Gwen decides to start where all things get a second chance: her local charity shop. There, with the help of the weird and wonderful people and donated items bursting with untold stories, Gwen will find a way to move forward with bravery, tenacity, and more regular dental care. You have to prioritise work, family commitments, children, potentially partners, potentially ageing parents (over) friendships, and it becomes much harder. There can be a real disconnect between the friendships we imagined we would have and the friendships that we actually have.” As we watch Gwen clamber over familial relationships, potential romances and sex as well as as best friend who seems impossibly far away, Lauren believes “ Preloved is definitely a love story about friendships more than anything else.” Laugh-out-loud funny but also poignant and tender, Preloved is an absorbingly special debut novel. I devoured in equal measure the delicious descriptions of food and the moving vignettes of preloved treasures peppered throughout the book, while the nineties and noughties nostalgia had me gasping with pleasure.' Laura Price, author of Single Bald Female The writing style is clever, observant and witty. I’m sure Lauren Bravo knows my mother, because she’s uncannily similar to Gwen’s mum Marjorie! Her character descriptions are astute and sensitive and each one comes to life from her words.

Lauren Bravo Lauren Bravo

Second of all, it’s fully your fault that I lost an entire day to this book instead of just reading it in bits over a few days, as I couldn’t bear to let it out of my hands until I’d finished. I’m an author and award-winning journalist, writing about fashion, food, pop culture, travel, feminism and life,for people like Sunday Times Style, Grazia, Refinery29 UK, Cosmopolitan, Stylist, easyJet Traveller, Foodism, Delicious, The Telegraph and The Guardian. The book follows Gwen as she struggles to come to terms with sudden unemployment and decides to volunteer at a local charity shop. There, she meets a fantastic cast of characters that make the book a joy to read. I particularly enjoyed the descriptions of Haringey, an area of London that I currently reside in but rarely see in literature. Gwen's shrewd observations of life as a 30-something in London were also entertaining and relatable.I can see myself recommending this book to my fellow charity shop co-workers, and recommending it to people in general! We all have our own personal opinions about charity shops don’t we dear reader? Some see them as a place to offload their junk that has been cluttering their house for years, to cleanse themselves of their past life in hopes that others will find need from their unwanted possessions. Others see them as Aladdin’s cave full of wonder and mystery just waiting for you to discover your next treasure. Other people think they smell of death and urine, they avoid them like the plague. However you view charity shops you can’t deny that they are a magical place full of untold stories. As someone who is currently volunteering at a charity shop, this was very relatable and gave me a good few laughs. This book also has little chapters in between the ‘main’ chapters telling the history of some items that have ended up on the charity shop shelves, and I really loved that. These tales also ended up weaving in and out of the main storyline. It really makes you pause and reflect on the history of the items that you see, and their possible futures. There was one that detailed the journey of a fast fashion party top, that was particularly significant, and has stayed with me since I read it.

Preloved: A sparklingly witty and relatable debut novel

Preloved is, to me, a story of connections, of memories and about how you need to face the past to move into the future. Preloved has taken up residence in my heart and I will be recommending it to everyone I know... I 'm officially obsessed.’ Lucy Vine This book doesn’t shie away from the more complicated issues. The topic of trauma when talking about the death of Gwen’s brother Luke who died suddenly at just 19 is handled sensitively. Another subject that seems to be one that is so divisive is childlessness. Suze and her husband are at an impasse when it comes to the topic of children; he wants them, but she doesn’t. Not wanting to give much away, but I also really loved the story between Gwen and her parents, and how they are handling a personal loss that happened to them. I thought it was so well done.

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Ok, first of all, HOW DARE YOU, Lauren Bravo?!? How do you have the audacity to write something so utterly relatable and unputdownable as your debut novel? From 8am on the day I sat down intending to just read a few chapters of Preloved to 8pm that evening when I finished, I internally screamed, ‘OMG SAME!’ so many times I lost count.

