Helen

• Choose your max carefully: will it be Britishmaxxing, whimsymaxxing or (hopefully not) tanmaxxing?

• One of my favourite podcasts just got the Netflix treatment.

• How the Trader Joes vs Aldi rave became a reality.

• Side-eyeing the ‘90s summer trend.

• The Jimothy explainer we all need.

Miranda

• What’s your summer 2026 little treat? Frozen yoghurt, Chicago-style pizza, a cheeky vodka cran or… a cottage pie?

• In a world where women are being advised to play Disney music to stop creeps, it can’t only be me who feels unnerved by the surveillance selfies trend?

• Love Island: are you for or against? (I will say watching this current season has helped me sleep better than I have in months!).

• Popcorn/library card at the ready for the next chapter of the Natalie Portman x Rachel Cusk saga.

• And yes, I will absolutely be putting a bottle of water by the window on Wednesday for luck. Join me!

Until next time!
Helen, Miranda, Vic & Sophie

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Helen lives in Brighton and is a freelance writer and maker.
Miranda is a London-based editor.
Sophie is a journalist and editor based in London. You can also find her on Substack.
Vic works in communications and sometimes calls herself a writer.

Thanks for reading Lunch Hour Links! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Vic

• Missing Succession? This podcast on Samsung’s IRL version of Waystar Royco does the trick.

• The rise of housefishing.

• And can you just outsource the running of said house to a load of robots?

• It’s not all bad in the automation world though: AI is surprisingly effective at debunking conspiracy theories. Try Debunkbot for yourself, and your boomers.

• Should we stop with the supplements? Tell me it’s not true!

Sophie

• The lies people tell the Bank of Mum and Dad (from )

• In podcast news: don’t miss Mick Jagger on The Daily, I’ve become completely obsessed with Romesh Ranganathan’s pod and nun-pods are the next big thing.

• Recommend this Daisy Edgar-Jones interview for the pictures alone.

• Enjoyed Grace Dent’s Insta-series on the reasons people hate you in restaurants.

• Subscribe to: ’s Substack on running a B&B.

Until next time!
Helen, Miranda, Vic & Sophie

PS. If you liked this email, we’d love it if you would forward it to a friend and/or give us a shout out on social media. Friends and followers can sign up for next week's newsletter here.

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Helen lives in Brighton and is a freelance writer and maker.
Miranda is a London-based editor.
Sophie is a journalist and editor based in London. You can also find her on Substack.
Vic works in communications and sometimes calls herself a writer.

Helen

• What’s Perez Hilton up to these days? Let’s find out.

• Taking notes from cushion class (no cushion cleavage! Lots of love for lumbar!) Sorry, gotta dash, can’t miss this essential throw tutorial.

• The AI music tipping point.

• Say hello to falsetto in three, two… Du Bist Gut Genug!

• A glorious Brighton summer.

Miranda

• Is Haaland the real winner of the 2026 World Cup? All reports would suggest yes.

• Post heatwave, some summer travel thoughts: coolcation considerations, using your horoscope to book, and I loved living it large on a Caledonian sleeper.

• I wish every recipe book were like Ellie Steafel’s But First, Dinner - the writing is just as delicious as her menu suggestions.

• Given we’re in high ‘picky bits’ season, (here’s how to make yours healthy, btw) should we be doing away with three meals a day altogether?

• And who’s really to blame in the tiny windows epidemic currently blighting the UK?!

Until next time!
Helen, Miranda, Vic & Sophie

PS. If you liked this email, we’d love it if you would forward it to a friend and/or give us a shout out on social media. Friends and followers can sign up for next week’s newsletter here.

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Helen lives in Brighton and is a freelance writer and maker.
Miranda is a London-based editor.
Sophie is a journalist and editor based in London. You can also find her on Substack.
Vic works in communications and sometimes calls herself a writer.

Thanks for reading Lunch Hour Links! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Sophie

• The rise of tasteslop.

• Despite saying I never watch TV, I have hoovered up Two Weeks in August, The Mother of All Cons and Should I Marry a Murderer? in the past fortnight, all of which are easy-to-follow for weary brains.

