Unless you’ve been living under a rock (wouldn’t blame you), you’re probably hyper aware of a certain chiselled Duke’s arrival on Netflix – aka Simon Basset (Regé-Jean Page), the Byronic Bridgerton royal you didn’t know your life was missing.

Based on Julia Quinn’s eponymous book series, the first season of the binge-worthy Bridgerton has ruffled more than a few feathers, or should we say Featheringtons, with its sex, scandal and high society papers. The plot follows the powerful Bridgerton family, as they ballroom dance and bonk their way through Regency London seeking various hedonistic highs and marriage-minded pursuits.

It could be likened to Downton Abbey with hints of Gossip Girl, only with unabashed sass & spunk by the horse-drawn carriage load, so probs avoid watching it with the parents unless you want to make 110 cups of tea to avoid sitting through eight episodes of ribald Regency romps, pretending to look at anything but the Duke’s incomparable arse cheeks. We’ve never investigated the ageing patina of our ceiling so much.

Dearest reader, here are all the thoughts, feelings and anonymous musings we had whilst watching the brilliant Bridgerton.

Disclaimer: contains spoilers, so look away if you haven’t made it to the grand crescendo yet.

Straight in with a tree shag, foreplay wasn’t invented yet then

I must follow all the actors and actresses on Instagram immediately

No way, Daphne is Sally from Coronation Street’s daughter?!

Reckon Queen Charlotte’s orgy of pearls is a sign of things to come? Ahem.

Sounds like classical music but it’s not, what IS that pop bop?

Screams ‘Thank You Next!’ in the middle of the night, startling all the dogs and neighbours within a 5-mile radius

Lots of longing looks, stolen glances, dancing and breathy sighs so far. It’s like TOWIE circa 1813

The Duke of Hastings hath arrived and I too am positively parched, Daphne

His smile, the symmetry, the way he holds himself in a riding boot and crushed velvet suit jacket… (Fans self with a leftover fajita wrap)

Didn’t have him down as a gooseberry pie kinda man, mind you

Isn’t that Christopher Robin? And Tracy Beaker’s mum!

Can’t wait for the next time I get to call a f*ckboy an uncatchable rake

Nah, not Nigel Berbrooke. Anyone but Nig.

Pretend to form an attachment? Already done that Si, don’t you worry about that. We’re 10 steps ahead

Lady Danbury is a MOOD

Lady Bridgerton’s always right, ‘there is only the Duke’

Can’t. Handle. His. Tragic. Backstory. Though.

This slow-mo dance scene is everything, look at them. It’s like watching a perfectly choreographed mating ritual

I wonder how many local men I’d have to promenade with from a respectable 2m distance to inherit a large ancestral home

Not all spoons are created equal…

I didn’t know I could be aroused by a spoon but here we are. They’re posh and I’m poor but we’re ALL desperately horny and trapped in this twisted cutlery threesome together

Daphne snort laughing in front of the Prince of Prussia – it me

He’s mansplaining masturbation but whatever, we can move past that

“and that should help you…come” huwe#afhoaiwm!? The sound we believe our burning loins would make if they could speak

The scriptwriting is chef’s kiss

Yep, this scene is going to need all eyes on a swift exit if watching with ya dad

I’d love a night out with this iconic duo tbh

Lord Rutledge asking to see Miss Thompson’s teeth will haunt us forevermore

There’s something very Rose Dawson about Daphne in the panting garden scene, namely because it feels like it’s been 84 years since we last saw the Duke naked

Wait, a duel? NO. I will not hear of it.

Cannot or will not have children? Lady Whistledown will surely spilleth the TEA

Benedict is having all kinds of second son fun. Good for him.

“To meet a beautiful woman is one thing but to meet your best friend and the most beautiful of women is something entirely apart” BAWLING

If she’s getting cold feet, stand ASIDE

First a spoon, now a glove, show me an inanimate object he can’t arouse us with

In a twist of 2021 fate, my perineum – it appears to be… pulsating

I haven’t been this invested in silverware since Connell’s chain

Every time he raises his brow, a little part of my virtue opens its legs

Even the wisteria is well hung in Regency London

This is it. The big flooding the fields in Autumn moment.

