I loved this book from the beginning, it is full of surprises. A socially awkward young lady, misguided, untrusting, broken, quirky and sarcastic as she can be, with a love for books and the escape that they offer her, this is Loveday Cardew.  This story unfolds in her inimitable voice as she explains things as she sees them. She may not always get it right, but from the odd little perch of her life, she tries to figure everything and everyone out. There are good people in this book, and bad people, or shall I say broken people, each of them having an impact on Loveday as she tries to ferret her way through life. A bookstore, is her haven, her job, and the center of her life, and she rarely ventures farther, but when she decides to step out and try something new, it changes her life. Her story captured me from the beginning and held my attention while claiming my heart and making me wish for nothing less than the best future for Loveday. I would highly recommend this book and thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy to review.

I've read a lot of bookshop books. Some of them I love; some not so much. I'm adding The Lost for Words Bookshop: A Novel to my favorites.

The Lost for Words Bookshop: A Novel is the story of Loveday. Her traumatic past is revealed throughout the course of the book. Although her past affects her life and relationships, she reveals little of it to the people in her life.

There are just enough book references and not too many. There's a love story, poetry, and interesting supporting characters. The end was a little predictable, but I would have been disappointed with any other ending.

3.5 stars!
This is a lovely, quirky and heartrending book. I expected it to be much lighter than it turned out to be. I was completely invested in Loveday, and her life at the bookstore where she works. Being a bookworm myself, and often preferring books to people, I understood Loveday immediately. Ironically, it’s the relationships in this book that are vital, and will stay with the reader. Archie is not a character I will soon forget. THE LOST FOR WORDS BOOKSHOP is a beautiful little book that will appeal to anyone with a strong affinity for the books, bookstores and the people that love them.
I received this book via NetGalley - from St. Martin’s Press - in exchange for an honest review. taylorhavenholt.com/thhbooks.html

I really enjoyed this tale of a broken girl who learns to deal with her demons. Loveday is a character who is easy to like, even when you want to shake her for being so scared to trust. There is a lot of realism in this story, which is what drew me in. I like that you don't find out what trauma Loveday has endured until about half way through the book. It feels like the character is telling you her story in that roundabout way that a friend would over a bottle of wine.

Loveday has suffered great loss as a child. Since the age of 15, she has been working in Archie's bookstore and found a haven amongst all the old books. As an adult, she is struggling with trust issues and must face her past in order to tackle her future. She is surrounded by loving people who have her best interest, but a threat lucks in the shadows and could cause her much damage. 

When I read the book synopsis, I thought this book to be a light love story. I was not exactly that! Although this is a love story, this book deals with deeper elements such as domestic violence. Stephanie Butland delivers a heartfelt story of love, forgiveness, and poetry.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC of The Lost for Words Bookshop by Stephanie Butland. This delightful book will be available at your favourite bookstore on June 19, 2018.

She can be a bit prickly.  She is admittedly guarded.  Her "people skills" could use some polishing.  And rightfully so, considering all she's endured in her young life.  But once you get to know Loveday Cardew, you will want her to be your bookish best friend.  She works at a York bookstore owned by the lovable Archie.  She is, in her young adulthood, still coming to terms with her tragic childhood, which shapes her everyday interactions.  

And the more you get to know her, the more you learn the backstory she is so reluctant to tell.  Page after page, you will root for her every step of the way.  Written in a conversational tone, even the difficult subject matter of her younger years is relayed with a care that is unique.  Stephanie Butland has created characters that you genuinely care for and with which you want to spend this journey. There's a little bit of Loveday in all of us and I think you'll be happy your met her.  

 A big thank you to Stephanie Butland, Thomas Dunne Publishing, and NetGalley for providing me with this e-book in exchange for an honest review.

I would give this 4.5 our of 5 stars. The Lost for Words Bookshop is about Loveday Cardew, the bookseller in the titular bookstore who keeps to herself so no one learns of her past. Bouncing back and forth among timelines, Stephanie Butland keeps you wanting more. I couldn't stop reading this book because every time I thought I was getting somewhere during one point in time, I was unceremoniously dropped into another one. Her timing was amazing because instead of frustrating me, it made me more intrigued. This isn't just a book about a bookstore, it examines love, loss, and how we each create our own sense of family without realizing.

Loveday loves books - she prefers them to people as she feels she lacks social skills and books never up and leave you, and/or hurt you.  She was raised in the foster care system and has been on her own for several years, all the while working in a used bookstore where the owner has taken her under his wing, although she doesn't really seem to be aware of it.  She loves working with the books and then she meets Nathan, after having to end a less than perfect relationship with Rod.  She thinks she loves Nathan, but knows it won't end well, kind of it's me not you deal.  The writing is simply beautiful, the poetry uplifting and the ending?  Well the ending absolutely fits the book!  In other words, perfect.

