It doesn’t matter whether you’ve devoured the books or seen Keira Knightley running through a field, sporting a bonnet and petticoats or not—everyone knows something about or at least has heard of Jane Austen. Her literature can be seen in modern adaptations, such as Clueless (1995) or parodied in Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001), there are tours of the homes she lived in, theories over her love life, and her face is even on the ten-pound note. Since her death, Austen has become a character in herself. So, in our modern times of technology, socially acceptable showing of the ankles, and Harry Styles, who is our new “Jane Austen”?

Well, the name of this article is misleading because simply there cannot be another Jane Austen as her cultural impact remains her own and there can never be someone whose career and life align perfectly with her. We will never have another Austen, just as we will never have another Shakespeare or Chaucer, however, that does not mean we will not have ground-breaking romance and contemporary novelists following in the steps of our beloved writer. Brilliant in their own right, we’ve rounded up just a few stellar authors!

EMILY HENRY

Do you want friends to lovers? Or is enemies to lovers more of your cup of tea? Do you love fiction about people that also love fiction? Emily Henry is your gal. The queen of the summer romance novel, Henry keeps delivering bangers of a novel time and time again. The stories she continuously creates and has you devouring will undoubtedly leave you smiling and giddy. Henry has currently written three novels, Book Lovers (2022), Beach Read (2020), and People We Meet on Vacation (2021). Her newest book Happy Place released in April.

SALLY ROONEY

Now if you’re looking for something that has the intimacy of an Austen novel and the societal observations of an Austen novel, but without the required happily ever after, Sally Rooney is the author for you. Rooney rocketed to authorial fame through her novel Normal People, which looked at the lives of two teenagers and how society and class identities get in the way of their love for one another. Think, Marianne in Sense and Sensibility without the charming Colonel Brandon to come and eclipse her love John Willoughby. Rooney has three published novels under her belt, two of which have been turned into TV shows of the same name—Normal People (2018), Conversations with Friends (2017) and Beautiful World, Where are You (2021).

TAYLOR JENKINS REID

This is a must-read author for cinema and TV fans with multiple of her works currently being adapted for screen and TV. Taylor Jenkins Reid is a powerhouse, who is constantly working on mastering different types of genres—all under the umbrella of contemporary fiction. If you’re looking for some heartwrenching romance, Reid has books such as One True Loves (2016), which has just been released starring the magnificent Phillipa Soo, and Forever Interrupted (2013). Or if you’re a fan of Fleetwood Mac and all the drama that went into the fabric of their music, you should try Daisy Jones and the Six (2019), which released earlier this year on Prime Video.

It would take an entire article to go through all of Reid’s wonderful novels, but the one that prompted the Taylor Jenkins Reid fan frenzy was the Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (2017), also in production to be become a film. Evelyn Hugo will leave you believing in love again and crushed to the core, Mr Darcy is nothing compared to Cecilia St. James, but he’s a whole lot better than Mick Riva.

TIA WILLIAMS

As many an literature teachers will tell you, Austen’s characters were complex. You just needed to look at the details of what they did and spoke. Tia William’s takes these romantic, flawed, three dimensional characters and gives them space to express themselves beyond implications and connotations. Williams has written and published six books, her two most famous books being Seven Days in June (2021) and The Perfect Find (2016), which is being turned into a movie. Her beautiful work gives romance to the everyday person. She does not gloss over the character’s issues and she does not make that a reason for them not to deserve a happy ending because, after all, everyone deserves a happy ending.

HOLLY BOURNE

One aspect of Austen’s novels that are often ignored is the female sisterhood that is promoted. Think of Anne Elliot in Persuasion, who is always there for her sister Mary and shows no hostility towards Louisa and Henrietta whilst they flirt with the man she loves. Holly Bourne takes this sisterhood and focus on female friendships and turns it up to the max. In her novels we have the romantic love story, but what really shines in Bourne’s writing is the platonic friendships and their importance in our lives. She brings to centre stage the beauty that is friendship and celebrates all its iniquities. Plus, her books are wonderfully and promotingly feminist, an extra bonus. The Spinster Club Trilogy is a brilliant place to start when reading Bourne’s work as you follow a trio making their way through college and discovering themselves in the least cliché ways imaginable. 