He burns for her but in doing so, he burns me

Yes, that’s more like it Simon, sack off the pig’s head and asparagus platter, have carnal pleasure for dinner instead

That achingly beautiful string quartet is serenading my clitoris right about now

Ngl, it feels a lot like it’s dancing

How does one apply to be an intimacy coordinator, exactly? Asking for a friend

All that rain and the writhing bodies on a stone folly. It’s like The Notebook on viagra

What an ingenious use for a ladder…

Safe to say, your Grace is not tongue-tied any more

Mentally, I am one half of the most talked about couples in the Ton at this point

My Instagram will be a Duke of Hastings stan account hereafter

Oh Daph, a wretched means to an end indeed

Observation: when the Duke does his angry whispering thing to Anthony, he sounds a bit like Mufasa

Death bed, marriage bed – where does my bed come into all of this? Answer me that

Filing the passive aggressive note I’ve just received from the neighbour under sh*t I won’t stand for in 2021. I’m not the one having all the sex – raise it with THE DUKE!

The portrait is not the only thing that’s drenched

“Just because something is not perfect, does not make it any less worthy of love” SAY IT LOUDER FOR THE PEOPLE AT THE BACK

Ok Netflix, I am one sex scene away from being served my eviction notice

Meanwhile the spoon scene lives on in my mind rent free

I KNEW it was Pen, short for Penelope but also ya know, a WRITING utensil. Pen Name. The Easter eggs were there all along.

The Duke holding the baby that could have been ours… be still my beating heart

What has that meddling bee got to do with it all?

May as well watch it again. Treat myself to a subtitled version.

Look at this ‘what’s your Bridgerton name’ doing the rounds, this could be fun. First letter of first name… D: Duchess, first letter of last name: H: Hastings. That’s it. I’m the Duchess of Hastings

MAKE HASTE SEASON 2!

Have you completed Bridgerton, yet? Let us know if you were as hooked as us!

Whilst this season might be without some of our normal winter activities, we won’t be stopped from making the most of cold weather dressing and the pure joy that can be found from wrapping up in multiple cosy layers and a walk around the block- it’s the little things after all!

Go neutral to easily switch and sashay between your catalogue of outfit extras, or opt for bold, pattered and statement pieces to add some real pizzazz to your look. Whichever way you swing, the variety of picks in this week’s team Weekly Wants means there’s truly something for everyone!

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The events of the last year have rocked our mental health in ways we’ve never experienced before. There wasn’t enough pink Himalayan salt lamps nor sage bundles on the planet to ward off the relentless bad news – the tears (and tiers) just kept on coming and the proverbial rug was pulled from under our feet, never to be seen again.

Hit the mute button on anyone or anything that isn’t serving you and show up for your mind in ways you never thought you could. Here’s to finding the people who magnify your magic, not deplete it.

Matt Haig

Author Matt Haig has opened up the conversation for male mental health. In his first best-selling memoir published in 2015, he chronicled his experience with anxiety and depression which led him to consider taking his own life. Since then he’s gone on to write about his ongoing recovery and become, in his words, an accidental MH guru, consoling others online with his positive affirmations, frank humour, mood-boosting quotes and life-affirming perspective. Follow Matt here.

Lalah Delia

‘Helping you vibrate higher daily’ we couldn’t have summed up Lalah’s account better if we tried. Lalah Delia is a spiritual writer, wellness educator, certified spiritual practitioner and best-selling author. Her works and writings are focused on guiding readers on a journey back home to their empowered, higher potential, whole selves. From tapping into the present moment and tending to your power, one visit to her page will leave you feeling infinitely calm and on better terms with your higher self. Follow Lalah here.

Poorna Bell

Award-winning author, journalist and powerlifter, Poorna Bell works tirelessly to tackle the stigma surrounding addiction, male depression and suicide. Five years on from her husband Rob’s death, she’s giving others hope with her healing words and her unparalleled compassion for the lived human experience and all its facets. Follow Poorna here.

Notes From Your Therapist

Daily hand-written reminders that your feelings are valid. Celebrate your imperfections, lean into your truth, wear your vulnerability with pride and give yourself permission to feel the full range of human emotion. Follow Note From Your Therapist here.

All On The Board

Look what happens when a community comes together. Two employees at Transport for London made it their mission to make commuters smile by writing uplifting messages, inspiring quotes and poems on the customer information boards, originally meant for announcing delays and cancellations. Their heartfelt messages not only brighten up the daily grind with positivity and good humour but remind us that whatever our circumstances, whatever journey we’re on, everyone on earth has difficult days and we’re all in it together. Follow All On The Board here.

Nedra Tawwab

Whether it’s learning how to honour your boundaries, practising self-acceptance or protecting your energy, therapist Nedra Tawwab helps people create healthy relationships with themselves and others. Follow Nedra Tawwab here.

Real Depression Project

Founded by an ex-depression sufferer and a counsellor disenchanted with the mental health industry, The Depression Project is helping to dismantle the stigma and misconceptions surrounding depression and raise awareness of the symptoms, so non-sufferers can be better allies. Follow the Real Depression Project here.

