This is a book for lovers of libraries everywhere - when a small town in England in on the brink of closing, the Library assistant and patrons set out to save it. Along the way we're reminded of all the wonderful things a library provides, in addition to books. Add to that a little Cinderella story as June comes into her own and you can't help but love this book.

Libraries are important to any town, city, or village. One sleepy English village demonstrates just how important the library is to them. A wide variety of residents, regular visitors to the library, use it for various things. A homeschooler checks out books to help with his learning and talks about past events with older patrons. An immigrant learning English ways checks out cookbooks to learn to cook. An elderly man visits to read the papers and to visit with others, even helping a teenage girl with her schoolwork. He also gets June’s help with the computer to send emails to his estranged son. It’s no wonder that village drama erupts when their library is threatened with closure.

Still mourning the loss of her mother eight years ago, June is working at the local library. She once had a dream of moving away and going to college and becoming a writer, but she has convinced herself she is happy with her job and home.

June, who has a fear of speaking in public, gets along great with all of the library’s visitors, even the ones who are always complaining. When their library is threatened with closure, June knows how her mom would have reacted to this threat. But June is scared. She wants to be able to stand up for things like her mom used to do. And she is fighting mad that the council has decreed that none of the library’s employees can speak out against the possible closure in any way or even put up ads about opposition meetings.

But June finds her own way to help the situation. And some hilarious things happen along the way.

Women’s fiction is not my normal choice of genres to read. My favorites are horror, mysteries, and thrillers. But this book was awesome! And there was just a bit of mystery in it. I found myself not wanting to put it down because I was enjoying it so much. Lighthearted yet serious, this is a book that keeps you on the edge of your seat yet leaves you feeling great. I recommend reading it while drinking a cup of coffee or your favorite tea.

Heartwarming story about a young woman learning to embrace life and the power of libraries in changing communities. The side characters are different patrons who regularly visit the library. And I loved this endearing cast and thought it was pretty accurate to what I’ve experienced working in libraries. There are some patrons who are annoying but you also feel a fondness for them. The romance in this was weakly developed but it was still cute.

If you love libraries, small English towns, and a quirky cast of characters, I think you’ll find this charming and fun.

I absolutely ADORED this book and the changes it brought to June's life. As a librarian I really felt June and felt like the fate of the library was in my hands too.

I feel like I’ve read at least three books this year with the storyline of ‘saving the library from closing down’, so I wanted something with a different take on that. Unfortunately this one was pretty mainstream and predictable.

June Jones has been the librarian in her small town since she left university after her mother’s death. She doesn’t have any social life/close friends and has the same day every day. But after the city announces that the library would be closed, she joins a motley crew of library patrons to stop the closure. Also, her classmate Alex is back in the village.

Like I mentioned, this book is predictable, but I wanted to read something stress free and this book met those expectations. It was slow to build up and the characters were cliché, but it was wholesome on the whole.

I picked this book up because I needed a change of pace from my normal selection of mysteries and thrillers. I was in the mood for a "lighter" sort of read and the idea of reading a book set in the library was just too much for me to resist. I'm sure that long time readers of this blog are perfectly aware that the library is one of my very favorite places in the entire world. If not, now you know. I adore the library, was in the mood for a bit of a romance, and decided that this book was exactly what I was in the mood for. Happily enough, this book fit the bill although I wouldn't say that it is a romance - just to be clear there. Instead, this book focuses on June Jones who is a painfully shy librarian living her life in books. As the reader we really get to know June throughout the pages of this book. I wasn't sure how I felt about her first because she just didn't seem to have any spine at all. I understand social anxiety, but I couldn't quite relate to her inability to stand up or have a voice for herself whatsoever no matter the situation. But regardless, I came to understand her more and really appreciated how much she grew throughout the pages. There is something to be said about a book where you just feel safe while reading it no matter what happens. I grew to care about all of the characters and wasn't ready to say goodbye to them at the end. And I was just so darn proud of June by the end of this book!

Overall, I enjoyed my time with this book and these characters. I think it leans more towards women's fiction rather than romance if that matters to you as a reader. This book is both a love letter to libraries and to books themselves. Readers who enjoy quieter books, those who enjoy character focused reads, and those who enjoy just a good read should pick this book up. It's one that has stayed with me and left me eager to read more by this author. Recommended!

Bottom Line: A book that fit my reading mood perfectly and with characters whom I couldn't help but grow to care about.

Disclosure: I won a copy of this book thanks to a Goodread's giveaway. Honest thoughts are my own.

After the death of her mother, library assistant June Jones lives a very quiet life in the sleepy English village where she grew up. However, when her local library is threatened with closure, June must open up her life to other people in order to save the place that means so much to her.

