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Book 8 of 2023

Thank you to @NetGalley, the publisher @simonschusteruk and the author @laurenbravo for allowing me access to ‘Preloved’ ahead of publication in April.

Here I go with the front cover spiel but what a beauty this is! And the story was a beauty too. It follows our main character Gwen, a woman in her thirties whose life is at its lowest ebb. She has been made redundant, her friendships are strained as is the relationships with her parents and the hook-ups she has had since her last big relationship have all left a lot to be desired!

Gwen, on a mission to deal with her life, donates some items to charity and ends up, as part of her “funemployment”, volunteering at the charity shop. It is there she meets a wide and varied cast of volunteers, striking up friendships which are weird and wonderful in their eccentricities.

The book is written beautifully with interspersing chapters focusing on a donated item and how it moved from its original home to the charity shop. It is true what they say about one (wo)man’s trash being another (wo)man’s treasure and I loved the fact these items could be spotted elsewhere in the plot. It was a little literary attempt at hide and seek!

It’s a lovely heart-warming book and despite Gwen’s humour and those laugh out loud scenes, there are some heartbreaking parts proving how relatable and raw @laurenbravo’s writing is. A brilliant debut and I heartily recommend it.

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This touching novel was at times painful to read due to Gwen’s distant relationships with her loved ones, yet her deep desire for connection. It immediately opened with the heroine at one of the lowest points in her life but thankfully it didn’t spiral into sadness. Instead, the book quickly outlined her plan for turning her life around. The narrative stuck by Gwen very closely, spending so much time in her head that it was sometimes jarring to hear her speak and interact with others. She would make astute observations in her mind – which often had me chuckling – but in reality, act awkwardly and contradict what she was really thinking. This messy conflict in her character sometimes hit really close to home. I desperately wanted Gwen to build up her self-worth so she could feel deserving of joy again.

Volunteering at the charity shop slowly but surely opened Gwen up to much-needed friendship, giving her a sense of community and purpose. This helped to boost her confidence and empower her to reach for a future she actually wanted. Gwen’s journey to carving out a better life realistically wasn’t linear. She made a few romantic missteps, followed some well-meaning advice and took damage control detours. After taking the scenic route through all her emotions, Gwen was able to have long overdue reckonings with her parents, former best friend and most importantly herself.

Interspersed within Gwen’s journey, the author included vignettes of items donated to the charity shop. This was a really sweet touch as each one got to live multiple lives through their different owners. Some of these mini stories held greater significance than others, but often this wouldn’t be made known until later. In a similar way, the author tucked away hidden details throughout her novel, making it prime for a second reading.

OVERALL: Despite at times being painfully relatable, this introspective novel buoyed its darker moments with sharp, understated wit and the everyday wonders of its characters.

Would I recommend?… Yes, all its hidden detail lends itself to a re-read

Preloved is a cup of tea and two (read: three) biscuits in book form. Gwen’s story is warming, funny, heartfelt and painfully relatable in lots of ways, but the last third-or-so really pulled the rug out from underneath me. It choked me up many times with its small, understated, beautiful details about feeling lost, family grief and the meandering friendships of your thirties. The snippets of short stories about items in the charity shop were so special. Everything about this book was just lovely.

Preloved was surprisingly heartwarming and totally unique in its approachto storytelling. I loved how it took seemingly random objects in a charity shop and explored how each one played a tiny, yet significant, part in someone's life. Although, at times these moments seemed a little excessive and I found myself skipping through passages in order to be reunited with our hilariously awkward FMC Gwen.

I adored Gwen's ramblings and her narrative was brutally honest and relatable. It's clear Gwen is a little broken and still struggling to process certain traumatic event in her life. It's a gentle read that's very touching and thought-provoking.

Bravo’s first novel has an interesting premise, of Gwen who is let go from her job and takes up volunteering in a charity shop. But while the inserts of stories on seemingly random donated items were a nice touch at first, they really hampered the flow of Gwen’s story. You do eventually find greater meaning in these interruptions, but it relies on the reader remembering names and details that I found was a push for me with a fairly lengthy novel. As an aside, when exactly is this supposed to be set? There’s no talk at all of the pandemic, but with, for example, TikTok being mentioned and “decks” used to mean presentations this felt very contemporary while being lost to time when no major social or political markers come up. Strange.

Unfortunately I gave up on this after a few chapters as it wasn’t holding my attention and I had to keep going back.

“Preloved” is a really good read. Perfect for a busy life. There are small chapters / sections headed with the name of an item.
The item’s story is told how it was loved or not by whom and how it ultimately ends up in a charity shop ready to be loved again. These snippets are insights into modern life. The hoarding, borrowing, gifting and meaning of items how one person’s rubbish or bad memory is another’s treasure. Each a short story in itself some a few paragraphs others longer but each leaving you wondering. Meanwhile there is Gwen, 30 something, single, just made redundant and very unsure of where she belongs in life. Gwen leaves a black bag of memories in a charity shop one day and returns as a volunteer. Gwen’s story continues throughout the book. I was willing her to find joy and purpose in life. Her observations on life are as serious as they are humorous. I thoroughly enjoyed reading “Preloved”.

A cleverly written novel about relationships and how one person's rubbish is another's gold. An interesting set of characters pulled together by the charity shop - I enjoyed this emotional heartfelt book. Thanks to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for an early copy in return for an honest review.

I was seriously excited when I saw Lauren Bravo was releasing her first novel, and this book was 100% everything I expected and wanted it to be, and more.