Trevor Project

Simple self-care actions, beautiful illustrations and daily affirmations to remind you that your authentic self is always enough. Follow Trevor Project here.

Meg Boggs

Meg posts about self-love, motherhood, fitness, mental health and everything in-between, inspiring others to meet their worth and shine in the body they call home, one Instagram post at a time. Follow Meg here.

Breathe With James

Inhale for six, exhale for six. Sometimes, we all need a reminder to just breathe. Breathe slowly, deeply and intentionally – let go. Through his guided breathwork incorporating techniques such as visualisation and affirmation, James teaches us all to use breath as a vehicle to undo the emotional conditioning of the body and unlearn the emotional conditioning of the mind. To breathe is to connect with our emotional bodies in a state of unconditional presence and trust; to breathe is fundamental to our healing. Follow James here.

Black Girl In Om

Turning up for yourself takes daily commitment and Lauren Ash, Founder of Black Girl In Om, is showing black women everywhere how to do just that. BGIO is a community dedicated to giving women of colour a space to thrive – a space to breathe easy, to be liberated, empowered and seen. Whether it’s through meditation, sound journey, yoga or an IGTV heart-to-heart, this incredible community will guide you on your way to claiming your wholeness as a black embodied person. Sink into your greatness. Follow Black Girl In Om here.

Rupi Kaur

Rupi’s work touches on love, loss, trauma, healing, femininity and migration and if ever you find yourself needing a reminder of how wonderful it is to be a living, breathing, complex sentient being, her poetry will jog your memory. Follow Rupi here.

The Insecure Girls Club

Be it heartbreak, imposter syndrome, workplace wobbles, body image or chronic pain, whatever is causing you emotional harm right now, consider TIGC a safe space to bond, share, grow and bloom through all of it. Follow The Insecure Girls Club here.

Drop your favourite MH accounts below! Let’s share the love (and the load).

Whilst we might not have got to wear much of our wardrobes in 2020, (except for loungewear, plenty of loungewear), we can’t help but look ahead to the next few months and the slither of optimism we feel, and wonder … what are we going to WEAR? How exciting it feels to have that question pop up in our minds! For so long now many of us have lost our sense of self and the joy in dressing, whether that be in your glad-rags and fave lipstick or just your classic jeans (who?) and a nice top, it always feels good to look good in your outfit!

Say hello to puff-sleeved everything (thanks for the inspo Bridgerton), baseball caps, pastels galore and hip detail trousers that are enough to make our bank balance feel a little on the apprehensive side…

Puff Sleeves

Baseball Caps

Hip Detail Trousers

Pastels Galore

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First of all, Happy New Year! What are you looking to get out of 2021?

Happy new year to you too guys! Gosh, 2020 has been a really tough year for everyone and I know we will all be happy to start afresh in 2021. I am really hoping to just be healthy and happy, that will be my priority. I watched one of my first YouTube videos of 2020 back last week and in the video, I was discussing things I wanted to achieve in 2020. I think this year has taught me that so many things are out of our control and that we just need to take it easy sometimes and not put too much pressure on ourselves to smash goals or life achievements. 

If anything, for 2021 I just want to prioritise my health and wellbeing. I think it is super important to check in with yourself regularly, take time out when you need it and really do the things that make your heart happy. My only other hope is that myself and my good friend Zara are going to put the steps in place to hopefully buy a house together which we are beyond excited for if everything goes to plan. Fingers crossed!

Talk us through your career online and how it’s evolved?

Whenever I think of my life online it makes me feel beyond lucky and grateful to call this my job. Like so many others, I grew up watching YouTubers. I was just a little guy in his small room in Durham watching these really cool people make videos from their bedrooms. I would rush home after school and turn on our computer and check to see if anyone had uploaded a new video. 

I started my blog back in 2012 called ‘Luke Does Life’ documenting my outfits and things I had cooked or baked (I haven’t archived the blog as I love to look back at it for the laughs but also just remind myself of how far I have come). 

I got my first job in my local pub at 13, washing dishes on Sundays after people would come for their roast dinners. I stayed there for quite some time until I got a job at Bill’s restaurant in 2013 as a Waiter. I started to take photos of the food that the restaurant served mainly because I loved the menu and was so proud of how far I had come since my pot washing early teen days. The woman who ran the social media accounts for Bill’s spotted my photos and invited me to London to help shoot some food content for Christmas. To this day, we still chat and I am so grateful for everything she taught me. 

