I loved Daisy's non-fiction book so was excited to see what Insatiable was like. As other reviews have stated, this book is certainly not one for the faint-hearted and even I was taken aback at times with some of the graphic sex scenes although it was really refreshing to see female pleasure spoken about so generously. The cast of characters is certainly an interesting one although I wish we got the same amount of depth into the other characters as we did with Violet, Lottie and Simon although I understand these were core characters. I was able to understand why they were the way they were but not so much with the others. Violet is incredibly likeable, even despite some of the questionable decisions she makes and like many other readers, I was holding my breath towards the end of the book as she mulled over her decisions. I know a lot of us can identify with Violet's thoughts and feelings and the general confusion of working out who you are and what you want in your twenties. I thought the deep dives into her relationship with Mark were done incredibly well and really helped the reader to understand Violet. I do think the ending needed more fleshing out and development, as it felt a bit rushed and I don't think it should come as surprise and it did to me. Overall, I always looked forward to picking up Insatiable, simply because I wasn't sure where it would lead. Having finished it, I would love Daisy to do a second book on Violet as I feel there is so much more there to explore.

Thank you, NetGalley for this ARC!

Insatiable was actually a really fun read; light, but with something more behind it. Of course, it's super sexy, but it's also about discovering what we're really covering up. There are some really messed up people in here; thoughtless and beautiful and rich who can waste you away because they afford to. Violet is stupid and making bad decisions, but that's literally the point of our generation; being so numbed out by our day jobs that we throw ourselves into anything that could be more meaningful.

I don’t think this book was really for me. Yes it was raunchy and explored a lot of aspects of female pleasure and desire but I felt that it fell flat and I didn’t enjoy the character of the main character Violet. I note though that there is a LOT of sex.

The story follows a mid-twenties protagonist named Violet who works in the art industry. She meets a beautiful and enigmatic women called Lottie at an art exhibition and a series of events unfold. I wanted to like the character of Violet more but felt that she was hard to like and felt hard to relate to her.

There were moments of humour throughout the book but I felt that these were overshadowed buy ridiculous plot points and which just felt very unrealistic at times.

I had heard really good thinks about this book and was very excited to read it from seeing the cover and reading the blurb but it unfortunately didn’t meet expectations.

I’m a huge fan of Daisy Buchanan’s podcast, You’re Booked, so I was thrilled to get an ARC from Little Brown and Netgalley.

This is an enjoyable romp of a read. The characters are well imagined and Violet, our heroine, is someone who you’ll be rooting for and she’ll stay with you. Insatiable is well written with sharp, witty dialogue and plenty of moment that will have you chortling out loud.

I wasn’t expecting quite the volume of sex scenes - suffice to say not one to read in public transport or to let the kids read over your shoulder.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Insatiable follows Violet, a woman in her mid-twenties who is struggling after recently making a few big decisions in her life. She broke off her engagement, broke up with her best friend and moved into a terrible house share with people she doesn’t know. Understandably, she’s feeling quite lost. When she meets the glamourous Lottie at a work event she feels out of her depth at, she is immediately dazzled. When Violet goes to interview for a job at Lottie and her husband’s new start-up, Violet is drawn into a world that she desires but has never had. What follows is a lot of sex and a lot of bad decisions.

I really wanted to like this book. I loved the cover and I loved the premise, and I was very excited going into it. However, it just fell a bit flat for me. I didn’t feel like Violet was very likeable – something that I don’t usually mind in a main character – but I felt like her characterisation and development was very superficial and she didn’t really learn anything in the novel. There was a lack of emotional depth throughout the book – when it came to the big reunions and revelations towards the end of the book (both on a friendship and romantic level) I just didn’t feel enough for the characters to care. Not enough groundwork had been done throughout, and so it all felt very undeserved. For example, Violet believes her obsession with Lottie has turned into love by about 3/4s of the way through the novel – but they’ve met maybe five times by this point? There’s just not enough development or groundwork done to deserve this. And the worst part is that applies to more than one character!

There are a lot of sex in this novel, so if that isn’t your thing then you might want to give this one a miss! For the most part, I didn’t think it was badly written (sometimes sex scenes are atrociously cringe-y), but I also felt that it probably took up too much of a book that struggled to add much depth to its characters. Though I will say the worst line of the book for me was undoubtedly the description of a ‘delicious Jelly Tot nipple’.

