The premise of the book is great and the author really delivers. Great read. Highly recommended.                       .

Lost for Words is one of those rare books that surprise me. It was nothing like I expected (which to be honest was a sweet English rom com with some heartache but a quirky love story). I see that it's been compared to both The Storied Life of AJ Fikry and Eleanor Oliphant, which is fair, but I don't think that really covers it. Loveday is a unique character- at first, it was hard to like her, but as I continued to read and see her life and learn her history, everything made sense. A lot of authors try to write broken characters, but Stephanie Butland really captured Loveday in a way that made her so real for me. That is a rare talent. This is one of those books I may need to read a few times to truly appreciate it.

I absolutely adored this book, from the creative format (each section tied in with a book genre) to the flawed and endearing characters (Archie!). I loved learning about Loveday's childhood and how it shaped her into  a cautious yet brave woman. This is a book that will stay with me for quite some time.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of The Lost for Words Bookshop by Stephanie Butland.

Loveday (her actual name, I'm obsessed) is an introverted and tattooed employee of the local bookshop.  Taken under the wing of Archie, Loveday finds comfort and solace at her job more than many other places she has been.  She considers books and her employer as a sort of reform or rescue.  Loveday's past has not been easy, but her life at the bookshop is quiet and content.

So when Loveday finds a book of poetry discarded on the ground on her way to work, she has no idea just how much her life is about to be stirred up, and that her ghosts may have caught up to her.

I do adore a book about books.  Especially when books and authors are quoted and mentioned often.  I love that Loveday is covered in literary tattoos and that she's found her soft landing in reading.  

This was not quite the sappy bookish romance that I was expecting.  It smacks a bit of The Rose Project, where the protagonist struggles to communicate and tap into her emotions.  But the unexpectedness was also appreciated.  My only complaint is that there are pockets throughout that tend to drag.

This novel was wonderful!  I enjoyed the way it was a book world full of literary references. And set around a bookshop!  And in London!  It is a book lover’s dream world. Loveday works in a bookshop in London for Archie. Archie is full of life and endearingly kind. Loveday has been working there since she was a teenager. She has a childhood where something painful happened to her. She stays distant from others except for Archie and her beloved books. She meets a poet who takes an interest in her. And she stumbles upon something from her past in the bookshop. She has to decide if she can face her past, let others know what happened, and if she will let others in to her life.

This book is so firmly in my niche of favored books. I love anything written about books or bookish people, and this was very much one of those texts. The characters were lovable; you wanted them to succeed and rooted for them. There's also a compelling element of mystery that didn't kill or overwhelm the plot at any point. Loveday is complex and memorable. I'm a fan.

When I opened The Lost for Words Bookshop, I connected with the book immediately.  Everything was just right...the writing, the characters, the dialogue. It’s a love story to the written word. The main character has gone through great amounts of pain in her life and we see how it affects her decisions and personality. The story will tug at your heartstrings. A heartwarming story.

This is the book for my book club at work this month or else I don't think I would have finished it. It seems to be a well-done character sketch of a survivor of domestic violence, and while I liked that the main character had a strong storytelling voice, the content is much darker than what I was looking to read right now. That said, there is interest in this book and my library has purchased a copy.

Oh my goodness I mean, to market to a bookworm this way lol such good marketing. I loooooved it! With a cozy setting and a spunky protagonist who reminded me of all my favorite characters, such a good read!

This is a book to curl up with, forget the world, a book about books. I’m all there for it, cover to cover, thankyouverymuch! the Lost for Words Bookshop by Stephanie Butland is a love letter to books and readers, with surprising depth without becoming too heavy. For this reader it’s a Goldilocks find, just right. Our protagonist, Loveday, is quick, witty, and rarely trusts anyone. Working at a bookshop since she was a troubled teen, full of quirky characters, she finds herself presented with her past in the form of a mysterious delivery. How, why, and who? She’s incredibly private. This is where our mystery unfolds, as does Loveday’s past...and future. I highly recommend to readers who enjoyed The Storied Life of AJ Fikry. 
Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press who provided an advanced reader copy. This review reflects my honest and unbiased opinions.