I moved to London in September 2016 to start university. I studied Magazine Journalism and Publishing in the hope that I could one day I could be a food writer. I thought whilst being at university I wanted to document my time there. I started my YouTube channel in April 2017. My first video was a trip to Brighton, it was my dream to go one day after watching so many people I loved online visit. I just threw myself into vlogging in pubic. I went on my own and just explored the town, it was by far the most nervous I had ever felt. I worked part-time in coffee shops and retail alongside my degree and filming videos for YouTube on the side. Since then I have graduated from university and have been SO lucky to make YouTube and content creating my full-time job since June 2019. 

What are your favourite things to film for YouTube? 

I absolutely love getting in the kitchen. My whole family are foodies so I have grown up with the kitchen being the heart of the home. I love filming my 5-midweek meal ideas and any baking videos just bring me so much joy! 

I also really love vlogs, they are the reason I started YouTube. I am a big one for memories and love to document everything I do. I keep receipts, tickets, essentially anything I can that remind me of a time in my life. So daily/weekly vlogs are so lovely to film and watch back. 

We love your second IG account @lukecatleugheats have you always been into cooking and food?

Ahh thank you so much! I really need to get back into posting on there more often. I found myself gearing more towards YouTube for my food content as I found it easier to share visually and talk through the process. 

 For me, food is everything. It is the first thing I think of when I wake up and arguably the last thing I think of when I go to bed. Food is memories and it transports me back to a happy place. My Nana’s cakes were legendary and my Mam’s roast is second to none, these memories of food are my happy place. I remember one day I came home from school and used a spare notepad I had to start writing down everything my Mam cooked in the hope that one day, I could cook like her. I still have it to this day, although my handwriting is pretty illegible ha! 

What are some of your top goals you’d like to achieve in your career?

I would honestly say that doing what I get to do for a job makes me feel like the luckiest person alive. 

It would be a dream to one day release a cookbook. I know it sounds cliche and it’s a big goal but I would absolutely love to. I know they are SO much work, you literally have to try and test every recipe and there are so many wonderful ones already published, but I would love to do it almost as a memoir of every dish I love. 

We know you like to travel, where is top of your list when we’re able to again?

Oh my goodness I miss travelling. I know it is such a luxury to travel and this year has really reminded me how much I enjoy it. 

I solo travelled before I went to university for two months across America. It was the scariest thing I have ever done but by far the best. I really want to return to New York, it’s my favourite city in the world. 

 I would also absolutely love to go somewhere new and I feel like my skin needs some serious vitamin D. Any remote island would be a dream. I love Greece, the Mamma Mia island Skopelos or Naxos would be amazing just to get stuck into a good book and fully relax. 

What would you say is your biggest achievement to date?

I would say moving to London and really pushing myself out of my comfort zone. I got so stuck in my life and knew from a very early age that I wanted to see more of the world and meet more people. It was by far the best thing I did and gave me the confidence to put myself online. I really struggled with my self worth and saying yes to anything. However, since moving to London it really showed me that I can do anything if I am willing to say yes. 

What are you currently working on?

I don’t have any big projects at the moment, I just really want to focus on refining my content on YouTube and keeping a balance between food and lifestyle videos. I absolutely love creating recipe videos and a lot of viewers are asking for an online guide/virtual recipe book where they can see everything I have made. I have that on my list of things I would like to make for 2021!

Who are some of your favourite follows online?

I follow people online who bring me happiness and comfort from all walks of life and who share a variation of content. Some of my favourites are: 

@lisadawson – she shares gorgeous interior content on Instagram and her stories are so real and honest about life online and also being a mum! 

@iamtabithabrown – is possibly one of the most infectiously positive people I have ever followed. Her outlook on life, her recipes and her smile genuinely brightens my day. 

@Lonefoxhome – Drew Scott – one of the OG interior YouTubers, his DIY’s are amazing and the spaces her creates are incredible. 

@theptchef – Oli Brandon I am fairly new to TikTok (I am yet to post anything but I love what others create) – his recipes are so easy to follow and genuinely make me want to get in the kitchen and try something new! 

What do you always carry with you?

My camera I use to vlog, I rarely leave the house without it. It’s the classic G7X ii, by far the best point and shoot camera I have owned. It takes great photos, video and also is the perfect pocket size and of course hand sanitiser and a face covering (the bolder the better!)

What does your perfect weekend look like?

About a year ago, I would have said getting lost in the streets of a city I had never been to. But the year just gone has given me a whole new sense of appreciation and gratitude for my home and how lucky we are to have such a lovely space. 

So my perfect weekend would probably be spent watching movies, reading, going for long walks with my families little Labrador who I miss dearly and lots of baking. Sandwich in a cheeky nap and that right there is my idea of perfection. 

If you could only eat one meal again what would it be?