Violet also struggles with an eating disorder – this was one of the parts of the book that I felt had a lot of potential, but the author didn’t do much with it. It was sort of forgotten about by the end? Again, it just added to the feeling that all of the themes in this book were very superficial. There was also an instance of sexual assault that felt mostly like a plot device, rather than anything of depth or consequence.
Ultimately, this book just didn’t really work for me.

insatiable adjective

in·​sa·​tia·​ble | \ (ˌ)in-ˈsā-shə-bəl \

Definition of insatiable

: incapable of being satisfied



So I think that I am in love with Daisy Buchanan now, which I think will be a common reaction from all the beautiful, sensual, women that read this fantastic piece of work.

I did feel bad that I kept having to find excuses to be left alone because this book will make you need quite a bit of ‘alone’ time.

Daisy writes the sexiest sex scenes, the most enviable characters and shines a light on the real dark places in life. Sex is not bad as long as you are having fun, fun is fun with people that you like and trust. Always be weary of those that look like the life of the party because sometimes they are the ones that will do you the most harm. Men that grab without permission will more often than not get away with it, always be the women that says ‘No’, you are brave and strong, believe in your self-worth and that you are beautiful no matter what the media’s interpretation of beauty may be at that time (sexy knickers will probably give you thrush sometimes it is worth it).

I wish that I could have read this in my 20’s it would have made me feel so less alone and sometimes somewhat ashamed that my life cantered around finding something or someone that would fill an unfillable void, and still to this day I do feel something might be missing but at the end of the day I am, and I think I always will be a little bit insatiable…is there anything wrong with wanting more?


Thank you so much to the beautiful Daisy and her wonderful husband for gifting me a proof and a chocolate orange I ate as soon as I saw it.

Pre order your signed copy at Waterstones.com

I'm not sure this was for me, I went in expecting something more humourous that offered a commentary on desire but didn't really deliver. I saw comparisons to Fleabag (which I love) which made me so excited about this book but in all honesty if fell short. It felt very rich people privileged problems to me and rubbed me the wrong way. I found the sex scenes just odd, really not for me.

I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review – thanks so much to Netgalley for sending this to me!

I requested this book totally on a whim after seeing it on a Facebook ad. Even judging by the description it sounded a little out of my comfort zone, but I thought I’d give it a shot – and I’m so pleased that I did, because I ended up enjoying it a surprising amount!

Insatiable introduces us to Violet, a twentysomething trapped in a poorly-paid, dead-end job as a social media coordinator for some kind of art-related start up. At a social event, she meets Simon and Lottie, a suave, diabolically rich married couple who immediately sweep her off her feet. Violet is immediately swept into their world of designer candles, high-rise apartments and weekly sex parties, seduced by their rich friends, their immense wealth and the constant, dangling promise of a better life, an escape that poor Violet – who lives in her overdraft and feels constantly adrift from her own life – so desperately needs.

This book is basically a few hundred pages of sex, interspersed with frequent dithering and despair about the minefield that is one’s mid-twenties – but more fun than I’m making it sound, I promise. It was like a weird mix of Erica Jong and Bridget Jones, providing an uninhibited and unabashed view of female sexuality combined with a frank exploration of what it’s like to muddle through life feeling like everyone else knows exactly what they’re doing, while you’re left stumbling around with the lights off. It also briefly touches on mental health issues (trigger warning for disordered eating, including bingeing and purging), consent, sexual assault, abusive/unhealthy relationship dynamics, infant death, grief – there’s a whole lot going on here.

The characters are fascinating. Firstly, of course, we have Violet, a walking contradiction. Constantly questioning herself, smarter than she thinks she is, gullible and hopeful but filled with doubts. Simon and Lottie, of course – untouchable, sexy, but with edges you could cut yourself on, two characters who draw you close for a cheek-kiss but never truly let you get past their veneer. Acerbic Sasha, with her eviscerating disdain; Mimi, an absolute angel, who steals every scene; Max and Richard, who… were there… and Nadia, the former best friend whose absence from Violet’s life is like a missing tooth she can’t stop poking. I loved getting to spend time with these characters, pulling at their loose threads and slowly watching them unravel. There was so much tension, especially for Violet, who finds them all volatile and unpredictable and makes constant missteps. The woman are infinitely more interesting than the men, which I really enjoyed; there’s a huge emphasis on female connection here that I adored.

