140 ratings | 6 reviews | avg rating:3.81

Paula’s Year In Books

Paula’s 2025 Year in Books

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Paula Smedley’s Followers (16)

Paula’s Bookshelves

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Baba

4,126 books | 4,995 friends

Joanne

1,775 books | 138 friends

Louise Wilson

6,227 books | 2,896 friends

Beckee❤️

1,001 books | 4,691 friends

Josh Roberts

470 books | 6,507 friends

Patti

2,462 books | 1,741 friends

Daniel Warriner

468 books | 1,375 friends

1,427 books | 5,660 friends

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Paula Smedley

Goodreads Author

Website

https://www.paulasmedley.com

Twitter

_paulasmedley

Genre

Fiction, Contemporary

Member Since

August 2019

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Paula Smedley is the debut author of "The Inconvenient Need to Belong", an emotional novel about love, loss and how the choices we make can shape our lives and the lives of others.

She began writing at a very young age, winning acclaim and awards for her poetry and short stories. An extensive traveller, Paula has encountered vigilantes in Nigeria, escaped post-tsunami radiation in Japan, partied in a favela in Rio de Janeiro and left her debit card in a cashpoint in Sri Lanka. She lives in London with her husband. ...more

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Combine Editions
Paula Smedley’s books

Average rating: 3.87 · 142 ratings · 41 reviews · 1 distinct work • Similar authors

The Inconvenient Need to Belong

3.87 avg rating — 142 ratings — 4 editions

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Paula Smedley's Blog

The real-life Joan and Trevor

If you've read my book, The Inconvenient Need to Belong, or even if you've just started it, you will have come across the characters of Joan and Trevor.

I'm in no way ashamed to admit that I drew heavily on my grandparents, Joan and Trevor, for these two. In fact, barring the backgrounds, they basically are my grandparents, and they are the most extraordinary people.

Joan's husband left her in the Read more of this blog post »

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Published on May 10, 2020 08:35 • Tags: characters, inspiration

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Paula is Currently Reading

Paula Smedley is currently reading

The Green Cookbook: Easy vegan & vegetarian dinners

by Rukmini Iyer

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Jan 14, 2025 10:53AM

Paula Smedley is currently reading

More Daily Veg: No fuss or frills, just great vegetarian food

by Joe Woodhouse

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Mar 01, 2024 12:56AM

Paula Smedley is currently reading

The Etymologicon: A Circular Stroll through the Hidden Connections of the English Language

by Mark Forsyth (Goodreads Author)

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Aug 10, 2022 06:49AM

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Paula’s Recent Updates

Paula Smedley rated a book really liked it The Road Trip by Beth O'Leary (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 17, 2025 02:43PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Road Trip by Beth O'Leary. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Road Trip by Beth O'Leary <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Paula Smedley is currently reading The Green Cookbook: Easy vegan & vegetarian dinners by Rukmini Iyer	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Paula Smedley rated a book it was amazing Frank and Red by Matt Coyne (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 01, 2025 02:43PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Frank and Red by Matt Coyne. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Frank and Red by Matt Coyne <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Paula Smedley rated a book liked it Two Brothers by Ben Elton	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Paula Smedley rated a book liked it Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Sep 29, 2024 06:02AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Paula Smedley rated a book it was ok The Skeleton Key by Erin Kelly (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jul 02, 2024 02:38PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Skeleton Key by Erin Kelly. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Skeleton Key by Erin Kelly <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Paula Smedley rated a book it was amazing Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Paula Smedley rated a book liked it Yellowface by R.F. Kuang (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Mar 03, 2024 09:10AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Yellowface by R.F. Kuang. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Yellowface by R.F. Kuang <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Paula Smedley is currently reading More Daily Veg: No fuss or frills, just great vegetarian food by Joe Woodhouse	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Mar 01, 2024 12:56AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of More Daily Veg by Joe Woodhouse. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — More Daily Veg by Joe Woodhouse <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Paula Smedley rated a book liked it The Ghost by Robert Harris (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Feb 12, 2024 02:20PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Ghost by Robert Harris. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Ghost by Robert Harris <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">