Instagram story viewer> @kat.o.connor> Posts

Kat O’Connor

@kat.o.connor

1590

posts

2.7K

followers

821

following

💭Irish version of Bridget Jones
🖊️ Scribbles by Kat on Substack
📖 Running the Her Book Club

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

Download All

And I don’t know how it gets better than this ✨🫶🏻

Cannot even explain how perfect last night was. A dream come true

#theerastour #taylorswift #edinburghtheerastour #taylornation by @kat.o.connor

3

22

2 years ago

I can retire happily now because I got to interview Marian Keyes last night.

Marian Keyes is someone I’ve been in awe of for a very long time so being able to interview her felt like a dream. I often feel like Hugh Grant in Notting Hill when he pretends to work for Horse and Hound magazine when I get to do things like this, it’s just very surreal. Sometimes I can’t quite believe I get to call this my job. Interviewing Irish author Marian Keyes at The Walsh Sisters premiere taken in Irish Film Institute (IFI) by @kat.o.connor

3

9

10 months ago

I love when my bestie is home 💚 taken in Grogan's Castle Lounge by @kat.o.connor

3

0

2 days ago

Just a girl who is getting her spark back. My doctor signed me off from my job due to work related stress and anxiety back at the end of June. I didn’t want to write about it because I thought it made me look weak and dramatic, but I actually think it’s very cool and courageous to put yourself first. I’m so privileged to have a doctor that takes mental health seriously, and friends and family who have helped me get the old Kat back. I don’t think I would’ve taken my doctor’s advice as seriously if I hadn’t read Everything I Wish I’d Known About Anxiety by @carolineforan. Before reading it, I felt like I was drowning in work, I was having panic attacks in the office loo and then continuing on as if everything is okay, but Caroline’s words made me realise that no job should ever come before your mental health and happiness, even the ‘cool ones.’ Books really are magic.

Also, please remember you don’t need to hit rock bottom to seek mental health support. The purpose of mental health leave is to protect yourself, take time to breathe again, and to let yourself heal so you don’t hit that low point. Everyone deserves it 💚 by @kat.o.connor

3

39

6 days ago

I need to talk about The Correspondent! I finally finished reading it last night and really loved it. I have a soft spot for epistolary novels. Three of my all time favourite books are epistolary novels, Daisy Jones & The Six, Bridget Jones’s Diary and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, so I had very high hopes for this one.

Sybil’s story is told through her letters which gives us the most personal look at her life, her thoughts, her relationships and her worries. As a letter writer myself, this book made me smile a lot as I reflected on the friendships I’ve made through letter writing and all the stories shared through penpalooza, which was set up by Rachel Syme during Covid.

Sybil is a fascinating character. She’s not instantly loveable and is quite spikey and cold, but you really warm to her as her story unfolds. She becomes a comfort character and someone you’ll miss as the story comes to an end. She actually reminded me of Emily Gilmore in ways.

The twist toward the end did break my heart and made me look at Sybil in a completely different way. As dark as some of the storylines are, I think Virginia Evans has balanced them well with charm, friendship and warmth. I suppose the book is a perfect example of how life is full of bright and dark moments, and she has captured it perfectly in the letters Sybil sends throughout her final years.

I loved how Sybil wasn’t the only character we met through the letters. The characters we meet are all so special and made the audiobook all the more enjoyable. I had such a soft spot for Theodore, and found myself smiling so much when Sybil wrote to him to thank him for the roses from his garden.

This is a charming book; one full of heartbreak, hope and one that’ll remind you of the magic of letters.

What did you think of The Correspondent? by @kat.o.connor

3

10

6 days ago

Hello! Here are some new releases and books I’ve loved recently. I always think summer is a quieter time for the bookish world but the last couple of months have felt busier than ever. The mountain of proofs growing under my already overcrowded bookshelf says it all.

What are you reading at the moment? Let me know what I should add to my ever growing reading list 📖

Catherine Ryan Howard at her very best. Read if you love a tense mystery thriller.

“If these walls could talk, they’d scream.”

This novel follows two women whose shattered lives come crashing together around a house whose secrets could bury them both.

A story of romance, courage and hope. The first in Callie Coles Spinning Silks trilogy is a must-read for Rivals fans.

July has been one of the biggest months for thrillers and this is one of the most anticipated.

If you’re a fan of Freida McFadden then this is one for you.

A smart twist on the classic whodunnit - we know who did it, but will they get away with it?

I loved Yesteryear but found myself struggling to find something as good after finishing it. If you love a complicated female lead then Workhorse is the one for you. It’s set in the magazine world in New York during the 2000s so it’s peak escapism (especially for wannabe Jenna Rinks like me)

Filling the Emily Henry shaped hole in my heart this summer. I adored this rom-com by Carley Fortune. Charming and sweet but with the most surprisingly beautiful prose. A friends-to-lovers romance that you’ll be glued to from page one.

Oh how I loved this one! Tense, witty and so different. This follows two best friends on a J1, but things don’t go according to plan and they end up on the J1 of nightmares. by @kat.o.connor

3

22

9 days ago

“Whatever happens tomorrow, we had today; and I’ll always remember it.”

Happy Emma and Dexter day to those who celebrate. One Day will always be one of my forever favourites. No book impacted me quite as much as One Day did when I read it many, many years ago. I think about it all of the time. It’s one of the reasons I fell in love with Edinburgh, and a big part of why I love writing and reading so much. It’s so special to me. Some books take up a special place in your heart and One Day will always hold a special place in mine. The sun is shining in Dublin this St. Swithin’s Day 🤍📖 by @kat.o.connor

3

12

10 days ago

My five favourite books of 2026 so far…

Please share your favourite books of the year with me so I can add them to my never ending reading list 📖

The Lies Between Us by Jen Bray is my favourite thriller of the year. Jen is not only an impeccable writer, but one of the nicest authors out there. If you want a tense Irish thriller with complex female characters then this is the one for you.

Louise O’Neill made her return with this sharp, eye-opening and addictive read about the darker side of fame. I loved this a lot especially because it reminded me of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s work.

Elizabeth Strout has long been one of my biggest inspirations. I’m completely in awe of her work and The Things We Never Say is so striking. Nobody writes about human emotion quite like Elizabeth Strout.

I’ve never found a rom-com writer that lives up to Emily Henry but Carley Fortune is a close second. This friends-to-lovers story is full of escapism, but is so beautifully written. I was surprised by how much I loved it.

Heart the Lover is soul destroying but it may be my favourite book of 2026 so far. It’s a firm five star read and one of the most unique books I’ve picked up. Lily King is on another level. I paused reading so many times because I was just in total awe of her work. This is a heartbreaker but I’ve not stopped thinking about it. by @kat.o.connor

3

18

21 days ago

June was magic 🪄 Interviewed Maggie O’Farrell, went to see Olivia Dean and Harry Styles, survived the London heatwave, bawled over Voicemails for Isabelle and got to hang out with all my lovely friends. by @kat.o.connor

3

8

25 days ago

Postcards from London but it’s mainly just photos of Harry Styles in those shorts

#togethertogethertour by @kat.o.connor

3

2

a month ago

Sweat all the time, disco occasionally. It’s Harry Styles time ✨☀️ taken in London, United Kingdom by @kat.o.connor

85

17

a month ago

It isn’t perfect but it might be 💫

Nothing quite as wonderful as dancing to Olivia Dean in the sunshine with your girls. The most wholesome and magical concert full of dancing and crying.

The screech I let out when Olivia Dean asked if anyone watched Bridget Jones needs to be studied. taken in Marley Park by @kat.o.connor

3

2

a month ago