SARA DESAI

Another aspect of Austen’s novels which literature teachers will sing about is that her novels are funny. Yes, some of her jokes do not translate as well in modern day and often they fall flat in comparison to the works of Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Romesh Ranganathan, but she is funny. A brilliant romance author, who prioritises the comedic aspects of her novel with the intimate moments of her novel is Sara Desai. Sara Desai’s most popular works are The Dating Plan (2021), The Marriage Game (2020) and The Singles Table (2021). Desai gives us funny, sexy female protagonists that make us laugh and leaves us applauding when they get their man. She also constantly provides a fun, enjoyable family dynamic that helps push the story forward and creates a more enjoyable reading experience.

So, here are six wonderful female identifying authors who are taking the romance genre by storm. They may not be Austen, they are their own magnificent selves and have done and will do amazing things within the genre or whatever genres they decide to explore next. And just remember, if anyone tries to shame you for reading romance novels, remember people once did the same to the original readers of Austen’s work. Look who’s laughing now!

The post Who Is The Modern Jane Austen? appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

We had the chance to sit down with Holly and ask her some questions about her new release, book recommendations, the best and worst writing advice she’s received, and more!

Hi, Holly! Tell us a bit about yourself!

Hello and hi. Lovely to meet you. I’m Holly, and I’m an author living in the UK. I’m very passionate about feminism and mental health, and how the two interlink. I write comedy novels that I hope teach my readers some important things while they’re too busy laughing to notice.

With the current state of the world, what are you doing to cope with the changes we’ve had to make with our day-to-day?

I took in a cat in the first week of London locking down and it has transformed my life. I’m also one of *those* people who meditates, and have been so grateful for it throughout this year. It’s all been bloody hard though, hasn’t it? I allow myself at least five minutes each day to just despair at how hard it all is.

When did you first discover your love for writing?

Like so many other authors, I was lucky to have an amazing English teacher at school, who encouraged me to write and believe my writing didn’t totally suck. Since I was a kid, I always had a notebook on the go, filling it with terrible existential poetry, first chapters of never-finished ‘novels’, and then angsty diary entries about all the boys in school who didn’t fancy me. Putting ink to page is how I’ve made sense of the world. I can’t not do it.

Your new novel, Pretending, is out November 17th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?

Very dark rom-com about #MeToo

Now tell us a little more! What can readers expect?

I wanted to use the generic frameworks of a romantic comedy to tell the truth about what dating is really like for so many women. The #MeToo movement has opened up people’s eyes to the huge levels of trauma experienced by women around the world, but I hadn’t seen a story about how this trauma plays out in the dating world. So Pretending is about a survivor called April, who is fed up of getting dumped whenever she reveals her vulnerability to men. In order to finally feel powerful, she starts pretending to be ‘Gretel’ i.e. the perfect ‘cool girl’. And, of course, the first guy Gretel dates falls helplessly in love with her. It’s (hopefully) a very funny book, but it doesn’t shy away from the dark subject matter. I hope as many guys read it as women, as they need to know the reality of who they’re sitting across the table from every one in five Tindr dates.

What inspired you to write this novel?

I spent five years working for a charity that helps survivors of sexual assault, and the job changed me profoundly. I wanted to write a romance novel where women could truly see themselves in the page. The real, broken, vulnerable, scared, insecure parts of them that they’re terrified aren’t worthy of love, and help them realise they are they are they are!

What do you hope readers will take away from reading Pretending?

I hope they find the book enjoyable! It is a comedy after all. But I also hope they come away having learned more about the lifelong impact of trauma, and the lengths so many women go to to hide it in order to be deemed romantically acceptable by men.

This is your thirteenth published novel. What are a couple of the most important lessons you have learned since Soulmates published in 2013?