• Found ’s take on parenting interesting - it doesn’t have to be hard!

• Totally here for thatcher wars.

• The benefits of one and done.

Vic

• Some musings on the current age of mechanical reproduction: maybe it’s not the end of the world, but also why not retrain? Don’t let it think for you, but also why not replace dad?

• Gorgeous on old flowers.

• I know I’m always going on about , but this podcast episode with the astonishing Joké Bakare - London’s first female Black Michelin star winner - is a must-listen if you want to know anything about restaurants today. (Can’t wait for The Bear season 5!!!!)

• Love Lena on the ‘jobby’ (some of us just say hyperfixation).

• And a rare take on the perils of life as a boomer from… a boomer.

Until next time!
Helen, Miranda, Vic & Sophie

PS. If you liked this email, we’d love it if you would forward it to a friend and/or give us a shout out on social media. Friends and followers can sign up for next week's newsletter here.

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Helen lives in Brighton and is a freelance writer and maker.
Miranda is a London-based editor.
Sophie is a journalist and editor based in London. You can also find her on Substack.
Vic works in communications and sometimes calls herself a writer.

Miranda

• I had a pleasing time at Harry Styles’s first night in Amsterdam a couple of weeks ago and I’m enjoying keeping tabs on what his stylist Harry Lambert comes up with for each concert (although how many fresh ways can there be to do a shirt and a tie?!).

• “A vote for him is a vote for stupidity”: it’s Spencer Pratt’s mayoral campaign.

• The World Cup and its chaos cometh soon! Planning to crack into Dear England this week (right after I’ve finished Twenty Twenty Six), and I’m jealous of my sister’s supporters look, sigh.

• Delighted by this subway take.

• I never skip a Cannes roundup! Already looking forward to seeing what Venice will bring.

Helen

• The case for and against clipping.

• Congratulations to the graduating Nepo Babies! Nothing like a notable surname update for a bit of added gossip rag intrigue.

• After the MAFS scandal, where does reality TV go from here?

• I’m late to this documentary on Kidfluencing but highly recommend: it’s both eye-opening and horrifying in equal measure. Especially considering what happened next.

• Brand new sentences.

Until next time!
Helen, Miranda, Vic & Sophie

PS. If you liked this email, we’d love it if you would forward it to a friend and/or give us a shout out on social media. Friends and followers can sign up for next week’s newsletter here.

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Helen lives in Brighton and is a freelance writer and maker.
Miranda is a London-based editor.
Sophie is a journalist and editor based in London. You can also find her on Substack.
Vic works in communications and sometimes calls herself a writer.

Thanks for reading Lunch Hour Links! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support our work.

Sophie

• Loving all The Devil Wears Prada 2 takes - from the Gen Z v Millennial recap to Stanley Tucci’s never-changing face.

• Feel glad to have lived through the last great age of after-work drinks.

• If jet fuel crises and hantavirus outbreaks haven’t put you off travel - the world’s cheapest five-star hotels!

• Why you should never quit reading kids’ books.

• Very interested in 28 being financial crunch year for women (maybe the new Gen Z legal translator can help?)

Vic

• I spent a large chunk of last year pregnant in bed watching Sort Your Life Out, so very happy to see the team are back - and that Dilly’s created a podcast version.

• I’ve got a bit obsessed with urbex videos recently (since seeing one filmed down the street from me).

• Also can’t get enough of Leah Davis’ videos.

• Love to have my opinions validated by newspapers - cars are too big these days!!!

• And I can’t wait to go on an actual trip so I can try Sudoku packing.

Until next time!
Helen, Miranda, Vic & Sophie

PS. If you liked this email, we’d love it if you would forward it to a friend and/or give us a shout out on social media. Friends and followers can sign up for next week's newsletter here.

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Helen lives in Brighton and is a freelance writer and maker.
Miranda is a London-based editor.
Sophie is a journalist and editor based in London. You can also find her on Substack.
Vic works in communications and sometimes calls herself a writer.

Miranda

• Food barometer! Long live Fat Sundays, a big welcome to ube and see ya, chicken caesar wraps.