I wanted to go out and purchased this book as soon as I finished. I want to read it again and make notes that would only ever be read by me because so many parts of it felt personal. I wanted the time to just read it and not have to go to work or sleep because I just wanted to continue learning more about Loveday and uncover all the things from her childhood that made her who she was as an adult. 

I loved this book and I really wish I had read and reviewed it earlier in the year when I was first approved for the ARC because I would have told everybody about it. Who knows - I probably still will. Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with the ARC.

A fantastic book to which I have bestowed a rather cryptic review that will hopefully inspire people to pick it up and see for themselves: This was a darling little book with a sinister underpinning.

There is only one way to describe this book. Brilliant. To see what love and courage can do,amazing.

Loveday works in a bookshop in York. We first meet her as she picks up a book she finds in the street and sets out to find its owner. Loveday had a troubled childhood ending with her being placed in foster care and as a result finds it hard to let people in...especially after being treated badly by her only boyfriend up to now. We learn about Loveday’s life in bits as she gets to know Nathan (the owner of the missing book) and opens up about her life...to the reader first, to Nathan later. Hesitantly she lets him in, but then books that remind her of her past begin to turn up and she wonders if Nathan could be more than he seems.
It took me a while to get to, but I really enjoyed this book. I quickly learned to love Loveday and could see something of myself in her,,,bit of an introvert, would rather spend an evening with a book than in the pub! I was eager to know more of her story and of Nathan’s true intentions and the book kept me guessing nearly to the end. I liked him when Loveday did. I became suspicious of him when she did too. This book made me life and cry, which for me is definitely a sign of good writing. 

I received an eARC of this book from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was absolutely riveting, and I was hanging on every word. I was completely fascinated with the story, and o genuinely loved everything about it.

I really enjoyed this book and the story it had to tell - how books can make an impact on our lives and how a family can be formed without the commonality of blood.

I loved this read. It reminded me of an Eleanor Oliphant and would appeal to an booklover anywhere. I felt a connection immediately to the love of books I felt radiating from every page! Heartache, forgiveness, truly engaging, and an emotional read for me. 

Highly recommend to any book lover!

This book was an absolute joy to read!  It really took me by surprise because I had heard it compared to AJ Fikry and Eleanor Oliphant, which are big book shoes to fill in my opinion.  But it is completely deserving of both of those comparisons, yet stands perfectly on its own.  The story is told so beautifully in the present day, with visits to the past to help us understand Loveday.  I found Loveday to be a lovable, complex character that I truly felt honored to read her life story.  The supporting characters were well developed and all played important parts in Loveday's journey.  Stephanie Butland will now be on my list of authors to seek out when looking for my next read.  If you are looking to for a book that gives you a character to root for and learn from, please give this book a chance.  I don't think you will be sorry!

I loved the idea of this book but just couldn't get into it. Only managed to get to 10% which is a shame given it has such positive reviews.

Where do you go when your heart is broken, when you have lost everything that is precious to you? Where do you find solace? Where do you find escape and comfort? For Loveday Cardew, that place was a bookshop, the place where she can remain hidden behind the pages of a book, a quiet place where the memories are kept at bay. In the lovely poignant book, Lost For Words, we meet a grand assortment of characters who are bigger than life and there to help the fragile Loveday find what she needs and what she is searching for.

Loveday has faced much in her young life. She had what she thought was a safe, loving family life, until her dad lost his job and life turned bitter. The family beset by the loss of income now faced something dark and evil within the dad. He was still loved but not understood and when tragedy happened, Loveday is separated from her mother, lives in foster care, and retreats into a shell where books are her sole companion.

However, Loveday is not alone. She has Archie, the owner of the bookstore where she works and she has Nathan, a poet, a magician, a man who understands Loveday and tries to make her once again happy, to once again know love. She has love surrounding her, but she just does not know how to allow it into her heart.

This was a lovely story, so heart warming with a bit of whimsy that Ms Butland puts into her characters. They have a flair for living, a joy for the way in which life has taken them and in Loveday, she has created a character that moves the reader into rooting for her and standing with her as she faces the challenges of a life that has dealt a number of blows to her soul.
Recommended to those who love books, (and who among us doesn't) and to those who love a charming story about the loss of love and the finding of it once again.

Thank you to Stephanie Butland, St Martin's Press, and NetGalley for a copy of this lovely book.