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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I have had this book on my TBR for far too long. I suspected it would be right up my alley and I finally gave myself the go ahead to pick it up (I can be really nice sometimes). I was not disappointed.
Told from dual POV and dual timelines, Sarah explores the broken relationship between mother and daughter. Val's marriage has dissolved and a timely call from her estranged mother's solicitor brings the unexpected news of her passing and an inheritance including a bookstore in London. As a librarian and bookstagrammer, Val's love for books inspires her to save the bookstore.
There's so much to love about this book: found family, a great supporting cast, a little bit of romance, and two dynamic women finding joy as they weather heartbreak. I loved it and am eager to see what Sarah does next.
The audiobook is really well done and features two narrators: Gabrielle Glaister and Brittany Pressley. Each imbibes the character so well and made for an enjoyable listen.
Thank you to PRHA for the alc. All thoughts in this review are my own.
Told from dual POV and dual timelines, Sarah explores the broken relationship between mother and daughter. Val's marriage has dissolved and a timely call from her estranged mother's solicitor brings the unexpected news of her passing and an inheritance including a bookstore in London. As a librarian and bookstagrammer, Val's love for books inspires her to save the bookstore.
There's so much to love about this book: found family, a great supporting cast, a little bit of romance, and two dynamic women finding joy as they weather heartbreak. I loved it and am eager to see what Sarah does next.
The audiobook is really well done and features two narrators: Gabrielle Glaister and Brittany Pressley. Each imbibes the character so well and made for an enjoyable listen.
Thank you to PRHA for the alc. All thoughts in this review are my own.
Trigger warning: miscarriage
American librarian Valentina's mother left when she was a child and never returned. Valentina harbors feelings of resentment for the mother who never visited, never called, and never wrote. When Valentina receives a bookstore in her mother's will, she must travel to London to deal with the inheritance.
Valentina's life in the States is far from charmed -- her father is dead and she's also dealing with her divorce. While Valentina thinks she knows why her mother left; the truth is not what she expected. Mother Eloise's story slowly unfolds as Valentina makes her home in London.
At the start, both women seem unlucky in love but their narratives unfurl and show that first impressions (and first marriages) aren't the end of one's love story. Eloise loses her best friend Millie when she moves to California, and Valentina gains a mother figure in Millie decades after. Each character is fleshed out and while all readers may not understand their decisions, their logic and thought processes are clear.
Recommended for readers of women's fiction and family sagas.
I received an electronic galley copy of this title from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Read the review here: https://guenevol.wixsite.com/novelmaven/post/love-london
American librarian Valentina's mother left when she was a child and never returned. Valentina harbors feelings of resentment for the mother who never visited, never called, and never wrote. When Valentina receives a bookstore in her mother's will, she must travel to London to deal with the inheritance.
Valentina's life in the States is far from charmed -- her father is dead and she's also dealing with her divorce. While Valentina thinks she knows why her mother left; the truth is not what she expected. Mother Eloise's story slowly unfolds as Valentina makes her home in London.
At the start, both women seem unlucky in love but their narratives unfurl and show that first impressions (and first marriages) aren't the end of one's love story. Eloise loses her best friend Millie when she moves to California, and Valentina gains a mother figure in Millie decades after. Each character is fleshed out and while all readers may not understand their decisions, their logic and thought processes are clear.
Recommended for readers of women's fiction and family sagas.
I received an electronic galley copy of this title from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Read the review here: https://guenevol.wixsite.com/novelmaven/post/love-london
Of course I'm going to read a book about a librarian inheriting a quaint bookstore in the most adorable part of London and coming to terms with the loss of her mother.
This one's sweet and somewhat precious. I can see how people who love what we used to call "chick lit" would adore this.
While I was able to suspend much of my disbelief, as is necessary, I couldn't quite get past our present-day MC being the beautiful perky American gal who is just a bit slow on the uptake, although no one else seems to think so.
I simply don't have a whole lot of interest in that particular type of protagonist; they give me a headache.
All in all, though, it's a fast read and a cute story with all the happiest of endings that could ever be dreamed of.
2.5 stars
This one's sweet and somewhat precious. I can see how people who love what we used to call "chick lit" would adore this.
While I was able to suspend much of my disbelief, as is necessary, I couldn't quite get past our present-day MC being the beautiful perky American gal who is just a bit slow on the uptake, although no one else seems to think so.
I simply don't have a whole lot of interest in that particular type of protagonist; they give me a headache.
All in all, though, it's a fast read and a cute story with all the happiest of endings that could ever be dreamed of.
2.5 stars
DNF - at 30% in I just wasn’t feeling it. Some of the dialogue irritated me…perhaps I just wasn’t in the right mood.
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
One of my rules for books is that I can deal with unrealistic situations if the characters act in realistic ways -- as in, they act the way real people might act if in this unrealistic situation. This was one where I didn't feel like these were real people at all. The dialogue and interactions between the characters felt stilted. And I was mostly frustrated with Eloise throughout for never actually fighting back. This was a miss for me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment
Minor: Cancer
Rounding up from 2.5 primarily I think because I so wanted to enjoy this one. A promising premise for a light read, but unfortunately just didn't quite flesh it out. Lovely place setting, but was riddled both illogical plot choices, making it frustrating in its inconsistencies and unfulfilled prospects, while, at the same time, conversely pretty predictable. I think, given in particular the mother's storyline, the novel would have made far more sense placed a few decades earlier- it just didn't make any sense in the period it was set in.
I loved this book! I read it in one sitting because I couldn’t put it down. So much love and care in each of the characters. 100% recommend
Eh, not my favorite. It was hard to get into and tbh I’m surprised I finished it
I loved this book, with themes of family, second acts, hope and community. Valentina is leaving Seattle after her divorce, and at the same time her estranged mother dies. Val goes to London to discover she inherited a building with a bookstore on the first floor, employing her mother’s long time best friend, Millie. When she first arrives, Val is still experiencing the resentment of being abandoned by her mother at 12, until she begins to learn the truth about Eloise. Flashing back to 1968, we are told Eloise’s story too. I highly recommend this book to anyone who needs a pick me up in these difficult times, when we are missing the sense of community and hope Valentina discovers. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.