During the first hundred pages or so of this book, I’ll be honest, I was often bored. There’s a lot of focus on the minutiae of daily conversation – small talk, art babble, etc – which made me zone out at first and struggled to keep my attention, but I later began to suspect that might’ve been intentional; the book hints as much. Simon and Lottie are like shining points of light in Violet’s inane existence – unpredictable, volatile, like a drug that has her hooked. The more she gets caught up with them, the more interesting things become, as the tension builds. Things flip-flop between idyllic and uneasy at the drop of a hat, with Violet desperately trying to figure out how to keep everyone happy and failing miserably. It’s a book where not much happens, but the further I got, the more compelled I was. There are enough mysteries to keep you guessing – the Nadia plotline was masterfully done, I was so desperate for details and to find out the backstory, it was brilliant – and the capriciousness of Simon and Lottie is as impactful to the reader as it is to poor Violet. By the final ten percent, I was feverishly flipping pages, desperate to find out the results of Violet’s last and most important decision. It’s a riveting moment, as she’s grown so much as a character and yet teeters on the brink of making a godawful mistake and ruining everything all over again. I was so frustrated by her, but I certainly wasn’t bored any more. And the book’s climax (pun intended – sorry, I couldn’t resist) is unexpected, but amazing. There’s a certain relationship in this book that I didn’t see coming, but the more I think about it, the more I’m convinced of its brilliance. All the stars aligned perfectly, and I was left feeling so satisfied, like the author gave me something I didn’t even know I needed.

Another thing I really appreciated about this book is that the sex scenes were actually sexy. In most of the literary fiction I’ve read, the sex scenes have tended to be reminiscent of hyper-realistic Spongebob clips – they zoom in uncomfortably close on every pore, every sweat stain, like in the infamous short story ‘Cat Person’ that went viral a few years back. The emphasis is definitely on the ‘dirty’ aspect of ‘dirty bits.’ It was refreshing to read a sex scene in a literary novel that was actually erotic, even if it wasn’t afraid to shy away from the awkwardness, the intrusive thoughts or moments of doubt that sometimes infiltrate sex. As a romance reader, I love blisteringly hot love scenes, but I also appreciated the candour here, and that the author was able to keep the sex scenes somewhat realistic without falling into the trap of making them repulsive.

Finally, I’d like to give a standing ovation to the writing style. Even during the book’s slow, slightly dull beginning, the writing was enough to keep me spellbound; it’s richly detailed, evocative, raw and brilliant – in short, everything I love about the kind of writing style you find in literary fiction. There were so many lines I had to highlight, and I’m desperate to have a physical copy of this to mark up. There’s this feeling I get sometimes when reading literary fiction that an image is just so right, that it describes something exactly as it is, and it’s so satisfying. This book gave me that feeling constantly. It also added a little something extra to every scene, enhancing even the smallest moments. From the character descriptions to the settings, everything here is so brilliantly described, I was kind of obsessed. I’ve often had an issue with litfic in that I adore this kind of writing, but am often dissatisfied by the directionless plots that a lot of literary novels seem to have. To me, this book made it work, and made me understand how people can be so captivated by a book where nothing much happens. I’ll be on the lookout for more books like this in the future, because it was great.

To sum up, Insatiable was nothing like I expected and everything I didn’t know I wanted. It was definitely outside of my usual area, but I adored it, and I hope that I’ll come across some more unexpected gems like this in the future. 4 stars.

Violet is the kind of person you’d want to have as a friend. She might not like her current circumstances but she knows what she wants – and that includes her physical relationships. When she gets the chance of a lifetime, to work in a start-up with new friend Lottie and her husband Simon, Violet cannot wait. It quickly becomes clear that there’s a lot more to this working relationship than lunching with potential clients. The line between personal and professional becomes blurred very quickly in this quite unexpected dark and saddening read. Soon, Violet meets a group of like-minded couples, friends of Lottie and Simon, and while she’s on board with much of what goes on – consent is super important in this novel – there’s much that leaves her wondering if she’s made the right choice. There’s also a lot of sex throughout plus conversations and thoughts on desire, longing and lust. It doesn’t feel gratuitous, rather that it would start a conversation.

What an incredible book. Full of rich insights into modern life, but with a light touch, that is easy to engage with. I would recommend this to anyone.

Wow. This book was steamy. I do not recommend reading this on public transport or around family members,or you might find yourself blushing into your jumper. Seriously spicy sex scenes of a graphic nature are depicted in this book. But if you let your freak flag fly every so often and you enjoy your romances super hot but with a developmental storyline and strong character development you will love this book!