• Why writing about yourself is a trap, by .

• Need a soothing watch? If you’re bored of birds (never!), the riverbed discoveries of My Ordinary Treasure are my new go-to.

• Just really enjoyed scrolling all 33 of these scandalous pictures, tbh.

• This spoke to my inner Mrs Tiggywinkle: the emotional labour of children’s clothes.

Helen

• Still thinking about Bieberchella. Particularly how it seemed to heal his inner child, but also about Billie and the enduring spell of fandom. (Never forget my personal peak Bieber moment)

• Love a memoir, can’t wait to read this one.

• Proud of us Brits for firmly resisting the rise of the voice note.

• How autism terms took over TikTok.

• A lil link from Cycling Weekly? Why not. I’m late to the Bike Bus but now I’m obsessed. Coach Balto, what a guy!

Until next time!
Helen, Miranda, Vic & Sophie

PS. If you liked this email, we’d love it if you would forward it to a friend and/or give us a shout out on social media. Friends and followers can sign up for next week’s newsletter here.

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Helen lives in Brighton and is a freelance writer and maker.
Miranda is a London-based editor.
Sophie is a journalist and editor based in London. You can also find her on Substack.
Vic works in communications and sometimes calls herself a writer.

Thanks for reading Lunch Hour Links! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

2026/03/09

Vic

• Is TRT the new HRT?

• I love ’s approach to wellness, and have actually literally put some of these tips into action.

• All I do at the moment is criticise playgrounds, so it was fun to find this Pulitzer Prize winning report on them.

• I got to go on a ~night out~ recently, to actually see my beloved Samin, but I still haven’t caught up on her Saturday Kitchen episode, so here’s my reminder.

• I have also regained the ability to ~finish books~ and have recently raced through recent-history-set Dream Count and Consider Yourself Kissed.

Sophie

• Thought-provoking piece from on the the grandmother myth.

• Which millennial hasn’t been the recipient of a Boomer Hospital Reveal?

• Interesting pods: ’s two-parter with Will Storr, Georgie Coleridge-Cole on Thriving Minds.

• Farrow & Ball is over (someone tell that to all the front doors in SW London).

• This week in looks: the lost art of going bald, what no one tells you about a facelift.

Until next time!
Helen, Miranda, Vic & Sophie

PS. If you liked this email, we’d love it if you would forward it to a friend and/or give us a shout out on social media. Friends and followers can sign up for next week's newsletter here.

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Helen lives in Brighton and is a freelance writer and maker.
Miranda is a London-based editor.
Sophie is a journalist and editor based in London. You can also find her on Substack.
Vic works in communications and sometimes calls herself a writer.

Helen

• Like everyone else, I’ve been totally glued to Love Story – and I’ll admit to lurking on the John & Carolyn subreddit as a result. Enjoying the soundtrack, too.

• Brittany Broski’s Royal Court just keeps getting better. Don’t miss Harry Styles, Jessie Buckley, and Paul Mescal.

• Loved on the allure of the ex-lawyer/former PR-type social media bio.

• An academic take on popular baby names.

• And finally, some excellent news: Sam Smith has a side hustle as a food influencer.

Miranda

• All I want this month is a French Sunday, s’il vous plait!

• Homes inspo! Inside Tim Walker’s Hackney cottage, shares her wise approach to decorating children’s spaces and why Gen Z’s nestalgic rooms are hot for 2026.

• A hot take I’m here for: being on your phone all the time is lame, just FYI.

• Some very helpful material around baby loss: Sara Pascoe and Trinny Woodall are brilliant on How To Fail, what to say to someone who’s been through it and how to keep going.

• “You just go out for dinner with men and they give you money.” Fascinating insight into the world of sex work and restaurants.

Until next time!
Helen, Miranda, Vic & Sophie

PS. If you liked this email, we’d love it if you would forward it to a friend and/or give us a shout out on social media. Friends and followers can sign up for next week's newsletter here.

