I loved this! Truly one of the best novels I've read in such a long time and the fact the author is only 22 is far from the only impressive thing about it. I loved the campus novel setting and all the snarky satires of students trying to be intellectual in seminars, which reminded me of Brandon Taylor. The narrator, Charlotte, is such a great character too. You're not meant to like her! She does some terrible things and that's the whole point... but she feels so real and nuanced. She reminded me of the narrator in Boy Parts by Eliza Clark. Oh, and the writing is so good! Her style is sharp and witty and funny without trying to be. I really recommend this book and I can't wait to read what Grace Murray writes next.

I enjoyed how the characters developed and as readers, we got to see the world through Charlotte’s eyes. There’s something about how Murray draws us in and I found that I became invested in the relationships. I now can’t wait to see what is next for this author.

This is a debut book that really surprised me as the writing is so mature I had to double check it really was. The characters are so interesting and intricate. The protagonist lies and lies and sees herself as naturally bad. Then she meets someone and her self awareness is sorely questioned. I absolutely devoured this one. And you will too!

Blank Canvas is a quietly compelling and thoughtful book that uses a deceptively simple lie to explore identity, belonging and the stories we tell ourselves in order to survive. What could have felt like a gimmick instead becomes a subtle and absorbing examination of self reinvention and emotional distance. Charlotte begins her final year at a small liberal arts college in upstate New York by telling her classmates that her father has died. It is a lie delivered almost casually, yet it changes everything. Sympathy replaces indifference, and for the first time Charlotte feels seen. As she builds a relationship with Katarina and starts to imagine a different version of herself, the lie becomes both a shield and a trap. Told entirely from Charlotte’s perspective, the book invites the reader into her interior world, where withholding truth feels safer than connection. She is an outsider in multiple ways, English in America, socially isolated, and deeply practised at keeping people at arm’s length. The narrative gently questions how much of who we are is intentional, how much is habitual, and how much is shaped by the expectations of others. Running parallel to Charlotte’s reinvention is the quiet presence of her father, very much alive in Staffordshire, watching television and drinking beer. His looming desire to visit introduces a steady undercurrent of tension, reminding us that even the most carefully constructed stories can unravel. Grace Murray’s writing is restrained and assured, making this an easy book to read but a difficult one to dismiss. The themes are handled with lightness and intelligence, allowing the questions to linger rather than forcing conclusions. Blank Canvas is a reflective and engaging book about truth, performance and the fragile space between who we are and who we pretend to be. It stayed with me long after I finished reading. Read more at The Secret Book Review.