Pasta of ANY kind. I have repeatedly asked my Mam if we have some Mediterranean or Italian heritage in our family because I could genuinely eat pasta for the rest of my life. I had the most incredible garlic, lemon and chilli linguine in Florence a couple of years back and to this day, it remains my favourite meal I have ever eaten. So simple but mouthwateringly tasty. 

If you could give one positive message to our followers what would it be? 

One of my favourite quotes is “Happiness can be found in the darkest of places, if only one remembers to turn on the light”. 

I have really found that given the year we have just had, always remember there is light at the end of the tunnel. It may be dim or hard to see at times, but persevere and you will see it. Life can be really tough, so cherish every moment, ride the highs and the lows and remember that nothing ever good comes easy. 

New year, new books. Is there anything more exciting than starting a new TBR pile?

We’re excited to get stuck into plot twists, coming of age tales, speculative fiction and Parent Trap vibes with our first three Zoella book club reads of 2021.

Here’s what we’ll be reading for January, February and March…

January – The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

The master of empathy once again demonstrates why he is the most celebrated and inspirational writers on mental health of our age. This beguiling novel about the power of books, second chances and learning how to live will warm your heart this January. Being stuck at home gets infinitely better when you’ve got a membership to The Midnight Library.

The Blurb

Between life and death there is a library.

When Nora Seed finds herself in the Midnight Library, she has a chance to make things right. Up until now, her life has been full of misery and regret. She feels she has let everyone down, including herself. But things are about to change.

The books in the Midnight Library enable Nora to live as if she had done things differently. With the help of an old friend, she can now undo every one of her regrets as she tries to work out her perfect life. But things aren’t always what she imagined they’d be, and soon her choices place the library and herself in extreme danger. Before time runs out, she must answer the ultimate question: what is the best way to live?

February – Untamed by Glennon Doyle

The original publication date for our February book club pick, You Have A Match by Emma Lord has been pushed back, so we’ve had a reshuffle to make sure we’re all on the same page and reading along together. We’ll look forward to reading Lord’s hilarious and heartfelt novel as soon as it lands but for now, we’re going to be inhaling the uproarious and tender best-seller, Untamed by Glennon Doyle.

Ever since it hit the bookshelves last year, Untamed has become the book everyone is reading, recommending, quoting and sharing on their Instagram feed. Part self-help guide, part memoir, Untamed explores how to find your wild and start living life on your terms.

The Blurb

Who were you before the world told you who to be?

Part inspiration, part memoir, Untamed explores the joy and peace we discover when we stop striving to meet the expectations of the world, and instead dare to listen to and trust in the voice deep inside us. From the beloved New York Times bestselling author, speaker and activist Glennon Doyle.

For many years, Glennon Doyle denied her discontent. Then, while speaking at a conference, she looked at a woman across the room and fell instantly in love. Three words flooded her mind: There. She. Is. At first, Glennon assumed these words came to her from on high but soon she realised they had come to her from within. This was the voice she had buried beneath decades of numbing addictions and social conditioning. Glennon decided to let go of the world’s expectations of her and reclaim her true untamed self.

Soulful and uproarious, forceful and tender, Untamed is both an intimate memoir and a galvanising wake-up call. It is the story of how one woman learned that a responsible mother is not one who slowly dies for her children, but one who shows them how to fully live. It is also the story of how each of us can begin to trust ourselves enough to set boundaries, make peace with our bodies, honour our anger and heartbreak, and unleash our truest, wildest instincts.

March – You Have A Match by Emma Lord

From the beloved author of Tweet Cute comes Emma Lord’s, You Have a Match, a hilarious and heartfelt YA novel of romance, sisterhood, and friendship. We could all do with a serotonin boost in these gloomy Winter months and something tells us this wholesome tale of camp shenanigans and Parent Trap revelations will deliver just that.

The Blurb

When Abby signs up for a DNA service, it’s mainly to give her friend and secret love interest, Leo, a nudge. After all, she knows who she is already: Avid photographer. Injury-prone tree climber. Best friend to Leo and Connie…although ever since the B.E.I. (Big Embarrassing Incident) with Leo, things have been awkward on that front.

But she didn’t know she’s a younger sister.

When the DNA service reveals Abby has a secret sister, shimmery-haired Instagram star Savannah Tully, it’s hard to believe they’re from the same planet, never mind the same parents — especially considering Savannah, queen of green smoothies, is only a year and a half older than Abby herself.

The logical course of action? Meet up at summer camp (obviously) and figure out why Abby’s parents gave Savvy up for adoption. But there are complications: Savvy is a rigid rule-follower and total narc. Leo is the camp’s co-chef, putting Abby’s growing feelings for him on blast. And her parents have a secret that threatens to unravel everything.

