Kimberley Allsopp has had her work appear in Kidspot, The Sunday Telegraph and WHIMN (now Body & Soul) and she co-hosts the rom-com podcast, Meet Cute, which allows her to justify some of her otherwise questionable life choices. Kimberley has worked in bookselling and publishing since 2008. Today we're discussing her debut novel, Love & Other Puzzles.

Our interview begins at  00:13:50

Caitlin recommends: Camp by L. C. Rosen.

A fun queer summer camp novel where Randy attempts to catch the eye of Hudson.

Michelle recommends: The Handover by David M Barnett

A heartwarming contemporary about two museum security guards whose lives start to intertwine. Perfect for fans of Freckles by Cecelia Ahern (listen to our interview).

In this interview, we chat about:

• Crosswords and why they’re such an important part of the book and Rory’s life (with a diversion into Wordle, of course, because it’s 2022)
• How Kimberley fell in love with rom-coms and why she wanted to pay homage to them in Love and Other Puzzles
• What it feels like to be published by the company Kimberley works for
• The surprises that came with being an author, even after working in the industry for years
• The podcast Kimberley co-hosts, Meet Cute

Books and other things mentioned:

• The Bold Type (TV show)
• Younger (TV show)
• Singing’ in the Rain (film)
• You’ve Got Mail (film)
• Scream (film)
• 'Well dressed and distressed' article by The Guardian on book cover trends
• Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason (listen to our interview)
• Blank Check (podcast)
• Love Actually (film)
• Sense and Sensibility (film)
• Bridget Jones’ Diary (film)
• Clueless (film)
• As If!: The Oral History of Clueless as told by Amy Heckerling and the Cast and Crew
• I Want You Back (film)
• Starstruck (TV show)
• Love Life (TV show)
• Emily in Paris (TV show)

Follow Kimberley @kimberleyallsopp

Connect with us on Instagram: @betterwordspod

Love & Other Puzzles is available now.

Please note that we choose podcast guests independently of Caitlin's job at HarperCollins Publishers. Although her job does help put us in touch with authors, we choose our guests based on what we've enjoyed reading and think you'd find interesting.