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Helen lives in Brighton and is a freelance writer and maker.
Miranda is a London-based editor.
Sophie is a journalist and editor based in London. You can also find her on Substack.
Vic works in communications and sometimes calls herself a writer.

Sophie

• Nothing better than an extremely awkward celebrity interview.

• I’ve been watching Love Story, obsessively Googling the outfits and feeling a bit guilty after reading this response to the show.

• An extreme deep-dive into why girls love watching boys who love each other…

• This week in child-rearing: Mummy-maxxing, parental regret, and what people should know about their Gen Alpha kids.

• Really enjoying The Special Relationship podcast, exploring the cultural differences between Brits and Americans (e.g. Huns v Hillbillies)

Vic

• Feeling very behind on my pop culture. Maybe because I’m so performatively offline?

• Anyway here’s a bunch of late to the game links: loved true-crime-meets-comedy (true comedy?) podcast Wisecrack (from September).

• Going further back in time, it’s the Hilary Duff-essaince!

• And all the way to 1896: who can resist William Morris? Not me (searching Vinted for the remains of the Tu collection). nor this football team.

• But one thing I am getting ahead on is the upcoming trial of lapel-fans Blake and Justin. Anoushka’s got our backs.

Until next time!
Helen, Miranda, Vic & Sophie

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Helen lives in Brighton and is a freelance writer and maker.
Miranda is a London-based editor.
Sophie is a journalist and editor based in London. You can also find her on Substack.
Vic works in communications and sometimes calls herself a writer.

Thanks for reading Lunch Hour Links! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Miranda

• SO. MUCH. TELLY. I’m enjoying these Industry recaps almost as much as each episode and Small Prophets is a perfect 30-minute treat. The rest of my to-watch list leans very Irish: earmarking How to Get to Heaven from Belfast for my commute and squealing to FINALLY see The Walsh Sisters on the big screen.

• Speaking of, is Paul Mescal just not cutting it any more?! Some very valid arguments for the downfall of the dreamboats from .

• Mandy Moore’s Altadena house renovation: problematic, or inspirational? (Check the comments.)

• My superlative colleague is sharing her cancer journey in the most eloquent way. She’s brilliant on the good bits of cancer (who knew?).

• Please someone do a documentary on the mid-level indie bands conquering China, thank you.

Helen

• Just found out about a brilliant podcast featuring a peak combination of all of my faves: Jessi Klein, Tig Notaro, and – of course – Jenny Slate.

• Catching up on the Winter Olympics and the big curling meltdown.

• It’s 2026: why go out when you can live-stream someone else’s night out?

• The drama of the primary school class mix-up.

• The full story behind THAT paparazzi photo (and how it ended up in the Louvre).

Until next time!
Helen, Miranda, Vic & Sophie

PS. If you liked this email, we’d love it if you would forward it to a friend and/or give us a shout out on social media. Friends and followers can sign up for next week’s newsletter here.

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Helen lives in Brighton and is a freelance writer and maker.
Miranda is a London-based editor.
Sophie is a journalist and editor based in London. You can also find her on Substack.
Vic works in communications and sometimes calls herself a writer.

Thanks for reading Lunch Hour Links! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Sophie

• Thank you for the truth about being an influencer; but can the gravy train last?

• The tyranny of the ‘hot mom’

• Fascinated by celebs all having Nina Park face.

• Why does the London I walk around every day feel nothing like the place portrayed on TikTok? Because it’s not!

• As we approach Valentine’s Day, it’s all about hot take dating and not splitting the bill.

Vic

• I’ve been actually going to the cinema thanks to baby cinema - what a time to avoid Hamnet.

• Managed to miss Marty Supreme but I’m fascinated the virulent love and hate reactions. I might actually have to watch the Oscars.

• An amazing listen on the man behind the sweariest restaurant Twitter of them all.

• Still trying to piece together my thinking on whether proverbial villages and actual neighbourhoods can meet. I’ll get there one day.

• And shout out to my former side hustle, Cat in a Flat.

Until next time!
Helen, Miranda, Vic & Sophie

PS. If you liked this email, we’d love it if you would forward it to a friend and/or give us a shout out on social media. Friends and followers can sign up for next week's newsletter here.

