Run don't walk to get your hands (and eyes) on this book!

Valentina (Val) Baker's husband has left her. She is no stranger to the loss of a relationship. When she was a teenager, her mother, Eloise, suddenly left and moved back to her native, London leaving Val behind. Val has never recovered from it. When she receives word that her mother has passed away, and left Val her Primrose Hill apartment and the deed to a bookshop! A bookshop! Val is a librarian who never knew her mother owned a bookstore.

Val, like her mother, flees to London, to learn more about her mother and hopefully get some answers. What she finds is a community. She meets those in her mother's life and even makes it as mission to save The Book Garden, her mother's bookstore.

Wowza! Such a wonderful and captivating book. I loved the scavenger hunt(s) in this book. I also loved learning about both Eloise and Val's lives. Both women's stories and timelines were equally compelling.

This was such a beautiful, heartfelt, heartbreaking, and endearing book about love, secrets, grief, decisions, missed opportunities and second chances. What happens when life gets in the way of true happiness? Boy, there was one scene where I wanted to yell "No, don't do it. Choose happiness"

This book is beautifully written and dripping with all the feels. Believe the hype! It is so well deserved. Plus, who doesn't love a book set in a bookshop?

Wow! Is all I can say. I have not read too many of her books but out of the ones I have read, this is my favorite! This book played out like a movie in my mind while reading it. I can see this being made into a movie.

I fell in love with this book. My favorite book thus far this year!

Who doesn't want to go on a scavenger hunt after reading this book? Sign me up please!

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

WITH LOVE FROM LONDON is an easy to read, heartfelt story about love lost and found, family and friends, and a quaint book shop in London. I enjoyed the dual POVs and appreciated both Eloise and Valentina’s voices and stories. Sarah Jio’s writing is lovely and her characters enjoyable. I found a few aspects of this story a bit unrealistic and cliche, so it wasn’t overall my favorite recent read. But I would recommend it for those who love London, book stores, or anyone who enjoys women’s fiction surrounding mothers and daughters.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC I received in exchange for my honest review.

Opening the (virtual, in my case) pages of With Love from London felt like being transported fully into the narrative. Following her divorce, Valentina travels to Primrose Hill where her estranged mother, Eloise, has left her a bookstore. Valentina finds a fresh start for herself amidst the Primrose Hill community’s memories of her mother.

Valentina always felt abandoned by Eloise, but uncovering pieces of her mom’s life allows her to begin to understand that there was more to the story. The community that welcomes Valentina is wonderful and heartwarming. Although a bit cliched, I loved seeing them all come together to try to make the bookstore a success.

I was also enchanted with the second storyline, that of a young Eloise growing up in London. Her story intertwines both the glamor she experiences as she goes on dates, and also the intense sadness and pain she undergoes while trying to secure a better life for herself. Her story became much darker as the book went on, and I felt that this was glossed over and did not really do her character justice. The ending in general felt rather rushed to me, and I wished that the romance had been more well developed – I didn’t feel much chemistry from the characters and it struck me as odd that this book is classified as a romance.

This is such a beautifully written story., I was enthralled from the start. A Mom who left her teenage daughter and husband and went to London, has died, leaving her daughter, now in the process of getting a divorce, the opportunity to start over and take over her life in London. Her apartment and a charming book store. Secrets are revealed, emotions are finally out in the open. and need to be acted on. Loved this story.

Big big BIG love for this great book that weaved the main character's personal history with her recent divorce and new friends, love and business. This book was so sweet and I couldn't put it down.

Told in alternating timelines we have Valentina and Eloise’s stories. Valentina's life is falling apart - she’s in her 30s and going through a divorce when her estranged mother dies and leaves Valentina her apartment and bookshop in London. Valentina is shocked as she hasn’t heard from her mom since she left when Valentina was young, but she wants to learn more about her mom so she heads to London where she begins to piece together her mom’s life. In the other timeline, we learn Eloise’s story from her twenties, to marrying Valentina’s father, and eventually learning more about why she left.

London is one of my favorite cities in the world and is a place where I personally experienced one of the most transformative periods of my life…so a story where a woman in her 30s embarks on a life changing trip to London that leads to so much self-discovery was everything I didn’t know I needed. Let’s start with how this is a beautiful love letter to London. I adored reading about Primrose Hill and this book made me want to take a trip across the pond. Eloise and Valentina’s stories were beautiful. Heartbreaking at times, inspiring at others, this book had so much to say about finding yourself and giving yourself the opportunity to really be yourself and find your passions. I loved the bookstagram references, I loved the side characters, I loved everything about this book. What an emotional and heartwarming book, I will be recommending this one to everyone I know.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the advanced copy.

I was pretty disappointed by this book. The characters were flat and stereotypical, and the writing fairly juvenile. It definitely wasn't my taste, but I wouldn't not recommend it to someone looking for women's fiction set in London or about a librarian/bookseller.

*ARC for honest review*
loved loved loved loved!!! took me awhile to come on here and review but this was a really good read and would recommend

Wow this book is so amazing and by far my favorite of Sarah Jio's books!!!!!!! I loved reading this book and getting to know Valentina and her mother Eloise and seeing how this heartbreaking but beautiful story unfolds.

"𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯, 𝘴𝘢𝘺, 𝘢 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘦, 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮. 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘴 𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘬, 𝘢 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘴, 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵? 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘪𝘹𝘵𝘺-𝘴𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯, 𝘢 𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥, 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘴."

Yes, there is romance in this novel but it isn't a romcom. It's a story of second acts, of complicated relationships and of found family. That books play a huge role is an added bonus! With a cast of wonderful characters and some surprising plot twists, I found myself completely absorbed into this delight of a story, which reminds us it's never too late to re-write the next chapter our own.

"𝘔𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭 𝘐'𝘥 𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 - 𝘢 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦, 𝘢 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦, 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦, 𝘢 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺."

This was my first read by Sarah Jio and won't be my last. Thanks to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the copy to review.

Valentina Baker, 35, has recently divorced Nick after 12 years of marriage. He is an attorney and left her for his 23-year-old paralegal, Missy.

Valentina then learns that her mother, Eloisa, has passed away in London. Eloisa left her and her father back when she was 12-years-old and Valentina never saw her again.

Eloisa owned a home in Primrose Hill in London along with a bookstore. Valentina is a total book nerd and a librarian, and now she heads to London as Eloisa left all this to her.

Eloisa and her best friend, Millie, lived in London in 1968 and were enjoying meeting new people and having great experiences.

In London, Valentina is delighted to meet Millie and loves the bookshop. However, she is worried that she may lose it all as there is a huge tax bill due and she needs to find a way to pay it. She also finds notes and a scavenger hunt her mother left her.

The book is such a warm, cozy read. The characters are perfectly portrayed and the plot is charming. I didn’t want to give away too much of the story, but suffice to say I really enjoyed it and hope others will as well.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I loved this book. Just as the author promised in the forward, this book delivered me to a safe place where I could just enjoy the story. And now I am itching to see London. I never really thought about it before but the descriptions were so vivid. Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read the ARC. I thoroughly enjoyed the book!

A heartwarming story about long lost loves, friendships, and the love between a mother and daughter. I loved the dual POV between Valentina and Eloise and felt that it helped readers really get to know both characters better. Such a great storyline! I can't wait to read more from Sarah Jio. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC.

Valentina Baker is having a bad day. She woke up and found out that her husband has left. He left a note that was short, but she knew immediately what it meant, even before she found his new girlfriend on Instagram with her #madeforeachother posts. But she wasn’t completely devastated until she got the call from London. An attorney was calling to tell her that her mother had died.

Val hadn’t spoken to her mother in a long time, not since she had left Val and her father when Val was only 12. She had spent years trying to understand how her mother could have left like that, but she could never wrap her head around it, or her heart. Val stayed in L.A. with her father and their housekeeper Bonnie, and grew up to become a librarian. She got married and moved to Seattle. And that’s where it all fell apart.

Her mother had moved back to London, and now Val is following in her footsteps. She left Val the building that she owned, and Val isn’t at all sure that it’s something she wants until she learns that there are a couple of apartments on the second and third floors but the bottom floor is a bookstore. Learning that, Val is in and soon finds herself flying over the ocean, to the part of London known as Primrose Hill.

In her mother’s apartment, Val finds a first edition of A Room of One’s Own by her mother’s bed. She had always wanted a first edition of it, so she immediately reaches out for it. As she picks it up, a letter falls out. It’s for her, from her mother. Along with a lovely connection to her mother, the letter is the start to a scavenger hunt, something that she had done for Val often when she’d been a kid. Now, her mother has left a trail for Val around her favorite part of the city, and she has to figure out her mother’s clues to find out where to go next.

She meets her lodger Liza and her mother’s best friend and partner in the bookstore Millie when she finally goes into the bookstore. Immediately she falls in love with the tall shelves of books and comfortable chairs throughout the store. And then she sees it, a book that she had loved when she first read it. She pulls it off the shelf and takes it to read later. And she finds the next letter of her scavenger hunt. But there is more to the book than just that letter. There are annotations throughout that echo Val’s own feelings about the book, thoughtful comments that resonate with her. And there is a name, Daniel, and a phone number in the front of the book.

As Val walks the sidewalks her mother walked on, meet her mother’s friends, read her books, and solve the puzzles she left behind, Val finds herself healing. She finds that she’s learning to accept that her mother had reasons for what she chose to do. She finds that she may be open to finding love again, and even tries to track down the man who wrote those notes in her book.

But then she finds out that she has 6 months to come up with enough money to pay off the estate taxes on the building. Val can’t afford the payment on her own. But maybe, with the help of some new friends and the book community that her mother had grown, maybe Val can figure out a way to earn the money to stay in the lovely life her mother left her.

With Love from London is a beautifully crafted story of love lost and found, of second chances, and of the power of stories to heal the spirit. Told in alternating viewpoints of Val and her mother, this story unfolds in layers of understanding, of challenges, of creating dreams. Author Sarah Jio has brought these characters to life with a vivid grace, and each page sings with warmth and sweetness.