This is my first book I’ve had published in the US and I’m thrilled, but, yes, I’ve been writing in the UK for a long time. The most important things I’ve learned are:

• Writing a novel never gets easier
• Once published, the story isn’t yours anymore
• Always have another project started by the time the book comes out.

What is the best and the worst advice you have received when it comes to writing and being an author?

The best? Every single page of ‘On Writing’ by Stephen King. I think I’ve read that book more than the actual bible, and I went to a seriously religious high school. He says something in there that fifty per cent of your writing time should be spent reading, which I believe implicitly.

The worst?

“If it’s not coming easily, then maybe this isn’t the project you should be writing.”

If I followed this advice, I’d never have finished a novel. Yes, you need to write the story your heart is urging you to tell, but you WILL get bored of this story around the 30k word mark. It goes from being exciting and enjoyable, to sludgy and dull. This is when the work really kicks in. Finishing a novel is a mental marathon and this is the wall you must blast past. Try to hold on to that initial thrill you felt when you first had the idea, and power on through.

What’s next for you?

I’m actually having two US debuts in one year, and my YA debut ‘It Only Happens In The Movies’ is being published in December, so that’s hugely exciting. I’m currently writing my next adult novel which looks at the power dynamics in female friendships over time. It’s very early days, but I’m having fun with it.

Lastly, are you currently reading anything and do you have any book recommendations for our readers?

I’m hugely late to the party, but Girl, Woman, Other is a total joy, and I’ve been guzzling it down.

Will you be picking up Pretending? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Q&A: Holly Bourne, Author of ‘Pretending’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Released on April 2nd, Pretending is Holly Bourne’s second adult novel after How Do You Like Me Now. The British author is a well-known advocate for gender equality and mental health, two topics that strongly seep into her writing. Most widely known for her 2015 YA contemporary trilogy, The Spinster Club, Bourne’s novels always showcase her resilience and passion when spreading awareness among both young and adult audiences. Her latest YA novel, The Places I’ve Cried in Public, was published just a few months before Pretending was released, and also raises awareness on abusive relationships.

Like most of Bourne’s work, Pretending is such a rollercoaster of emotions. This book is cynical and sarcastic. This book is harsh, realistic, and a bit of a hater. Reading it feels like biting into a lemon, but that is exactly the point of it. Victims of sexual abuse go through a lot of emotions through their recovery: they feel confusion, pain, anger, denial. All these feelings are completely valid and coherent, but is it healthy to hold on to them in the long term? And how can they shape social interactions, as well as one’s self-image?

Saying that our protagonist, April, is a complex character would be an enormous understatement. April is a deeply anxious person, with a self-image that relies heavily on societal expectations on women and being liked by men —even if she, consciously, doesn’t want to feel that way. April is naïve and kind and trusts people way too easily, but she is also angry: The novel begins with a three-page-long essay where she lists the reasons why she hates men. And she hates them ardently. April is also a survivor of rape and her trauma is still very present on her mind, even if years have passed since she was assaulted by her ex-boyfriend. For every bit of information that the reader gets about April, the more they will feel for her —and the more of that anger they will assume as well, especially when they learn about how she has to read email after email from victims of sexual abuse asking for help to the charity she works at and the men in April’s own life handle her like a puppet without caring about her feelings.

However, the sheer amount of negativity that oozes out of the book can sometimes become overwhelming. As a victim of sexual abuse, her feelings towards men are completely valid and understandable, but they may also be triggering for other recovering survivors. April is constantly rambling about how awful men are, but, for the most part of the novel, she does not try to decipher why she feels like that or how to stop herself from mindlessly hating an entire section of society. She simply buries her trauma and any negative feeling —apart from anger— deep into the back of her brain, in an attempt to pretend to be what she understands as “normal.” As a result, she spirals into her plans of revenge and the ideal persona she creates: Gretel. But we will talk about her later.

