So happy to read this early, as I’ve loved Lauren Bravos non fiction books so was excited to see her talent in fiction too!

This book had me laughing out loud at her witty observations and characters. The old folks home playing Cards Against Humanity made me laugh.

This book was so clever with the alternating chapters of Gwen and characters with stories of charity shop donations that all came together.

Poor old Gwen was having a bit of a bad luck in life and this is her story about finding herself, finding out what she wants in life and her experiences and romantic journey.

Gwen has been fired from a job she wasn't that interested in and has taken up work at a charity shop. I thought the writing was ok but the plot didn't draw me in at all and after struggling with it for a few days I had to give up and mark DNF.

A sometimes confusing meander through the life of Gwen, single, redundant,misplaced and her shifts at her local charity shop. The intermingling of the tales of the items sold in parallel to Gwen's journey from grief, loss and aimlessness can sometimes be discombobulating but a satisfactory ending.

I love a good rummage in a charity shop because, a bit like NetGalley, you never know what gems you'll discover. Lauren Bravo's book is one such gem. Her style is smooth and easy and carries you along and, like the journalist that she is, she makes important points while also entertaining you. About loneliness, pointless jobs, female friendships that hit the rocks, flings you really shouldn't have even considered - and then wider issues like fast fashion and consumer culture.
I really grew to love her main character, Gwen, and her journey. The 'set pieces' about items that end up getting relegated to the charity shop are delightful. I was itching to know if their significance would become clearer and there's a real sense of jigsaw pieces coming together when they do reappear in the story. A moving story that carries you through sadness into hope. With some excellent advice on shoes along the way...

An enjoyable enough read about a 30 something woman’s quest to work out the reason for existence and where life has gone wrong

OMG! Like Marshall's second wife in Absolutely Fabulous, 'I love old things, they make me feel so centred and warm.' Was I going to love this book about a charity shop? You bet! Even though it wasn't a hard sell for me (like many of the items in the unloved, unremarkable shop) Preloved exceeded my expectations. A bit of a slow burn to begin with, the author nonetheless convinced me straight away with her fluid, emotionally literate writing and really knowing her stuff (she seems to be a vintage specialist).

Interestingly, there is another book on Netgalley at the moment, My Extraordinary Life, which features both a charity shop and (slight spoiler) sibling grief, but this one had the edge for me, though both are good. I particularly liked:

- How some objects - a gold clock, a pair of white shoes, a lawyer's designer handbag - kept popping up throughout the book and some you never saw again, you didn't know until later on which was important
- The open-mindedness - three of the stories focused on lesbian, gay and non-binary lives with no judgement
- The focus on friendship rather than romantic relationships - always a deal-maker for me, though I enjoy a good love story too.