But part of life is showing up, leaning in, and learning to fit all your awkward pieces together. Because sometimes, the hardest things can also be the best ones.

April – The Kindest Lie by Nancy Johnson

Nancy Johnson’s debut novel, The Kindest Lie, is already making waves ahead of its release in February. Set to be a searing page-turner about race, class, identity and the pursuit of the American Dream, we can’t wait to uncover this nuanced and soul-stirring story.

The Blurb

A promise could betray you.

It’s 2008, and the inauguration of President Barack Obama ushers in a new kind of hope. In Chicago, Ruth Tuttle, an Ivy-League educated Black engineer, is married to a kind and successful man. He’s eager to start a family, but Ruth is uncertain. She has never gotten over the baby she gave birth to-and was forced to leave behind-when she was a teenager. She had promised her family she’d never look back, but Ruth knows that to move forward, she must make peace with the past.

Returning home, Ruth discovers the Indiana factory town of her youth is plagued by unemployment, racism, and despair. As she begins digging into the past, she unexpectedly befriends Midnight, a young white boy who is also adrift and looking for connection. Just as Ruth is about to uncover a burning secret her family desperately wants to keep hidden, a traumatic incident strains the town’s already searing racial tensions, sending Ruth and Midnight on a collision course that could upend both their lives.

Powerful and revealing, The Kindest Lie captures the heartbreaking divide between Black and white communities and offers both an unflinching view of motherhood in contemporary America and the never-ending quest to achieve the American Dream.

What new releases are you looking forward to reading in 2021?

We’ve spent the best part of the holidays curled up with a glass of Glühwein in one hand and our last 2020 book club read, Finding Love At The Christmas Market, in the other.

It’s been quite the rocky year, so we thought we’d round it off with a warm, uplifting and life-affirming tale to soothe our souls well into the New Year.

We hope you enjoyed this literary hug as much as we did. Scroll through the team’s reviews to see what we thought of Jo Thomas’ festive treat…

Residential-home caterer Connie has had one online-dating disaster too many. Hurt in the past and with her son to consider, now she’s feeling hesitant. Then one of Connie’s residents sets her up on a date at a beautiful German Christmas market – with the promise she’ll take a mini-bus full of pensioners along with her…

Amongst the twinkling lights and smell of warm gingerbread in the old market square, Connie heads off on her date with a checklist of potential partner must-haves. Baker Henrich ticks all the boxes, but when Connie meets Henrich’s rival William, she starts to wonder if ticking boxes is the answer.

Will Connie’s wish for love this Christmas come true, and if so – with who?

When it comes to season’s reading, we want it fluffy, we want it sickeningly sentimental and we want it to make us feel positively merry and bright.

For the record, that’s no mention of pandemics, problematic relationships, murders or visceral dread. Give us comforting plots, twee characters, Yuletide reflection and blissfully unrealistic romances.

Grab a mince pie and a mulled wine, here’s a holly jolly round-up of festive stories to tuck into over the holiday season.

1. Dash & Lily’s Book Of Dares – Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

You may have already binged the new Netflix original series but if you haven’t, definitely read this collaborative novel first.

Set during the Christmas season in New York, this light-hearted novel tells the story of two book nerds, Dash & Lily. Lily leaves a red notebook full of challenges on her favourite book shop shelf and, as serendipity would have it, Dash is the first guy to discover it. They pass the red moleskin between them consisting of dreams, desires and dares for the other one to do, but will their in-person selves connect as well as their notebook versions?

2. Finding Love At The Christmas Market – Jo Thomas

Kicking off the must-read festive canon with this hug of a book and our very own book club pick for this month. We’ll be living vicariously through Jo Thomas’s sparkling imagination and hoping we can tuck into a gigantic Bratwurst at a bustling Christmas market in 2021. Not a euphemism, you filthy animals.

3. Christmas Stories – Everyman’s Library Pocket Classics

Perfect for those nights you want to dip in and out of your reading in-between nap-taking and present-wrapping, this collection of classic short stories is imbued with Christmas spirit and fanciful flights of the imagination.

4. Mr Dickens and His Carol – Samantha Silva

A companion novel based on the man who created the most famous Christmas story ever written. This festive imagining explores the conception of A Christmas Carol, as Dickens goes on a Scrooge-like journey through Christmases past and present to get some much-needed inspiration for his now-legendary moral fable.

5. Seven Days Of Us – Francesca Hornak

Fans of Love Actually and The Family Stone will LOVE this warm, life-affirming tale.

