
Picture Imperfect
Jacqueline Wilson(Author)
Penguin (Transworld) (Publisher)
Will be published approx. on 27. August 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
416 pages
978-1-80499-700-0 (ISBN)
Description
She's 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...
A story about family, identity, and the messy truth of finding yourself - from the beloved author who always writes real life, honestly told.
READERS ARE OBSESSED WITH PICTURE IMPERFECT:
'Jacqueline Wilson is a national treasure! Picture Imperfect is at once beautiful, sad, and uplifting' - Alice Winn
'I devoured this entire book in one sitting . . . it catapulted me out of a reading slump'? ? ? ? ?
'There's something so comforting about reading a Jacqueline Wilson book . . . You can just sink into it' ? ? ? ? ?
'Picture Imperfect is everything I didn't know I needed: tender, messy and deeply relatable' ? ? ? ? ?
'10/10 would recommend to anyone who loved Jacqueline Wilson as a child, and to anyone who's never read her before this is just the perfect novel of 'adult trying to sort their mess of a life out' ? ? ? ? ?
'A nostalgic hug from the past' ? ? ? ? ?
'I obviously hoovered it up. There's something about the way Jacqueline Wilson writes that gets me racing through every page!' ? ? ? ? ?
'It's real, raw and completely relatable' ? ? ? ? ?
'I absolutely adored diving back into the world of The Illustrated Mum. . . It brought all the nostalgia. I could not put this down' ? ? ? ? ?
Instant Sunday Times bestseller, August 2025
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...
A story about family, identity, and the messy truth of finding yourself - from the beloved author who always writes real life, honestly told.
READERS ARE OBSESSED WITH PICTURE IMPERFECT:
'Jacqueline Wilson is a national treasure! Picture Imperfect is at once beautiful, sad, and uplifting' - Alice Winn
'I devoured this entire book in one sitting . . . it catapulted me out of a reading slump'? ? ? ? ?
'There's something so comforting about reading a Jacqueline Wilson book . . . You can just sink into it' ? ? ? ? ?
'Picture Imperfect is everything I didn't know I needed: tender, messy and deeply relatable' ? ? ? ? ?
'10/10 would recommend to anyone who loved Jacqueline Wilson as a child, and to anyone who's never read her before this is just the perfect novel of 'adult trying to sort their mess of a life out' ? ? ? ? ?
'A nostalgic hug from the past' ? ? ? ? ?
'I obviously hoovered it up. There's something about the way Jacqueline Wilson writes that gets me racing through every page!' ? ? ? ? ?
'It's real, raw and completely relatable' ? ? ? ? ?
'I absolutely adored diving back into the world of The Illustrated Mum. . . It brought all the nostalgia. I could not put this down' ? ? ? ? ?
Instant Sunday Times bestseller, August 2025
Reviews / Votes
Praise for Jacqueline Wilson * : * A read-in-a-day comfort book. * Independent * Nuanced and refreshing...beautifully told. * Guardian * This story offers grown-ups what Wilson has long offered teenagers: comfort, sanity and delight in the ordinary. * Daily Mail * Jacqueline Wilson taps into the joys and pains of women everywhere. * Dawn O'Porter * Wilson knocks it out of the park once again...a moving story that is as fun to read as it is meaningful. * Alice Winn * She is a national treasure. * i News * Realistic, sharp eyed...I loved it and didn't want it to end. * Katie Fforde * Praise for Picture Imperfect * : * 'Jacqueline Wilson is a national treasure! Picture Imperfect is at once beautiful, sad and uplifting.' -- Alice WinnMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Transworld Publishers Ltd
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 127 mm
Thickness: 15 mm
Weight
200 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-80499-700-0 (9781804997000)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions



Jacqueline Wilson
Picture Imperfect
The feel-good new adult novel and instant Sunday Times bestseller
E-Book
08/2025
Transworld Digital
€14.99
Available for download
Person
Jacqueline Wilson wrote her first novel when she was nine years old, and she has been writing ever since. She is now one of Britain's bestselling and most beloved children's authors. She has written over 100 books and is the creator of characters such as Tracy Beaker and Hetty Feather. More than forty million copies of her books have been sold.
As well as winning many awards for her books, including the Children's Book of the Year, Jacqueline is a former Children's Laureate, and in 2008 she was appointed a Dame.
Jacqueline is also a great reader, and has amassed over 20,000 books, along with her famous collection of silver rings.
Find out more about Jacqueline and her books at www.jacquelinewilson.co.uk
As well as winning many awards for her books, including the Children's Book of the Year, Jacqueline is a former Children's Laureate, and in 2008 she was appointed a Dame.
Jacqueline is also a great reader, and has amassed over 20,000 books, along with her famous collection of silver rings.
Find out more about Jacqueline and her books at www.jacquelinewilson.co.uk