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PPPS. Still want more? Our favourite book recs are on Bookshop.org. Please note: this newsletter occasionally contains affiliate links, which means we may receive a commission if you make a purchase via one of our shopping links. This is at no extra cost to you and does not affect our link-choosing.

Helen lives in Brighton and is a freelance writer and maker.
Miranda is a London-based editor.
Sophie is a journalist and editor based in London. You can also find her on Substack.
Vic works in communications and sometimes calls herself a writer.

Miranda

• 2026 must-dos? Clubbing at the cottage, snagging Harry Styles tickets (but which support act speaks to you most?!) and Rihanna, given it’s been 10 years since Anti -how about it?

• I always enjoy Amy Odells’ Retail Confessions, and this Harrods edition is no exception.

• It’s the baby-ish section: an essential guide to egg freezing, dispatches from mat leave, and I was so touched by ’s thoughts on teddy bears.

• Charli xcx is always The Moment.

• Leaving you with some serious sandwich inspiration.

Helen

• I haven’t actually seen Hamnet yet, but I’ve read the book - so I understand the importance of the DANCE TAKES.

• Is it time to rethink personality tests?

• My favourite take on the soggy biscuit trend.

• Amelia Dimoldenberg is (no longer) a passenger princess.

• Love the concept of building an album based on an artists’ entire discography - yet with very specific categories so it’s not your typical greatest hits. And starting with Justin Bieber.

Until next time!
Helen, Miranda, Vic & Sophie

PS. If you liked this email, we’d love it if you would forward it to a friend and/or give us a shout out on social media. Friends and followers can sign up for next week’s newsletter here.

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PPPS. Still want more? Our favourite book recs are on Bookshop.org. Please note: this newsletter occasionally contains affiliate links, which means we may receive a commission if you make a purchase via one of our shopping links. This is at no extra cost to you and does not affect our link-choosing.

Helen lives in Brighton and is a freelance writer and maker.
Miranda is a London-based editor.
Sophie is a journalist and editor based in London. You can also find her on Substack.
Vic works in communications and sometimes calls herself a writer.

Thanks for reading Lunch Hour Links! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Vic

• I’m back from maternity leave baby! My saved folder overfloweth with links.

• Are you ill? Anna Jones’ bright drinks are what you need.

• I cannot get personalised numberplates out of my head.

• Trying to improve my scruffy hospitality this year.

• And I’m following every minute of Ashley Tisdale’s mum group drama.

Sophie

• Reasons to be cheerful in 2026 (from ).

• An amazing piece on the long tail of miscarriage from .

• I’m so sorry to do this on 12th Jan, but this three-part series on Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is so interesting you can listen at any time of year.

• Also if you haven’t listened to The Birth Keepers yet, you must.

• What happens when people stop reading books?

Until next time!
Helen, Miranda, Vic & Sophie

PS. If you liked this email, we’d love it if you would forward it to a friend and/or give us a shout out on social media. Friends and followers can sign up for next week's newsletter here.

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Helen lives in Brighton and is a freelance writer and maker.
Miranda is a London-based editor.
Sophie is a journalist and editor based in London. You can also find her on Substack.
Vic works in communications and sometimes calls herself a writer.

Miranda

• Would you do a biannual Christmas?

• Bye-bye butter yellow and all brown everything, we're heading into the white era - here comes white oak and the controversial Cloud Dancer.

• ’s Hamnet review has sealed the deal; it’s going to be a no from me! Think Pillion might be the next cinema pick for me.

• A really useful guide to egg freezing.

• It’s not X… it’s Y.” Why A.I prose is just so grating.

Sophie

• Interesting Substack on why beauty editors (and indeed other journalists) can lose sight of what ‘affordable’ means.

• Setting up my Christmas watch list (although mainly excited for New Year’s Day).

• Boudoir photography is back!

• “AI took my job. Now it’s interviewing me for new ones.”

• An oldie but a goodie from on the X Factor moment that is my personal Roman Empire (happy 17 years!)