Brillant book!!!! If you love reading stories about book lovers this one is for you! Loveday, the main character works in a second-hand book shop and loves her job. She loves books but doesn't really like people. She prefers to stay by herself with a good book and not talk to people. She has a very few friends and no boyfriend. The last boyfriend she had was a disaster, she prefers to stay single. I loved the way the book is written and the way the chapters are divided. Some chapters are about Loveday's past, we learn about her life as a child with her parents, some chapters are about her and her past disastrous relationship and some chapters are about her current life. The more we go into the book the more we discover Loveday's difficult past and more we like her. I really loved this book, I almost gave it a 5 stars but I thought the book was a little bit too long and I was starting to be a little bit bored around the end. But all in all this is an excellent book and I really recommend it! you will love it!

(blog review scheduled for 4/30/18)   The Lost for Words turned out to be a pleasure.  While I'm usually tempted and often enjoy books about bookshops, Lost for Words was more than I expected.

The Lost for Words Bookshop, a used bookshop, comforts and shelters Loveday Cardew. Sometimes she may be at a loss for words, but words are not lost on Loveday, and her love of books has sustained her for over half her life. 

When Loveday's family is destroyed, she ends up in foster care and the loss of her family results in a happy and friendly child becoming an isolated and reclusive teen.  

At fifteen, however, a visit to the Lost for Words bookshop provides  a sanctuary when Archie, the owner, offers her a job.  Ten years later, Loveday continues her mostly self-imposed and unsociable existence with Archie as her only real friend.

On her way to work one day, Loveday picks up a book that has been lost or discarded and posts a "found" sign in the bookshop window--an inciting incident that will change the course of her life.

The story is told in past and present, and the traumatic events that destroyed her family are revealed in small doses.  In the present, boxes of used books begin arriving that connect to Loveday's past, a new relationship offers the opportunity for Loveday to expand her life beyond her small flat and the bookshop, and a past relationship becomes threatening.

I was expecting bit of romantic chic lit, but found a more thoughtful coming of age tale.

NetGalley/St. Martin's Press

Bibliophile/Contemporary.  First published, 2017; June 19, 2018.  Print length:  304 pages.

Loveday Jenna Cardew‘s life changed when she was nine years old. She is from Cornwall, Her story is contained by silence. She has and is a secret. There are references to her past but the reader is allowed no clear definition of what has happened to her. The story is doled out in a trail of breadcrumbs. She has worked in a book store for over ten years.

The writing at times seems to be angry and that is easily explained by the griefs and losses piled one on top of another. Survival means Loveday has to separate feelings and avoid any that might form meaningful relationships. She isn’t sociable - “Don’t accept a drink, don’t create obligations.” Keep the world at a distance and never answer any questions about your past.

This is a story about people who are marginalized through no fault of their own and the ultimate disaster their lives become. It is also a story about what can happen when those lives are intersected by others who have the ability to become care givers and friends. It is a story about a bookstore that while not magic can not only steal but heal a heart. It is a story worth your time and attention.

I had some problems with the “jazzed” language, the slang and British idioms, but it fit the story. This was a single sitting read that kept my attention and delivered on all fronts.

Thank You NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC

A tale of lost and found with a main character so guarded that it takes you a while to get to know her. A clever story that seemed to cross several different flavors of reads that I enjoy. It is more than a "bookshop story that draws in learnings from favorite books." It is more than the story of a young woman with a mysterious past that is told in present time and also by jumping back into her history. It is more than a young woman trying to figure out her way in the world. Woven into the storyline is an ode to the tactile memory we all have as we hold a book in our hands and are transported back to the time/place/moment of reading that book for the first time and the memories that will always be invoked. 

Free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Book is available June 19th.

Lost for Words by Stephanie Butland is Contemporary novel about a book enthusiast named Loveday. Loveday, an introvert woman, works in a second hand bookshop and has a mysterious past. The story unfolds her mysterious past as in the present she learns to let her guard down and find happiness. This book was definitely different from the other books I read. It was a bit more depressing than I anticipated it to be. I found Loveday’s perspective to be refreshing. The chapters alternate from present and past slowly unraveling Loveday’s mysterious past. The author touches upon surviving from traumatic experiences and learning to move on. The characters are unique and lovable/unlikable in their own ways. My favorite character from the book was Archie. He is such a loving caring boss and friend to Loveday. It was wonderful to see the many people who care for Loveday in different ways. I also liked the way the author unfolded Loveday and Nathan’s relationship - it was sweet and realistic. However, I didn’t like how choppy and rushed the ending was. There were a few times in the novel where certain situations felt like they were being prolonged and could have been cut short. Overall, I would recommend this novel to anyone who likes women’s fiction. The book releases on Tuesday 6/19.

