With Love from London combines light post-divorce revenge lit with deeper, more meaningful messages about grief, Told in two time periods by two different narrators-- an estranged mother and daughter-- author Sarah Jio skills weaves the heartbreaking story of a mother/daughter part together with warmth and memory. A charming booshop in London provides the backdrop for this tale of lost love, unfortunate life choices and new romance. There are some plot holes & wishful thing on the part of the writer, but the winning cast of characters and snappy dialogue make up for those. A cozy winter read.

Just read this wonderful story of love that defies the ages. Love of a partner, love of a child. Loved how she incorporated the books as she told the story.

Thank you Netgalley for an ARC copy of the book in exchange for an honest review of the book. I am not sure where to begin with loving this book. Which storyline did I like better - Eloise or Valentina? I am not sure because at the conclusion of each chapter I wanted to flip the page to find out what happened next. Needless to say, I read the book in just 3 short days. One of the things I love best about books is when an author introduces me to something new and I have to run to Google to find out more. I had to Google Royal Automobile Club because I had never heard of it. It is now on my bucket list if I ever make it to London.

I still have some lingering questions - Was Frank so possessive? His sister hints at some answers but Ms. Jio leaves us wondering. How was Valentina's relationship with her father after Eloise left? Was the flower section of The Book Garden successful? Why didn't Eloise ever make friends in California? Why didn't Bonnie confess more details about Frank to Eloise after her arrival?

If you are on the fence, purchase this book. You will not regret it.

Ballantine,
Thank You for this sweet romance eARC!

With Love From London by Sarah Jio
Is my first Jio books!
And it was the greatest read.

When a librarian Valentina inherits a bookshop from her estranged mother, that takes her across the world where is she will discover herself and have a loving relationship with her family.

When Valentina was a kid her mother unexpectedly up and left to go across to the world to London.
Leaving her dad and Val on their own.
Now she is recently divorced and in her thirties she feels uneasy about her life.
The hurt from her mothers abandonment is still fresh to this day.

Val receives some upsetting news that her mother Eloise has suddenly passed away, leaving Val her Primrose Hill apartment and the deed to a bookshop Val never knew she'd owned.
Even though this news is very devastating, Val is determined to to find out who her mother really was.
She sets off a cross a world wide travel from Seattle for a new life in beautiful London.
When she settles into her new life in London, Val finally gets to see some pieces of who Eloise really was.
She finds that The Book Garden is in trouble and about to go under.
While on this quest Val will learn more about her mom but also discover some truths of her own along the way.

Mini Review:
Jio has managed, yet again, to write an another amazing novel!
With Love From London was a heartfelt and uplifting novel of discovery.
The characters are simply a joy and learning more about Val and her mom was something special.
In alternate chapters, we get a picture of Eloise through her early life as a mother and wife in Seattle and her life later in London. 
The description here is so beautifully done.
Honestly it has me wanting to jump on a plane and head for London!

Such a pleasure to have the chance to read this eARC.
Thank you again to the Publisher, NG and Author!

Not my favorite of the books I've read in the past by Sarah Jio. But With Love from London was a heart-warming story of the past and the present.

5is book was sent to me by Netgalley electronically for review…I liked this book…I enjoyed this book. I liked this book…if anyone doubts how I felt about this book…do not…it is a story of romance, divorce, children, despair…hope…love…I love the bookstore name and setting…I do not like the mother…I am sorry…I just do not…I hesitate to say that in a review…there is no way a mother stays away from her child…no way…really? Everyone brags to the protagonist about the mother who deserted s makes this a sad story…and the scavenger hunt for clues…a mourning daughter deserves more…sorry…I still liked this book…it is memorable…emotional…when the reader can truly like a character (the daughter) and dislike others, the author has succeeded…please please send me more books by this author…

This will be up on pop-culturalist.com closer to pub date. I loved this book so much!!I adored reading about Eloise and Val. The bookshop is absolutely magical and was a really well-written setting.

A newly divorced librarian inherits a bookshop from her estranged mother and soon finds herself not only discovering her mother’s life but discovering what the future holds for her. The story follows librarian Valentina Barker who is newly divorced and discovers that she has inherited a bookshop from her deceased mother Eloise. Val has always had a difficult relationship with her mother since her mother left her when she was 12 and hasn’t heard from her since. Upon arrival in London, Val soon discovers a whole new side to her mother’s life, including the reason why she left. Eloise gives Val a scavenger hunt to discover her secrets and soon Val is meeting all of Eloise’s old friends and discovering the beauty of Primrose Hill. The story is told from two perspectives, the current timeline with Val and the past with Eloise. We get to see both Eloise and Val fall in and out of love and how their romantic relationships impact them. Eloise is stuck between the adoring American investor Frank and the man who makes her heart beat, a rich Englishman named Edward. Val is stuck between her ex Nick who left her (literally), Daniel a man in the film industry who supposedly owns the book that Val has fallen in love with, and Eric the cute columnist who’s writing is lovely. The story definitely gives you Love, Rosie vibes, especially with Eloise, her constant missed timing and missteps in her relationships and how it all works out in the end. The story is a bit sad but overall a lovely romance read. It definitely is a great one to read with a nice hot cup of tea on a cold winter day.

*Thanks Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Ballantine Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

This book quickly made it ti one of my favorite stories, The story was told with so much emotion…it made me laugh, it made my cry and it made my souls smile. It shows us that love will always find a way and that there are so many important types of love. Soulmates, love of your children, love for your friends and that things happen for a reason. It broke my heart the way Eloise and Valentina where separated but I loved they way they where brought back together!
What a wonderful story!