Lauren Bravo Contact me — Lauren Bravo

From 2002 onwards I was a columnist for The Worthing Herald, which they were kind/desperate enough to let me carry on doing every week for 11 years. I've also worked extensively as a commercial copywriter,for the likes of LEGO, Sainsbury's, River Cottage, The Flour Station, British Gas, Betty.me, RED Valentino, BBC, Channel 4, O2 Magazineand Tesco,on web copy,social media content and digital strategy.These days I focus on working with ethical and sustainable fashion and lifestyle brands. Now it’s time for Gwen to get out of her life in pause, and to find a way to move forward with bravery and humanity—and more regular dental care. The book alternates between chapters involving items that find their way to the second hand store and Gwen's narrative about her life and learning how to move forward. About midway through, the pieces slotted together and I realized the significance of many of the "item" chapters. This is when the story began to take on more meaning for me and the flow felt more natural. I can’t recommend this book highly enough. Definitely one of my favourite books that I’ve read so far this year!The short chapters that intersperse the main Gwen chapters tell the story of different people who use the charity shop for various reasons. The author's skillful observations of people and their idiosyncrasies add to the book's charm. As the story progresses, it becomes clear how these people link to Gwen and other characters in the book. This added an extra layer of satisfaction every time I recognised a character from the short interludes. The narrative follows Gwen who is in her mid-thirties drifting through life as she finds herself unemployed and still single while her friends are all married and busy popping out kids. She speaks little and rarely to her parents whose whole lives seem to revolve around the council’s wheelie-bin timetable. Gwen wants to be a better friend, a better daughter and does her best to reconnect. Her social life used to happen around her and it was easier to go along. But now the pull of a hot bath and cosy night in seems more appealing. Her oldest friend Suze was her saviour but now they barely talk. Gwen doesn’t have any problem making friends, it’s keeping them that she struggles with. Full of relatable anecdotes, lively, funny and modern, Preloved is a moving tale of emancipation and friendship. I loved it!" - Margaux Vialleron When Gwen’s made redundant from a job she drifted into a decade ago and never left, she realises it’s time to make a change. Over what might be the best – and most solitary – meal she’s ever eaten, Gwen vows to find something meaningful to do with her life, reconnect with her family and friends – and finally book herself a dentist appointment. Gwen is coasting through life. She’s in her mid-thirties, perpetually single, her friends are busy procreating in the countryside and conversations with her parents seem to revolve entirely around the council’s wheelie-bin timetable.

Preloved by Lauren Bravo a spoiler-free book review Preloved by Lauren Bravo a spoiler-free book review

Dazzlingly witty, Preloved is a tale about friendship, loss and being true to yourself no matter the expectations. Lovingly celebrating the enduring power and joy of charity shops. As she is sitting in a restaurant eating a solo dinner to celebrate her birthday (thus showing us, the readers, the isolated life she has made for herself), she starts to put together a to-do list of all the tasks she has been avoiding for far too long. One of these chores is to dispose of the engagement ring that she has been holding on to since the abrupt ending of the relationship. She takes this, and other items she has been keeping, to a local charity shop and so starts the journey to her new life. Preloved by Lauren Bravo is a captivating book that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. The main character, Gwen, is relatable and likeable, even though she has her own issues that can be frustrating at times. However, this only adds to her character's believability and realism. Although I felt like I didn't get to know her fully, her story was still enjoyable to read.Then she’s let go from a job she drifted into a decade ago and never left, and Gwen realizes it’s time to make a change, starting with cleaning out her apartment. In the charity shop where she literally and metaphorically unloads her baggage, she discovers a group of weird and wonderful people devoted to finding a new home for donated items that have lost their use elsewhere. Gwen volunteers there—and finds a new home for herself among her fellow workers while discovering joy in the untold stories of secondhand things. Preloved is full of sharp observations on life, loss, regret and self-preservation... spilling over with wit and hope. Cleverly interwoven with stories of the myriad reasons items find their way into charity shops, the joy, friendship and ultimate enlightenment Gwen discovers offers a quirky and poignant reminder that one person's trash is always somebody else's treasure." - Julietta Henderson Laugh-out-loud funny but also poignant and tender, Preloved is an absorbingly special debut novel. I devoured in equal measure the delicious descriptions of food and the moving vignettes of preloved treasures peppered throughout the book, while the nineties and noughties nostalgia had me gasping with pleasure." - Laura Price Particularly when we're living among bleakness and uncertainty, it’s a privilege when somebody chooses to sit down with a book you've written and invested hours of their life with a character; you owe it to them to give that character a satisfactory ending. I've had so many experiences where I've loved a book right up until the 5% and then I want to hurl it across the room!" You just feel cheated. And I couldn't do that to readers.” Preloved is full of sharp observations on life, loss, regret and self-preservation.' Julietta Henderson, author of The Funny Thing about Norman Foreman