I love books about books, and this was definitely a love letter to libraries. I liked June’s journey throughout the book, and I loved the cast of characters. It was a quick listen, and I adore the cover!

Thanks to @NetGalley and Berkely for my ARC!

June Jones is perfectly content with her life just the way it is; working as a Library Assistant at the library is her small town, imagining fantastical backstories for those she encounters throughout her days, then curling up at home with a good book. That is until her beloved library is threatened to be shutdown. June finds herself torn between following her boss's orders or fighting for the library that she practically grew up in. Her world spirals as she comes to the realization that she has no life experiences outside of her work. When her library patrons—the few people she interacts with—thinks that she has turned into a library traitor, she finds herself searching for the human interaction she never realized she needed. Then in walks her old school acquaintance Alex Chen...
As any typical book enthusiast, I love to read books about books. Freya Sampson has provided readers with a book that pulls on the heart strings of any librarian; threats of library closures and fighting for libraries. The author did a good job portraying how libraries are used everyday by the community for needs well beyond books. My bibliophile heart grew a size.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
#TheLastChanceLibrary #NetGalley

It's another quirky librarian who saves the day! I'm starting to get a little self-conscious; are all librarians quirky and maybe we don't know it? This book was sweet, as one would expect, with a cast of offbeat characters in a small town and a side of romance. Unfortunately, this formula has been used a lot recently, so I knocked off a star in my rating for the 'been there, done that' feeling.

June is the quirky librarian in a small village she has lived in her entire 30-year-old life. Her mother worked there before she passed away, so June has a lot to protect when she learns that the library is going to be closed. And so do the many patrons of the library who rely on it for books and so much more.

My thanks to Berkley Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I recently finished The Last Chance Library and the overall feel of the book, was very much a love letter to libraries. I'm going to use librarians to encompass all library employees, but please know, it absolutely does not.

I've worked in libraries since high school *mumbles incoherently* years ago and have attended countless trainings on inherent bias, homelessness, customer service, access for all, to name a few.

This story is about mouse- like June, who works in a small town library. They receive the news the library is possibly going to close, so a band of misfit library users come together to fight for their library.

This is very focused on June's growth, but there is so much packed in the crevices about the impact of a library in a community. There is a dash of romance, but it kind of becomes a fifth wheel, when compared to the rest of the story lines.

One thing this book gets absolutely right is how hard libraries are judged by statistics. I know many libraries are fighting for grants as those big zeros during closures deeply impact everything.

A book for book lovers - always a good choice! Loved the concept of this one nad it was a sweet and enjoyable read!

June put her life on hold when her mother got sick and nothing has changed in ten years. She's now working at the local library, where her mother was librarian for many years, and the local council wants to close the library. So June and a group of patrons from the village set out to keep the library open.

A somewhat predictable story with a (predictably) happy ending (although maybe not exactly what you expect), but I really liked this book. The beauty is in the characters -- sweet June who really needs to change her life, cranky Ms. B, Stanley who spends every day in the library, Chantel who uses the library to escape her crowded home, Jackson who writes poetry and loves research, and Alex who may or may not be a potential love interest. Every one is engaging and believable. I really enjoyed this book, who cares if it's a bit sappy and predictable. So fun to read and, as a plus, it's a wonderful homage to local libraries and all they do for the people and the community.

This was a super cute and heartfelt book. While I loved the characters and storyline it did seem a bit predictable. I enjoyed it but I don’t think it’s one that will be too memorable a year from now. Thank you netgalley for my free copy

A delightful story emphasizing the importance of libraries, particularly in small communities. In a small English village, June is a library assistant, following in her late mother’s footsteps. After her mother’s death, June isolates herself socially, but continues her work at the library. When the local council threatens to close six local libraries, including June’s, a group of quirky but dedicated library users band together to fight the closure. I really liked the characters, as well as the addition of some bittersweet moments. I recommend this book and thank NetGalley for the ARC.

I’m going to admit right off the bat that when I started reading this book, I had a reaction. You could argue it was not a nice reaction but dammit, I’m tired of stereotypes when it comes to librarians! (I’m looking at you Tomes Scones and Crones.)

But there is also a thing I’m not shy or an introvert. Well, sometimes I can get shy but people read that as being standoffish. But introvert? Not to the point of June.

But perhaps is that because I’m not like June that initially I had a hard time sympathizing with her. “SPEAK UP, WOMAN!” I wanted to yell at her. “GET YOURSELF TOGETHER!” “GROW A PAIR!”

As I got more and more frustrated, I came to the conclusion that I cannot dismiss someone in so much pain and someone whose lost their way.