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

With Love from London by Sarah Jio is a contemporary fiction novel with a splash of romance that will appeal to lovers of bookshops everywhere. The story revolves around 35 year-old Valentina, who has recently divorced her husband and learned that her estranged mother Eloise passed away. However, she also learned that her mother left her a cozy apartment in London and a bookshop, The Book Garden, as well. Valentina leaves her life in America and travels to the UK. Along the way, we get flashbacks to Eloise's past in the 1960's. What will Valentina discover in London about her mother's life as well as her own?

Here is a humorous excerpt from Valentina arrives at the bookstore and meets Millie, her mother's best friend:

""Well then," she says, a little startled. "As the expert that you are, I expect you'll be displeased with the way I've been running this bookstore since your mother's health declined. Go ahead and tell me what you have in mind. Don't beat around the bush. What is it? A new computer system?" She pressed the back of her hand to her forehead dramatically. "Online ordering? Some social media nonsense? Bookstagramming? Lord help us all."
Clearly, she's never seen my account, @booksbyval. I grin, deciding to take the humorous approach. "Ever considered book deliveries by drone?"
...
"I'm only kidding," I say. "About the drones.""

Overall, Without Love from London is a cozy, heart-warming novel about book-lovers and perfect for fellow book-lovers. As the author wrote in the foreword to the book, this book is really a place to go when you want to disappear from the dangers and horrors of the real world. The author says that she escaped into this novel during COVID, and I felt that that was a perfect description. This book is the perfect book to sink into after a long day at work or when you're trying to relax. When I was reading this book, I felt like I was transported into a wonderful, beautiful new world, and I didn't want to leave. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a book-lover looking for an escape, I highly recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in February!

I read this book today and really enjoyed the plot lines. The characters were great and likeable. I love reading about librarians and anything that has to do with bookshops really excites me! The story made me teary eyed and I really enjoyed it!!

Sarah Jio is an automatic read for me, one of my favorite authors! I felt in some ways this was similar to her other book "Goodnight June" which is one of my favorites of her. But it was also a really different story with a different setting. I liked the interweaving of Eloise and Valentina's stories. Valentina is hurting and dealing with grief from her divorce, her mother's death and still trying to figure out why her mother left her all those years ago.
Eloise's story is ultimately heartbreaking, but does have a great amount of beautiful happy moments.
The Book Garden is a place I would want to visit! Such a lovely book about family, love, friendships, and new beginnings.

Thank you NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC!

I loved the story of Val going to England to reconnect with the memory of her mother. Eloise takes her in a scavenger hunt of her life with most of the clues being found in bookish areas. Deeply moving storyline filled with wonder and hope in London.

The characters, were lovingly portrayed, and the story was enjoyable, loved this book! There was love, forgiveness and second chances. I love a story especially if it involves books or a bookstore. To have it also set in London is the icing on the cake.

With Love From London was a sweet story that shows the impact of a place, in this case a struggling bookstore in London, and a group of unfamiliar people coming together to heal life's disappointments. The story revolves around Valentina, a Seattle librarian suffering the end of her marriage and Eliose, her recently deceased British mother who deserted her long ago. This was a well written contemporary novel, well paced with richly drawn characters. I didn’t really feel there were any surprises reading the book, all the plot elements play out just as the summary informs us and the ending was predictable. However what made this book so enjoyable was that the characters felt believable and the descriptions of London and the bookstore just made me want to move there. 3.5 **/5

A dual timeline, a bookstore, AND London? Sign me up for this.

With Love From London is told from the perspective of Valentina, a librarian and book lover in the present day, and from the perspective of her mother in the 1960’s. I really enjoyed so much about this book- but in the end many of the characters fell flat for me- and the relationships were so…. BIG so fast, and it ultimately felt like I was reading a hallmark movie- but hey I’m into that and it made for a great, quick read.

(Rounded up from 3.5)

I was so excited to learn Sarah Jio had a new book coming out- I’ve read all of her previous books. This book did not disappoint! I almost always love a dual time line book, and this one with a daughter in current time learning about her mother in her time line was great!
Characters were well developed, I especially liked the side kick Liza! And I mean a lot of it takes place in a book store, what more could you ask for!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion- which is - go read this book!

This book was pretty predictable but that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it. I love books set in London and I really liked the dual storylines although I was frustrated that Eloise didn’t try harder to find her daughter. I did like the bit of romance in it but the mystery of who the book belonged to was pretty telegraphed from the beginning. Overall it was a fun, if very predictable book.

It’s such a well written, refreshing story; of love, second chances, optimism, hope and most importantly second chances at life. I absolutely love the main character, the setting, word building, description of the locations. It’s so heartfelt that at times it left me sobbing, so it was very hard for me to put it down after finishing it.

So in a nutshell, I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and being in Valentina’s world.

Also, thank you so much NG and Random House/Ballantine, and NetGalley for the arc in exchange of an unbiased and voluntary review.

-> The review is immediately being posted to my GR, Twitter and Bookbub accounts, also it would later be up to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication.

I love any type of London themed novel as you would expect! This was a beau mother/daughter story which was lovely as I am very close with my mum. It was a search of self discovery and finding closure and answers: it was beautifully written and I enjoyed every moment.