Katey Lovell

Better late than never, as they say! I didn't read as many books as usual in 2018 - one side effect of my anxiety is an inability to focus on reading, and I hardly read any rom-com/women's fiction. It's funny that my six stand-out books of 2018 all share themes of resilience, perseverance and overcoming. They're all out now, except Daisy Jones and the Six which is released on March 7th. Call Me by Your Name - Andre Aciman   Andre Aciman's Call Me by Your Name is the story of a sudden and powerful romance that blossoms between an adolescent boy and a summer guest at his parents' cliffside mansion on the Italian Riviera.  Each is unprepared for the consequences of their attraction, when, during the restless summer weeks, unrelenting currents of obsession, fascination, and desire intensify their passion and test the charged ground between them. Recklessly, the two verge toward the one thing both fear they may never truly find again: total intimacy. It...

Oh, time - you got away from me again.  Spring arrived later than ever; winter seemingly endless with freezing temperatures and April snowfall.  Hibernation appealed as I recognised the tell-tale signs of anxiety making an unwanted comeback, but I forced myself to push on.  I came close to my breaking point and I've taken some time away from writing to ease the load, but it's really, really hard to switch off from the alternate realities in my head.  When my head's in a bad place I find it hard to focus.  As a reader that's as much of a sucker-punch as the other symptoms of my anxiety.  That said, I have managed to read a few cracking books.  I Was Born for This  by Alice Oseman was just fabulous.  It had boy bands, mental health representation and an LGBT+ lead character, which along with a fast-paced storyline made for a great read.  I also fell head-over-heels in love with Call Me...

I've been reading... Body Positive Power -  Megan Jayne Crabbe All Night Long  (Sweet Valley High) Dangerous Love (Sweet Valley High) Lullaby - Leila Slimani Everything I Know About Love - Dolly Alderton Simon vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda - Becky Albertalli The Cows - Dawn O' Porter I'm still way behind on my blogging for the #SVHReadalong, but I will catch up soon - promise!  But what about the other titles I read in February?    Megan Jayne Crabbe, aka Bodyposipanda, is well-known on social media for leading the march on body positivity.  As someone who recently lost a lot of weight but still had gripes with how I looked, I hoped this book would help me accept my body .  Whilst it hasn't solved all my anxieties, Body Postive Power  reminded me of all the wonderous ways my body works and how society pushes only certain, often unachievable, body types as the 'ideal'.  Thanks to my sister-in-law who bo...

  If you're looking for a problematic, fat-shaming Sweet Valley book, look no further.    Power Play follows Robin Wilson on her quest to become a member of exclusive sorority Pi Beta Alpha.  Elizabeth nominates Robin as a potential candidate, but Jessica finds it laughable that someone who is (shock horror) overweight could even contemplate being accepted into such an exclusive group and sets her humiliating initiation challenges whilst leading her on by taking advantage of her good-nature.  However, nothing can stop Robin - she's on a mission, and when Liz helps her complete the most difficult task of all - getting Bruce Patman to take her to the dance - Robin is eligible to be put forward for voting.  The anonymous voting takes place and Robin is blackballed!  The rejection causes Robin to withdraw from school life and, as a result of excessive exercising and minimal eating, lose a lot of weight...

Oh, this book promises so much and delivers so little, and the John Barrowman/Timothy Dalton interpretation of Bruce in the cover art is possibly the highlight of this whole volume.  Admittedly, the Jessica/Bruce storyline is interesting to start with (and I remember thinking the bikini scene was red-hot when I first read these books in the 90s), but as an adult Jessica's compliance to Bruce's manipulation makes for uncomfortable reading. The B plot follows Jessica encouraging Robin Wilson (who we are repeatedly told is fat) to steal a test paper and post it in Emily's locker so that Emily, distracted by a music mogul in red leather trousers who's going to turn The Droids into the biggest band ever, can pass the test.  This is important because Jessica plans to cheat off her, but the plan backfires when Mr Russo changes the test at the last minute.  The fat-shaming makes this a difficult read for me personally and although I enjoyed the scene when Bruce ends up...

