Rachel Deeley

Rachel has been a digital editor at Penguin since 2023. Her articles cover a range of genres and topics, with a particular focus on classics, contemporary and literary fiction, and non-fiction. She edits Penguin’s weekly newsletter and monthly roundup of the latest new books, as well as commissioned freelance pieces covering everything from James Joyce to BookTok trends. She also appeared on the Penguin Podcast, sharing her thoughts on lesser-known Brontë novels and movie-inspired reading recommendations.

Before joining Penguin, Rachel was a journalist at The Business of Fashion, where she wrote news stories and features about the global fashion industry. She holds a BA in English Language and Literature from The University of Oxford.

Rachel also edits articles for The Happy Foodie, where she curates cookbook and recipe recommendations for every kind of home cook, so aside from the obvious (reading), she enjoys nothing more than pottering around in the kitchen with a podcast or audiobook playing in the background. This is ideally followed by a relaxed dinner with a few friends around the table, or time on the sofa with her partner and an episode – or five – of the latest prestige TV series.

The book I recommend to everyone: Lost Lambs by Madeline Cash. Just thinking about some of the lines in that book makes me cackle.

Favourite trope: Glamorous women having nervous breakdowns

Least favourite trope: Pregnancy when it’s used as a plot point 

Top tip to read more: Listen to audiobooks on 1.5x speed – or for people like me who find it hard to break away from their phones, opt for eBooks and download a free e-reader app so you still get that warm dopamine rush of screen time. 

Where you’ll find me reading: In a café nursing an overpriced latte, on the Tube, or in the sunshine