I loved this book and will definitely be recommending it to others. Loveday is an endearing character with a wonderful supporting cast.  She makes you laugh and cry, but also to feel and root  for her. Certainly, one of the best books I've read in a long time. Thank you to the author and publisher. I will look forward to another book by this author.

This book snuck up on me. At first Loveday was a quirky bibliophile who loved books but not so much people. Slowly her past was revealed in short flashback chapters that showed us what led her to where we meet her. The book is full of fun characters that do a great job of balancing what could be a very dark book. I was drawn into Loveday’s story and couldn’t put it down.

4.5 Stars, rounded up for all the feels.

This BOOK. My HEART.

Tucked in a corner of York, next to a little cafe, is our home away from home - a second-hand bookshop, Lost For Words.  We meet the larger-than-life, he-of-a-million-stories owner, Archie and our heroine- Loveday.  

It took me a little while to warm up to Loveday and the book overall, but as her story is revealed and we get to meet the cast of characters that frequent the bookshop, I eventually came to love them both.  Loveday does not have much affection or need for people, reasons for which are revealed slowly.  As we start to see her fall for magician Nathan and learn her history with academic Rob, we also learn learn about her past.  A past that seems to have caught up with her in the form of books and postcards that suddenly show up at her refuge, the bookshop.

The chapters jump from present to 15 years in the past to just a few years ago, a technique that I tend to enjoy, little pieces coming together.  There are heavy themes in this book, namely domestic violence and mental illness, themes I think the author could have delved into a bit more.  The latter especially may deserve more of a story line, more of an explanation - but if we take the narrative only though Loveday's eyes and only what she knows, it's understandable.

The end was both heartbreaking and life affirming with lives and stories coming together in a very Dickensian fashion.  Thank you Netgalley for this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is about lost people, lost relationships and lose of self. Loveday loses her family at the age of 10 when her mother kills her Dad during a domestic argument. Placed in foster care she hides all feeling and moves away from people. She begins to work in the bookstore and the owner Archie takes to building her confidence.
The bookstore scenes are wonderful and the reader quickly becomes a part of the struggle. When Loveday begins to go poetry readings small pieces begin to fall away. She also finds old books belonging to her Mother in the book store. The many loses in this story however are not depressing as you watch Loveday begin to accept herself and her life.

I love finding a new author that I can not wait until their next book comes out, That is what happened with my first exposure to Stephanie Butland, and her book Lost for Words Bookshop. ( and to find out she has already written a bunch, bonanza) 
To start with the title is amazing, and what a great name for a bookshop, you would have to stop and wander in. I imagine once you did you would become lost into the possibilities of all the books. This is akin to the book's setup into three topics Poetry, Crime, and History which was a delightful way to get lost in Loveday's world. 
Loveday's life unfolds slowly as we read, we are with her and cheering her on as she is slowly opening up her guarded heart. The characters in the book are wonderful. and multidimensional. and could each hold their own as lead character in a book. I throughly enjoyed this book, I laughed, cried, and hated reaching the end.

I read this book on Kindle, which is a feat in itself.  Although I think I AM getting the hang of it.  I started off liking it because it had a bookstore setting (where I would love to work!) and a quirky character, Loveday, who works in the bookstore.  Turns out this is not just a story about a quirky, and somewhat broken, character who works in a bookstore; it is also a story in which I can see myself in several of the characters.  When that happens, it's magical in a heart-rending, cry at the gym kind of way. (I read most of the book while using the elliptical machine.)  Love the characters, love the way the story developed over time, hated part of the end.  You'll know what I mean when you read it...

There is something special about a book that evokes so much feeling from me that I need tissues near the end. And this is one of those rare books where everything comes together in perfect fashion- fascinating story line, believable characters, lovely setting (what could be lovelier than a bookshop!), and a main character who is vulnerable and strong all at the same time.  I absolutely fell in love with the main character, Loveday, a 25 year old woman who lost both her parents tragically when she was 10.  She works in a second hand bookshop, Lost for Words, and the bookshop is a place for her to hide, but also a place where she heals and moves towards wholeness and forgiveness... and love.  Yes, there is a romance woven among the pages, but the story is more about Loveday's own journey towards revealing her story and her true self to those around her who love her but whom she has been keeping at a distance for fear of losing them to her vulnerability. Highly recommend!

I was able to read this book for free from NetGalley, and am grateful to the publisher and the author for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.