This follows Violet, a millennial living in London, unhappy in her social media job. She has recently broken off her engagement and had a huge bust up with her best friend Nadia and is looking for purpose. All of her dreams look to be coming true when she bumps into Lottie at a works event who offers her a new job opportunity alongside her husband Simon.

But when Simon and Lottie introduce a sexual element to their somewhat hazy professional relationship with Violet, things start of passionate but soon start to turn a little bit muddled. It’s then up to Violet to decide what does she really want? Is this opportunity to good to be true? Does she only deserve this kind of messy relationship?

I found this book had much more substance than a simple romance plot and while Violet infuriated me at points, her character development was dealt with well by the author. I think this author has a promising fiction career ahead of her and I would read any future fiction she chooses to write. A strong 3.5 star read.

Thanks to the author Daisy Buchanan, Little Brown UK and NetGalley for a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Insatiable Daisy Buchanan

Insatiable is going to be a book that’s talked about a lot this year. It’s a modern day Jilly Cooper with a lot more sex & a lot more self analysis going on. The book appears at first to be all about fun and frolics but there’s so much more going on here and I really feel that Daisy Buchanan has a huge writing career ahead of her.
What a wonderful character Violet is! I’m not sure if I admire or pity her (I should mention I’m old enough to be her mum!) but I suppose I can do both right? I did feel the end was a little too abrupt & maybe a little too neat but all in all this was a book that I enjoyed a lot more than I expected to.
Many thanks to NetGalley and to Little, Brown book group for the opportunity to read & review this book.

Having just romped (pun intended) through Insatiable in one sitting I can guarantee this is going to be a top read for 2021.

I totally felt Violet’s character and her desperation to fit in, feel like she’d got her shit together and to not be the one with the saggy tights and crappy shared flat. Been there, felt that. Not sure I remember having a job interview where I ended up in a semi relationship with a couple and on to the world of orgies, that part of my twenties past me by.

I loved Buchanan’s writing style and that Violet never felt maligned or unworthy, even with all of her desperation to be a grown up with a real job.

Glad I didn’t read this on the train to work (can only just remember having to do that..) but it definitely gave me an escape from lockdown. Would definitely recommend if you are in the mood for novel that does sex well and never feels Mills and Boon.

Thanks to Little, Brown Book Group for the ARC

Loved this book! I think every woman in their twenties and thirties can relate to violet’s feelings of dissatisfaction and discontentment. The openness into female sexual desire and pleasure is very audacious and wonderfully honest. If you want something touching yet hilarious you’ll love this book.

Oh my. My, my, my. Well, where to start.
Sex. Sexy sexual sex sex sex. Let’s just get that out of the way.
There’s a lot of sex in this book. With lots of people. At the same time. Posh orgies and I mean posh in that they take place in posh London flats. With posh food. (Rule of orgies: always have a buffet.)

So yes, let us get past the sex now. Much like the orange on the cover, this story was juicy, in so many ways. Our millennial heroine Violet is so very relatable, even to an old Gen X’er like myself (although technically, I’m an ‘Xennial’, but let’s not split hairs too fine). Her desperate longing to belong to someone, to find comfort, security, and stability is heartbreaking and oh so familiar to anyone who remembers their twenties. Her frustrations with her job, her breakup with her fiancé, and her estrangement from her best friend all combine to form the perfect storm of hopeless yearning for something better. So naturally, she gets entangled with a bunch of swingers. Obviously. It’s what one does, right?

There are so many layers to this book, with underlying themes of loneliness, what it means to be a ‘grown-up’, the desire for someone else to swoop in and change your life, and how those that look like they have it all sometimes are as big a mess as the rest of us.

The writing style itself is delicious. Certain lines and turns of phrase had me taking a moment to pause and fully savour the genius before me. Ms Daisy Buchanan has quite the gift with prose, and the technical skill alone makes this worth reading.

The only teensy criticism I have is that the ending felt a bit rushed, but perhaps that's just me being greedy and wanting more. Other than that, I. can't fault it.

I won’t go into much more detail, as I don’t want to divulge anything that gives too much away, but I feel obligated to give trigger warnings for sexual assault, and unaddressed eating disorders. Other than that, go to town on

This took a little while to get going but once it did it was very compelling. The writing was very pacey. There was probably a bit too much sex for me - but the characterisation was very good - I found Lottie and her motivations very interesting.
Wanted to give Violet a bit of a shake at times and would liked to have seen more of the best friend who was a great character.