It’s the holiday season and the Birch family are forced to spend a week in quarantine together after the eldest daughter, Olivia, returns home from treating an epidemic abroad. Locked down and forced into one another’s immediate orbits, not much can stay hidden for long.

We know we said no mention of ‘P’ who should not be named but this one seemed too good to miss.

6. A Maigret Christmas: And Other Stories – Georges Simenon, David Coward

From the celebrated creator of Inspector Maigret, comes a short and sweet selection of heart-tugging seasonal stories, all set in Paris at Christmas. At 224 pages, it’s crying out to be stuffed into a stocking this December.

7. The Snow Ball – Brigid Brophy, Eley Williams

Who knows if we’ll be allowed to ring in the New Year in the old boozer together, garbling the words to Auld Lange Syne through passionate beer burps, but at least we have a bookish invitation to this 18th century costume Snow Ball. Glitter, scandal and utterly seductive prose – no lockdown caveat needed.

Dress code – your best pjs, venue – the grand sofa. This could catch on! New Year’s Eve escapism at its fictional finest!

8. A Treasury Of African American Christmas Stories – Bettye Collier-Thomas

Written between 1880 and 1953, this landmark collection of historical works written by African-American journalists, activists and visionaries will inspire and educate you. An important and strikingly current piece of the Christmas canon that celebrates the black storytelling tradition that flourished after the civil war.

9. The Twelve Dates of Christmas – Jenny Bayliss

Twelve festive dates with the area’s most eligible men? So, this is Christmas! Will we forget where we are and violently shake our head at the protagonist if she has non-socially distanced sexual intercourse, yes, yes, we will.

10. Starry Skies Over The Chocolate Pot Café – Jessica Redland

At this point, we’d like to personally congratulate Jessica Redland for coming up with the most comforting Hallmark-esque book title ever. Parlour games are over folks, Jess wins at Christmas.

Reading Starry Skies Over The Chocolate Pot Café is as wholesome as it sounds. So, grab a brew and a blanket and unwrap this literary gift, page by page.

11. One Day In December – Josie Silver

A whirlwind meet-cute through a misted-up bus window one snowy December is just what we need to be reading about this Yuletide. Petition to make it a Netflix rom-com asap!

12. Little Women – Louisa May Alcott

Christmas won’t be Christmas without the March sisters. Curl up fireside with one of the most endearing classics every written.

13. A Boy Called Christmas – Matt Haig

Magical for all ages, Matt Haig’s Christmas story revives the spirit of the season with a sleigh-load of humour & festive wonder.

With Christmas just a few days away, you might be thinking about how you can make the most of the holiday, whether you’re spending it alone or with family this year.

The festive period is the perfect time to switch off, put down your devices and be present with yourself and your loved ones, sharing in conversation, catching up on 2020 and rediscovering the magic of the holiday spirit, without the distraction of Instagram proposals, puppies, presents and the parlour games that are 10 X better than the ones you’re playing.

Taking a digital break can be an essential part of looking after your mental wellbeing over the Christmas period, particularly if you’re struggling with loneliness, low self-esteem or that little thief of joy – comparison culture.

By stepping away from the digital world, you can reconnect not only with the real world but with yourself and the things that matter to you. Here’s some helpful tips for reducing your screen-time over the next few weeks. We hope you have a very merry and mindful Christmas.

1 Make going online a conscious decision

2 Let your friends, family and followers know, you’re having some time off

Enjoying a 2-week hiatus from Instagram? We don’t bloody blame you. Much like shutting up shop or closing the office for the holidays, telling the people who need to know that you’ll be digitally unavailable is a great way to manage expectations.

3 Delete the apps

The temptation is real, and our thumbs clearly have a memory of their own. Save yourself the workout and delete your most-tapped apps from your phone altogether. Out of sight, out of mind. See ya Slack, in a bit Insta.

4 Make it work for you

Breaking up with all your digital devices might be a tad too ambitious for some, particularly if you rely on digital communication for work. If this is you, focus on practising some sustainable work-life balance habits instead. Whether that’s making sure you clock off by a certain time, taking regular screen breaks or having social media-free evenings, you don’t’ have to aim for to total disconnectedness to enjoy the benefits of a digital break.

5 Find other ways to connect

You might wrestle with the temptation to scroll into oblivion or send a quick email but positive distraction is a great way to break that unconscious cycle of digital addiction.

6 Switch your screen to greyscale

When it comes to bright colours, we’re like moths to a flame. By turning your phone to greyscale in settings, you’ll be less distracted by pretty colourways. To change your colour filter settings go to: settings>accessibility>display & text size> colour filters > greyscale. Hello monochrome apps, we don’t want to open you at all.

