A different concept. Love the bookstore vibe in this book. A unique tale. It was a fine read. For a light fun in between intense novel kind of read.

I literally felt as though I connected with this book straight away. Such a warming story with the main character Loveday keeping you with her every step of the way.

Not many books have the ability to carry you along with the main character in this way as well as retaining a delightful charm throughout.

This one will definitely pull at your heartstrings, thoroughly recommend. Thank you NetGalley.

I assumed from the cover that this would be one of those easy read, fluffy chic lit type novels, this may be why I started reading it at least twice without getting further than the first two chapters. I must have designated it to an easy read time, most of us who read allocate book types/styles to a suitable time frame or state of mind. When I finally allocated it to the right ‘time’ I found that it was a very well written story with interesting characters and an interesting storyline, an everyday people / psychological drama.

I never write about storylines because when I read I do not want to know what is going to happen and who to, I just want it to unfold as I travel through the story. This did and although I personally did not really take to either of the main characters it does not mean that they are not interesting and fully formed, just that none of them were people I would particularly like if I met them. My one and only criticism is for the ending, it felt too neat for a true to life drama. So all in all a very well written and interesting read that I would recommend.

Lost for Words is a story about a quaint bookshop in York.
This was a great book and I enjoyed reading all about the variety of characters.
Have a read you will not be disappointed.

Such a heartwarming story! I was instantly hooked to this beautiful book.

Loveday has worked in the secondhand book shop for a decade. As she is hiding her background, she keeps her distance away from people. She hides herself amongst books so the bookstore and books are her comfort zones. One day, she found a book on the street and through that book, she met Nathan who is a magician and poet. Its encounter makes her to face her past and slowly she starts to find herself and cope with it.


It’s time to turn the pages of her past...


I love how books and the bookshop mean to Loveday. I deeply sympathize her feeling. I also enjoyed reading her break through her trauma and how she realize the people around her is important. It is the characters I enjoyed the most about this book. My favorite is Archie, he is an owner of the bookshop. He is such a witty, loving and thoughtful guy. Without him, Loveday can’t be get through her emotional scar.

This book is full of love and warmth. Caring and loving someone make the world brilliant. I like reading a story that books help people to step up.
This book made me think about my relationship with people around me and I realized so many love that I haven’t thought about.

I marked this book as 4.5 stars.

I wasn’t sure what to expect of this book at first. Frankly, judging by the cover, I thought it would be a chick lit. I was therefore quite surprised to discover a book about books, about family, tragedy and love. I enjoyed the narrative and following Loveday on her self-discovery quest.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an ecopy of this book in exchange for an impartial and fair review.

I loved this book. It has a very interesting structure: as the heroine works in a bookshop where she puts the books on the shelves according to their genre, the cahpters are put into these categories, too: poetry, crime, etc. The author also swaps the three time frames in which the story unfolds.
Loveday the heroine was ten years old when her old, happy life came crashing down. At that point she withrew into her shell and she still hasn't come out. She is the girl who loves to read and that saves her from the unwanted company of people. She has a painful past, but she is unable not only to ask for, but to accept help from anyone as well. But then she meets Nathan and something slowly shifts.
The plot offers some unexpected twists even after that point, but it ends really well.
I loved the cast of colourful characters throughout the book. My personal favourite was Archie the owner of the bookshop a real Renaissance man..
I will look out for the next book of the author. She writes beautifully.

I completely LOVED this book. Read it in a day, in a chalet by the sea with no Wifi and no TV !! I loved Loveday, so complicated and vulnerable however strong she appears to be.
Such a clever idea, to tatoo the first line of a book.
Wonderful

Absolutely phenomenal book. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and struggled to put it down. Loved the characters and a great plot. Very well written and I'd definitely recommend!

I started reading this book with high expectations I would enjoy it. Spiky, feisty Loveday working in a bookshop because she loves books. Halfway through the book I began to lose interest, and by 3/4 of the way through I gave up and never finished it. I couldn't seem to care enough about Loveday to find out what happened to her.

Stephanie Butland is certainly not "lost for words" - this is a terrific book, wonderfully set in a bookshop, with believable, sympathetic characters (even the not-so-nice ones) and a feel-good ending. Where there is tragedy, this is tempered by the reader's smile-with-a-tear because the characters are so quirky and so real. I liked the poetry, and the fact that Nathan's character is such a gentle presence in the book.

What a beautifully written book. I must admit to begin with I found it a bit slow and I was not sure I would continue but after a few chapters, I got the gist of the different time frames and I was hooked! It is a modern day love story which in my mind could become a classic of our time and reflection of the social state of society today. Loveday, despite her name, is a most up to date character of early 21st century life. I really liked her and so wanted life to go her way. Read it yourself and see....

