Meet our ambassador – Holly Bourne
Holly said:
“We are never at our more vulnerable than when we are in love, and this is particularly true when we fall in love for the first time with no other relationships to compare it to. That’s why it’s so important Women’s Aid exist to educate young people on what healthy relationships look like and feel like, especially when abusive behaviour is so romanticized by the media. Having a bad boyfriend shouldn’t be an acceptable rite of teen passage. The damage they cause is often long-lasting and marginalised and I’m so proud to be working with Women’s Aid to raise awareness of the warning signs and support the incredible work they do supporting and empowering girls.”
The Places I’ve Cried in Public
Holly’s work as a champion for women’s rights and her experience working with young women inspired her to write her YA novel, The Places I’ve Cried in Public, which shines a frank light on romance and heartbreak. Honest, moving and insightful, it chimes with the #metoo movement and the work of Love Respect, and will encourage readers to question what a healthy relationship looks like.
Amelie falls hard for Reese. And she thought he loved her too. But she’s starting to realise that real love isn’t supposed to hurt like this. So now she’s retracting their story, revisiting all the places he made her cry. Because if she works out what went wrong, perhaps she can finally learn how to get over him.
Biography
Holly Bourne is a bestselling and critically acclaimed author. Inspired by her work with young people, and her own experiences of everyday sexism, Holly is a passionate mental health advocate and proud feminist.
Holly started her writing career as a news journalist, where she was nominated for Best Print Journalist of the Year. She then spent six years working as an editor, a relationship advisor, and general ‘agony aunt’ for a youth charity – helping young people with their relationships and mental health. Inspired by what she saw, Holly started writing teen fiction, including the best-selling, award-winning ‘Spinster Club’ series which helps educate teenagers about feminism. When Holly turned thirty, she wrote her first adult novel, How Do You Like Me Now?, examining the intensified pressures on women once they hit that landmark.
Alongside her writing, Holly has a keen interest in women’s rights and is an advocate for reducing the stigma of mental health problems. She has helped create online apps that teach young people about sexual consent, work with Women’s Aid to spread awareness of abusive relationships, and runs Rethink’s mental health book club.
Holly lives in London, but dreams of the day she has a garden, dog, chickens, and a bee hive.