Until next time!
Helen, Miranda, Vic & Sophie

PS. If you liked this email, we’d love it if you would forward it to a friend and/or give us a shout out on social media. Friends and followers can sign up for next week’s newsletter here.

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Helen lives in Brighton and is a freelance writer and maker.
Miranda is a London-based editor.
Sophie is a journalist and editor based in London. You can also find her on Substack.
Vic works in communications and sometimes calls herself a writer.

Thanks for reading Lunch Hour Links! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Helen

• The rise of the Etsy witch.

• My favourite part of this year’s Wicked press tour: Cynthia visiting her old school.

• Bim is back in the UK!

• A supremely awkward Zoom call.

• Unveiling the neuroscience behind ageing out of f*cks.

Sophie

• I’m loving all the Christmas ideas on Substack: on what every wife wants, ’s kids’ gift guide and on everything she orders early to make Christmas magical.

• My podcast of the week: Anatomy of a Cancellation.

• Blind Date is 40! Meet the show’s most successful pairing.

• The country selling boredom tourism.

• How Gen Z is your food shop?

Until next time!
Helen, Miranda, Vic & Sophie

PS. If you liked this email, we’d love it if you would forward it to a friend and/or give us a shout out on social media. Friends and followers can sign up for next week's newsletter here.

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Helen lives in Brighton and is a freelance writer and maker.
Miranda is a London-based editor.
Sophie is a journalist and editor based in London. You can also find her on Substack.
Vic works in communications and sometimes calls herself a writer.

Helen

• “At one stage, all three of us was on drips”: some excellent insights into what it was like to be in a noughties girlband.

• Finally getting my camera roll sorted with this shortcut.

• Trademark drama!

• A genuinely uplifting series on the kindness of strangers.

• Slightly passé, but the (un)official anthem of the Louvre heist surely deserves a place on this newsletter. With the necessary fact check, naturellement.

Miranda

• Bracing myself for a Wuthering 2026, complete with full Charli XCX film album (she’s now on Substack too @ ), and the inevitable onslaught of red latex looks.

• Absolutely gripped by this: ‘She was a prison officer. He was a convicted rapist. How did she fall for him?’

• Child content! Enjoying Raven Smith’s Father Figure column on showing your baby’s face online, on whether parenthood gives you purpose, and my mat leave comfort listen returns with India Rakusen’s fascinating take on toddlers.

• The fallout from the viral ‘Having a boyfriend is embarrassing’ piece, and what it says about dating today.

• And who wouldn’t be tempted by a podcast that promises a look at the week’s biggest PR disasters?

Until next time!
Helen, Miranda, Vic & Sophie

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Helen lives in Brighton and is a freelance writer and maker.
Miranda is a London-based editor.
Sophie is a journalist and editor based in London. You can also find her on Substack.
Vic works in communications and sometimes calls herself a writer.

Miranda

• Happy Celebrity Traitors final week! I strongly recommend all of The Rest is Entertainment’s bonus episodes, will sign any petition to let Alan Carr do all TV until the end of time and plan to channel Claudia’s Highland Goth until 2026 dawns.

• Struggling to get to sleep? Choose your fighter: meditation with Lil Jon, or The Shipping Forecast by Jarvis Cocker.

• Don’t miss on Mr Mountbatten Windsor.

• Yep, trad sons are a thing now.

• Join me in my graphic novel era (and pls share any faves). I’m currently devouring the Mitford sisters cartoon biography Do Admit!

Helen

• The scorched earth break-up album of the year has inspired a lil pop special from me. Let’s kick off with the pure delight of pop mysteries.

• Drum roll for our first ever LHL Twitch link! Weekends are better with Troy’s new music and album streams. Here he is reacting to another possible AOTY contender, Hayley Williams.

• Going Gaga for Gay Halloween.

• Must admit I’m quite taken by Charlie Puth’s unique pop promo strategy: earnestly teaching music theory to the masses while plugging the most 80s earworm of 2025.

• The end of music videos? Absolutely not if Audrey Hobert has anything to do with it.