Lost for Words is the story of Loveday (our cool named heroine) and her life I York working in a used bookstore. Loveday has a secretive past which seems to be coming back to haunt her.
I liked Loveday, and especially liked her boss, bookstore owner Archie, a charming eccentric. Nathan, Loveday’s love interest, was also sweet.
As a book lover, the little bookish snippets were a treat, though there is a bit of an error in a Harry Potter reference that had me re-reading a few times and pulled me out of the story a little.
I’ve seen this book compared to Eleanor Oliphant and whilst I don’t think this book is as good as that one, I would agree that it may appeal to the same readers. I thought the second half of the book didn’t quite live up to the promise of the first, maybe I would have preferred a bit more progress in the part of the plot dealing with Loveday’s past (hard to say too much without giving away spoilers). I also thought that Loveday’s ex-boyfriend’s mental health issues could have been dealt with better. It felt like an untreated mental health problem was used as a plot device to get Rob to take the actions he did, which I don’t feel was necessary.
Overall though, this was an enjoyable read.

Loveday is an interesting character; a Goth with tattoos but also some rather old-fashioned values. I empathised more with her as the story progressed and gradually unfolded her past. Great setting and a good cast of characters.

I rather liked the cover, which initially attracted my attention. Plus the story has a bookshop! I am always up for trying something different from my usual and this was such a book. I'm glad i did, as i enjoyed more than i thought i would. I am not going to write what the story is about, as i do prefer one to read a book for themselves, but i think this book is worth a read. I'm sure my 18 yr old granddaughter would love it!

My thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for my copy.

I was sold on the cover alone, then captivated by the bookshop setting for the majority of the action. But then, I used to dream of working in one. Maybe every booklover does? As a fan of literature and poetry, as well as a splendidly told story with quirky, believable characters that I grew to love, this novel appealed tremendously and ticked several boxes for me.

Although it probably would primarily attract bookish sorts, there is plenty of intrigue, sufficient pacing, cleverly constructed plot development and great characterisation between the pages of this novel to satisfy all who just love to peek behind the scenes of people's lives and gauge what makes them behave the way they do.

Loveday has hidden secrets that slowly come to light, aided and abetted by the book shop owner, Archie, and his relationship with her, the engagement she has with fellow staff and customers and the romances that draw out her defensiveness and sensitivity when she chooses to let down her guard with those she decides to trust.

There are a few unwelcome surprises along the way, as Loveday's past catches up with her, and an unexpected, tragic event toward the end of the book, which affects her future. But it is ultimately redeemable, touching and feel-good in how it concludes. A highly recommended, enjoyable read, full of pathos and wrapped with love.

An intriguing emotional story which I really enjoyed. Thoughtful and beautifully written with interesting wonderfully portrayed characters. I love books set in bookshops and this was fantastic.
I laughed, I cried, and more importantly I couldn't put the book down from the minute I started reading it.

Poignant, heart warming, and totally unforgettable, I loved this book. Highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

One of the PopSugar Reading Challenge 2018 prompts is, “a book that involves a bookstore or library,” and it was this which caused Sophie to pick up Lost For Words by Stephanie Butland.

Loveday Cardew works in a second-hand bookstore in York, UK. She is your typical Bookish Female Character With a Tragic Past™; she prefers books to people and has kept her past a secret from everybody in her life. Of course, all this changes when she meets magician and poet Nathan. At the same time, all-too-familiar copies of books from her childhood begin arriving in the store. Loveday soon realizes that somebody is sending her a message that they know about her past, but she doesn’t know who they are or why they are doing this.

The core of the book centers on domestic violence, which has been part of Loveday’s life for longer than she cares to remember. The subject is handled respectfully, and the story offers the opportunity for thought about victims, self-defense, justice, and escaping the cycle, but readers with a personal history may find it hard to read. Despite having such a dark heart, the book manages to remain generally quite light, thanks mostly to Loveday’s boss, mentor, and long-term friend Archie. Archie could be termed the book’s comic relief, but that would be doing him a disservice. He’s a man with a curious history even Loveday isn’t entirely sure about, mostly due to people constantly greeting him with phrases like “Archie! It’s been a long time since Borneo!”, causing Loveday to occasionally wonder if her entire life isn’t a piece of performance art he is orchestrating behind her back. He was by far Sophie’s favorite character.

Lost For Words was a lovely book with a good blend of drama, romance, humor, and a main character with a surprising amount of depth. Perfect for light summer reading in the garden.

As I am slightly obsessed with books, reading, book clubs, book shops (you get the idea) I was really looking forward to reading this story, set in a second-hand bookshop in York (not too far from where I live). I expected a cosy plot line and a little light relief from the heavyweight book I had just finished.
The book is all this and so much more, and the old adage "never judge a book by its cover" has never felt more apt. There are a couple of hard-hitting events that reverberate throughout the book, and the characters were really engaging and, more importantly, complex individuals.

Loveday is the central character, and slowly but surely her prickly outer layers are peeled back to reveal what had happened in her life to make her so introverted and mistrustful. A chance incident brings Nathan into her life, and along with Archie, the flamboyant owner of the bookshop where she works, she finds herself part of a support network that allows her to start experiencing life. The book is peppered with little descriptions that reveal the authors love of books, and Loveday herself has a poem that most bibliophiles can related to.

The book made me laugh and cry, and very glad that I had read it. Thanks go to the publishers and net galley for the advanced copy in return for an honest review.

I really liked Loveday Cardew, she is quirky and loves books more than people. She works in the York Book Emporium, full time but is always late on a Wednesday as she stays late on Tuesdays for Book Group. The shop and her books are her life, except Loveday has a past and it’s catching up with her. This is a story for book lovers as we will certainly understand her decisions.