I've been reading... Double Love (Sweet Valley High) Secrets (Sweet Valley High) Playing with Fire (Sweet Valley High) Power Play (Sweet Valley High) Emma Ever After - Brigid Coady One Day in December - Josie Silver Christmas in St Ives - Miranda Dickinson Some Kind of Wonderful - Giovanna Fletcher I'll be blogging about Playing with Fire and Power Play soon for the #SVHReadalong, but I've also really enjoyed the women's fiction I've read this month.  Emma Ever After is a contemporary retelling of Jane Austen's Emma set against the backdrop of the music industry.  It's sassy and witty and a must for anyone interested in the part the media plays in celebrity and stardom. One Day in December isn't due out until later in the year, but I was fortunate to receive an early copy.  It's already drawn comparisons to David Nicholls' One Day and Richard Curtis' rom-com films, and I can see why; and don't let th...

I was really excited to get stuck into the second Sweet Valley High book, Secrets, because it's one of the books that springs to mind when I think of the series.  The cover is one of my personal favourites, showing Jessica gossiping on a bubble-gum pink telephone as Elizabeth watches on aghast, even though this doesn't represent the story inside at all. *Spoilers ahead* Secrets follows on immediately after Double Love , with the main plotline focussing on Elizabeth's best friend Enid's dark, rebellious past.  Enid, who is in a relationship with possessive Ronnie Edwards, has been secretly writing to her old friend George Warren, a former joy-riding drug-using delinquent (there's talk of them using bennies.  In my youthful innocence I never used to know what they were referring to - it's actually benzadrine, a pharmaceutical that contains amphetamine).  When Enid shares this with Elizabeth, and accidentally leaves a letter in her friend's bedroom, it i...

The time has come - 2018 is the year I'm rereading the Sweet Valley High books! This series of books is hugely important to me.  Although I was a voracious reader prior to discovering Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield (with mainly Enid Blyton and Roald Dahl satiating my appetite), once I started the Sweet Valley books I was a goner.  I don't even remember how I first came across them, because I thought it was through my slightly-older cousin, but she says she got into them through me.  One thing I am sure of is that I was reading both the Sweet Valley Twins and Sweet Valley High books by the time I was eleven and was still reading them when I was fifteen.  Mostly I bought second hand copies from charity shops and car boot sales, but any money I had for birthdays or Christmases went on these books.  I also spent a lot of my summer holidays hiding in a corner of Monmouth's WHSmiths craftily reading any instalment I'...

On the final day of 2017 I'm going to shout about some of the things that have brought me joy over the past twelve months.  Personally, I had a pretty great year, and I'm hugely thankful to end the year in remission from Crohn's Disease.  Good health allowed me to have a productive writing year, with the publication of 'The Café in Fir Tree Park' in May and 'Joe and Clara's Christmas Countdown' in October.  I gained a friend and agent in Julia Silk in June and drafted the first book in a series, which I'm currently in the process of editing - it's due to go out on submission to publishers in early 2018.  I became a vegan.  I walked a lot.  I spent quality time with family and friends. As a fan of live music I saw (amongst others) old favourites (Take That, Frank Turner) and little-known gems (Charlie Barnes, Felix Hagan and the Family); world-wide megastars (Blondie, Ed Sheeran, Harr...

I've been a terrible blog-keeper.  Again. There's no excuse, other than I've been ridiculously busy.  Again. I genuinely want to get into the habit of blogging regularly, and my plan (again!) is to post at least once a month, whether that's an update of what's happening with my writing projects, or something related to my interests (most likely books, music and theatre).  I'm going to schedule it into my phone, so if nothing appears you have every right to prod me on social media! But for now I guess it's time for me to fill you in on my news... THE PARK BOOK     Thank you to everyone who's bought, read and reviewed The Café in Fir Tree Park .  Since the ebook release on May 26th, so many readers have contacted me to say lovely things about Maggie, Fern, Lacey and Pearl.  Not to mention Paolo (and Matt, Warren and Carrick) who've also captured people's hearts!  I'm so proud of this book and knowing yo...

A few weeks ago, my best friend Jen sent me a text.  Nothing unusual about that - we're usually in contact at least four or five days a week.  But when I opened it and read 'Can I call you later?  I need to ask you something,' my heart stopped.  What on earth could it be?  In fact, for the hours before she called me back I was thinking all sorts, and I'd convinced myself it was going to be something awful.  All I could think of was her wedding in six weeks time, and that she'd changed her mind about me being a bridesmaid.  When she'd asked me to take on the role back in September, my eyes had filled with tears in the middle of Kings Cross station's branch of Pret. I'd been so excited at the prospect of playing a part in her big day, and after twenty-seven years of friendship I couldn't wait to stand by her side as she married her lovely Aussie fiancé Chris.  Jen (L) and me (R) in either 1992 or 1993 I tried t...