Everything is Washable and Other Life Lessons

Written by Sali Hughes

Narrated by Sali Hughes

‘Every home should have a copy' MARIAN KEYES

How to buy jeans that fit

Thirty-seven things to have in your kitchen cupboard

Tiny acts for mental health

How to support a friend going through IVF

Why bad boys are an absolute waste of your time

How to cope with working mum guilt

This smart guide will help you navigate modern life, enabling you to save money and time. Sali Hughes offers striking good sense on: home; food and drink, fashion; health and beauty; life and finances; friends, relationships and family.

From useful, everyday tips such as how to cut your own fringe and how to buy great second-hand clothing, to the less talked about, agonising questions like how to split finances with your partner and how to grieve, Guardian beauty editor Sali Hughes has advice on the big and the small, and everything in between.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Release date: Sep 15, 2022
• ISBN: 9780008284190

Sali Hughes

Sali Hughes is a leading journalist, presenter and broadcaster with over 24 years’ experience. A former magazine editor, she is the beauty editor on the Guardian. In 2018, she co-founded the non-profit collective Beauty Banks and in 2022 she was awarded an Honorary Fellowship from Cardiff University for services to journalism and charity. Sali has a large social media presence and can be found on Twitter and Instagram @salihughes. She lives in Brighton.

Reviews for Everything is Washable and Other Life Lessons

[heatherlinc · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a lovely story about 15-year-old, Rowan, who is trying to hold her family together after the death of her older brother, Jack, in a drowning accident. Her father has left the family home and her mother is suffering from a severe nervous breakdown so it left to Rowan to take care of the house, her mother and her little sister, Stroma. However, Rowan's life becomes even more complicated when a teenage boy hands her a negative claiming that she dropped it while in the checkout queue of the grocery store.

This book deals with personal identity, bereavement, friendship and the difficulties of growing up. Rowan is a very engaging, likeable character who is struggling to survive. She is stubborn, introspective, brutally honest with herself and lonely. Although quite sad in parts, the book doesn't wallow in gloom and the thread of mystery throughout the story adds to a satisfying plot with an unexpected twist at the end. A worthwhile read.

[bluejulie_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was one of the more touching YA books I've read. No wonder that it received awards and great reviews.

Occasionally, I felt that the style of writing was a bit too distracting, pulling one's attention away from the story to the more stylistic, verbal elements, instead of emphasizing the plot, the characters and the message.

The characters in the book are all very memorable. Particularly Rowan with her big heart, tolerance, acceptance and understanding for everything and everyone. She's a much better person than I am and I wished, many times throughout the book, that I could be a bit more like her.

Reading this story will leave a mark.

[4sarad_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

First I should say that I did like the characters and cared about them. That being said, I didn't like much else. The plot varied between being unbelievable (coincidences, etc.) to being way too predictable. Also, the formatting of the dialogue was annoying. I guess I've just read so many books like this that this one doesn't stand out in any way for me, other than the fact they're in London rather than in the US.

[thursohighlibrary · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

One of the most exciting voices in young adult fiction, Jenny Valentine succeeds again with this story of a family coping with the death of a child.

[lisagibson_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Rowan is holding the family together, after the death of her brother Jack. Problem is, it's been several years since Jack's passing. Her mother is beyond help at this point and doesn't even realize Rowan and her sister, Stroma are there half the time. While in the store on day, a boy gives Rowan a photo negative. It's not hers and the small piece of film is the first piece of a mystery that leads everyone to some amazing, life altering truths. What will happen with the boy, Harper who gave Rowan the negative too? As everyone holds on to their pieces of Jack, yet tries to get on with life, while not completely losing him. I loved this book. Rowan was a strong character with a terrific voice. I also loved the fact that it's set in London so I get little pieces of the British slang. I guess I should say, "I love this book to bits!"

[jennie_103 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was a good case of "never judge a book by its cover". I bypassed this one for a while because the cover just looked too teenage (I'm an adult who just happens to still read a lot of children's/YA fiction). And yet when I did get round to it, I found it completely absorbing. One of those can't-put-it-down books. And I absolutely hadn't guessed the twist at the end!