7 Tune into your needs

A digital break should feel nourishing, not exhausting, so make the most of it by engaging in one activity at a time. Multi-tasking is often seen as the pinnacle of productivity, but it has quite the opposite effect on our concentration span. If you’re not going 100% screen-free with your digital break, try to adopt the one-screen rule. Concentrate on one type of tech at a time, rather than watching The Crown while replying to the girls’ WhatsApp group and shopping online for Christmas presents. We’ve all been there.

Ultimately, taking regular digital breaks and reclaiming some of the control over how we let tech into our lives will enable us to have a healthier relationship with our devices.

Will you be stepping into Christmas and away from the screens this year? Enjoy the mental clarity!

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Fashion is about feeling great and there’s no doubt that what we wear has a unique ability to control our mood and emotions.

The profoundly familiar routine of getting dressed each morning suddenly became an extraordinary pandemic-funk-busting pleasure. The day we were reunited with jeans felt like a momentous occasion in the lockdown timeline because well, we weren’t just reaching for our jeans, were we?

We had been blindsided by the allure of the delightfully slobbish, bra-less life and we were reaching for the part of us that felt vaguely human and unscathed. Not the all-out polished level of style stardom that leaves the DPD driver thinking he’s got the wrong house but the trusty sartorial armour that made us feel innately like our old, pre-pandemic selves.

We wanted to remember the nondescript but quietly fulfilling practice of dressing for ourselves; of fumbling over buttons in the morning and fastening jackets on our way to the office, or hurriedly applying lipstick on a jam-packed train – all the visible, tangible, physical reminders of feeling useful and prepared for the day ahead. We were looking for connection.

Fashion phycologists call it ‘enclothed cognition’, essentially confirming what we already knew to be true: getting dressed makes us feel good and what we wear has an indisputable impact on our wellbeing and productivity.

The outfit of the day trend is no longer cast aside as Instagram frivolity or vanity but the ultimate 2020 antidote. Whether you found comfort in the soft neck of a warm knit, in the coats and the beanies you threw on for a blustery walk with a friend, or in the swathes of loungewear that rescued you from the vice-like grip of your wizened PJs, getting dressed has proved itself as a fundamental act of self-preservation and escapism.

To celebrate the transformative power of dressing for you, we’re rounding up the mood-boosting pieces that continue to get us out of bed and into our Sunday best. From the at-home essentials to the party pants that made us feel like we could take on the world (however frightful it looked outside), here’s enough feel-good fashion to fuel your positivity tank all the way to 2021.

Shop Very womenswear here!

Top Tier Comfort Dressing

Glamorised PJs, marry us. For those days when self-care is the only goal you need to achieve, effortless loungewear sets and comfy casuals are in your corner.

Wardrobe Essentials

From duvet coats and trusty workwear staples and riding boots for all British weather eventualities, Very gets those timeless, practical yet stylish wardrobe must-haves very right. This is the capsule wardrobe you can rely on when you’re in the kind of coffee-deprived morning funk that leaves you putting your knickers on inside out. Twice.

Work Out, Feel Fab!

Resisting the snooze button is easier said than done when it’s still dark at 7am but getting up and at ‘em can do wonderful things for the always-tired girl. Whether you’re starting your day with a slow flow of downward dog or heading out for a lunchtime power walk, start as you mean to go on with work out wear that inspires positivity and productivity. Go get them mood-boosting endorphins.

Everyday Denim

Never under estimate the life-changing magic of a good pair of jeans. Nothing says, ‘come at me world’ more so than some hardworking denim, whether it’s an oversized jean jacket, a pair of straight leg jeans or a shirt dress with all the laid-back cool girl appeal, denim offers endless styling opportunities that oscillate effortlessly between smart and casual. If you gravitate towards a neutral palette or you’re a minimalist at heart, your basic blues will make day-to-day dressing infinitely easier.

The WFH Home Staples

The working from home uniform brief is a tough one to answer but Very does it with aplomb. It needs to be put-together enough to repel the duvet mindset, presentable enough for Zoom but comfortable enough that it doesn’t leave footprints in your skin if you’re sitting down for long periods of time. Here are the pieces that get us through the 9-5 on the daily.

The Pick-Me-Up Pieces

These are the kind of soul-lifting, happy, shiny pieces that make you walk a little taller, speak a little louder and smile a little wider. So what if you’re riding the bus in head-to-toe sequins! Like Vitamin D in outfit form they’ll have you living your best life without inhibition, no diggity, no doubt.

We hope this post has inspired you to climb into your happiest glad rags. What feel-good style essentials do you reach for when you want to harness the power of getting dressed?

Shop Very womenswear here!

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