Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - With Love from London

Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

With Love from London by Sarah Jio

12 reviews

justinekorson's review

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

This was a very melancholic book about life, divorce, grief and death. I didn't expect to like it as much as I did. I especially didn't think I would be rooting for Eloise but I should have known better because men suck.

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gkaltam's review

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adventurous emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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nicolegardner's review against another edition

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5.0

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ninascozydayreads's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Right off the bat, this book was cute and catered towards readers. And that’s just about all you need to know. Oh, and it has escapism galore. Honestly, this book was cuteness and escapism galore. I read it a while ago, so I don’t remember every single detail of it but I do remember that it was cute. The main character is a bookstagrammer, which made for some definite recognitions, but she is a bit too judgemental towards non-readers for my taste. There’s a rundown bookstore, a quaint part of London with flowers on the windowsill… And the description of these places was so vivid I can still picture them. I also think the settings and the escapism that comes with it is its greatest selling point. Of course, there’s the mystery of what happened with the mom (not in a suspense-kind of way, just a simple romance plot kind of way). And though the book has some darker themes, I didn’t feel these darken the entire book. It was a kind of cliché in its ending, but I didn’t mind that. The love plots were cute as well, nothing special but enjoyable to read about. And I really enjoyed the scavenger aspect of it. I think that’s what made me kept reading most of all, because I do enjoy a good scavenger hunt book. Even though these clues were personal, I couldn’t help but try and guess along with them.

The story is set across a dual timeline, and the story of the mother progresses at the same time as that the daughter finds out about the truth about her mother’s disappearance and leaving her. Although I have to admit that I was slightly more invested in the mother’s story than in the daughter’s story, I did enjoy the dual timeline aspect (possibly because of the scavenger hunt).

Overall, if you want a cute, quick read and escape to London and California for a bit, and (like me) like stories about a community coming together, definitely give this a go!

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atamano's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

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sarahtortiz's review

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emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective relaxing sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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mamawantsbooks's review

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emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

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caribbeangirlreading's review

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emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

LOVED
· I usually stay far away from books that feature social media influencers, but in this case, I loved that Valentina was a bookstagrammer. She mostly posted musings about books and life and there was zero discussion about paid partnerships or the number of followers she had.

· I really liked Valentina and how she still opened her heart to forgiveness despite all the pain.

· I loved how the author set the story in a large city but because she focused on one neighborhood, it had a small town feel to it.

DISLIKED
· Both Valentina and her mother were the victims of a manipulative and controlling man, yet this is never fully addressed in the book. Many Goodreads reviewers complained that they could not understand why neither Valentina nor Eloise reached out to each other once she turned 18. Those reviewers have obviously (and thankfully for them) never been the victim of mental and emotional abuse. This is some serious shit that was treated superficially. It just felt like low-key victim blaming. Not cool.

Although Valentina’s story had a happy ending overall the book was just sad.

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bringmybooks's review

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emotional lighthearted sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

Thank you to Edelweiss, Ballantine Books, & Penguin Random House for the opportunity to read and review this book before it's publication date! This in no way affected my review, opinions are my own.

B̷R̷I̷N̷G̷ B̷O̷R̷R̷O̷W̷ ✨ 𝗕𝗬𝗣𝗔𝗦𝗦 ✨

This was about as middle of the road as a book can get for me - I didn't love it, I didn't hate it, I just ... read it. And there were parts that I thought were really great, and there were parts that drove me bonkers.

I'm not sure if I'd find myself readily recommending this one, but if I did it would be best read curled up in an oversized chair with a cozy blanket tucked around you (one of those lightweight knit throws, preferably with tassels), and a nice Gimlet (which is apparently Gin and Rose's Lime Juice, which sounds delightful).

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laurrelise's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

Nothing about this book surprised me, but I thoroughly enjoyed it every step of the way.

Librarian and Bookstagrammer Valentia Baker’s cheating husband leaves her on the same day she receives notice that her mother, Eloise, who abandoned her when she was twelve, has passed away, leaving everything to her. With Love From London is a split POV story between Val and Eloise, who each reveal different loves and losses that have transpired in their respective lives.

I really liked this book. It was feel-good and happy, but also sad and mysterious. There were so many elements that fit together so well, maybe too well, as I saw them all coming from a mile away, but I digress. Sarah Jio wove the two stories together so nicely in such a perfect way. I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for an easy, interesting read (check TWs though!).

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