Absolutely adored this one. I ended up listening to the audiobook, and it was great. This is one of my all time top books, and I am so glad to read it. The small town, cozy vibes were just what I needed from this. The writing was easy to follow, and not complicated, but still very intriguing. The side characters were also fantastic and added a lot to the story.

I love a book about books and book people (don't we all?) so I knew I would love this. June is a delightfully charming main character, and her supporting cast is just as lovable.

This wasn't quite a home run for me because I had read several OMG Amazing books recently, but it was perfectly pleasant.

Oh my, this book! It definitely resonated with me, as I am also a librarian and extremely introvert. This was such a lovely, heart warming story. I’ll remember it for years to come. I have many patrons I can think of, who will absolutely enjoy this book.

As an employee at my local library, I loved the plot of this book, as saving libraries is one of my passions. I could see myself being like June. I enjoyed every minute of reading this book. The author did a great job with the character development and how they all formed a group with a shared passion. There was humor and depth to the story, even some romance. I will highly recommend this book!

"This was one of her favorite parts of the day, before Marjorie and the patrons turned up, when it was just her and seven thousand books for company. She liked to walk around the room, breathing in the heavy, still air, and sometimes when she closed her eyes, June imagined she could hear the books whispering their stories to one another."

I absolutely ADORED The Last Chance Library by Freya Sampson. This debut novel was brilliant and was like a big hug at the end of the day that made me smile and cry profusely. Thank you to Berkley Publishing for the gifted copy!

June Jones is 30 and working as a library assistant at Chalcot Library, the same library where her mother was a well-known librarian. After her mother passed a few years prior, June has been in a rut. She once had dreams of leaving town, going to university, and becoming a writer and full-time librarian, but they never panned out. Now, Chalcot Library is being threatened with closure by the local council, and June finally has a chance to speak up and make a difference in her life.

This book features a cast of quirky and eclectic characters that will steal your heart. It emphasizes how special and unique libraries are and made me think of my own early memories of visiting the local library with my grandpa. That's why I connected so much with the character of Stanley! (I'm not crying).

After loving this debut, I am SO EXCITED for Freya's next book, The Lost Ticket, coming this August 30! (Just in time for my birthday!)

Predictably Cute and oh so Heartwarming.

If you’re looking for a book to make you laugh and smile, The Last Chance Library is it.

June Jones is a Library Assistant who has never stepped out of her comfort zone. Moving back home many moons ago to take care of her ailing mother, who has since passed away, June has never truly lived or done anything with her life. The Chalcot Library is everything to her, as are the patrons.

When the town threatens to close the library, everyone is up in arms. A campaign called FOCL (Friends of Chalcot Library) is then started to save it.

This, of course, gives June a chance. A chance to do something, to make a difference, and to find herself.

The Last Chance Library was a sweet, heartwarming novel that was just what I needed during difficult times.

Thanks to Elisha at Berkley Publishing Group for the arc.


Review posted to blog: https://books-are-a-girls-best-friend.com/ and to Goodreads and Twitter.

The Last Chance Library is a book that follows June, a librarian who has been stuck in a rut for years. The library where she works and where her late mother worked is under threat of closure. June and a clan of misfits come together to save the library.

This story fell flat for me. Unfortunately, I did not fall in love with June. She felt like a passive character who let so much of the world around her fall as it may. I noticed slight hints at tremendous growth for June, but the climax did not deliver the punch I anticipated.

I loved the community aspect of the story, and I wished to hear more of the stories of these unique voices. There were other members of the community that I may have been more invested in had we listened to this story from their perspective. It was a cozy book and a light read. It would be a perfect summer cafe read.

This was a lovely and charming book. I really enjoyed it! Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for an ARC.

Thank you to the publisher for the gifted copy in exchange of an honest review. I loved how cute and sweet this book felt. It was a very heartwarming story about June and her growth as she bands together with her community to save the library that she knows and loves. A little love, loss, sorrow and happiness.

There were a few different characters in this story that I just grew to love. Each character brought something unique to the story and to June's life and growth. I loved how the author allowed for June to adapt and change to her wants and joys. So many people find solace in a library that this story felt very relevant and fitting to our society. With more and more technology, libraries are becoming less and less needed.

This story was not a love story between people so much as it was a love story between a woman and her own passions. I love how she was able to find herself and make friends with so many different people. She was able to fight for her own choices and to grow that ability to persevere. Truly a warm and moving story, there are moments that catch you by surprise and you feel elated about the joy of a small community banding together.

