The best thing about this book is that it is not just Beauty that grows as a character - her mother grows too. I feel that this is something of a rarity in children's literature and, as such, it was one of my favourite parts of the novel.

Rage Against the Reflection: Upon coming home from Rhona's birthday party, Beauty is described as looking "uglier than ever" by Gerry; this angers and saddens her to such an extent that she flings her hairbrush at her Venetian glass mirror. It shatters and Beauty immediately regrets it, knowing that Gerry will be furious. Fortunately, Gerry never finds out, as Dilly sells a diamond collar to buy a replacement and sneaks the broken one out before he notices. I'm very thankful to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me an ARC of this book. The review below is entirely my own opinion: Dapo Adeola, Tracy Darnton, Joseph Coelho and Chitra Soundar are among the 19 authors and illustrators longlisted for the Inclusive Books for Child...Cookie gets the chance to go on her favourite TV show, Brainbusters. It's only a chance though - she'll have to win the school science competition first. It shouldn't be too hard . . . all she has to do is keep her head down, and not get too over-excited. Unfortunately that's not Cookie's strong point ... Keberanian akhirnya bisa dimiliki oleh mama Beauty untuk menjauh dari kesulitan yang ditimbulkan ayahnya bahkan menjauh dari Happy Home mereka. It’s implied that Dilly’s mother wasn’t particularly nice to her either; Dilly moved out at sixteen because her mother got a boyfriend Dilly disliked and she's made little effort to maintain a relationship with Dilly over the years. Bad People Abuse Animals: Implied. Gerry deliberately lets Beauty’s pet rabbit out of its hutch the same day she got it, uncaring of the fact that it could easily be run over, die of starvation, or be killed by a wild animal. It’s later found decapitated, and Dilly and Beauty are led to believe that a fox tore the rabbit's head off. Gerry denies killing the rabbit directly, but some readers still believe that this was exactly what he did. It is never made clear what actually happened, but the rabbit's death is Gerry's fault either way. I wanted to finish my third draft in time for Pitch Wars, but in September, I connected with a mentor through the Women’s Fiction Writing Association (WFWA). My mentor read my query, synopsis, and first three chapters. She commented how it sounded like a Romance, which had been one of my biggest fears. Not that I have anything against the Romance genre, but though my story is romantic, the plot and structure don’t match with genre expectations. She advised I add more to my synopsis and query regarding a subplot about a looming food inspection.

Berserk Button: For Beauty, insulting her mother. She is usually quite a sensible and level-headed girl, but when Skye won't stop insulting Dilly, Beauty threatens to shove her head-first into her profiterole cake. The Perfect Cookie has a fantastic book layout and features many recipes based on the reverse creaming technique.” Self-Made Man: Gerry was this. He tends to use his "hard work" as an excuse to treat his wife and daughter like crap and accuse them of being "ungrateful" if they do something he doesn't like. In the end Dilly is on her way to becoming a Self-Made Woman, starting up her own cookie baking business. Everyone Loves Blondes: Dilly is blonde and very attractive. Apparently, Gerry has a thing for blondes, as his ex-wife at one point asks Dilly if he left her for "another little blonde". White Bunny: Lily, the rabbit from the TV show Sam and Lily in the Rabbit Hutch, whom Beauty adores and views as a source of comfort.The thing about abuse in this book is that it is subtle. The father does not think he is doing anything wrong. He thinks that Dilys and Beauty should be grateful to him for giving them so many dresses and makeup and all the luxury they live in. He thinks that they owe him to be pretty and good for him. Former Blue Peter presenter Konnie Huq published her first children's book, Cookie and the Most Annoying Boy in the World, in 2019 and she has now published a third adventure, Cookie and the Most Mysterious Mystery in the World. A live action Cookie TV series based on the award-winning books is currently in development with Zodiak Kids. Of course I bristled when I read that, but I love that she included this. There are many people who will tell you to put up with this 'mild' abuse, stay in the nice house, remember others have it worse etc. And of course others are going through worse, but that does not justify things. Beauty's father's continually escalating temper, and the danger it places them in, is instantly undermined, and you see all to clearly how difficult an attempt to break away can be, especially if you're being made to feel at fault. Mum Looks Like a Sister: Dilly, who became a wife and a mother at a young age, is sometimes mistaken for Beauty's older sister due to her looks.

Gerry is a terrible father to Beauty, constantly putting her down and trying to control her. She's afraid of him and wishes she had a dad who loved and accepted her for who she is. Why did you decide to make Cookie keen on science, and to feature different aspects of science in the books?

I focused only on these scenes, and by the end I’d reached my goal! My draft was now around 88K. Fifth Draft – Oct 2020 to Feb 2021