I’ve read my fair share of fanfiction and New Adult fantasy romance, so I’m no stranger to a bit of filth dotted throughout a book. But Insatiable deals with group sex, female pleasure, bisexuality and non-monogamy as casually as having a chat with a friend over a coffee. It was startling, then refreshing.
While it was nice at first to see some ethical non-monogamy in play, the number of red flags throughout the book made me (rightly) feel uncomfortable. The patronising older members of the group made me roll my eyes on a few occasions, and I certainly felt solidarity with Violet in the mid-twenties cross-generational divide there.
Personally, I would’ve liked more from the ending. It finished quite abruptly, where it might have been nice to explore life a bit further on, like in the new job and new relationship. But, I also think that would’ve taken away from the discomfort the reader experiences during the bulk of the story.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book! Thanks to NetGalley for providing me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Insatiable by Daisy Buchanan

I have been so excited to get my hands on a copy of Insatiable for months, and I'm so pleased to say I was not disappointed, this one is worth the hype.

Violet is stuck in a job that doesn't pay, and that she isn't finding rewarding. She's called off her wedding last minute and has refused to deal with the consequences of it all by cutting herself off from friends and family. Lonely, desperately seeking love, and searching for more from life Violet finds herself involved with a middle aged couple, and their swinger friends. Through her sexual desires Violet rebels against who she thinks she should be, and explores the feelings of displacement and discontent that she has with her life.

Firstly, Violet is great character; she's flawed in many ways, but has just about enough redeeming qualities to keep you rooting for her as she tears through life. A Fleabag-esque character! The book is utterly filthy, but it's also warm and tender, Daisy very cleverly uses the sexual boundaries that are somewhat blurred between the group to dig into consent as well. But the book isn't just about sex, Daisy creates a window into the experience of many millennial women battling their way through their 20s, shirking off what society thinks they should be to find out who they actually are.

I really enjoyed the book, it was a completely addictive read and the ending was very moving.

If you like the work of Dolly Alderton, Emma Jane Unsworth and Holly Bourne I think that this book will be right up your street.

I finished this on the 5th of January, is that too early to find what I think will be my favourite book of 2021 already? I wish I could give it more than 5*?

The main character, Violet, wants more: she’s stuck in a job in London where no one takes her seriously, she’s ran away from her engagement, she’s broke and her best friend isn’t speaking to her anymore. Soon she meets Lottie, a glamorous older woman, who promises Violet everything she thinks she needs to get out of her rut. With Lottie comes along her husband, and a group of friends with a strange dynamic.

This is an excellent debut from Buchanan, it was so so good and I truly loved it - when I finished it I felt dazed. Her writing is fresh, honest and clever, I couldn’t put it down. It was funny and reflective, without being cringey. (very, very important.)

Violet is gullible but aware, she scoffs at things like £40 Dyptique candles yet is completely seduced by them. This perceived agency contributes to her vulnerability and results in her being constantly used and manipulated.

I ended up really rooting for Violet in the end. Consumed by desire and wanting - there is a huge disconnect between her logical thoughts and her actions, causing a consistent internal tension. She is so scared of never feeling anything, that she’s willing to compromise for “one second of heaven for every hour of hell”. It’s an excellent exploration of putting other people’s lives on a pedestal, she really pins all her hope on what she sees as a couple having made it, one that has everything, being the solution to her problems.

I really resonated with themes in this book (not so much the orgies) and I loved the way Buchanan is able to perfectly capture feelings of being displaced in your 20s, the feeling that everyone else knows their place, and the desire to have someone to aspire to be, something to mould yourself into!!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Little, Brown Book Group (UK) for an advanced readers copy of Insatiable.

I have never read anything quite like Insatiable. This is a book about want. A book about desire, a chaotic tale of a chaotic woman named Violet who is completely consumed with the need to be loved and whole, but who stumbles around in all of the wrong places trying to find what she desperately wants. Violet was, in so many ways, relatable and frightening to read about. I recognized parts of myself in her, her unending longing and her confusion and her missteps felt so familiar to me. Her habit of throwing herself off cliffs with the hope that something better would be waiting at the bottom made for an intense reading experience. Insatiable is raw in every way, and Daisy Buchanan spares nothing as she writes openly about sex, and mess, and bodies, and emotion, and love, and wanting more of everything. If you endeavor to read this, be prepared for a graphic (and important) exploration of womanhood and all of the ugly and desperate parts of being a woman in this world.

TW for disordered eating/ bulimia, sexual assault, rape, emotional/psychological abuse and neglectful parenting.