And that is the genius of Sampson’s work to get you to fall in love with June and want her to become herself and grow while at the same time not seeing overly sappy and sweet. It’s a tight balance to become a real, living, and breathing character as opposed to becoming a caricature.

June grew on me and I went from being grumpy about her to cheering her on. I’m not going to lie but the ending made me cry and June makes choices that you didn’t think she would make, namely how she chooses to liver her life but that’s the good about the book: it is sweetly surprising. Also, the slight romance really does help June grow and become more confident.

If you’re looking for a book that’s sweet and a bit warm to the heart and not complicated, it’s this book. The story is not going to excite you or make you want to change your life but that’s totally okay. Sometimes all we need in our is that sweetness and heart when the world seems so bleak and tired.

This was a quick and fantastic read. It’s what I call a comfy book, you just want to curl up with it. June works as a library assistant in the village library, and then find out that the library might get closed. June is very shy and has a hard time speaking up, but she needs to come out of her shell to save her library. With the villagers up in arms about the closure and a boss who’s on the way to retirement, June is surrounded by people who need her. Can she find her voice? Many of the other characters have stories to set them apart from the others. Love the interaction with Alex, who is back to help with the family restaurant, about books. Who doesn’t like to discuss books and discover new ones?

June Jones had planned to leave her home town for university, but a family emergency kept her in Chalcot, the small English village, and she developed a solitary existence working at the library and spending time immersed in books. As her world shrank, so did her self-confidence. Yet, she adhered to her routine, and she loved her job, even though her boss, Marjorie, was insufferable.

Her ordered existence, however, is disrupted when the council announced budget constraints would lead to closing some of the libraries in the district. At first, June avoids explicitly aligning with “FOCL” (Friends of Chalcot Library), but watching the devoted patrons fighting for the library and understanding all the ways the library is essential to them inspires her to take a stand for what she believes. Her new friendships make her realize her loneliness, and she even rekindles communication with Alex Cheng, a classmate from London in town helping at his family’s restaurant. Despite June’s efforts and the rising community support, powerful forces are at work behind the scenes against the library.

I loved the library setting and all the library denizens. They were interesting secondary characters who showed that libraries are more than repositories of books. Once their backstories were revealed, they also challenged stereotypes. I also liked the age diversity—a precocious young boy to an elderly man and everything in between.

June at times frustrated me, she was so conflict-averse. On the one hand, I share that trait so empathize. On the other, June really let Marjorie take advantage of her and demand inappropriate personal tasks.

While there is a romance between June and Alex, it’s not the focus of the book, and I even wish that there had been more scenes with him. The book reminded me more of A MAN CALLED OVE or ALL THE LONELY PEOPLE told from a thirty-year-old’s perspective.

I love any story that deals with saving libraries and this one did not disappoint. Took a while for me to warm up to June as she seemed so very, very naive and it's hard to believe someone these days would not be more in tune to life. The library patrons were so intriguing and Stanley was my absolute favorite. The story became quite emotional towards the end (have kleenex nearby). Can't wait to read this one again.

Set in a small village in England, this novel follows June Jones who works for the library and is crushed, along with the local residents, when it is threatened with closure. As a cost cutting measure, the authorities have chosen to close some of the smaller libraries and the plot follows the efforts of the townfolk to prove their library is essential to the village and should be kept open.

There is a colorful cast of characters who start a campaign to increase circulation and prove the library is vital to the community. These include old timers and even teens who are regular patrons, desperate to preserve the institution. June is overly shy but supports the efforts to save her library unfortunately she is banned from openly showing where her sympathies lie. This takes a further toll on her, but maybe she can surreptitiously help behind the scenes.

Reading this is like watching a Masterpiece Theater drama of small towns of the English countryside. It’s the local characters that infuse the story with life. They bring vitality to the story as they stage a sit-in and try to save the place they consider a home away from home.

Library lovers will find this story charming. It will raise the hackles of all who have watched libraries in their own area face closure over time. Long after one finishes reading, the charming characters will linger as champions for the little library they love.

When I saw that The Last Chance Library was a book about libraries, communities and friendship, I couldn't wait to dive in. This book was the perfect weekend read and was just the "feel good" book I didn't know I needed.

June, the main character, has led a quiet and quite isolated life and so when the future of her local library that has been her cocoon for so long, becomes at risk of losing funding, she comes out of her shell and bands together with other community members to make a difference.

As June raises her voice to make change, her own life begins to change as well. I so enjoyed this feel good story and the eccentric characters within in. The story is heartwarming and a reminder of how we really are better together.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing for my gifted review copy. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.