Hi! I’m Lauren.
I’ve been a passionate reader for as long as I can remember.
I grew up in Vancouver, BC, where you could always find me lost in a book. (Fun fact: My fourth-grade book project was on The Hobbit.) I could never understand why the other kids didn’t like silent reading time, and Scholastic book fairs are some of my fondest memories.
In high school, I enrolled in all the advanced English classes I could because reading more books was a no-brainer. I left Vancouver to attend Western University (formerly known as The University of Western Ontario), where, after flip-flopping between business, media, and other programs, I ended up following my heart’s desire and graduating with a B.A. in English Literature with a minor in health sciences (because of Grey’s Anatomy, but that’s a story for another time).
Writing and reading have always been my greatest passions. After graduating from Western, I moved to New York City, where I interned for DailyCandy’s editorial department (#RIP) and a now-defunct fashion blog. I applied my writing skills to get a job running MTV World’s social media, and then I jumped over to Broadcast Music Inc. to run their social accounts.
In 2013, I moved to California to join a TBWA agency, where I headed up the social media accounts for VCA Animal Hospitals and provided content strategy for Subaru, and I freelanced mornings, evenings, and weekends, doing everything from mood boards to copywriting for personal branding clients.
In 2015, I made the jump to freelance full-time, where I helped clients find their voices and build successful online businesses. Eventually, I moved back to Vancouver with my partner (and our two cats), where I plan to live forever.
My career had been based on helping others find ways to merge their passions and their skills, and yet, it wasn’t until TikTok that I had the courage to take my own advice…
Book Huddle is my way of helping avid readers find new books—and new friends.
As an introvert, I’ve always found it hard to make new—meaningful—friends in adulthood. (After all, when work is over, all I really want to do is cuddle up with my cats, a book, and some wine.) It was also difficult to find friends who love reading and discussing books as much as I do.
When I first discovered #BookTok, I was amazed by the community’s kindness and passion. I decided to put myself out there and start posting about books on TikTok, just to see what happened.
In April 2023, I shared an idea for a reading retreat, where we’d rent out a relaxing venue, focus on a communal book, go for nature walks, drink some wine, and get to bed early. To my shock, the video went viral, and over 2400 people signed up to be the first to know when tickets were available.
Since then, Book Huddle has grown into a community of 510k+ avid readers. We’ve hosted 18 reading retreats around the world and proudly hold a 99% satisfaction rating. Outside of retreats, our content gets 10M+ impressions every month, and we have a thriving virtual book club with 800+ members. We’re a trusted place for making quality book recommendations, and through our community, people have made lifelong friends.
