Preloved: A sparklingly witty and relatable debut novel

Product Information

I enjoyed getting to know Gwen and seeing how she slowly gained strength and was able to take power from letting go.

Preloved | Lauren Bravo | 9781398510623 | NetGalley Preloved | Lauren Bravo | 9781398510623 | NetGalley

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 less is more approach might have tightened the book and given it more spark. Instead I found the early promise lost in a way-too-long ramblings. Full of relatable anecdotes, lively, funny and modern, Preloved is a moving tale of emancipation and friendship. I loved it!" - Margaux VialleronGwen has been waiting to hear about a promotion at her work when she is made redundant – the real reason for which is revealed much later on in the book (but no spoilers) and if she’s being honest she feels as though she’s stagnating. Her relationships with her friends don’t seem to be going anywhere, to the point that she actually avoids spending too much time with them. She’s been isolating herself almost since the day she told her fiance that their relationship was over 5 years ago. As a regular volunteer herself, Lauren shares the secrets of the charity shop… Preloved describes the ‘Oh my God’ moments of volunteering when Gwen discovers a dildo in a bag of donations. So, what was Lauren’s most gruesome discovery? “I haven't actually had a dildo, sadly, but I know they are frequently donated… We've definitely had bondage gear, and we found something with human hair in, too… Dubious stains are a weekly occurrence.” 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. Overall, Preloved is a heartwarming and humorous novel with great characters that I would recommend to anyone. I eagerly await Lauren Bravo's future releases.

Preloved by Lauren Bravo - Fantastic Fiction Preloved by Lauren Bravo - Fantastic Fiction

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. Every character in this book, and every item that is preloved and finding its new home, has something to come to terms with, to face before they can make the next steps in their lives. 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, author of The Funny Thing about Norman Foreman Brimming with life, love and the stories bound up in even the most everyday items, Preloved is a tale about friendship, loss, being true to oneself no matter the expectations – and the enduring power and joy of charity shops.

Table of Contents

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.

Preloved by Lauren Bravo | Goodreads

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.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. 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. 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. This offbeat novel hits the zetgeist notes of "reduce, re-use, recycle" within a charity shop where recently redundant Gwen volunteers after dropping off her own relics. We then follow Gwen as she haphazardly adopts the perhaps/maybe trope and applies the preloved way as to lead her own re-direction.

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

Gwen is in her thirty-eight years old, newly unemployed and trying to work out what to do with her life. She decides to volunteer in her local charity shop, where she meets a lot of interesting people and encounters many interesting items. The characters are beautifully described, especially Suze, Gwen’s childhood best friend. I really liked Gwen and could understand her confidence issues. Optimistic and engaging… intimate and joyful… We’re waiting for Preloved to be optioned by Reese Witherspoon or at least adapted into a binge-worthy Netflix series…’ Glamour 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. 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.

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 I can’t recommend this book highly enough. Definitely one of my favourite books that I’ve read so far this year! I can see myself recommending this book to my fellow charity shop co-workers, and recommending it to people in general! I'm going to quote Marian Keyes, who once said that she thinks that to give people a book that doesn't have a happy ending is just rude, which I agree with! You don't have to tie everything up neatly in a bow, but I needed ( Preloved) to be uplifting and hopeful too. I couldn't have spent a year and a half of my life writing a book that didn't have a hopeful conclusion.