THE LAST CHANCE LIBRARY was a sweet and enjoyable read with heart. This book is perfect for book lovers who like to read about other book lovers...and really...who doesn't?

I wasn't aware that they were British not that it's a problem with that but I have to prepare myself for the culture shock.

This book wasn't exactly what I was expecting. It wasn't just about a town of book lovers banding together to save their local library from closure, it was also about friendship and even a budding romance. Not a romance story lover myself. Still, the story was entertaining and would make for a great summer or vacation beach read. Or even a sweet read over the winter. It's well written and had interesting charcters and plot. Setting was nice, too, small town in Britain. And, of course, any book about books, libraries, and book stores will always draw in lovers of those things!

The Last Chance Library by Freya Sampson was a sweet book to start 2022. It follows June who has worked at the local village library for years. June is a quiet young woman who took over her mother's job at the library and lives in the home her mother left behind when she died. She gave up her dreams of university and a career as a writer when her mother was sick, and she's never gone back. Now, her beloved library is threatened by bureaucracy. The council wants to close the library and sell the building; a mobile library will have to suffice. June is heartbroken, as are her many library patrons who have come to depend on the innumerable services the library provides. Encouraged by these people who have become her makeshift family, June begins to fight for the library's future, but it may cost her job in the process.

This book is darling. June is a sheltered, sad character, and it is sweet to watch her grow. The assorted characters that join with her, and the few that fight on the other side, are fun to read and full of heart. I love how well this book highlights the many functions libraries perform. It's not all about checking out books. There are so many forms of media that people find useful as well as help with government forms, the use of technology, and a sense of community. I love my library and I've missed being able to spend more time in it the last two years. Libraries are a wonderful resource and a gift to our communities that I fully support. I hope you will do the same.

Lovely book with engaging characters. Charming, Heartfelt . With a wonderful plot.
Very well done.

loved the library love, but everything else didn't really do much for me. parts of it felt a little dated and to be honest, i was annoyed that Marjorie didn't really get her comeuppance? yeah, she loved the library but she was a TERRIBLE boss. sending June out to stop the stripper at her daughter's bachelorette party? absurd. (also ties in with parts of this feeling dated.)

it's a light-hearted read though which was nice.

If The Hallmark Channel published books, this would be at the top of their list. A predictable story about a library assistant in an English village, stuck in the past, mourning her long-dead mother and afraid of change, The Last Chance Library is a good choice for readers who like a happy ending. The elements of an entertaining drama are all here — a smart and pretty young woman who has not tapped into her full potential, a few brash older women, a delightful 80 year old man with a few secrets of his own and a crisis that involves them all.
Due to budgetary constraints the town is going to shut down the library. The library is more than just books, it is a valuable community resource, and it is only when it is threatened that the whole town comes to this realization. There are, of course, a few greedy businessmen, some blockheaded bureaucrats and a diverse and lovable crew of townspeople. And naturally there is a love story that doesn’t play out til almost the last page.
If you aren't expecting to explore any new ground, you may well enjoy this tribute to books as a means to bring us together.

I’m still catching up on some netgalleys from last year when I decided to read the Last Chance Library. This book is like a beautiful love letter to the library!

June Jones is a homebody content to live her life the way she always has. After her mom passed away, she keeps her head down and goes about her own business. Her life is shook when it’s announced that several local libraries will be shutting down due to budget cuts. This means June will lose her job. She joins with a band of locals to protest to the closings, but she is forbidden to as a library employee.

She helps secretly with the help of her old school friend Alex, who is a lawyer. She also befriends Stanley, an older patron of the library. Libraries are so much more than just books. They help people with schoolwork and computers. They help people with language skills and learning new hobbies.

Thank you so much to @berkleypub and @freyasampsonauthor for my copy. This book is out now and would make a perfect book to read on a cold day. It’s extremely heartwarming!

I ended up listening to the audio version of this book but DNF it.

The story sounded like one I would love but, I found the narration, by Nathalie Pownall, disappointing. The June character and the way she came across on audio turned me off from the beginning. I tried to persist but she quickly became an unsympathetic childish character to me. I then tired the eBook but, the overall story was ruined by my initial impressions of June. DNF

"Libraries are boats/ And the books are life jackets / Without them we'll drown."

"But here's the thing-- wherever I ended up, and however much trouble I was in, there was always a library. A place that was safe and warm and dry, where no one would judge me. Libraries were my only light in some very dark times."

What an absolutely precious story this was. It's an ode to putting yourself out there and being brave and vulnerable. It's a story of community connections and love and a story of hope. But above all this is a beautiful and moving love letter to the power and importance of libraries.

I adored this one.