Until next time!
Helen, Miranda, Vic & Sophie

PS. If you liked this email, we’d love it if you would forward it to a friend and/or give us a shout out on social media. Friends and followers can sign up for next week’s newsletter here.

PPS. Want to guest edit a future edition of Lunch Hour Links? Email us!

PPPS. Still want more? Our favourite book recs are on Bookshop.org. Please note: this newsletter occasionally contains affiliate links, which means we may receive a commission if you make a purchase via one of our shopping links. This is at no extra cost to you and does not affect our link-choosing.

Helen lives in Brighton and is a freelance writer and maker.
Miranda is a London-based editor.
Sophie is a journalist and editor based in London. You can also find her on Substack.
Vic works in communications and sometimes calls herself a writer.

Thanks for reading Lunch Hour Links! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Miranda

• First came boo baskets , now the seasonal must have is a… Halloween advent calendar.

• Bring on the music memoirs! I’m excited to start Mark Ronson’s, catch up with Cameron Crowe and dive headlong into ’s world.

• s/o to my sister for sharing this incredible playlist creator. Today’s list comes courtesy of ‘the cranky old french man who lives inside me’, but am looking forward to trying out ‘you have one job: convince your friends to go out’.

• Anyone else struggling to work out how to fit in fibremaxxing, fermenting and protein into their daily diet?!

• And forget the children, is it grandparents’ smartphone use that we should really be worrying about?

Sophie

• A series on the history of reality TV from an actual Celeb Traitors contestant.

• What’s your work tribe? Micro-shifter or a 996 worker?

• This week in love: dating coaches, sad single men and cougartok.

• Loved on the Riyadh Comedy Festival.

• What actually happens if you ditch your phone for a week?

Until next time!
Helen, Miranda, Vic & Sophie

PS. If you liked this email, we’d love it if you would forward it to a friend and/or give us a shout out on social media. Friends and followers can sign up for next week's newsletter here.

PPS. Want to guest edit a future edition of Lunch Hour Links? Email us!

PPPS. Still want more? Our favourite book recs are on Bookshop.org. Please note: this newsletter occasionally contains affiliate links, which means we may receive a commission if you make a purchase via one of our shopping links. This is at no extra cost to you and does not affect our link-choosing.

Helen lives in Brighton and is a freelance writer and maker.
Miranda is a London-based editor.
Sophie is a journalist and editor based in London. You can also find her on Substack.
Vic works in communications and sometimes calls herself a writer.

Thanks for reading Lunch Hour Links! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Helen

• Happy TLOAS to those who celebrate! I highly recommend this dissertation-level deep dive into the bops, the references, and the petty bangers.

• Absolute travesty that no one thought to ask the Empire State Building and the British Library to make the official lyric videos, though.

• What’s a doom mom, and why do they love to talk about earthquakes?

• A podcast with a PSA: if you’re ever writing an online obituary, there’s one common phrase you should never use.

• Pivoting to a much-needed high, congratulations to this fabulous fat bear!

Sophie

• RIP Jilly Cooper. A fabulous final interview with her by Sophia Money-Coutts.

• This week’s history geekery is this deeply fascinating pod on England’s great hurricane of 1703.

• Gen Z: if they’re not at a listening bar they’re happily joining a 12-hour queue.

• Merry Celebrity Traitors week! Also adding Nobody Wants This season 2 to the diary.

• How was ‘Sit at the bar September’ for you?

Until next time!
Helen, Miranda, Vic & Sophie

PS. If you liked this email, we’d love it if you would forward it to a friend and/or give us a shout out on social media. Friends and followers can sign up for next week's newsletter here.

PPS. Want to guest edit a future edition of Lunch Hour Links? Email us!

PPPS. Still want more? Our favourite book recs are on Bookshop.org. Please note: this newsletter occasionally contains affiliate links, which means we may receive a commission if you make a purchase via one of our shopping links. This is at no extra cost to you and does not affect our link-choosing.

Helen lives in Brighton and is a freelance writer and maker.
Miranda is a London-based editor.
Sophie is a journalist and editor based in London. You can also find her on Substack.
Vic works in communications and sometimes calls herself a writer.