I was so moved by this book. There are so many layers of love that it is just simply restorative. If you feel like you’re losing your faith in humanity or need healing from a bad relationship, you can turn to With Love from London and find so many moments that will repair your soul. As you get deeper into the story, the warmth blooms like spices being warmed for a comfort dish. This is the book version of comfort food, and I loved every page of it. It’s the perfect read to give to a friend going through a hard time or just to curl up with yourself to restore your soul. Highly recommended!

Egalleys for With Love from London were provided by Ballentine Books through NetGalley, with many thanks.

I'm soooo glad I picked this up. There was so much about it that angered me (I can't discuss without spoiling) but when I immersed myself in the book and read it for what it is--a story--I absolutely fell in love. Now please give me a sequel!

This is my kind of romance novel! WITH LOVE FROM LONDON is a great read for readers who want an escape. Of course, I live in London so am I biased? I was entranced from start to finish and was so happy when I read the last page. This book is inspirational, heartbreaking, and thought-provoking. It takes place in Primrose Hill - the fancy smancy area :)

When a librarian inherits a bookshop from her estranged mother, she moves halfway across the world and embarks on a journey of self-discovery. If you want a feel-good read - this is for you!

For anyone looking for a romance with heart, Sarah Jio's latest book, With Love from London, provides plenty. Valentina inherits her estranged mother Eloise's apartment and bookstore in the quaint Primrose Hill neighborhood.

With her mother's death and a gut-wrenching divorce behind her, she finds no other choice but to fly to England and discover what's awaiting her overseas. She's hoping to find answers about why her mother disappeared from their California home when Val was merely 12 years old and if a new life in London could be the answer to her woes.

I've read all of Jio's books and even remember her articles from Glamour magazine way back when. I love her writing style and the stories she comes up with, many times about lost love and finding new love along the way. This story provides two plotlines, one about Eloise and what led up to her leaving Val, and Val's current story. You'll meet a range of different characters with Val's new neighborhood and bookstore the shining stars of the book.

Although at times I could predict where the plot was going, I found this story entertaining. Sometimes, the book feels sad, but it's really a love story between a mother and a daughter. In fact, this book encompasses many love stories including the love of bookstores, which is right up my alley. One of the major plot points is about the bookstore, a dream of Eloise's that threatens to be stolen away from librarian Val.

This is perfect for the upcoming Valentine's Day (could this be why Valentina is named as such?), book lovers, and will renew your faith that love is alive in many forms and in unexpected ways. Despite some sad or tragic circumstances, the story will warm your heart. Like I said, I've read all of Jio's books, so I was eager to read this, and I was not disappointed. Maybe it's my great love of a good bookstore and books in general, but I think this is one of her best.

Eggplant. She kept using the word eggplant...in England. I would be be able to let it go if it was the American saying it but a bore and raised British citizen said "I know this place know for it's eggplant". Ma'am the word you are looking for is aubergine. It was small things like this that made you realize the author is an American trying to write British characters but didn't do much research into the language of the British. (She had a professor mention an "end of semester paper"....the don't call them semesters in England.
This book was a little too unrealistic for me. The reason why her mom wasn't in her life, just doesn't really make sense. And the magic last minute hail Mary that saved the shop? I mean really

The story was cute, but just not done well I guess.

In WITH LOVE FROM LONDON, Sarah Jio has crafted a sweeping tale that is as every bit romantic as it is life-affirming. When the recently divorced Valentina Baker inherits a mysterious bookstore in London after her estranged mother's passing, she decides to take the chance and fly halfway around the world to Primrose Hill. There, she embarks on a journey to learn more about her mother (through a very charming scavenger hunt via clues left behind from her mom that will charm any literary lover), while learning more about herself. The dual timeline alternation between Valentina in present day and her mother Eloise's story allows us to piece together a mystery about these two women, watching with eagerly baited-breath as Valentina realizes she has more in common with her mother than she'd have ever thought. With gorgeous prose and utterly transportive scenery, reading WITH LOVE FROM LONDON feels as though you're strolling the charming Primrose Hill streets yourself - you'll never want to leave. Highly recommend!

This book in 3 words: Wonderful. Sincere. Beautiful. 

Valentina, librarian and bookstagram enthusiast, inherits a bookstore (and much more) due to her mother passing away. Dealing with a recent split from her husband, Valentina heads to London to learn more about the mother who left her behind at the age of 12. 

I 100% recommend this book. The writing is stunning, the characters are interesting and have you invested from the start, and it's just so swoon. With Love from London will end up being one of my favorite reads of the year... I don't care how early it is. SUCH A BEAUTIFUL BOOK!

Told from 2 different timelines and POV's, Sarah Jio weaves them together like a queen, creating such a touching story about love, family ties, loss, and changing priorities. At times, I feel like the 2 POV style is a bit overdone and unoriginal, but that isn't the case here. I loved the writing style. 

After this book, I couldn't help but start thinking about taking a trip to London. The setting and description is strong and entices the reader throughout. I could go on and on about how good this story is... but you'll have to find out for yourself. 

Big thanks to NetGalley, Sarah Jio, and Ballantine Books. I was given an ARC in exchange for an honest review.