Catherine Gray – författare

''This refreshing, unusual book needs to exist. A culture shift which repositions a single person as someone who is relationship-free, complete, and not lacking is long overdue.'' - The i''Absolutely f*cking brilliant'' - Florence GivenHaving a secret single freak-out? Feeling the red, heart-shaped urgency intensify as the years roll on by? Oh hi! You''re in the right place.Over half of Brits aged 25-44 are now single. It''s become the norm to remain solo until much later in life, given the average marriage ages of 35 (women) and 38 (men). Many of us are choosing never to marry at all. But society, films, song lyrics and our parents are adamant that a happy ending has to be couple-shaped. That we''re incomplete without an ''other half''*, like a bisected panto pony. Cue: single sorrow. Dating like it''s a job. Spending half our lives waiting for somebody-we-fancy to text us back. Feeling haunted by the terms ''spinster'' or ''confirmed bachelor.''Catherine Gray took a whole year off dating to find single satisfaction. She lifted the lid on the reasons behind the global single revolution, explored the bizarre ways cultures single-shame, detached from ''all the good ones are gone!'' panic and debunked the myth that married people are much happier.Let''s start the reverse brainwash, in order to locate - and luxuriate in - single happiness. Are you in?*Spoiler: you''re already wholePRAISE FOR CATHERINE GRAY''S WRITING:"Fascinating." - Bryony Gordon"Not remotely preachy." - The Times"Jaunty, shrewd and convincing." - The Telegraph "Admirably honest, light, bubbly and remarkably rarely annoying." - The Guardian"Truthful, modern and real." - Stylist"Brave, witty and brilliantly written." - Marie Claire"Haunting, admirable and enlightening." - The Pool

The guided sobriety journal

**FROM THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR**''Life-affirming'' - THE TELEGRAPH''Wonderful'' - INDEPENDENT''She made it her mission to learn how to be default happy rather than default disgruntled'' - RADIO 4 - WOMAN''S HOUR''Take a leaf out of Gray''s book and be kinder to yourself by appreciating life just as it is'' - IRISH TIMES''This book came to me in an hour of need - during lockdown when I had to focus on the positive, appreciate simple things, not lose my shit, and value each day. It was a pure joy for me and held my hand'' - SADIE FROST''Interesting and joyful. Lights a path that could help us to build resilience against society''s urging to compare life milestones with peers'' - LANCET PSYCHIATRYUnderwhelmed by your ordinary existence? Disillusioned with your middlin'' wage, average body, ''bijou'' living situation and imperfect loved ones? Welcome to the club. There are billions of us. The ''default disenchanted''. But, it''s not us being brats. Two deeply inconvenient psychological phenomenons conspire against our satisfaction. We have negatively-biased brains, which zoom like doom-drones in on what''s wrong with our day, rather than what''s right. (Back in the mists of time, this negative bias saved our skins, but now it just makes us anxious). Also, something called the ''hedonic treadmill'' means we eternally quest for better, faster, more, like someone stuck on a dystopian, never-ending treadmill. Thankfully, there are scientifically-proven ways in which we can train our brains to be more positive-seeking. And to take a rest from this tireless pursuit. Whew.Catherine Gray knits together illuminating science and hilarious storytelling, unveiling captivating research showing that big bucks don''t mean big happiness, extraordinary experiences have a ''comedown'' and budget weddings predict a lower chance of divorce. She reminds us what an average body actually is, reveals that exercising for weight loss means we do less exercise, and explores the modern tendency to not just try to keep up with the Murphys, but keep up with the Mega-Murphies (see: the social media elite).Come on in to this soulful and life-affirming read, to discover why an ordinary life may well be the most satisfying one of all.

The long-awaited sequel to THE UNEXPECTED JOY OF BEING SOBER

''No other writer has ever made me laugh and cry as much as Catherine Gray''Daisy May Cooper''Tender, lush and electric; a wild, heartbreaking, exhilarating ride''Daisy Buchanan''Exquisite, stunning, executed brilliantly''Poorna Bell____Do we become who we are because of our parents, or in spite of them?Fern''s mother is a social climber and a former ballet dancer who lives a plush life in a London townhouse.Fern''s father only climbs if there''s a bottle at the top, has an IQ of 133 and lives hand-to-mouth in Californian motels.Aged fourteen, Fern has spent equal time with each of her parents. That is, until an unexpected visitor triggers a life-changing dilemma: whether she should get on a plane to London to be with her mother, or stay in California with her father. Here, Fern''s narrative splices in two.Two possible lives, one person. Each Fern will grow in wildly different, but eerily similar directions. Both must determine who they want to be - and how they deal with a thorny problem which threatens to undo them all: a murder.Warm and brilliantly wise, this is the irresistible fiction debut from the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober.______⭐ Readers are loving Versions of a Girl: ⭐ ''What a fabulous book - read in 3 days which hasn''t happened a long time!'' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ''This isn''t just a book-it''s an experience that sticks with you'' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ''I can''t think anyone who wouldn''t enjoy this book... a damn good read'' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

''Not remotely preachy'' - The Times

''Jaunty, shrewd and convincing'' - Sunday Telegraph

''Admirably honest, light, bubbly and remarkably rarely annoying.'' - Alice O''Keeffe, Guardian

''Truthful, modern and real'' - Stylist

''Brave, witty and brilliantly written'' - Marie Claire