In Cambridge, there are rules:

Stay polished.

Stay loyal.

Know your place.

Poppy Moore doesn’t.



As a stay-at-home mum, Poppy spends her days navigating school gates, social expectations and the unspoken hierarchies of suburban life. But when her daughter Ruby unexpectedly wins a children’s beauty contest, the balance shifts.

Friendships fracture.

Gossip spreads.

And the cracks in Poppy’s carefully constructed world begin to show.

As pressures mount — from family, from society, and from within — Poppy must decide how far she’s willing to bend to belong.



Almost Perfect is a sharp, funny and perceptive novel about modern motherhood, loneliness, and the courage it takes to stand your ground.