It is not until two-thirds of the book have gone by that April starts to take control of her mental health and decides to go to therapy. She decides to take boxing classes to channel her negative emotions, as well, which becomes the most wholesome and heart-wrenching part of the novel, thanks to the beautiful feeling of sisterhood and understanding she finds there. When she starts to actively try to overcome her trauma, both the tone of the novel and the plot itself improves greatly.

At the beginning, the reason why April takes on Gretel’s persona to take revenge on men is not that clear and so it is sometimes confusing to try and guess where her actions and decisions are going to take her. For the looks of it at first, definitely not to a nice place. It is not until almost the very end of the novel that our protagonist begins her journey towards recovery and self-discovery, and while April does become more and more self-aware, the very few pages Bourne gives her to grow and accept herself are not enough for the ending to be fulfilling.

Going back to that constant feeling of anger, the tone and plot sometimes become a bit flat, almost as if it went on circles. Nonetheless, the British author has some outstanding one-liners that delightfully add a sarcastic and witty side of comedic relief that balances out the harshness of the topics she deals with. Thanks to her snarky comments and the very necessary, taboo-free exploration of female sexuality, you will find yourself chuckling quietly quite a few times. Simultaneously, Pretending also dives into societal expectations on how both men and women are expected behave in heterosexual relationships, embodying them all on Gretel. Through a series of entries of what appears to be a self-help book for dating written by her imaginary personality, April goes through all the requirements she has to meet to be appealing to men, not realising that all of those characteristics are mostly based on her insecurities, unrealistic and misogynistic standards and her own prejudices about men. Unable to keep up with the façade, she is confronted with the deep feeling of loneliness, powerlessness and inadequacy caused mostly by her trauma itself and the pressure society puts on people to find a partner and get married before hitting your 30s.

Pretending is an overall complex novel. It is angry and harsh, but it is also real and unafraid to speak about the ugly side of dating and romantic relationships. It demonstrates how the toughest judge is non-other than our own brain, driven by society’s unattainable standards, both for men and women. Undoubtedly, finding yourself in a world full of expectations and masks can be quite tricky, let alone being true to yourself. So, is it possible to go through life unscathed without a bit of pretending? You’ll have to read this novel to find out!

Pretending is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore!

Will you be picking up Pretending? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis | Goodreads

He said he was looking for a ‘partner in crime’ which everyone knows is shorthand for ‘a woman who isn’t real’.

April is kind, pretty, and relatively normal – yet she can’t seem to get past date five. Every time she thinks she’s found someone to trust, they reveal themselves to be awful, leaving her heartbroken. And angry.

If only April could be more like Gretel.

Gretel is exactly what men want – she’s a Regular Everyday Manic Pixie Dream Girl Next Door With No Problems.

The problem is, Gretel isn’t real. And April is now claiming to be her.

As soon as April starts ‘being’ Gretel, dating becomes much more fun – especially once she reels in the unsuspecting Joshua.

Finally, April is the one in control, but can she control her own feelings? And as she and Joshua grow closer, how long will she be able to keep pretending?

The post Review: Pretending by Holly Bourne appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

If you’re a UK bookworm like me, you probably stare mournfully at posts about BookExpo and BookCon, wishing you could go. But never fear! Here in the UK, we have YALC. Short for the Young Adult Literary Convention, YALC goes on at the same time as London Film and Comic Con and young adult authors come from all over the world to talk on panels, sign books, and lead workshops. Publishers have booths selling discounted books and even giving away ARCs! Sounds like a dream, right? This years dates are the 26th to the 28th of July.

2019 will be my first year going to YALC, and I couldn’t be more excited. If you were already planning on going or are just intrigued, read on for some of the authors going this July that you should be excited for.

These five are just a few of the awesome authors who will be at YALC! With a line-up featuring the likes of Juno Dawson, Malorie Blackman, and Derek Landy, you UK readers really don’t want to miss out on YALC 2019. You can find out more about the panels and other authors attending in our previous article!

Will you be attending YALC 2019? Tell us in the comments below!

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