London-dweller Gwen is made redundant from her job. Struggling to navigate the waters that come with being a single 30-something, as well as more complex family relationships, she feels a bit adrift. Volunteering in her local charity shop seems to be the best way she can see to get through the days. Little does she know that the ‘second chance saloon’ might be the place that will help her the most …

This book deals with a lot of difficult subjects, but there is still a great deal of humour to be found too - 100 ways to wear a scarf is really a 5 star read of its own! I found Gwen to be a character that really gets under your skin, for reasons both big and small. I found her little ~quirks so relatable, as I’m sure will a lot of people in their 30s! I really enjoyed the structure of the story and how it is broken up by the stories of individual items in the charity shop. I really liked how the items themselves were seamlessly linked throughout the story - some of them even feel like characters of their own in a way, with their own intricate (and sometimes heartbreaking) stories of their own when you begin to join the pieces of the novel together - and how their stories too are tied up in a manner befitting the tone of the novel overall. I began to feel like I was spotting Easter eggs when I’d recognise one mentioned in passing during ‘Gwen’s’ chapters.

I know we’re only a few days into the New Year, but I think this book is going to stay with me for the rest of 2023 (and beyond). A wonderful debut novel that will also make you see charity shops in a whole new way!

I loved this. I've liked Lauren Bravo's writing since the days of The Pool c2016, so I did think I was likely to enjoy it but it was even better than I thought.

Gwen loses her job, ostensibly due to redundancy, and has no idea what to do next. Some clearing out takes her to the local charity shop, and she starts to volunteer. Over the next few months she builds relationships with her fellow volunteers, faces up to some past events and starts to mend older relationships. Interspersed with this are little vignettes of where some of the charity shop items came from, most of which feed into the back story of the characters.

Some of the book is funny, some of it verging on tragic - the line about absolutely knowing the final time you carry a child is devasting. There is a lot about dealing with trauma, from more than one character. Gwen is a little frustrating as a character in some ways, but that's mostly because she's very relatable - she's lost, a bit aimless, she doesn't know where to start or how to contact friends - you kind of want to give her a shake and get her moving again. One other character does effectively try to do that to her, and one of the joys of the book is that it's not a perfect solution to all her issues, the result is much more realistic and messy.

I think I expected something a bit more light-hearted throughout, but the book is all the better for not being what I anticipated!

A love story about our relationship with objects, things, nostalgia and trends, this is a book that is quite unique in its concept and delivery. Poignant moments are peppered by dry humour and wit, and there’s a happy balance between the two. It’s a slow and gentle read, chapters mainly alternate with insights into treasured objects as the book weaves towards a surprising reveal that I wasn’t quite expecting. By the end of the book I felt that I’d read a beautiful story, pieces of a puzzle throughout that came to a satisfying conclusion at the end.

This is clearly a book that is an ode to charity shops, the people that work in them and the objects that are sold in them.

In between chapters we would get a look at an item, and either how it came to be in the shop or where it went. And these are more cleverly woven in than I initially thought, so it helps when early on you are told a whole host of names of people that work in the shop, to try to keep those in mind.

At the heart of the book is Gwen who was a character I really found it hard to bond with, but I was curious about her, as perhaps could see elements of myself in her. She starts volunteering in the shop after being made redundant, and through her eyes we meet many of the other volunteers, and see just what she is, or isn't willing to do with her life.

What I greatly admired about this book was when the author would take a phrase / subject and then wax lyrical with many other ways of describing it, or explaining it for a paragraph or two. It allows you to look at things in a completely different light and some of the lines in those sections are rather amusing.

This debut novel is a great showcase for this authors talented writing.

Thank you Simon & Schuster and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily,

Loved it! A fantastic debut novel for Lauren Bravo. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me an advance copy, I will definitely be recommending.

"Preloved" by Lauren Bravo has a few strong points, first of which is narrative framing. The story begins and ends with a significant meal, and I loved it. Also, the stories of donated items, though at times quite cheesy, find their continuation in the main storyline, which surely took some serious plot organising, which is admirable.

That being said, the detours from the story of Gwen were so many, that if I didn't pay enough attention to certain details, some things just didn't make sense. The story itself wasn't that memorable and extraordinary, either, even though the potential was there. I think too much attention was given to the donated items, instead of exploring subjects of identity outside work or romantic relationships, meaning of friendship in one's adult life or mental health in lieu of tragic events.

As a storyteller, Bravo tends to uncover her cards slowly. Sadly, too slowly at times.

A slow and unfocused novel about a woman who after losing her job.volunteers in a charity shop. The characters nor the story engaged me but readers who.want a light, gentle read will enjoy it.

Preloved follows Gwen as her life implodes, she loses her job and finds herself single and questioning direction in life. She takes a volunteer position in a charity shop and we learn the stories of the other employees as Gwen digs deep into past trauma whilst dealing with the discarded items of others. Highly recommend thanks NetGalley!

Preloved is a long book and at times little happens. You may think that this would be boring, but it isn't. Gwen is not at a great place in life, having been made redundant, living on her own and having had fleeting relationships with men after the break up of a long term relationship. She decides to clear out stuff from her flat by taking it to a charity shop and then volunteers to work there. Little by little, Gwen comes out of her shell and starts to open up to others about her life.
The book is mostly written from Gwen's point of view, though there are other narrators, often related to donated items to the shop, the significance of which becomes apparent as the book and story moves on and the bigger picture is revealed. I liked the characters and the way they were described and I liked the way Gwen opened up. There was certainly lots of food for thought and I thought that emotions in the book (and denial of them) were well dealt with in the writing .
My thanks to Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

This was a relatable, slow, simple read. Lauren Bravo is witty and thoughtful in her exploration of our relationship with objects and trends. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a review.

A slow, simple read. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a review.

I enjoyed this, the author is obviously a big fan of charity shops and that comes through in the writing. I didn’t immediately connect with Gwen and I feel that let it down slightly but overall a good easy read.