bedsit, works in a tattoo shop by day and collects her illustrated mum from police stations by night.

Dol yearns to climb out of the rut she is stuck in, but has no idea where to begin. Could gardener Lee and his daughter Ava be her chance for a wholesome family life? Or maybe a steamy romance with roguish actor Joel is just what she needs. And what about the offer from her sister Star, now a successful doctor, to move to Scotland and live with her young family?

As the choices threaten to overwhelm her, will Dol fall into the role of extra in someone else’s story once again – or find the strength to forge a brand new path of her own?

'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